Need Some Opinions

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BAN5150

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Hey guys,

Just wanted to get your thoughts on this mix for my band's demo I'm working on. I am pretty new at all this, so just trying to see if I'm even on the right track. Don't be too hard on the bad singing or playing, I'm more interested in the sound than anything. :) Thanks!

 
It Rawks.

Over all the mix is a little boxy but as you are new to it I'd say you're off to a great start.
 
Supercreep said:
It Rawks.

Over all the mix is a little boxy but as you are new to it I'd say you're off to a great start.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. Any suggestions to fix that boxy issue?
 
BAN5150 said:
Thanks for the feedback. Any suggestions to fix that boxy issue?
Click to expand...

Room treatment, mic placement, mic selection, and equalization. In that order.

You have already recorded it, so you are looking at some subtractive eq.

It is not a bad recording, though - so I wouldnt worry too much.
 
LOL kinda funny that our drummer, who quit which is why I have to mix this thing, is a recording engineer, so we did everything in a nice studio with real expensive mics...or so I was told. I've kinda gotten forced into mixing this thing, since he's gone, so I'd at least like it to sound pretty good. I've EQ'd probably almost everything, so I'm gonna have to listen to see what to cut.

But thanks for the comments!
 
Well I tried a few things last night and after I read the comments today. Is this even the slightest bit less-boxy?


 
IMHO.

The vocals are a little hot, especially when the backing vox come in. The drums sound kinda "papery" Especially the kick, there's no real substance to the kick. The snare fits pretty well.

On a "style" note, the guitars a VERY seperated, and very "mono" sounding... there's no space around them and it kinda takes away from it being a "musical" mix. But that's more a style or approach thing...

The guitar tones work and fit the song. Everything is very defined, and the levels seem pretty close.
 
I thought the vocals were hot myself, the other guys liked them, I think I'm gonna turn them down. The kick I tried something new, I don't like it either. LOL, I'm putting it back the way I had it. I turned the highs up, just to try and it was a mistake. I kinda don't mind the drums too much, but I can hear what you're saying about the "papery" thing.

I put the guitars at 85% each way, and frankly I wasn't really sure what a good panning was. That's why I'm asking you guys for advice. Yes I want them separated, but not at the expense of making them sound not musical. What's a better pan, 30% each way?

You guys are opening my eyes (and ears) tonight about what sounds good and what doesn't. It's very helpful.
 
Was the room you recorded in fairly dead? Single close Mic on each cab? That's what I'm hearing. You don't want to center them too much as it will also take away from the mix by reducing the stereo image.

Experiment, if you can, try runing them through a sublte "room" revearb. Leave the panning where its at, but blend the stereo verb in under the guitars. Not so much that you consiously pick it out... but enough to fill the space a little. Mess with it... you may like it, you may hate it... either way you've learned something.

You might also want to try bringing up some low freq's in the kick drum too... it just does't hit me like I think a Rock kick should. Again... just another opinion based on personal taste.
 
Guitars were actually done on my Pod XT, all dry, no effects, so there won't be any room ambiance at all. I do have a subtle reverb on there, but I guess it's just not enough for anyone to notice. LOL. It seems when I bring the lows of the kick up I lose the clarity of it, but I'll keep messing with it. I want more than just a low "BOOM," I'd like to have a little definition to it.
 
What I'll usually do for the drums, is find the "attack", the "Meat" and the most annoying frequency I can. Depending on the tuning of the kick... usually around 3000 gives ya a "wet' sound... the closer you get to 5000-6000 the more it becomes a tight "click". I should mention, original Mic choice and placement has a lot to do with this working too. But I'll boost the attack to my liking, do the same with the "meat"... this is the lowest frequency you can find that doesn't cause the drum to start washing out. I look for the thud... not the boom... and boost that to liking. The annoying frequency, I cut. That will typically help tighten to low end, and give the high end some clarity at the same time. I'll boost the mids all the way on my EQ, then use the sweep to find the center of the "nasal" tone coming from th drum... I consider that pretty annoying. Once I put it back in the mix, I'll tweak as needed... but I consider that 30 seconds to a good starting point.
 
Well I did some things to it after hearing the advice from here last week, is it sounding any better? Thanks!

 
Here are some notes I took on your new mix:
- Your high hat is a bit high in the mix and is completely centered. Try moving it 15-20% left or right and lowering the high frequencies on it a bit.
- Snare could use a bit more "punch" in the high frequencies.
- The guitars could use a very light stereo reverb to help unbox them from their hard left/right panning.
- The vocals are a bit low in the mix. Compress them a bit more and up the overall vocal level.
- The guitar solo rocks but it's much louder than the vocals. I'd lower it a bit.
- The guitars are really heavy throughout the entire song which doesn't allow the dynamics of the chorus to stand out. This is hard to fix but you could turn the guitar levels down a bit in the verses and then boost them up slightly to give the choruses a bit more energy.
- I'm not sure how the drum tracks were recorded but your toms have no panning. If possible, try panning the floor tom right 40% and high tom left 50%.

You're very close to having a very "pro-sounding" mix...whatever that is. Good job.
 
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