Mixing Tips For My Bands Song

  • Thread starter Thread starter JG96
  • Start date Start date
Cool sound. At first it kind of sounds like Phish, then it morphs into a 60's Rock Hit. It morphs again into alternative rock. Wow that's quite a sound. Anyway, on the mix. Were the drums tuned? It doesn't sound like it. Drums should always be tuned before recording. Specifically the toms that pop out in this mix. The snare is a bit boxy. Some EQ and Compression might fix that. I'm not too crazy about the bass tone. It's a bit muddy. Again, EQ could fix that. Everything else is pretty good. Good job.
 
Cool sound. At first it kind of sounds like Phish, then it morphs into a 60's Rock Hit. It morphs again into alternative rock. Wow that's quite a sound. Anyway, on the mix. Were the drums tuned? It doesn't sound like it. Drums should always be tuned before recording. Specifically the toms that pop out in this mix. The snare is a bit boxy. Some EQ and Compression might fix that. I'm not too crazy about the bass tone. It's a bit muddy. Again, EQ could fix that. Everything else is pretty good. Good job.
The drums were actually tuned right before recording. The problem was it is recorded with just two condensers and the snare is probably the weakest link in this set in general so there was no real way to eq it to make it sound better. I recorded the bass direct, usually I play through a gallien Krueger rig with the bass rolled off a bit, i think ill fix that now.
 
I like the garage band feel, very "college rock" (which sitting here in Australia I assume means the kind of music used a lot in teen romance movies). It has a nice innocent yet edgy quality. Perhaps leave this song as a nice reminder of your youth and move along...
 
Nice to know I wasn't insulting you then :)

Get the teenage mumble out of your vocals is your first chore :)
 
In this mix the vocals are a bit louder, I brought up the drums at 700hz and at 76 hz and i put more midrange and treble in the bass.
 
Hi,

I listened to both mixes...they both seem narrow to me, with little or no panning, and to me that is the lowest hanging fruit. Pan a few of the elements of the mix out away from center and you will immediately have a better mix. Typically people leave vocals and bass in the center, and kick and snare also, but toms, hi hats, cymbals, guitars, and other elements can go out in the stereo space. Try to keep things balanced. This has a couple of benefits IMHO, first it gets all those other things out from on top of the rhythm section and the lead vocal. You might find that your bass and drums immediately sound better if they have some room to breathe. Also, spreading those things out will just make the mix sound bigger and more modern. Again, this is just my opinion, but I think a lot of people would probably agree.

In your second mix, the bass sounds a little hyped in a weird way. If it were me, I'd just try to get a good, clean, natural sounding recording of each instrument. Don't EQ too much, because that's where you start getting weird buildups and strange mixes that don't translate well on all different kinds of listening environments. Spend most of your time up front getting a great recording, choosing the right mics, experimenting with mic placements, getting a good clean direct bass sound, etc. Then the mix is just mostly a matter of levels, panning, and some light compression to even things out. That's my advice, and that plus $24.95 will buy you a nice mic cable :)

You are on the right track, best of luck!

Dave DeWhitt
SoundClick artist: Dave DeWhitt - page with MP3 music downloads
 
Hi,

I listened to both mixes...they both seem narrow to me, with little or no panning, and to me that is the lowest hanging fruit. Pan a few of the elements of the mix out away from center and you will immediately have a better mix. Typically people leave vocals and bass in the center, and kick and snare also, but toms, hi hats, cymbals, guitars, and other elements can go out in the stereo space. Try to keep things balanced. This has a couple of benefits IMHO, first it gets all those other things out from on top of the rhythm section and the lead vocal. You might find that your bass and drums immediately sound better if they have some room to breathe. Also, spreading those things out will just make the mix sound bigger and more modern. Again, this is just my opinion, but I think a lot of people would probably agree.

In your second mix, the bass sounds a little hyped in a weird way. If it were me, I'd just try to get a good, clean, natural sounding recording of each instrument. Don't EQ too much, because that's where you start getting weird buildups and strange mixes that don't translate well on all different kinds of listening environments. Spend most of your time up front getting a great recording, choosing the right mics, experimenting with mic placements, getting a good clean direct bass sound, etc. Then the mix is just mostly a matter of levels, panning, and some light compression to even things out. That's my advice, and that plus $24.95 will buy you a nice mic cable :)

You are on the right track, best of luck!

Dave DeWhitt
SoundClick artist: Dave DeWhitt - page with MP3 music downloads

Thanks for the advice on the panning, it helped a lot. Im not using much eq, im having some trouble getting a nice clean tone from my bass, i think it might be time for some new pickups. Also how did you know about my 5 dollar mic cables?
 
Thanks! does anyone have any advice on how to bring the rhythm guitar out more?
 
Do you think it would sound better if it just ended with the last tom hit instead of the bass ringing out?
 
You have a fabulous sound here. I think that Mix 8 is a great improvement over the first version. Also the bass sounds a whole lot better. Really good indie feel to it. Just wondering, but have you heard of a band called Pomegranates? They seem to be right up your alley musically.

Overall, good sound.
 
thanks so much! I havnt heard of the pomegranates but ill check them out some time soon.
 
Back
Top