My mixes are all damp and muddy! Mixing advice needed!

[FattMusiek]

Just an example of what I mean. I posted my drum sound a while back and everyone said how it lacked hi-end. I can't figure out what it is, but all my recordings lack hi-end! I need help!

Equipment:
-Delta 44 (4 I/Os)
-Behringer 1604A mixer (4 XLR inputs)
-Yorkville YSM1p monitors

Drum micing:
-Pearl Export drums () with the back head cut in the middle, there's about 2-3 inches of head left on for micing purposes.
-2 Oktava MK012 cardioid condenser mics as overheads
-Shure SM57
-Shure Beta 52

Heres what my downstairs looks like, I don't know the exact measurements, but the proportions are fairly accurate.

I'm going to post the individual tracks for the song I gave you all the link to to see if it's just my pathetic mixing or my room. STAY TUNED! If you're willing to remix the song, I'll gladly post the tracks!

Guitars: 30 watt Marshall miced with 57 2-3 inches away, bass direct into mixer.

 

[chrisharris]

Wow...I seem to remember a thread just like this that I posted in, lol.

Did I offend you?

 

[FattMusiek]

Ha, of course not. This is where the topic belongs, my brain farted when I posted it in the mixing clinic :-/.

 

[shackrock]

and the mp3 link wont work

 

[FattMusiek]

That's weird...

It should work. I posted this thread in the Mp3 Mixing Clinic originally and pasted it over here. Maybe that's why.

 

[chessrock]

It sounds to me like something isn't working properly. I can't hear any cymbal or snare crack at all.

Find out first where the problem is coming from, and where the loss is occuring.

Do they sound that way over the monitors before you even hit record? If so, then I'd say there's something seriously wrong with your card, or the resolution you're recording at or something along those lines.

If they sound like that over the monitors (no high end), then there's probably something seriously wrong with your mixer.

. . . And if your drums normally sound that way in the room, then there's something wrong with the way you're tuning or playing.

Tell us where the problem is occuring, or at what point, and then get back to us and we can give you better suggestions.

 

[FattMusiek]

Goddamnit, somethings wrong with the mp3 if you hear cymbals or snare...

 

[jake-owa]

Wow, that's a bad sounding recording...I would need to be there to help you troubleshoot. It sounds like an answering machine sample.

 

[justwantyou2kno]

Did you put any of the overheads in the mix??? The drums sound like the only drum mic you used in the mix is a mic that was laying under a couch or something. I like some of those guitar riffs though.

 

[FattMusiek]

Ok, there's nothing missing from the recording...I thought I left tracks out of the mixdown. I don't know what the hell is wrong, but my mixes are always muddy like this.

 

[jake-owa]

Are you checking all the mics and signal paths? When does it start sounding dull?

What hardware is everything going through? Start at mic, mic placement and pre and take me through the whole system, tell me how it sounds at the mic, hard disk....details.

 

[remco]

I would suggest more Oh on the drums,and cut a little lowmid in de drums (200-400hz) and add a little air (8k-12k).

this should make it a bit cleaner, but placement is the best way to eq the recordings.

the guitars need a little fixxing as wel. maybe put the sm57 abit off axis.

Wat I do when i use a sm57 on guitar(i never liked the 57 but i'm one off the few).
1 inch distance and 30 degrees opff axxis, and tweaking the mike possition untill it sounds right.

Good luck

Remco