how can i clean this mix up?

[ChrisVoss]

The songs called "If I Were to Leave You":

hey mates. im thinking about recording my band's debut EP on my computer so im putting together a few demos to see where i'm at. the drums, bass and synth were put together in fruity loops. guitars were thru a v-amp. vocals thru a cheap radioshack mic. mixed in cool edit.

i think the whole mix just sounds too cluttered. the vocals are too soft, but if i turn them up much more the rest gets drowned out. any ideas on how i can clean it up?

comments? suggestions?

thanks a bunch

 

[The Ghost of FM]

Chris,

Nice arrangement and performance overall!

Very impressive.

The mix does sound kind of congested as you mentioned. This might be attributed to too many instruments sharing the same frequency range and pan assignments.

I think I heard two or three guitars in there all fighting for the same space. Maybe pan then out a bit to gain some space.

Overall, I wasn't hearing a lot of bottom end energy in the drums or bass. Perhaps warming up the 100hz range on those instruments might fill the spectrum out a touch.

Dynamically, things are sounding pretty compressed, especially on the drum kit. If some compression can be un-done, this might help to wake up the drum kit.

Vocals sound pretty good considering the budget microphone but, here too some over use of the compression is squashing things a bit. A better Mic and distancing technique might enhance them where you step back a few inches when your gonna let go and moving in closer when things are quieter work better sometimes then just crushing everything with a compressor which also sucks ranges of frequencies out and makes things worse.

All things considered, this is a very competent effort.

Think about some of my suggestions and try a remix with fresh ears and a clear mind and improvements will surely follow.

Good luck with your sound and welcome to the clinic!

Cheers!

 

[kristian]

i am glad i downloaded this song. what a good song. it is funny how much time is spent talking about how to make recordings sound better yet poorly (its all relative) recorded songs that rock still rock I would rather listen to that song 100 times in a row than 99% of the stuff on the radio. sounds like you had a good time playing. things to fix the mix? i like it the way it is. those are pretty good canned drums if you ask me, but real drums would help a ton i think. it is a really simple mix which complements the song.

 

[DrummChris]

I agree with kristian. Ditch the drum machine. The song is too good to let that be left in. If you can't get a real drummer on it, at least pull the hi-hat way back.

Great job otherwise.

 

[chrisharris]

Cool song. The snare totally pisses me off at first, but the electronic feel of the breaks kinda' makes it fit. You have some killer production ideas, and the vocals are stellar...you're right, they're not sitting right through all of the song...they get a lot better at@ 1:07...that level is good, match it, lol. Sometimes you literally have to go through and individually increase the volume of words or phrases...which is a pain in the ass, but it beats the side effects of most massive compression techniques.

I know you didn't ask about this, but I'm getting a kinda' hyped top end through my system during the choruses - actually, high mids and highs could maybe stand a cut; I dunno - it's got a harsh feel to it that I'm VERY familiar with. My problems are usually the result of a cheap soundcard and too much compression...and that lead git needs a mid cut or less volume maybe...I think EQ would be better.

I'm getting picky because the song impressed me...The changeups are killer; retro structure and melodies, but with a total contemporary vibe.

And yeah..the gits are kinda' getting lost in the choruses...sounds like a complicated mix...wish I could be more helpful.

Chris

 

[Timmay]

Cool, if I had heard this on the radio, I would definatly head out to check out one of your live gigs.

Nice Work