Home-made Nirvana Cover.

  • Thread starter Thread starter CMolena
  • Start date Start date
I don't know why nobody's took a stab at commenting on this so far, but I'll give it a go. :)

I like the sound of the guitars, but they might be a bit "bitey". They're fighting the vocal a bit.

The drumkit sounds a bit distant and not in a very complimentary room. It's pretty boxy. The cymbals dominate a bit and they sound a bit harsh and cheap. I think the kit needs a fair bit more "weight" in the bottom end.

The vocal needs work. It sounds very dry and lacking in conviction, as if it's a scratch vocal rather than a final performance. It's not out of tune, but when you compare it to Kurt's vocal it lacks any sense of effort or striving for an emotional impact.

It's a reasonable attempt at a mix, but I feel that the recording itself is not up to snuff and that a bit more attention to the basics of the performances and how the instruments sound will pay dividends on your next project. I hope I haven't been too harsh, but nobody ever got better by people blowing smoke up their bottoms.

Thanks for sharing. :)
 
Yeah I thought the guitars sounded decent. Like bubba, they might have just a bit too much high-mid bite. Good playing.

The very first chord of the song didn't sound like everything hit together just right. A bit sloppy.

I also agree the vocal delivery needs work. But I'm hearing some pitchiness in spots. The vocal is also much dryer than the instrument tracks.

Drums lack a little high end.
 
I think you guys SUCK and my mix sounds AWESOME.

Just kidding, lol, thanks for sharing your opinion guys!

I do have a little trouble in terms of recording vocals (kind of insecurity, actually). And about the drums...do you guys think its sounds bad? I used 4 mics, OH, kick, snare and a room. I think the room one, wasnt a good choice and kinda messed up the snare, idk why.
And the boxiness you guys mentioned, I really didnt dropped the mid frequencies in the OH, do you guys think that'll do it?

The guitars sounds bitey, but I really love'em like that. Although I could have saved some space for the vocals, definately.
 
CMolena said:
I think you guys SUCK and my mix sounds AWESOME.

Just kidding, lol, thanks for sharing your opinion guys!

I do have a little trouble in terms of recording vocals (kind of insecurity, actually). And about the drums...do you guys think its sounds bad? I used 4 mics, OH, kick, snare and a room. I think the room one, wasnt a good choice and kinda messed up the snare, idk why.
And the boxiness you guys mentioned, I really didnt dropped the mid frequencies in the OH, do you guys think that'll do it?

The guitars sounds bitey, but I really love'em like that. Although I could have saved some space for the vocals, definately.
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The 4-mic configuration isn't inherently a bad choice. RAMI ( a good contributor on here) gets truly excellent drum tracks using a 4-mic setup. A better miking choice might be kick, snare and stereo condenser mic overheads. Then you have to consider your mic placement very carefully. Google drum miking setups and get out the tape measure, seriously. I like bitey guitars myself, but mixing is all about balance and finding ways for the various instruments to co-exist - by tailoring the eq, panning and volume.
 
I kinda like the way a drum sounds with not so much EQ and compression, raw. That is the sound I wanted to achieve in this mix. Maybe its lacking a little bit on the low end and the cymbals are just LOUD, but that is also the way I play the drums.

I definately agree, that a little bit of editing wont do no harm, but I really want to avoid that kind of position - (editing, EQing the hell out of it, compressors EVERYWHERE, gates and stuff...) - when recording a band, or myself.

Hope you guys dont think I'm a jackass to say these things.
 
It's got a nice live feel, which Nirvana did themselves for an album or two. Like a lot of live mixes, the vocals sound a lot more upfront than the rest of the band.
I personally like what you captured.
 
CMolena said:
I kinda like the way a drum sounds with not so much EQ and compression, raw. That is the sound I wanted to achieve in this mix. Maybe its lacking a little bit on the low end and the cymbals are just LOUD, but that is also the way I play the drums.

I definately agree, that a little bit of editing wont do no harm, but I really want to avoid that kind of position - (editing, EQing the hell out of it, compressors EVERYWHERE, gates and stuff...) - when recording a band, or myself.

Hope you guys dont think I'm a jackass to say these things.
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You are kind of a jackass. Not because you don't want to mangle your mix with fixes. That's admirable. But because you're making excuses to explain away the feedback you've gotten. The drums are definitely the weak link in the mix. If you just want to record and not do anything to it, then you need to do things better at the source. If you like the way this mix came out, then don't ask for feedback.
 
The mix definitely sells the song's self evident ennui.
Much work to be done fixing vocals, drums and bass.
Skip the room mic and use a pair of OHs, treat the room and get a singer.
 
CMolena said:
I kinda like the way a drum sounds with not so much EQ and compression, raw.
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In a perfect world, which would include perfect drums, perfect rooms, and perfect playing, we would all like to say we don't EQ or compress.

But in the real world, those tools exist for a reason and, when used wisely, they can only help. I can appreciate not wanting a stale, artificial, over-processed sound. But not using certain tools when they can help, just because of wanting to "keep it real", doesn't make sense. Do you think Nirvana didn't use any processing on the same song you're covering?

Unless you have an awesome room, which pretty much none of us have, forget the room mic and use 2 overheads. My opinion.
 
Drums are very hard to record well. There are a few guys on the board that do it pretty well. Probably because they've spent a lot of time practicing it. So I'd recommend keep practicing.

As far as the bite on the guitar, yeah it's kind of a personal preference. If you like it, I'd stick with it. You're not breaking any laws. :)
 
Nirvana (maybe all grunge) was basically...energy and anxious tension.

The drums and vocals lack those qualities. Listening to the original...it's all there. Simply getting the drums up in the mix might help them. Idk...I'm not a drum guy. They aren't very present here. The vocal lacks energy. It seems to me the singer has the ability but not the conviction...The guitars are done well.
 
Greg_L said:
You are kind of a jackass. Not because you don't want to mangle your mix with fixes. That's admirable. But because you're making excuses to explain away the feedback you've gotten. The drums are definitely the weak link in the mix. If you just want to record and not do anything to it, then you need to do things better at the source. If you like the way this mix came out, then don't ask for feedback.
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Greg, I absolutely love the fact that everyone in this thread has taken a time out of their day to listen to my mix. I posted it because of that!

I'm not trying to make excuses for the drums or anything. I'm maybe justifying why does it sound like that. Although I liked the way the song came out, in my head, my opinion is not enough. I need feedback from guys who have been doing this for some time, or guys that just started, like me. And the average listener as well (friends, family, etc).

One of the things that I've noticed, listening back, is that a pair of OH is the best choice for what I've got. The room mic really just SUCKED.

What I can agree with no doubt, is that my vocals need some serious working. I'm really insecure abut them, especially when singing a cover. But then again, I picked a band that had a INSANE vocalist to cover...I should've payed more time with the vocals.

But please guys, whenever I post something, I want to discuss it..."why does it sound bad for you" and maybe justify the doubts in my mind aswell.

Thanks for everyone, again!!!
 
RAMI said:
Do you think Nirvana didn't use any processing on the same song you're covering?
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I kinda agree with what you're saying, but you are aware that we're talking about Steve Albini, right? There probably were more than 4 mics on the kit, and definitely was a big great sounding room around it, but there probably wasn't a whole lot of processing on the mix.
 
ashcat_lt said:
I kinda agree with what you're saying, but you are aware that we're talking about Steve Albini, right? There probably were more than 4 mics on the kit, and definitely was a big great sounding room around it, but there probably wasn't a whole lot of processing on the mix.
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Ah, could be, I wouldn't know. But I hope my basic message still stands, even without that assertion, which I admittedly made without knowing who or how the song was produced. :cool:
 
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