Folksy, Bluesy

[Spiralstairs]

I'd definitely like to second the notion of leaving compression for the mixing stage. No need to commit to compression settings during tracking.

Another thing I wanted to respond to was your comment about your plan to EQ the drums to make them passable. There is nothing wrong with tweaking EQ in any situation (in principle). But if you're using only one mic, IMO, you should shoot for capturing the drum sound as nicely as possible and then pretty much leave it alone. Ignore a cookbook approach and try all kinds of different things until you get a kit sound that has balance and most resembles what you want it to be. This is just something I've learned the hard way, others may disagree. I don't know exactly what you had in mind, but be wary of making big gaping EQ changes or whatever and convincing yourself that it sounds "better" when in fact it only really sounds "different".

Again IMO, I think autotune or some similar trickery would stick out like a sore thumb on a spare production like this. I'd stick with your "aesthetic".

Good luck
Matt

A big part of the problem is that my ear is still very untrained. Even if I think it sounds good while tracking, once i place it next to everything else in the mix I can see the flaws. That's when I panic and press the EQ pedal to the floor.

Hopefully I'll be getting a 2nd mic soon, but in the meantime, thanks! This is very helpful.

And while it's very convenient that my "aesthetic" aligns so well with my recording abilities, I agree!

 

[guitar zero]

Thanks! It's rare to hear something put so simply; it's very helpful!

I just want to leave you with a couple of examples for you to listen to. Recently I posted a recording of milk cow blues here. That was a rushed mix, and an example of bad reverb and delays. It was a mess. If you listen closely, the Dobro is way too far back in the stereo field, and has way too much reverb on it. It sounds like the Dobro player is 50 yards away, playing from a tunnel. The fiddle is panned way too far to the right. It's a featured instrument, why is the fiddle player falling off the right side of the stage? The electric guitar solo is panned to the wrong side of the stage and is clashing with the only other instrument playing at the time, the piano from the same side of the stage. Now listen to this mix and compare. I fixed all those problems, and it sounds more like a real performance and has better balance overall.

Problems fixed here:

Compare the two, and think about these things as you mix. Who is standing where? Who is featured and who is back ground? How big is the sound stage? Is it small and intimate, or Carnegie Hall? Once you decide these things, mixing will become a lot easier.

 

[Spiralstairs]

I just want to leave you with a couple of examples for you to listen to. Recently I posted a recording of milk cow blues here. That was a rushed mix, and an example of bad reverb and delays. It was a mess. If you listen closely, the Dobro is way too far back in the stereo field, and has way too much reverb on it. It sounds like the Dobro player is 50 yards away, playing from a tunnel. The fiddle is panned way too far to the right. It's a featured instrument, why is the fiddle player falling off the right side of the stage? The electric guitar solo is panned to the wrong side of the stage and is clashing with the only other instrument playing at the time, the piano from the same side of the stage. Now listen to this mix and compare. I fixed all those problems, and it sounds more like a real performance and has better balance overall.

Problems fixed here:

Compare the two, and think about these things as you mix. Who is standing where? Who is featured and who is back ground? How big is the sound stage? Is it small and intimate, or Carnegie Hall? Once you decide these things, mixing will become a lot easier.

I definitely follow you in theory, but if you hadn't pointed to those changes, I wouldn't have noticed most of them. Thank God this is so much fun, because it's going to take a lot of practice.

That was a great sounding track by the way, lots of fun and very polished!

 

[Llarion]

A big part of the problem is that my ear is still very untrained.

This is easily fixed. Find your very favorite recordings, the ones they just "sound good" to you for some reason, and listen to them through your recording rig. Listen CAREFULLY; not "enjoying the tune", but deconstructing. Ask yourself what about it sounds good. WHY does it sound the way it does? Listen to each element, each instrument, listen to soundfield placement. Just like people like to emulate their favorite players, guys like us tend to try to emulate their favorite production sounds. When I go to work, I'm shooting for "sound-prissy" bands like Steely Dan, Supertramp, Sting, that sort of vibe. I want to be Roger Nichols when I grow up.