First posted mix... yikes!

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cmayo

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It's pretty intimidating to post amongst the great mixes here, but here goes. This piece started out as a couple measures of soul/R&B to test a new horn patch, and quickly spun out of control. As a piece of music it's pretty much done but as a mix... I continually encounter the same issues and thought I'd ask you guys for some direction.

My first issue is that I've been playing in LOUD clubs for 40 years and my hearing is pretty much blown out above 12kHz, so I'm concerned that I might compensate for a poor hearing response by making my mixes too bright. I'd very much appreciate it if someone with better/younger ears could check me on this and let me know what you hear.

My other usual issue is that I don't have a true reference-quality audio system to mix on, so I never really know what to mix to. Do most of you guys have high-end playback gear that you trust to deliver really accurate reproduction or, like me, do you wind up trying to strike a decent balance between studio, listening room, headphones, car, etc..?

I'd be grateful for any comments or tips!

Here's the track:

[MP3]http://www.chuckmayo.com/originals/Ship%20of%20Theseus%20Dry%20Inputs%2020140925.mp3[/MP3]

 
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I'm too much of a novice to give worthwhile opinions on most of your questions, but I can give you a layman's opinion on the brightness...

I'm listening with earbuds. The only thing I think that could possibly be too bright is the hi-hat in my left ear, and even that might be ok. Other than that, the bass is kind of heavy (which I tend to like), but a lot of people might prefer it turned down a bit. I like the organ that comes in around 1:43.

That's all I got. Which instruments are synthesized and which are real?
 
NotThatBright said:
I'm listening with earbuds. The only thing I think that could possibly be too bright is the hi-hat in my left ear, and even that might be ok. Other than that, the bass is kind of heavy (which I tend to like), but a lot of people might prefer it turned down a bit. I like the organ that comes in around 1:43.

[...]Which instruments are synthesized and which are real?
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Thanks for your comments! I'm glad it's not just ridiculously bright. The hi-hat must be cutting through some freq's I don't hear well because it barely registers to my ears... good to know, and I've backed off the hat's high EQ and volume for a later post.

I am definitely having trouble getting the bass right. I want the piece to be a bit rock-ish, i.e. more Brian Setzer than Duke Ellington, so I'm trying to keep the bass and kick pretty strong but I don't want an obnoxious bottom end. I'm just not practiced enough to know when enough is enough and am hoping to get some insight on that here as well. For now, I went ahead and backed off the low end a bit.

As far as real vs. synth, it's all synth. I'm using a Nord Electro 2 for the Hammond tracks, everything else is an ancient Yamaha S90.
 
cmayo said:
Thanks for your comments! I'm glad it's not just ridiculously bright. The hi-hat must be cutting through some freq's I don't hear well because it barely registers to my ears... good to know, and I've backed off the hat's high EQ and volume for a later post.

I am definitely having trouble getting the bass right. I want the piece to be a bit rock-ish, i.e. more Brian Setzer than Duke Ellington, so I'm trying to keep the bass and kick pretty strong but I don't want an obnoxious bottom end. I'm just not practiced enough to know when enough is enough and am hoping to get some insight on that here as well. For now, I went ahead and backed off the low end a bit.

As far as real vs. synth, it's all synth. I'm using a Nord Electro 2 for the Hammond tracks, everything else is an ancient Yamaha S90.
Click to expand...

I see. I don't have the tools to measure the sound graphically or anything, which I believe a lot of guys use to determine if the bass is too loud, for instance. Anything suggestions I make are just based on my ears. As far as brightness, though, I don't think you'll be giving anyone headaches with what you had up originally.
 
Pretty bizzare song at times.

The cymbals are kind of sizzly at times but I don't find it distracting.
The drums and snare are pretty silent.
The bass could cut through a bit more. It hear it in the background but I can't make out any specific notes or melody lines that it's playing.
 
Thanks for commenting, Schwarzenyaeger. I agree that the circus-band-on-acid bridge is a bit out of place and may not make the final cut, but it was a lot of fun to include.

I've implemented NotThatBright's suggestion to tone down the hi-hat, brought up the snare and kick just a tad (they sound pretty present on my gear), and rolled a bit of the low end off the bass track and brought its volume up a bit. Beyond that, how could I get more definition in the bass track?

Updated Track



Soloed Bass Track

 
I thought this was very good. Well played.

Was this all live recordings of instruments? If it's just you, there are a bunch of tracks there.

Anyway, thought most everything was well balanced. You might have hyped the cymbals just a bit too much. They're pretty bright in spots.
 
TripleM said:
I thought this was very good. Well played.

Was this all live recordings of instruments?...
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Thank you for commenting, TripleM, and for the kind words. It's all synth and yes, it's probably way too many tracks (58). I've really only ever recorded synths direct to DAW and wouldn't have the first idea about how to even mic a guitar, much less a 16-piece band, but the all-keyboard approach lets me accomplish a lot without really having to know anything about the studio.
 
The single change that would benefit this one the most would be a different drum sound. For someone who grew up detesting swing, I really liked this one. Good feel. I liked the changeup a lot, too. Really interesting, and makes the groove sound so good when you come back to it. That, and there's nothing in the world like a Hammond solo taking flight. Good work. First posted mix? I'm looking forward to more. Oh...get some singing going on something. Sinatra on drugs, that kind of thing.
 
dobro said:
For someone who grew up detesting swing, I really liked this one.
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What a nice compliment, thank you. I don't think you could ask for more than for someone who doesn't especially enjoy the genre to say that your music connected with them.

Vocals... meh. I don't sing and the only real vocalist I know would want to do the Sinatra sans drugs. I've done some good stuff with him and may post some of that someday, but my heart is really more with classic R&B styles and, God bless him, he has about as much soul as a slice of Wonder bread.

What sort of drum sound do you think would work better for this? I really have kind of a "drums is drums" mentality and tend to go with whatever's handy. I wanted the drums to really drive this piece and used a rock set from my Yamaha synth. Can you give me an example that might be a better kit for this?
 
When I said Sinatra on drugs, I meant who had Sinatra's musical sensibility and who wouldn't be averse to taking the occasional musical exploration like you did on this one.

I was thinking of a real drummer with a real kit in a real room with real mics.
 
dobro said:
I was thinking of a real drummer with a real kit in a real room with real mics.
Click to expand...

Not sure how feasible that would be just now. I'm planning to replace the drum tracks with a real drummer at some point in the near future, but that'll still be MIDI'd from an electronic kit and rendered with likely the same drum patch.
 
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