Frustrated as ****, newbie needs a hand......

  • Thread starter Thread starter Swarm
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Swarm

Swarm

New member
Hi all this is my first post on here. I'm basically after some advice, I'll try not to make this long winded. I'm not sure if this thread belongs in mixing or song writing and composition or here but anyway...

Iv'e been composing/performing most of my life but I'm new to recording/mixing and have been using a home studio to start recording my compositions. Iv'e been using it for 2 months so I know have alot to learn.

So my question is where am I going wrong with my first song I recorded below?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrWmtPhAc6Q

Song has been reverted back to a raw recording with some EQ and high pass filtering nothing else.

I am using:

Cubase 5
Behringer B2031 Truth Monitors
Korg 61-Microkey
Samson G-track Mic

Sylenth VST plugin
Massive VST plugin
Halion One VST plugin

So Iv'e been reading day and night on tutorials and trying to apply what I read but it just doesn't work (or I'm not getting it). For example this unmixed song sounded "muddy" so I applied high pass filters on bass drum and bass line and it worked and the song became "neat" but at the expense of a thumping bass, so I EQ'd the bass and drums now it sounds like theres less 'high end" sound so i try a parametric on the lead synths and theres no mid-bass aaand you get the picture lol. so anything I do enhances one thing and sacrifices another.

So because nothing seems to work well I'm starting to question if I used poor synths or did I write a terrible song?? I have no idea anymore, Iv'e listened to it so many times and it's annoying because I feel what's in my head is good but I cant get it on to Cubase how I want it. Iv'e given the song to friends to listen to and basically it's "reasonably good" and "has potential', maybe I'm pessimistic but to methat means it's crap

Any tips, any information, would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.
 
Synth patches are notorious for being "over the top" on every apsect....too much reverb, too much stereo spread, too much wide bandwidth layering...etc...because the patch programmers try and make every patch larger than life, and that doesn't always work well in a mix when you start stacking them.

So....you have to really sculpt multiple synth tracks to get them to fit right in a mix. Start by removing all the above ^^^ crap, and get each patch down to something more "singular"...mono, dry and down to what is key for that patch sound.
I don't use synths too often these days, but when I do, I often find myself editing them substantially to get them to sit right with my other track that were recorded live.
 
ok so you mean basically creating my own patch? stripping down and starting with the most basic raw sound, no processing e.t.c and building it myself rather than relying on these over the top presets? because all of them are presets that initally sounded good on their own. I get that ultimately live recorded instruments are best, but then how do the pros get such a "sweet" sound if their creating a purely electronic genre like trance for example?
 
I don't make that kind of music but I do use synthetic instruments occasionally and the presets are always over the top.
Even with something simple like strings or piano....especially with drums.

Yeah the seem to sound great on their own, but they rarely work in a mix. This is especially true of drum presets.
I do exactly as you described. I pull the patch back to raw. No eq, no compression, no reverb. I take it back to how it would sound if I recorded it live, or as close as I can get it.
Now, I might use my own eq/comp/verb/delay based on what's needed for the mix, but that's totally different. That's a judgement call.

That gives you half a chance of making a good mix and once you've done that, the mix can become great than the sum of the parts.

Take Greg with his guitars. He probably has the best sounding rock guitars on the forums and just earlier today he was explaining to someone that he points a mic at his amp, turns it up and plays. No eq...no comp...no reverb. (except on the lead ;) )
 
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