mix check needed

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SLuiCe

SLuiCe

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Hi guys

My last couple of mixes have been bugging me. My mix cd's have not even resembled the mixes in the room I just moved into. So I started clapping my hands, etc. and noticed quite a bit of reflections from the bare walls. Duh. So I've temporarily covered the walls and ceiling with blankets and that seemed to help out quite a bit, although I know it won't solve the problem completely, and that I will inevitably have to spend some money which I'm counting on all of you to give me.


Or, in lieu of giving me money, perhaps a couple of you would rather give this remix of "Feathers and Bones" a listen and just let me know if there are any frequency ranges that seem to be missing or overbearing. Is it too dry? I noticed my mixes have been pretty dry because of the reverberation of the walls. Comments on song writing and performance aren't really necessary since we've already been through it and it's not a radio song, at least not in this life.

Again, I just need to know how it sounds on your speakers. It would be EXTREMELY helpful in narrowing down my room troubles.

So it's your choice. Give me money or give me ears.

www.nowhereradio.com/sluice/singles
7- "Feathers and Bones"
 
I'm listening now and can't hear any problems with it. My ear may not be as trained as some as far as recognizing freqs but it sounds very good on my system. This song ain't my cup of tea but it's a good performance and musically groovy. Yea, smoke another Charv.
 
Tom, the first version kicked my ass... so I'm not sure what to expect here ;) ...

I was gonna PM you about this very song... because imho the songwriting (lyrics) are freakin superb... "Hunting for answers/armed with ego..." Jeeeee-zus that's good :) I gotta sit down and work on lyrics like you must do for every one of yours... I absolutely love the goofiness/sense of humor. This very song has been in my head for about 4 straight days... good sign? :)

On to the mix: listening on computer speakers->>

Sounds a bit cleaner than the old mix, if that were possible... can't remember, but the AM radio FX weren't in the first vers, were they? This thing sounds pretty full from where I sit.. The guits sound lush... a few flubs, but way fewer than in my stuff :)

The electrics sound a bit dry (the solo), but imho it works.

The lead vox sound a bit more metallic--kind of like a torn speaker effect... Oh, when they change at 2:15 that's a great dynamic... no more AM radio there... nice.

You've added some more percussion to the claps...

When the mix gets more involved from roughly 3mins on, there's something bothering me... but it could just be these speakers... I'm thinking "focus", or something... like too many sounds at the same depth? I don't know :o talking out my ass again :o

Heh... Satan says "fart noise"... both in the intro/outro (5:02)... you weren't kidding ;)

ON MONITORS:

The synthy stuff in the intro--fart noise, Satan's voice, etc---sounds just a tiny bit fuzzy; like "digital" fuzzy...

Damn... those claps sound 3D-- I was visualizing a set of hands coming out of each monitor...

If there's any EQ conflict, its of the very small variety-- 100-125Hz between bass pad & guits... vocal sits pretty well... there's a guitar slip at 0:59...

A nice, relatively high quality reverb you got there... could you pan that voice around a bit? Seems like this song is playful enough, the vocal could show up anywhere on the sound stage and hold attention.

Solo(s) sound good -- but different than the traditional production method... they don't "stick out"... but blend in and mesh well with the existing synth sound...

After 2:50, it's a TRIP! It's BREATHING! Bet that sounds killer on phones.

Sub-bass stuff comes in around 3:10... nice...

Ok--in the busy parts 3:40 & 4:00 seems like that distortion guitar covers up a lot, but it's only there for a second at a time... that would be damn hard to mix right... so maybe that works? :confused:

Awesome job on the outro mix. At 4:36, another Satanic message ;)

Synth at 5:04... the "choir" one... is there too much air in it? Sounds a hair too digital...


Long live songs about hanging dead squirrels in trees, and talking birds :D


Chad
 
I can't think of any specific EQ comments, but I'd really like to have the vocals forward a bit. Especially when some of the more interesting dynamic shifts are happening it feels like the vocals kind of get left behind - like they're straining for a place amongst everything else.

Although maybe you were going for a sort of "background" feel with the voice. I've noticed a lot of people seem to mix the vocal in such a way as to kind of isolate it toward the rear of everything, so maybe this is some new mixing technique I haven't caught up to yet...:)

Also (listening a second time): I feel like there are parts that could be "punched up" a tad with maybe a little carefully-applied compression. Sorry to not be more specific (& of course, again: it depends on what you're going for), but a key element in this tune is some of the dynamic shifts & I'd like to hear them accentuated more.

I'd play it on *my* radio station,
Chris
 
participant said:
Tom, the first version kicked my ass... so I'm not sure what to expect here ;) ...

I was gonna PM you about this very song... because imho the songwriting (lyrics) are freakin superb... "Hunting for answers/armed with ego..." Jeeeee-zus that's good :) I gotta sit down and work on lyrics like you must do for every one of yours... I absolutely love the goofiness/sense of humor. This very song has been in my head for about 4 straight days... good sign? :)

On to the mix: listening on computer speakers->>

Sounds a bit cleaner than the old mix, if that were possible... can't remember, but the AM radio FX weren't in the first vers, were they? This thing sounds pretty full from where I sit.. The guits sound lush... a few flubs, but way fewer than in my stuff :)

The electrics sound a bit dry (the solo), but imho it works.

The lead vox sound a bit more metallic--kind of like a torn speaker effect... Oh, when they change at 2:15 that's a great dynamic... no more AM radio there... nice.

You've added some more percussion to the claps...

When the mix gets more involved from roughly 3mins on, there's something bothering me... but it could just be these speakers... I'm thinking "focus", or something... like too many sounds at the same depth? I don't know :o talking out my ass again :o

Heh... Satan says "fart noise"... both in the intro/outro (5:02)... you weren't kidding ;)

ON MONITORS:

The synthy stuff in the intro--fart noise, Satan's voice, etc---sounds just a tiny bit fuzzy; like "digital" fuzzy...

Damn... those claps sound 3D-- I was visualizing a set of hands coming out of each monitor...

If there's any EQ conflict, its of the very small variety-- 100-125Hz between bass pad & guits... vocal sits pretty well... there's a guitar slip at 0:59...

A nice, relatively high quality reverb you got there... could you pan that voice around a bit? Seems like this song is playful enough, the vocal could show up anywhere on the sound stage and hold attention.

Solo(s) sound good -- but different than the traditional production method... they don't "stick out"... but blend in and mesh well with the existing synth sound...

After 2:50, it's a TRIP! It's BREATHING! Bet that sounds killer on phones.

Sub-bass stuff comes in around 3:10... nice...

Ok--in the busy parts 3:40 & 4:00 seems like that distortion guitar covers up a lot, but it's only there for a second at a time... that would be damn hard to mix right... so maybe that works? :confused:

Awesome job on the outro mix. At 4:36, another Satanic message ;)

Synth at 5:04... the "choir" one... is there too much air in it? Sounds a hair too digital...


Long live songs about hanging dead squirrels in trees, and talking birds :D


Chad
Click to expand...
I just really wanted to see if it would actually quote all that. Wow. Man, if I even PRETENDED to know what I'm talking about, I'd be ashamed.

Um...Tom, you already know my limited hillbilly view of this tune. But fuck, I wish I could do what you do.

Later.
 
Dude I dont think I ever heard anything quite like that! It was really cool! The words were so off the wall but they made sence, very creative! Very long of a song but it was interesting enough that it didnt drag on or anything, the changes were cool and twards the end felt like the peacefulness was turning into little burst of... crazyness? anger? I gotta hear it again...

I feel like I just took a ride on one crazy mind... Those lyrics man!
 
i missed the first version.

the acoustic guitar in the beginning is too buried. the synth sound is cool compositionally, meaning that i like the notes you play, but i wanna hear that acoustic more cause it goes better with the clapping....more organic. seems the synth is overtaking the mix for some reason.....claps sound real good! very nice groove you have there.

...raven cries, croak sounds like words.... i really like that line.

don't like the organ break at the end....don't know why.

to me there seems to be too much contrast between the real instruments and the synth stuff.
 
Charva- Hey thanks for the report man... I'm sure I'll do a collab or something with someone sometime soon that will be your cup of tea. Until then, thanks for the tech check!

Chad- At least make a frigging effort to help me out here :D
You sharp ears, attention to detail, and diverse musical tastes make you helpful to just about everyone in the clinic. You're like an educated cheerleader, who also plays the game! Anyway, thanks for getting inside this one.
-RE: Lyrics...In fact I write almost NOTHING down. Most of them come to me on the job, or on the road to and from the job. Tomorrow is opening day for hunting season and I'll be out in the woods all day. I'm hoping for a kill and a few good songs :
-RE: claps etc...I added a little reverb to the claps and the pots in pans that were recorded with stereo miking. One reverb in one aux buss was used across the board with this one. I did that and then those claps, like you said, came alive!
RE: digital-ness of the synth. I agree, and I would re-take, but I don't think I could repeat the performance :(
-RE: Busy-ness from 3 min on....I'll have to revisit that one. Sounds multidimensional on my end. But could use some work.
-No AM FX, just low cuts.
Anyway, Chad, you rock brotha...I'll extend the same effort on your next tune! Thanks man... I wish I could rate your response.

Groucho- The voice is recorded, performed, and mixed in a way that I hoped would give it a visual soundscape, so that you could picture what was going on. That's always challenging. Not really going for "Background" so much as embedded. Thanks for the ears man!

Chris- the encouragement is appreciated as always man!

DevilizhStylez- Glad the metaphores made sense to you...though they're not so far from reality. As I was saying to Chris, I try not to write to much down...the stream of conscious writing tends to keep things honest for me. And that's important in a song I think. Glad you had fun with it!


Thanks guys, that's all I needed really. Just a sound check.

Tom
 
My ears suck,so I'm sending you a dollar!:D

Didn't sound too dry to me,mabey needs some low end.
Overall mix seems to be lacking warmth.

Did you change it a little bit,@2:15?

Still sounds excellent though!:)

Pete
 
SLuiCe said:
Thanks guys, that's all I needed really.
Click to expand...



It seems you already got what you needed, but I'll reply anyway.. I think I like the first mix better.. The loud clapping distracted me on this version, and the vocal seemed too low in some spots.. Other than that it sounded great..


BTW, I don't like the new avatar.. You can't even see your face..
 
Hey Tom,
.....lo-fi'd the tune here at the shop this morning so the guys could here it. One of my SluiCe fav's. I'll hit this again tonight at home.

til then...........




g
 
Did you have any specific concerns you wanted to ask about?

This song is soooooo different from the "norm" that I would say anything goes here. Overall, I thought the mix and sound were very good. Depending on what your after, it could stand as is.
I would agree that the handclaps maybe stood out just a little too much. They did sound great though.


Twist
 
oh, i get it, duh!

it's about killing a bird! do i win something for being slowest to understand this?

this is very original stuff. i like your choice of dissonance in the opening chords.

have fun hunting.....







you bird killer!
 
Thanks again you crazeeee bastids!

I chose this one for testing simply because of all the percussion that's in it. It seemed to me that the best way to check for room reflections would be with stuff in the upper registers, and this one has a lot of those.

And erichenryus, you're very close. It's about getting away from things to be able to see them more clearly. In this particular case, the incident with the bird reminds the "hunter" that despite the fact that he may not be trying to harm anyone, his own selfish pursuits may be pushing away those he cares most about.
I doubt it will end up in any school books or anything, but when I wrote it, it obviously had a lot of meaning to me. And it's a deer I'm after tomorrow ;)

And Sam, it's my beautiful state that's on display, not my mug! :D
 
SLuiCe said:

And erichenryus, you're very close. It's about getting away from things to be able to see them more clearly. In this particular case, the incident with the bird reminds the "hunter" that despite the fact that he may not be trying to harm anyone, his own selfish pursuits may be pushing away those he cares most about.
I doubt it will end up in any school books or anything, but when I wrote it, it obviously had a lot of meaning to me. And it's a deer I'm after tomorrow ;)
Click to expand...

(scratching head) um.....er.....yeah....that's what i meant......killin' birds. good luck killing deer. ;)
 
sounds good man...

yes it would be awsome to get a mix sounding beautiful across all lo-fi and hi-fi systems

I think the mix sounds really clean... almost too clean-- thats not a bad thing, a little warm/dirtyness would sound well in there somewhere... rounds out the sound, i think

going through a $100,000 neve board might help us a little :) to make up for that -what you hear is what you get- digital sound



I knew that song I sent ya would be a challenge :) If you want me to mix it ..that would be cool... I got a couple sets of monitors set up now, thats helping a little. I use my ps5's and then do a check on my Bose house speakers.. mainly for checking the low end. dont know if thats doctor recommended, but it works. You mentioned some of my signals were pretty hot in Cakewalk.... I usually dont go by the meters in cakewalk, because they seem inconsistant... I think its more important to use the ears.



back to recording I go

I called in well today :eek:

i love it!

:cool:
 
SLuiCe,

I gotta tell ya.... this recording is pretty amazing. I think you (like Sabbath) are too overly qualified to be posting in a home recording website!:D

It's geat all the way around! Great feel to the song and everything is mixed very well. Awesome choices on your instruments and sounds.

Thanks,

RF
 
Hey there Jeff... I haven't even started recording that song yet, so I'm not sure what the hot signals are that your referring too. I've just been trying to fix up the room before I try and record anymore vocals... But I've got a lot of ideas for it on micro-recorder, which I'll be bringing with me to the woods tomorrow. Probably end up not even hunting...just sitting on a tree limb singing into my little box! :)
I'd be looking at about a 600-800MB upload if you mix it, so we'll see about that. That's the only thing. Anyway, I'll PM ya as I get some shit done on it. Peace.


EDIT: Ooop...just missed ya there RF....You're far too kind in your compliments. Just about everything I've learned about recording, I've learned this year FROM THIS SITE. But like anyone else, I'll take a few encouraging words any day of the week! Thank you very much for the listen AND the open mind!
 
Man SluiCe..............I'm always amazed at the different concepts you come up with. One epic after another......pretty amazing....
I like the hand claps and they do sound good. Can't relly comment on the vox since you obviously meant to go for effect, but they do need to come up some....say at least as loud as the handclaps? :)
That's really the only thing I can come up with....a tremendously good song as usual from you.
 
Hey Tom,
......Love this tune man. The guys at work think youve been self-medicating for too long:D . To be honest, Im not hearing much difference from the first mix you posted. There are very subtle things but im not sure they arent due to the difference in bitrate between the two versions. The VBR definitely sounds better IMO (comparing the two has helped me w/ some questions ive been having re: vbr) than the 192 you posted. Great song man, sorry for the lack of input............. and i agree, when in doubt.....consult Chad for great details:) :cool:


G
 
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