Kiss Me (again)

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GuitarLegend

GuitarLegend

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I read the comments on the first attempt with this song and replaced the guitar completely. I picked up an AKG P170 condenser mic for this one. The previous recording used an AKG D7 dynamic mic, which was nice but the P170 might just pick up just a little more detail.

Kiss Me
 
Sounds pretty good. Vocals are too separated from the mix. I like loud vox, but these need to blend better. Kick could use some EQ, low mids are kinda boxey and theres no top, maybe try getting a wetter sound. Bass needs a little sub 100hz. On second thought just send me the mix. LOL. just kidding, nice job, I like it, the singer has a cute voice just right for this song, but the mix could be improved. Overall Enjoyed it!
 
Sounded okay. As far as I could tell, there were at least 2 guitar tracks. One was panned nicely - very wide and beautiful. There was another one that seemed like it was in the middle - and to be honest, that didn't add much. It just sounded like mud in the middle. I'd double up the wide ones, and drop the other.

Truth be told, the drums sound pretty bad. The snare is almost completely covered in reverb, and low in the mix. Not quite sure what is up with the hi-hat being the only ultra-defined part of the kit, either. The kick is boxy and quite low, and the snare is drowning in reverb - but man... That hi-hat is nice and clear. Should be the other way around. The vocals sounded nice, but unconvincing. I didn't believe her at all, but she was mostly on-pitch and had a nice texture on her voice.

Keep at it, though. This is the way we learn. I'm fighting an uphill battle with a song myself right now. I'll nail it, though. Keep workin', and you will too.
 
Thanks for the feedback. You never can tell - I picked this as one of my best five recordings and I thought that I had done well with the guitars. I had recorded one guitar using two mics. I didnt like that much, so I recorded it again. I didnt like that one either but when I went back to the first track I accidentally left the second track on and I liked the combination. I thought that sounded much better than either of the guitar recordings by themselves and compared favorably with the original which uses two guitars.

I took some of the low end OFF the bass because on some systems, notably the car stereo (Alpine) it was a bit boomy. My monitor speakers are DB L160 (dual 5") and the main system is a Peavey XR1212 into Yamaha C115Vs. I dont have a subby in either system. In another car stereo it sounded fine to me and to others who heard it.

However, having said all that, I played some of my recordings which I had previously been proud of and to my horror. thought they sounded like ... um, whatever you can get away with saying on this forum.. sounded bad. so I remixed them until I was happier with them.

Thanks again for the feedback :)
 
Post up a better quality sample. 160kb/s aint good for critical listening. There's a million free sites that will host a wav or 320 kb/s MP3.

Based off what you posted, I'd say drop the vox into the mix more. I agree with what PI said about the drums, but they didn't bother me much. They seemed okay for the song.
 
Yeah, the drums sound pretty bad. I would have gone with something tighter and more roomy. Maybe even a brush kit.
 
I hear the vocals sitting way on top of the instruments too. I think it's caused by a couple of things. One is they're real dry. Everything is kind of dry, but it's especially so for the lead vox. The other thing is the guitar are kind of thin. If they had a richer low-mid body to them, I think it would fill out the mix. The lighter female vox would, I think, still cut through nicely.

The stop/start thing at about 1:12 was unnatural sounding. So was the one near the end.
 
Thanks again for the feedback. The stop/start may be unnatural but it is exactly as per the original. Spectragraphs of the this song and the original are virtually identical and I thought I had done a reasonable imitation although the original has more body to it somehow - yes the guitars are a bit thin but I am not sure how to fatten them up. I didn't want to compress the guitars too much for fear of losing the dynamics but I do hear the difference between mine and the orig.

I can post them in any resolution you like. Will post a 320 later when I get home. I thought 160 was better than the common 128. I saved it last night in 192 to compare it to the orig.

The vocals are dry because I recorded them that way. I can't take effects out if I record them so I recorded it dry and applied verb later. On the principle that if you can hear it, you have too much, I tried to avoid that but if it needs more then it gets more. I am discovering how hard it to follow the rules without being too tight with them.

I dont understand about the drums being bad. There is not that much reverb to the snare and as far as I can tell it immitates the original pretty well. If anyone wants any of the individual tracks from this recording, I would be happy to post them. I am still finding my way through this jungle. I love it but I get the feeling I might be drowning...
 
Hmmm, there's a lot of good in this mix but theres some things I would try....
- the guitars are fine by me, wide rich and clean with a cetain chorus that shines. 12 String??
- the bass is kinda muddy for me, listen to Rami's bass as an example of a bass that has superb definition but also has your tone. Level is good though.
- The vocals are great nice and cleanand very well sung. Slap a little more reverb/tiny slapback on them and see if that helps give it some bounce. It sounds kinda dry and needs to liven up some.
- The drums are not my department at all so Ill defer those to the experts here....
I think this mix is coming along okay - and yes a higher def file would be much better for reviewng. It amazes me when I hear a lower res mp3 then compare to wav.
 
Thank you for those comments. The guitar is a 6-string acoustic which I recorded with a condenser mic at the 12th fret and a dynamic at the bridge. Then I did it again and both of those tracks are in the mix

I will try some of the other points mentioned and will post a higher res file

Will put back the bass to the way it was before but I thought it was too boomy
 
I've always liked that song (:oin the closet :o) as far as sappy pop songs are concerned. ;) The original recording is like a delicate flower; mishandled at all and it would bruise. Whatever-her-name is from Sixpence has a very unique voice and there's some tricky phrasing in there too. Your vocalist has a good voice, but this song would be tough to pull off for anyone. I don't think she pulled it off. The guitars sound ok. The drums, not so much. Overall, I think it's a good mix and it was pleasant to listen to. :D
 
The singer was a bit of an experiment for me. She has great timbre but is completely untrained in singing. When she declined an offer from a pro singing teacher (a free lesson) I declined to keep her in the band. So the chances of recording her again are pretty slim. But I did record her in 7 different songs. Some she was ok, some not so much... I only have the original recording to work from.

I have to ask whats wrong with the drums??
 
GuitarLegend said:
I am still finding my way through this jungle. I love it but I get the feeling I might be drowning...
Click to expand...

When I began here, (being a drummer of approximately 20 years) - I thought I knew how to record drums. I was *very* quickly put in my place, and thank heavens - because I believe I've improved because of all the critiques here, and I've been a member going on 2 years now. Don't get yourself down in the dumps... Just take the critiques, and try your best to work with the suggestions.

GuitarLegend said:
I have to ask whats wrong with the drums??
Click to expand...

I believe we've covered this. Take what we've said, and ask more specific questions. I'd be glad to answer.

Also - just to put things in perspective, I posted this thread about a month ago, and got shredded. I thought the song was awesome before I posted it, and expected nothing but praise. Man, was I wrong... I'm also working hard toward becoming a professional full-time audio engineer, so I thought I knew what I was doing. With each critique, you can choose to take it or leave it - but this place is *full* of good people with great knowledge and skills to gleen from.

It's your choice. I think you should keep at it.
 
Hey Poetic, I have every intention of keeping at it. I accept the critique and appreciate it. If you post something here and everyone agrees that its perfect, then there is no more to do because you will never do it again... honestly, I appreciate hearing what other people think. And I know you get suntanned by the knowledge here :) Certainly not getting down

Sometimes it is frustrating like with the drums... I lisen to it and ask what is wrong with it? I have to listen to some great drumming tracks.

I would ask specific questions but statements like "the drums are bad" doesnt give me much to go on. They are more or less like the original which also has verb on the snare. So I really want to know - um... whats wrong with the drums?

I understand that when you post here, guitarists are going to hear the guitars, drummers will hear the drums, singers will hear the singing and so on... you gotta be great at all of it and I am looking forward to being that.
 
GuitarLegend said:
The singer was a bit of an experiment for me. She has great timbre but is completely untrained in singing. When she declined an offer from a pro singing teacher (a free lesson) I declined to keep her in the band. So the chances of recording her again are pretty slim. But I did record her in 7 different songs. Some she was ok, some not so much... I only have the original recording to work from.

I have to ask whats wrong with the drums??
Click to expand...

The sound of the kick just sounded a little like a cardboard box. There were some other small drum issues that were pretty well defined by Poetic Intensity. But hey man, if this among your first attempts at recording drums, then it's pretty darn good. I don't even have real drums :(
:D:D

Hey, Jason - I think he was answering my post (w/o a name or quote) and looking for additional drum fixing info from me. I can't top what you put already. :D
 
It's good that you are trying to get close to the original tune and all. But in the end, does it sound good to you? No matter how hard you try it will never be the same as the original. Different instruments and mics and gear and different people. Hell, listen to live bands. They never sound the same twice on their own shit. In music, there is no such thing as perfection. If there was there would be no drive. Don't beat yourself up too much. I think a lot of our critiquing (for me anyway) is nitpicking. It's still overall obvious you know what to do in a studio. As for getting those vocals to sit in better. I would do as others suggested and add a touch of reverb. Also consider maybe a touch of flange or chorus. Something wide with a slow speed and medium depth. Just a touch though.
 
Again, thanks for the feedback

This is a 320k of the same song, Thank you for taking this time, I appreciate the comments. Also removed the equalizer from the bass

Kiss Me (320)
 
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