Need some advice on a mix!

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JohnnyAmato

JohnnyAmato

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First off, thanks to everyone who has helped me on the few other mixes I posted recently. You've all been a great help, as I don't have many other "ears" to offer advice and suggestions. Thanks and Happy Holidays.

Here I have a recording I did about two years ago, but it is in the current group I'm looking to get mastered. I think I have it mixed as good as I can, but any input would be greatly appreciated.

Fairly simple mix; two clean picked rhythm guitars (one on each side), harmonized lead guitars, an accompanying crunch rhythm guitar that comes in on just two parts, bass, drums, and some underlying keys.

Dynamo (Demo) | Johnny Amato
 
Performed very well. You can play, and it's musically engaging, even if short.

But in all honesty, if I were you, I'd re-record it rather than get it mastered. There are huge problems with the drums...it sounds like an 80's demo, and there are some much, much better options now that aren't crazy expensive.
 
Yeah, the drums need some love. Great playing tho!

PM me. Maybe I can help with some better drum samples.
 
Thanks guys for the input!

I totally agree on the drums. I'm still using a drum machine that I got literally over 15 years ago, the Boss DR-770. On most recordings it actually can sound quite decent, but on this song that "drum machine sound" really stands out for some reason. I tried adding more reverb, but that didn't make a difference.

I still use a Tascam 24 track recorder to record, the Neo 2488, and the individual tracks are transferable to ProTools, so I might put this recording on the shelf a little longer and get real drums put on it in the future.

I did recently purchase Superior Drummer, and am getting ProTools in a few weeks. So I technically could re-do the drums myself with that, but part of me wants to start fresh when I get the new stuff all set up, and just leave all old recordings as they are. I'm excited about finally upgrading, I've been using the Tascam Neo2488 for the last 5 years (a Boss BR-8 for 15 years before that) and the DR-770 drum machine for over 15.
 
You mean the stereo drum track itself, or the song itself without the drums? I don't know how to convert tracks to MIDI files, not sure if I have that capability over here.
 
JohnnyAmato said:
You mean the stereo drum track itself, or the song itself without the drums? I don't know how to convert tracks to MIDI files, not sure if I have that capability over here.
Click to expand...

Ugh. I am able to extract and add better drum sounds from a stereo file of the drums.

It just takes a bunch of time to do that without a MIDI file. I offered so...


PM me for my email address.
 
JohnnyAmato said:
I did recently purchase Superior Drummer, and am getting ProTools in a few weeks.
Click to expand...

You'll be happy with that...once you get over the learning curve, which isn't bad. You won't have a problem with it.

You've got the hardest part down - that being having something worth recording, and the ability to play it.
 
i think it is fine as it given the comments on the drums. i would think a bigger bass could live in this mix. the bottom is a little lite.
 
Sorry for the late reply, I was up at my cabin the last few days.

Thanks Manslick, I was wondering about the bass level. The clean guitars have some low-end going on, and I think that made me turn the actual bass down a little. I'll probably bring it up a hair and just go with it.

Jimmy, I totally appreciate the offer, but I don't want to throw all that work at you. The song isn't super important to me, just want to master it and be done. But again, I totally appreciate the kind offer. And thanks for the earlier compliments on the playing.

Chris, I'm kind of nervous about Superior Drummer, considering the ease of the aged DR-770, and how well I know it. But I'm looking forward to learning it, as it does sound great. I'm playing around with the sounds a bit, but haven't learned how to put songs together yet- once I get ProTools set up in a few weeks I'll start- I believe you need a DAW to even put full songs together with the SD software. Still have to get a MIDI control too.
Thanks for the feedback.
 
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