Metal Track

[NegadivOne]

So I've been recording myself and friends for years, this is my first time recording an outside band. I found out all the horror stories I've read over the years are true, from drummers who "have the song down" and "shouldnt have a problem playing to a click", to guitarists who feel their girlfriends should be there to witness magic happening...

Anyways, the playing is kinda sketchy in places, most places when it comes to drums, but theres nothing I can do about that. I just need some constructive help on the mix and editing. Thanks in advance guys!

Original: http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=16132

Latest Version: http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=16147

 

[Jammer429]

sounds pretty good..the guitars could be alittle bigger I think.maybe some reverb on them would be inline..other then that it sound great good job

 

[drossfile]

this really doesn't sound bad, so please don't take my critique as beating you up--these are just suggestions from my ear to yours. and you're right, the playing is definitely sketchy at times. these guys really need to tighten it up! i hope you're charging them enough that they learn their lesson for next time.

my suggestions:

the bass guitar is really undefinined. i'd add some upper mids to give it more attack and definition.

the low end in general is pretty crowded. i'm not sure how much low freq you have in the distorted guitars, but if you can, i'd take out as much as possible and give 'em more midrange to bite harder and sit in the mix better. let the bass handle the low end--both guitars will sound bigger then.

once that happens, i'd a little more low end to the kick drum, although it may only need brought up in level--i can't really tell with all that mud at the bottom end.

i would recommend that the guitarist use less distortion for recording's sake, but i'm sure that's a battle you'll lose. i was totally hung up on tons o' crunch before i got serious about recording.

good luck man!

 

[VomitHatSteve]

This is a pretty good mix overall. Yeah, the band members lose track of each other every once in a while, but it doesn't ruin the song.

I think the rhythm guitars sound pretty good. They merge well with the bass to create a beefy sound.

The lead guitars could use some more body on them, especially when they're doing solo parts.

I heard some amp buzz during some of the pauses. You might need to gate some of your guitars.

The kick drum could stand to be louder.

Overall, good mix.

 

[Waffleness]

This has lots of potential. I agree the band members loose each other a bit, but its not the end of the world.

My suggestions would be to whack some verb on it, sounds a bit dry. I would EQ/mic the guitars differently to make them less muddy. They need some more highs in my opinion.
Most importantly I would make the drums bigger. Kick needs to be louder. Snare for most part is ok, needs a bit of reverb. Cymbals need to be much louder, so does the hats. Toms sounded ok.

All in all, some nice riffs, just need some verb and more drums. Keep at it

 

[NegadivOne]

Thanks for the replies everybody, I appreciate all the feedback. I made another mix trying to take all the points above into account. Basically what I did is eq the guitars - cut out some bottom end and brought the mids and highs, added some more definition to the bass, and brought up the kick and cymbals. Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Latest: http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=16147

 

[killthepixelnow]

Second attemp sound better. As some guys said, you should clean the guitar tracks...there's some parts where you can hear the buzz coming from the amp; if you're using a digital software put an expander on you track or manually mute all the noisy parts, this will help a lot.

Just for future sessions, be sure to record a clean guitar track with a Direct box for reamping or shaping the sound in case the distortion doesnt suit the song. Good luck.

 

[greyharmonix]

i know this is a guitar fueled thing but the bass could do something more interesting and not get so squashed out by the guitars. i guess for the metal guitar fans it's a cool thing.