G
Greg_L
Banned
Not too bad. Too long for me. I struggled to make it all the way to the end. I think overall it's really pretty good. I like the midrangey growl in the bass, but it's a little light in the lows. It's a toss up with bass. It's hard to keep a tight and strong low end when going for midragey growl. I think it would be plenty okay if the kick did a better job of filling in the bottom. Neither the kick nor bass is really doing much work down there. The overheads seem a little too loud. You could drop em considerably and still be okay. The vocals are pretty good, but they're a little thin and plain. The layers are kind of sloppy. It works for the song though. A little more depth to the vocal tracks would be good to me. The rest sounds pretty good.
fat_fleet
Swollen Member
Yeah I struggled with the slow tempo and the singing on this. Now I'm thinking of trying to get the vocals a little better and taking another crack at the drums also to try and tighten up that middle section. If you've got any suggestions on getting a better kick sound of course I'd sure love to hear em. I use a 22" Gretsch Blackhawk (i know i know) with an Aquarian Super-Kick and ported reso with a Beta 52a about 2" in.
But yeah, thanks alot for checking it out..
G
Greg_L
Banned
You should be able to get a decent kick track with that setup. Your current track isn't bad, it just doesn't thump. What kind of EQ or processing have you done to it?
heatmiser
mr. green christmas
Ah. I love a good downer.
The electric guitar parts on this are awesome. Cool sounds and really interesting parts.
Overall, I found the mix to be pretty bass-lite. I also found the cymbals to be a bit overpowering, but I liked the playing on the drums a lot. The kick is plenty audible (what's wrong with a Gretsch?), but just not very beefy sounding. Not that you want beef there necessarily, but it kinda fits in with the overal lack of low-end that for me was a bit of a problem. Cool song though. Thanks for sharing it.
The electric guitar parts on this are awesome. Cool sounds and really interesting parts.
Overall, I found the mix to be pretty bass-lite. I also found the cymbals to be a bit overpowering, but I liked the playing on the drums a lot. The kick is plenty audible (what's wrong with a Gretsch?), but just not very beefy sounding. Not that you want beef there necessarily, but it kinda fits in with the overal lack of low-end that for me was a bit of a problem. Cool song though. Thanks for sharing it.
fat_fleet
Swollen Member
Kjeerhus Compressor and ReaEQ with a big dip around 300-500. Until recently I was using ParisEQ instead of ReaEQ with boosts around 50 and 1.5k, but it was real glitchy for me and added these weird garbled digital noises, so I started pulling Paris EQ out of my projects. I also only recently started playing bass with a pick to get more bite, but I'm starting to think it's stealing my low-end (?)... and I'm going direct into a SansAmp box. I'm wondering if I should try to mic an amp for the bass part or if I should just concentrate on fattening up the kick sound...
Funny, also the last thing I did before I posted this mix was pull the bass back a few dBs because I listened on my iPod and it just seemed like it was booming all over everything, but by that time my ears were pretty fried. I'm tempted to bump it back up, but I'm not sure if that would even help the low end if there isn't much in the bass track to begin with.
Thanks heat! Yeah, looks like I'll be reworking some stuff here, but hopefully you guys can guide me in the right direction. I would like my stuff eventually to sound as good as yours and Greg's. Blackhawks are Gretsch's entry-level poplar shells and, while they don't sound bad with decent heads and they're definitely appropriate for my skill level on drums, it's just not a "pro kit" by any stretch. Ima try and post a new mix later today and maybe I can get some of the sonics a little better... Thanks again for listening and commenting!
robgreen
no face
I agree, it's a really cool song fatfleet - I liked the Neil Young-esque tone on the lead guitar, the ambient sounds and the you got a great sound on the snare.
I agree with Heat that the cymbals are a little overpowering though, and I felt the vocals were a little pitchy at the beginning - they settle down nicely as it gets going, but for me they're too loose upto where the doubling starts.
Don't have any problem with the length - it's only about 5% of the length of that tune you entered in the song contest isn't it? Enjoyed it
I agree with Heat that the cymbals are a little overpowering though, and I felt the vocals were a little pitchy at the beginning - they settle down nicely as it gets going, but for me they're too loose upto where the doubling starts.
Don't have any problem with the length - it's only about 5% of the length of that tune you entered in the song contest isn't it? Enjoyed it
Bristol Posse
Okey Dokey
This is cool stuff, Really enjoyed
Changes I would make are:
Cymbals are really up front and make it seem like the whole band is within the sphere of the overheads.
Kick and snare on the other hand feel like they are way off in the distance but that's maybe because the cymbals are so up front
Some of the delays that you have on the synth parts are not in time with the song. The one at around 30 secs works well, the one around 1:50 was kind of distracting and seemed to stick out to me because it didn't quite fit the timing
Guitar solo was good but absolutley overwhelmed by and difficult to listen to because of the crashing cymbals
Like the song, vocals sit well, i think if you turn down the OHs about 6dB it'd be just right
Did I mention the cymbals
I'd love to do a song like this but no matter what, everything I do comes out as cheesy, happy Brit pop
Changes I would make are:
Cymbals are really up front and make it seem like the whole band is within the sphere of the overheads.
Kick and snare on the other hand feel like they are way off in the distance but that's maybe because the cymbals are so up front
Some of the delays that you have on the synth parts are not in time with the song. The one at around 30 secs works well, the one around 1:50 was kind of distracting and seemed to stick out to me because it didn't quite fit the timing
Guitar solo was good but absolutley overwhelmed by and difficult to listen to because of the crashing cymbals
Like the song, vocals sit well, i think if you turn down the OHs about 6dB it'd be just right
Did I mention the cymbals
I'd love to do a song like this but no matter what, everything I do comes out as cheesy, happy Brit pop
aaronmcoleman
The truth is out there!
Cool. It is slow and goes on for a while.
Everything sounds well tracked.
The low end is kinda missing so it doesn't really hold the whole song together as it should.
As a personal preference, I kinda like the tons of OH for the drums. It reminds me a lot of some of the early and mid-90s stuff...like Built to Spill and Nada Surf. I'd just work on the kick, that could be the key to the whole mix! Also could use a little more snap on the snare.
Vocals sound good. They could use some depth...maybe a short slap delay (light) and a light plate reverb...or something like that. The background ones sound fine to me.
Guitars have nice tone.
Overall I like this a lot, and the mix is good. As with most critiques of well tracked mixes, the suggeststions are just nits or preference.
Everything sounds well tracked.
The low end is kinda missing so it doesn't really hold the whole song together as it should.
As a personal preference, I kinda like the tons of OH for the drums. It reminds me a lot of some of the early and mid-90s stuff...like Built to Spill and Nada Surf. I'd just work on the kick, that could be the key to the whole mix! Also could use a little more snap on the snare.
Vocals sound good. They could use some depth...maybe a short slap delay (light) and a light plate reverb...or something like that. The background ones sound fine to me.
Guitars have nice tone.
Overall I like this a lot, and the mix is good. As with most critiques of well tracked mixes, the suggeststions are just nits or preference.
fat_fleet
Swollen Member
Hey rob, thanks for listening! Yeah I noticed the pitchiness at the beginning too. The voice is just so naked for the first few lines before the doubling. I just took another crack at it and hopefully it's a little better... if not I should have some time in the next few days for a more serious retracking effort.
This is cool stuff, Really enjoyed
Changes I would make are:
Cymbals are really up front and make it seem like the whole band is within the sphere of the overheads.
Kick and snare on the other hand feel like they are way off in the distance but that's maybe because the cymbals are so up front
Some of the delays that you have on the synth parts are not in time with the song. The one at around 30 secs works well, the one around 1:50 was kind of distracting and seemed to stick out to me because it didn't quite fit the timing
Guitar solo was good but absolutley overwhelmed by and difficult to listen to because of the crashing cymbals
Like the song, vocals sit well, i think if you turn down the OHs about 6dB it'd be just right
Did I mention the cymbals
I'd love to do a song like this but no matter what, everything I do comes out as cheesy, happy Brit pop
Hey BP, thanks for listening! I have the opposite problem, where everything I try to do is slow and droney
. The delay that wasn't in time with the song was totally intentional though.... just one of those things that sounded good to my ears, like little notes sprinkling down. I'll probably end up keepin em like that for now anyways. I'm surprised you didn't notice the thing with the cymbals that everyone else mentioned. 
Cool, thanks alot aaron. I wish I could say that the tons of OH was an aesthetic choice, but I just have mediocre ears and limited mixing experience. Pretty much everything I know about tracking and mixing I learned from posts in here. I pulled them back because everyone said something about them, but to be honest it took me a few minutes to get used to once I did... I was kinda like "Are the cymbals even loud enough now??" for a bit and then my ears adjusted.
Anyways, new mix at the original link in the first post. Changed the EQ on the kick and bumped it up a couple dBs, bumped the bass a little, quickly retracked the first few vocal lines and dropped the OHs. Thanks again for listening guys.
heatmiser
mr. green christmas
Big difference with the new mix. I think it sounds loads better myself.
I like the kick like this. At first I thought maybe you raised it too much, but I got to like it.
Love the snare sound...maybe bring that up a tad too? Cymbals are better.
I like the kick like this. At first I thought maybe you raised it too much, but I got to like it.
Love the snare sound...maybe bring that up a tad too? Cymbals are better.
arcadeko
Illuminatius Overlordious
Cool vibe - I think the vocals take a few versus to find their place, maybe try the beginning again, maybe you could redo them at the end and splice it into the beginning or something if your having trouble getting a good take.
The mix sounds pretty well balanced on my monitors. Maybe the vocals could be a tad brighter - I want to understand all that crazy shit your singing
pipe organs sound pretty cool (or whatever that is that sounds like a pipe organ)
nice early floyd vibe, reminds me of the heart of the sun album a little
I like the end a lot the way it all fades down for the last few measures.. nice
you want me to send you some prozac dude? I got lots of extras...
The mix sounds pretty well balanced on my monitors. Maybe the vocals could be a tad brighter - I want to understand all that crazy shit your singing
pipe organs sound pretty cool (or whatever that is that sounds like a pipe organ)
nice early floyd vibe, reminds me of the heart of the sun album a little
I like the end a lot the way it all fades down for the last few measures.. nice
you want me to send you some prozac dude? I got lots of extras...
fat_fleet
Swollen Member
I couldn't get used to it and pulled it back a notch. I think it's still better than before tho.
done!
Cool vibe - I think the vocals take a few versus to find their place, maybe try the beginning again, maybe you could redo them at the end and splice it into the beginning or something if your having trouble getting a good take.
The mix sounds pretty well balanced on my monitors. Maybe the vocals could be a tad brighter - I want to understand all that crazy shit your singing
pipe organs sound pretty cool (or whatever that is that sounds like a pipe organ)
nice early floyd vibe, reminds me of the heart of the sun album a little
I like the end a lot the way it all fades down for the last few measures.. nice
Cool Wes, thanks for listening! Yeah I love that pre-DSOTM Floyd stuff, hopefully it shows a little...
Yeah I brightened the vocals and hung a little verb on em. I know I'm gonna have to retrack em eventually. My voice is so unpredictable. I can track a line dozens of times and I'm sure it's right in while I'm singing it, then I listen back- nope! And then there's the issue of getting a good 3 hour block when everyone's out of the house.
So new mix, little less kick, more snare, a new and (slightly) tighter drum take, verb and a little high-end bump on the vox. Think it's about as good as I can get it without retracking vox. Thanks alot everyone for your help and comments! And I can't rep mosta you, no matter how many times I try.
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queepy
aka Variaxman
really dug this, I also got a early Floyd vibe, no nits here, great song!
fat_fleet
Swollen Member
Awesome! Thanks a lot for checking it out queeps!