Hopes Fading

  • Thread starter Thread starter Toker41
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Toker41

Better Than You
Entered this one in the Home Recording Original Song Contest. This is actually the first recording I did in the home studio. I think it turned out ok. What do you guys think?
 

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there's some highs that are a bit too much. in the acoustic and the voices. 1.2k range or so.

i sorta wish the rhythm was just one guitar, and the lead was doubled or panned or something.
 
I can see why you are proud of it. It is very well executed. Nice job
 
Excellent tune - Love the vocals on this. It sounds like the compressor is clamping down hard on the vocals here and there - anyone else hear this?
 
ido1957 said:
Excellent tune - Love the vocals on this. It sounds like the compressor is clamping down hard on the vocals here and there - anyone else hear this?
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I felt the vocals could be a bit higher in the mix but I dont hear the compressor effect. I am using headphones atm so that might not help
 
I think the guitars are panned way too hard to each side and the vocals need to come up - or the guitars come down. Either way. Is that a mandolin I barely hear? It's buried. The mix also seems too bright. No warmth. The tracking and performances seem very good. I think it just needs better mixing.
 
Greg_L said:
I think the guitars are panned way too hard to each side and the vocals need to come up - or the guitars come down. Either way. Is that a mandolin I barely hear? It's buried. The mix also seems too bright. No warmth. The tracking and performances seem very good. I think it just needs better mixing.
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I agree with you on most of that. George Martin (EMI recording engineer for The Beatles) used to fully pan various instruments keeping the vocals in the middle. I dont think it would be an issue in this recording if the guitar levels were dropped and maybe the vocals raised a tad (definition of "a tad" = about 1-2db)
 
I'm all for panning and I personally couldn't care less about the beatles. Perhaps if the mix was more balanced the hard panning wouldn't seem like such an issue to me. As it is now, I've got two really bright guitars loudly stabbing me in each ear.
 
Greg_L said:
I'm all for panning and I personally couldn't care less about the beatles. Perhaps if the mix was more balanced the hard panning wouldn't seem like such an issue to me. As it is now, I've got two really bright guitars loudly stabbing me in each ear.
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I wasn't attacking, I was discussing techniques. Yeah sometimes I get that stabbing sensation too. I find a level control works well in that situation...
 
Toker, there is a lot of background noise in this recording. Sounds like cooling fans mostly. That will be hard to remove but next time try to find a room to use as a vocal booth to cut the noise. It's very loud in the quiet sections
 
Pretty song. I liked the harmonies.

Yeah the mix seems a little bright.

Little crackle at :32 on the word "can't". Some pops at: :50, :53, 1:01

I agree the vocal level needs to come up. I would also turn down one of the vocal tracks 8-10dbs or so. Make the double tracking less obvious. The first syllable of the lead vocal is out of sync.

I thought the reverb you used sounded nice, big, and lush. But keep in mind it's going to make the mix sound like the typical slow song that hair metal bands always did in the 80's and early 90's. In other words, it's going to sound dated. You'll want to decide if you want that sound, or if you want it to sound like a typical modern mix.
 
Unfortunately, this is as mixed as it's going to get. HDD fried and I this is the most finished version I have. The final mix would have taken care of most of the issues mentioned so far. I was working on the noise problem during the quiet parts, and pretty much had that taken care of. As far as the hard pans go, I wouldn't change it, other than to pan the lead a little more up the middle. I know the vocals are out of sync on the first word, and also had that taken care of before the HDD failure, but there isn't much I can do about it now. Over all, the obvious out of sync first word, and noise issue aside, I'm pretty pleased with it. I can probably take care of the brightness by mastering it, other than that....it is all it's gonna be. Although not perfect, I'm far from embarrassed by it. Thanks for all your input, guys. Keep it coming.
 
I like this one a lot. For the most part, I'm not complaining about the whole panning thing, and I'm using headphones.
 
Agreed on the verb and the bright guitars. Have u thought of trying a dynamic mic on the vocals?
 
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