Happier Times mix

Hi Bruiser1964, thank you for your feedback, I will look into it ,I'm not 100% happy with it myself. kind of got tired/bored in the process while recording , focusing more on the verses and choruses but it deserve another try, I will come up with something.

thanks a lot to motivate me to have another shot at it. as a French it's like having a great meal but then the dessert let you down, I hate that though, so I will definitely put more effort into it :)
 
Robus said:
This is a much better mix than the first one. I like the song. Vocal level seems more consistent. I'm not sure it's sitting in the mix as well as it might. The lead vocal is high and dry--that's a good thing within reason, but I'm getting a little bit of the karaoke vibe here. You might try lowering the vocal slightly, adding a little more ambiance to the vocal, or bringing up the bass and drums just a bit to give the vocal more support--just suggestions.
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Bubba po said:
This isn't a bad mix, the levels are pretty good but a few elements sound a little too hi-passed and brittle, particularly the vocal and snare. A little more body is required on those, I think.
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I think I agree most with the two comments above on mix 2. Sounds like a 3rd mix is on the way?

I do think this is an improvement, as you've addressed the inconsistent vocal level issue, but I'm still left with an overall feeling of brittleness or harshness, perhaps stemming from vocal and snare as suggested above?

Drop the vocal level a bit, maybe an EQ cut somewhere in the hi mids, and add some delay and/or verb. I think that would help?

It would be cool too if you could think of something additional or different to add at the ending, as it's kind of anticlimactic as is.

It's sounding better though!
 
First I would like to thanks everybody for their feedback, it is much appreciated and very helpfull . :)


I have made some changes, on the pain points and added a new arrangement for the ending of the song as heatmiser suggested:

1- bongos are now in the intro and outro only
2- I have EQd the vocals(harshness), added some reverbs/delay and dropped the volume
3- Dropped the volume on most guitars
4- redid the bass line(this one was my own feedback :facepalm:)

https://soundcloud.com/crycookie/happier-times-tracking-mix9

Thanks a lot.
 
Crycookie said:
Hi Buppa Po, thank you for your feedback, I will definitely look into that. My mic gives a lot of boxiness (or at least I think) so I'm mostly removing/or taming most of it(probably too much though), plus mixing with headphones and a pair of logitech pc monitor might not help either ,so I appreciate your feedback, gives a better perspective on the sound :)
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As a matter of interest, what mic, or what type of mic are you using and how are you recording your voice? If you're using a condenser mic and singing from 150-300mm away, then your room may be causing the boxiness. Horrible rooms (too small, too square) are a real problem when recording vocals with a condenser. Before I got my room treated, I sometimes constructed a makeshift booth of mic stands and quilts to remove the room reverberation and boxiness. If you're using a dynamic mic, get closer - no further away than 100mm and placed either above or below your mouth to minimise breath pops. Pop screens are good - if you don't have one, make one with a pair of tights stretched over a bit of wire.

In short, removing boxiness from a vocal with EQ is a nigh-on impossible task if that's how it was recorded. I'd be surprised if it is your mic that's entirely at fault.
 
@ Buppa po, I have a Bluebird condenser mic with a pop filter, I tried different mic placement . I usually record in my living room as it is the biggest room ,mic placed almost center and singing 10cm-20cm away mostly for verses or softers songs and 30-40cm away for chorus or loud parts. I usually record those loud parts at low gain to avoid picking up too much of the room but still a lot of the room is rendered in the recorded track, i will definitely look into a makeshifts booth as I'm almost going crazy every time I mix the vocals . I also have a sm57 but never used it for vocals, might try it though once I get booth sorted, thanks a lot for tip, greatly appreciated :)
 
Listening to mix 9 now. I think it's sounding better still? I like the lower guitar levels as the organ now is more prominent which I think suits it.

The new bass line works pretty well. I thought it cut out too abruptly at 1:24? Or like you stopped on the wrong note or something? Not sure. It's cool to have the bass drop out like that, maybe just look at how you edited that bit, if you did.

Wait, what are you saying about, "playing video games like a...."? I like video games! lol

And yeah, the ending sounds more like an actual ending now, so that's cool.
 
Working now on lowering the guitars , dropped the levels and I gave a try to some sidechain ,seem to work ok for some parts, I do have some issues with the main guitars in the chorus though, the sidechain (with the vocals)does not seem to work well for this part, either they are too loud or to low ,popping up in a not pleasant way.

ah crap I did not spotted it when i compiled and merged the bass track, I stopped too early, you are right, thank you for spotting it, I will have another take to fix it.

ahaha I do like games too :D

i will probably have to practice a bit more the guitar ending parts I added, it feels a bit sloppy to me but at least I have them set. will work on them later on.

Thanks a lot heatmiser for taking the time tolisten and write down your feedback, very helpful and greatly appreciated
 
"...like a widow" is what I heard. Cool. Each mix is getting better. Another idea would be to fade at the ending. I do when I can't think of a proper ending. ;)
 
A widow that play video games hehe that's an interesting picture lol, I will definitly add a fade on that part, that's a brillant idea, didn't think about it, thanks a lot Robus :)
 
hi guys,Here the last render of the song, I have sidechained most of the guitars with the vocals, then the whole mix to duck with the vocals. dropped the guitar levels too and leveled a bit more the vocals with some volume automation.

I have a/b the mix with previous mixes and it seems a bit more balance and consistent, thank you for all the tips and great feedback.

Will work later on the guitars and bass lines as I need to practice a bit more. I will also follow Robus advice and work on some arrangements more suited for the song.

https://soundcloud.com/crycookie/happier-times-tracking-mix10

Thank you to all who helped :)
 
I like this one! I don't hear anything wrong with the lead vocal. I'm really hearing your voice cutting through. The side-chaining seems to have done some good. The voice is selling the melody and lyrics better than before--I feel more connection to the song. This is the way you should go with your mixes.

I like the guitar solo break in the middle. To be honest, the lead guitar on the right during the singing could be more understated. At times it is effective, but at other times it seems to be noodling and distracts from the vocal. If you're thinking about retracking that guitar, you might keep it simpler, target the chord changes and play melodic phrases that compliment the vocal melody.

Your songwriting and singing are getting better with every song that you post.
 
Thanks a lot Robus, I really appreciated it . I've learnt a lot on this session and will definitely make it to practice. I need a break from this song for now, as I have been working on it for months now and I feel is time to move on from it for a while. But I definitly keep in mind your feedback , being more melodic and keeping the arrangement simpler when I'll be back at it.

On a different note, the other day I was doing my shopping and found myself humming your song Tall Order as I listen to it from time to time, it made me smile in a good way, it's a really cool song

Thanks again :)
 
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