I need to borrow some ears

  • Thread starter Thread starter bongoboy
  • Start date Start date
bongoboy said:
I traded drum tracks for the vocals on this. I have no idea as to what was used to record them, but to my ears, they sound rather thin and squashed. I realize that overdone compression can't be undone. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. Your world by infinite monkey orchestra on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
Click to expand...

Dude - yes, they sound thin, squashed and weird. There's way more than compression going on here. I don't know. I got to ask you a question though - what the heck are you doing to the mixdown bus of your stuff?!? Are you running the whole thing through a very tiny reverb 100% wet or something? I've listened to your tracks, and there are some really cool ideas, great parts, harmonies, patches, melodies just tons of seriously good shit screaming to get out but something is going *drastically* off the rails on the mixdown. It's like the whole darn thing is going through some kind of phaser or something. I really like a lot you have going on musically and it's driving me nuts trying to figure out what you are doing so maybe I (or someone else) can come up with some ideas on how to help.
 
I hear something fuzzy going on somewhere, this needs alot of work.
 
I didn't think the vocal was particularly thin. And it didn't seem any more squished than what you typically year. The things that bug me about the vocal is the stereo delay and possibly other time based effects on it. It would sound better dry IMO. Performance seems a little reserved. I'd like to hear it a little more balls-out.

Instruments need quite a bit of work. The instruments all seem waaay in back of the vocal. Quiet and missing a high end. Guitar has a bit too much gain added to it. So it comes out fizzy and indistinct.
 
It sounds pretty lo-fi dawg. Everything seemed way off to me. It mostly needs a proper mix. Everything is out of whack bro lol.
 
FoulPhil said:
It sounds pretty lo-fi dawg. Everything seemed way off to me. It mostly needs a proper mix. Everything is out of whack bro lol.
Click to expand...

Actually - someone said the following on another thread and this is what I was struggling to find a way to say

"Otherwise, the whole thing sort of sounds like it's a recording of a song coming out of speakers. I mean it sounds like microphones picking up a recording coming out of a stereo in a room. It's really odd - Like the whole thing was washed in early reflections."
 
Thanks for the responses. Chuckduffy, this was done about 6 months ago, I had just installed Ozone and I guess I got carried away playing with it. I'm going back and stripping everything off of everything. Not to be a pain, but which tracks have you heard? Just what's on Soundcloud? I don't shoot for the same sound on everything. The song dictates the sound. Do you hear the same disaster on everything? Thank you for being honest and objective. Peace.
 
I listened to your world. Those cymbal crashes feel a bit too far out front. And the vox sound a bit muddy? I'm not sure what you're doing to them, but they seem "funky." like your in a tube or something?
 
bongoboy said:
Thanks for the responses. Chuckduffy, this was done about 6 months ago, I had just installed Ozone and I guess I got carried away playing with it. I'm going back and stripping everything off of everything. Not to be a pain, but which tracks have you heard? Just what's on Soundcloud? I don't shoot for the same sound on everything. The song dictates the sound. Do you hear the same disaster on everything? Thank you for being honest and objective. Peace.
Click to expand...

I listened to all the tracks on soundcloud. I realize that the style varies greatly from song to song. Like I said before, there are alot of great ideas and parts, and I'm not commenting on the playing. There is something very basic going on here, and I don't think it's ozone, at least I don't know how it could be ozone. I hear the same basic problem on everything. Are you sure you are not putting some kind of verb on the whole mixdown bus? It sure sounds like the same verb you have on the vocal is on everything. I've heard mixes where individual stuff seems to far away, but honestly everything sounds like it's far away. How are you monitoring your mixes? For example - the piano on two days - I'm guessing it is a sampled piano of some kind. Right out of the box most of them sound pretty good, and zero'd with no eq or effects there's no way in the world it would sound so tiny and far away with no bass to speak of.
 
Go to youtube, and search for Ozone mastering, there are "many" really good videos, it's a wonderful piece of software. It will help, not hurt, you should use it, but learn how.
 
When it copmes to Ozone - leave it in the atmosphere - don't use it for atmosphere.
AND don't layer ozone it'll get a hole in it - an whole hole at that.
If you get that hole you'll find more damage will be done by UV A&B & you;'ll have to apple a layer of screen before you start tracking - & that causes its own problems - esp. the ones with titanium.
 
chuckduffy said:
Actually - someone said the following on another thread and this is what I was struggling to find a way to say

"Otherwise, the whole thing sort of sounds like it's a recording of a song coming out of speakers. I mean it sounds like microphones picking up a recording coming out of a stereo in a room. It's really odd - Like the whole thing was washed in early reflections."
Click to expand...

Hmm... That was about my track.

I believe the problem was caused by an out-of-control 3D Chorus effect at 180 degrees. I also had a terribly implemented multi-band compressor/limiter that was trying to do the work of an EQ.

Strangely, they thought it was Ozone, as well. Although it was not, maybe my experience translates?


Daniel.
 
I just went online with my recording comouter (which i NEVER do) and listened to the stuff on Soundcloud. I now know what you're talking about. I a/b'd them with the Cubase playback and they sound like shit in comparison. Everything does indeed sound like there's too much cheesy reverb on everything, and it all sounds dull and thin. I exported them as 44.1/16 WAV files, and burned them to CD as well as putting them on a thumb drive to listen on other machines. Only the Soundcloud tracks sound really bad. Granted, the mixes do need work, but the observation that they sound like someone recording a pair of speakers was spot-on. BTW, I monitor through Mackie MR5's (all I can afford at the moment) and check in on the mixes with a pair on Byerdynamics DT770's
 
Yeah, the Vox are what started this in the first place. They were done at the singer's place, and I have no idea how he did them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top