Mix Review professional vs amateur part 2

  • Thread starter Thread starter steppingonmars
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Okay, same question, same two mixes, but with no "mastering" on either of them, and my answer is the same:

The first mix is better. The singer's eating a sock on the second one. In general, the first mix has more space/more air, and more energy. The second one feels compressed and like it has a big smiley face eq curve across the mix.
 
Don't get to post much around here but had to check this out. The first mix (and in the other thread) is by far much clearer. Everythings sitting in it's place quite nicely. The second is dull & muddy. Don't pay the guy a cent and do it yourself. You have far better ears than the so called pro. That is if the first is done by yourself. It sounds like the second one doesn't have the eq's properly done for each instrument and voice. Everythings muddled together. :confused:
 
I THINK 1 is MUCH better. (altough bass guitar sounds "muddy" in both mixes)

Vox sounds clear, very good in first mix

Ciro
 
Yup, I vote for #1 as well. Only saw enough of the prior thread to get a sense of how confused people became.

I actually prefer the sound of the bass guitar on mix 2 as it seems to have a little more clarity, but pretty much everything else (especially the vocals) sound better to me on #1.
 
I'm not sure which one I like more yet. But might I suggest that when we do compare them, compare them with the vocal at the same volume. The first mix is louder, and we tend to like anything that is louder.
 
Grungeon said:
I'm not sure which one I like more yet. But might I suggest that when we do compare them, compare them with the vocal at the same volume. The first mix is louder, and we tend to like anything that is louder.
Click to expand...

Execellent point. I thought the same thing and made at least a half-assed attempt to adjust for that by "matching" levels on my monitors when I listened to the two mixes.

I still like the first one.
 
mix #1

i have no clue what other thread you all are talking about as I hardly visit the MP3 section anymore....I've just been drinking tonight and was browsing to look for some new good music :D

but yeah, I like #1. #2 seems to suffer from the most typical problem, poor acoustics. Most likely in the room that whoever mixed #2 is in. Could also be poor monitoring equipment...usually from trying to mix through headphones. As soon as the beginning started out I said to myself "once the bass/drums kick in it's going to sound muddy"...and it did.
So I guess what I'm saying with #2 is if you're the one who mixed it, take a look at your monitoring environment. You and anyone else listening to it in that environment might say it's amazing sounding...but unless you fix the problems in your room (monitors) first you're not going to be listening back accurately enough.

okay, i'm going to go and try and hunt down this other thread y'all are talking about.
 
Why not let the market decide......

steppingonmars said:
Ok that last thread did get a little confusing

First Mix

http://www.box.net/shared/3e6ry5qko8


Second Mix

http://www.box.net/shared/9tjglgyn4c

Nothing at all on either 2 buss, no mastering or limiting

Listen to these two and tell me which one you think is better
Click to expand...



Hey Stepping you have already expressed disappointment at the mix you received and as said your band members are unhappy with both mixes; so why not let the market decide:

how much more were you going to spend?

why not open a thread post up the raw tracks and offer the money to whomever can mix "best" result i have seen a number of people on here that like to mix if somebody was going to do it for free why not offer them the money let everyone have a go then just shoe("show" spelling mistake but decided to go with shoe anyhow on edit) your band members the thread and let them and yourself decide.

Sounds like a good challenge for the guys.......

i have this stupid belief in the free market and believe you will get the best result this way.

btw i didn't listen to the latest one there but the Vox in that second track sound like they are coming through a 1950's style Radio and you know what?, the more i listen the more i like them, sure they are not "clear" but (here’s the wannabe producer talking) if you had a film clip with bogus footage of and old 1950's radio and some scene with a 1950's style UFO, a villain and a hero (that gets the girl) in cheesy fashion, you would get away with it all....

now I think of this (film clip) I like this song SO much more.
 
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This is a badass song. I like the first mix better. I wish there was some kind of layering or automation during the choruses to make it louder and more dense and the end would be better with more reverb until that badass drum fill kicks in. Otherwise, no contest, after listening a few times, I hate the second mix. The vocals are the biggest problem. Such a cool voice hidden under a blanket.
 
I just think of the "filmclip"

i just think of the (the film clip in my head) when listening to this song now so to me the Second mix is clearly the best to me, sure it needs cleaning in the corus and a whole bunch of other things done to it but, for me at least, when you get this song taken in the "POP" direction, it will have lost a whole lot for me anyhow, basically i wouldn't listen to it. because now i only think of a 1950's style vocal and a 1950's style scene with the rest of it all.

plus the second mix is warmer, also if you were going to go in a direction it's the second, "Pop" will sound cold and bla bla same old same old. because i just know what they will do to the guitars, the “producer” you got to do this one is actually smart, and brave, he/she? just hasn't completely cornered every aspect of his/her technique yet..

just my opinion.
 
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Nice

Nice Job NL5, just to add some more confusion and clarity...


http://www.box.net/shared/piaknf7ggo

I re-mixed my mix and tried to get the quality of both mixes in one. I think both mixes have their merits. Here's some of the problems with rating both..

- my first mix I found pretty high midish with the vox up front more
- if you listen to the first mix I really think you're training your ears that that is the reference so the other mix seems muddier than it actually is, if I switched which one you listened to, I'm curious if you would think the first mix was better and the vocals were too bright, it would be a good experiment at another time

- I also noticed when posting on other websites, once an experienced person posts their preference, everyone else followed like sheep, making it biased all of a sudden
- looks like mastering can make either a pretty good mix as NL5 showed. I know which one it is by the snare sound, but would the common Joe care? probably not. This was worth the money if not to give me confidence in my own mixes, it's far from perfect, but I'm proud of what was done considering.

- this last mix is the mix and I'm keeping it, this is the mix that is going to be mastered. I'm happy with it for the sources that were used and the experience I have ( a grand total of 7 months although I've been a musician for 25 years), I did a lot of mixing as well to keep the sounds in balance with the rest of the songs on the CD. I really don't think it's going to get much better with the resources I have and I'd like to focus on something I'm thinking I'm better at, writing songs.

Anyways thanks a lot for your input it's been very uplifting, it's a lonely job mixing songs and these forums makes life a lot easier. I'm hoping to have the CD done at the end of the month, it's been fun, but I'm looking forward to picking up the guitar again!

Mike
 
Nl5

NL5 said:
Let me throw a bit of confusion into this thread....How does this sound compared to the other 2?

http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?id=12705
Click to expand...

Good good, NL5 my only issue the "Room" you added to the guitars, it's too big basically it's more like a "Hall" it's of course most notable in that intro, if you wished to keep it for the song that would be fine but i would make it a "Room" not a "hall" in the intro at least.

the rest it just sounds like you cleaned it up like it needed, but you have done this with out pushing to many "cold" sonics and basically you pulled it off.

there are still them low mids issues there but then i don't have the mix to see excatly what is going on and it would be a tight rope to walk between warm and cold on this one.

good mix.
 
oh cool

NL5 said:
Just to be clear, I didn't mix anything........ :)
Click to expand...

that explains then, anyway still good job. . i was thinking you did a mix and basically didn't touch anything except for some low cut to clean up, but i was wondering why you didn't fix the guitars and others things, anyhow still good.
 
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