New mix (thanks to all for help)

M

mkg

New member
New mix of Dream About You is up.

Re-sang lead voc
Played real acoustic (my old Guild instead of sim) mic'ed with
sm-57
Removed the infamous "banjo" and used Tele into Twin Reverb amp sim
Brought up drums in mix
Eq'ed out distortion, made a few other eq adjustments
Left lyric the same (no time to change it, will have to live with it such that it is)
Lowered effects on lead voc (just a touch of verb now)

Dream About You

Thanks to everyone for your help. :cool:

Mark
 
the back up vocals are off now, sorry.
I assume the main guitar part is the electric one.... played more tightly but the tone ??? don't know.....
I'd like to here that part on accoustic ...
the drums did came out a bit now. and thanks for taking the "banjo" out.

this is an improvement but has new mess all together :D

Take it as just MHO.. but here is what I would try:
---------
remove all eq and procesing first
go back to just drums and bass...
play two tracks of acc gtr same part that el gtr is doing now. straut strum through. It works ok now that you played it tightly with drums.

pan those two tracks left right to taste... (not too far :) )

then play el gtr not struming but arpedgio-picking chords

pan that just a little off so it doesn't unbalance the mix.

now see if the lead vocal fits or resing it.

then bgv's (they sound off right now with new vocal)

now ajust the levels and paning to taste and post here (no eq or reverb yet).

--------

I think it would be fun. I hope I don't sound like some kind of pro trying to give advise. I'm no pro for sure. I just felt somewhat invested in the production of this tune since I posted a few comments on the last version. :) Let me know if I'm out of line here :D.

here is the tune I posted here a while ago if it helps you deside whether or not I'm qualified to help. No need to review it just so you know where I'm comming from.

or better quality

(parental warning: christian content) :D

cheers
 
I didn't want it to sound like the new version was all that bad. it''s NOT.

It does seem you EQed the life out of it though.

cheers
 
Harmony vocals!!!!Yes!The harmonies make the chorus pay off a lot better.Im not gonna pick this apart(I think Fed already has) but the main thing that Im hearing as a problem is the acoustic guitar.It's kind trebly and jangly.It needs a little body to it and less jingle jangle.....the bass guitar could also use some definition,it's lost in the mix.

The song has come a long way since the first version IMHO.Keep working on it and put on your thick skin for some of the posters replies!:D
 
Fed said:


I think it would be fun. I hope I don't sound like some kind of pro trying to give advise. I'm no pro for sure. I just felt somewhat invested in the production of this tune since I posted a few comments on the last version. :) Let me know if I'm out of line here :D.

here is the tune I posted here a while ago if it helps you deside whether or not I'm qualified to help. No need to review it just so you know where I'm comming from.

or better quality

(parental warning: christian content) :D

cheers
Click to expand...

You have a pretty good acoustic sound captured there Fed.Maybe you could help get MKG headed in that direction on his acoustic guitars?Help him out bro!:D
 
The harmony parts are a definite improvement. The guitar part was a bit different in its strumming pattern. I liked that better too. I could hear more bass - which was an improvement.

I noticed you're not holding certain notes as long as in the original. I think that helps in the verses, but I would hold the long notes in the chorus. There are still some pitch issues with some vocals both lead and harmony. And some "ahhs" don't hit exactly right.

The guitars were still a bit crisp. I'd take out some mids.

How can you call it Kentucky pop without a banjo? :D I personally liked it. But I'm probably outvoted.

No goofy drum hits at the end... I think you and I were the only ones who appreciated them :D.

P.S., you changed one line didn't you? The "vision of you" thing right.
 
Hey Mkg...
The harmonies a big addition to the song. Nice job. I wont go into the mix cause im at work and these speakers suck. But the vocals improved 100%. Nice work bro!!!:) g
 
cool song, mkg.

One mixing point -- seems the snare is taking up a lot of sonic "real estate" there, might be contributing to the difficulties in the mix. You'll probably end up taking pieces of the snare down a bit for the vox and guitars to sit better. I do like the live feel of the drums, tho. Yeah, the guitar has... something in the 5~6kHz area that makes it sound too much like bells, or something.

But a very cool song, great vox, well played very tight. Love the drums. Just bear with all of us, and our (possibly rough sounding) advice :D:D


Chad
 
I forgot to note in my original post that today's my birthday (51).

BUT DON'T LET THAT INFLUENCE YOUR COMMENTS IN THE LEAST!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Ok...

Fed: I listened to your song, and like it very much. You really didn't have to show any credentials, but I'm glad you posted it.
Superb playing and singing, and a pro-sounding mix. I love acoustic tracks, excellent job...not to mention a very fine piece of writing. (Did you write it?)
No way are you out of line, I value your comments.
I did double the acoustic (recorded to two tracks). One of my problems was getting it strong enough in the mix...it started to overwhelm everything else. My intention was to have it at the same level as background vocals. It's panned to about 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock. The electric is panned to the right at about 2 o'clock.
When you say the background vocals are off, do you mean the high harmony with the lead, the "aahs" in the chorus, or both?
The chorus pads are panned slightly left and right. And do you mean that pitch is off?
I really appreciate your input, man. Or should I call you co-producer now? :D

Kramer: Don't worry about thick skin...as you can see from my birthday notice, I'm a dinosaur. :D
Glad you dig the harmonies. As I said above, I had a hard time getting the acoustic loud enough without it dominating the mix. Maybe eq would help? I'm definitely open to suggestions.
I would like to bring up the bass a bit, and make it a little more tight. Again, I ran into problems with the track overloading. It's gonna take some fine-tuning.
Thanks for listening and comments, buddy.

TripleM: Alas, I didn't change a word. I was devoting so much time to trying to get the sound of the track right that I put lyric changes on the back burner. I realize that area is still in need of improvement, however.
I'm afraid I'll always have pitch issues...my goal is to make them fewer and farther between.
You know, I kind of dug the "banjo" too...but feel that the electric guitar adds a little more body. If I had more tracks I'd re-insert the old banjo, maybe just use it on the chorus, which is where I liked what it was doing.
Thanks very much for listening and comments!

Guernica: Thanks, bro! Let me know what you think of the mix when you get a chance to listen on good speakers.

Chad: Thanks very much! One problem with the drums is that I can't have one level for kick and another for snare...they're all on one track. Wish I could put them on separate tracks, 'cause I hear what you're saying. And I appreciate all the "sound" advice here. :D

Thanks to all!

Mark
 
mkg said:
I forgot to note in my original post that today's my birthday (51).

BUT DON'T LET THAT INFLUENCE YOUR COMMENTS IN THE LEAST!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Chad: Thanks very much! One problem with the drums is that I can't have one level for kick and another for snare...they're all on one track. Wish I could put them on separate tracks, 'cause I hear what you're saying.
Click to expand...

Happy Birthday! Now, go get drunk like a good young man ;):D

Hey Mark, Chessrock just posted something in this thread that may be of use (his response, dated 7-17-02 00:17). Of particular interest is the stuff on drums -- since they're all in one track (a stereo track, I hope?) :)

Good luck :cool:


Chad
 
Hey Happy B-day man! You sure don't sound like 51. :D

Recording same run to 2 tracks is not what I had in mind. You need to actualy play same thing twice and record 2 separate tracks, no need to record same run to two tracks.

I f you record same run to two tracks when you pan them left and right the sum appears in the middle. i think there could be phase issues too but what do I know. :D

when you actualy played it twice the little inconsistencies will make the seperation easier. This is just from my own expirience.
And even if you are not dead-on with the first track when you pan they will appear much tighter, providing you are somewhat close ofcourse. :)

And ye the vocals are off intonation wise. it's hard to say wether it's main or harmony at times I would have to listen again just for that. Are you using a tuner to tune the guitar? what about bass?
if you played the bass on the keyboard tune to keyboard. You should have same reference for tunning on all tracks. Your oohs and aahs weren't so out last time but you redid the guitar and now they are out big time. That's why I mention tuning.

I know it's much easier to critique someone else then ectualy do it yourself. :) Hopefully my little expirience is helpfull to you.

what is the loudest guitar it's panned a little to the right? is that an electric through a simulator?

I will listen some more and think about it. I guess you have things go on for now.

cheers
 
Kramer: Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Chad: Thanks, and thanks for the link, very helpful. I believe the drums are stereo, but couldn't swear to it.
As far as getting drunk on my birthday, I had to give that up long ago, but I appreciate the sentiment!

Fed: Thanks. I now understand what you mean by two acoustic tracks, very cool idea. I'm using the onboard tuner for guitars and bass.
Now that you've pointed it out, I can very definitely hear that the vox are out of tune. It's actually pretty painful to listen to. Gonna try to re-sing today, and use your idea for two acoustic tracks.
Yes, the guitar panned to the right is a Tele through an onboard Twin simulator.

Thanks to all for the kind wishes and comments!

Mark
 
I didn't hear the original version and I like the song. I like the drum sound and playing but its quite a tight sounding kit and the guitar is very 'jangly' it seems to need something to tie them together. The bass isn't doing it maybe because the acoustic guitar was a bit too high in the mix. The backing vocals work well but there are a few out of tune bits and they do notice
Definitely worth another go at the mix as its a good tune, and i'd fix those backing vocals (I cant sing worth a damn so dont be offended)
 
Happy B-Day and real nice song! I thought all the instruments were real well played-the drums have a nice room sound-snare sounds real good. Guitars are doing there job though they may be a little high endy-and the acoustic strumming seems to cut over the vocals especially in the first verse, overall the guitars sound a little too jangly but well played. I didn't hear the bass-but I'm on computer speakers so it could be me. If I were producing this I would have had you mix up the rythm on the vocals a bit-they have an almost mechanical delivery-they need a little of that las vegasy hesitation and speed up bit, I probably would have forced a few drinks down your gullet and then made you sing lol. Overall real good song-good lyrics-good message many of us can identify with-Nice job!

Strat
 
I didn't read the other comments..


Sounds a lot better and the haromys add a lot..


the guitars sound too trebley..it's a bit much.... and although I'm having some vocal problems myself, some of the ahhh's and ooo'hs are borderline on this..

much improvement overall..



I just glanced at the comments 51!!:eek: happy belated! :D You don't sound 51!! Now I have to give ya a thumbs up just for that alone!!


sam
 
following crawdad's example...

Matt303: Thanks for the listen, glad you like the tune. Vocals are definitely dicey, and every time I try to fix them I seem to make them worse. I probably should get some kind of pitch-fixer or take singing lessons. I've decided to leave them as-is and move on to the next project. I re-did the acoustic guitar, using two different tracks as Fed suggested, but haven't had time to finish the rest of the track as far as other suggestions.
I was going for some pop jangle, and probably went a little too far.
Don't worry about offending, I can use all the honesty I can get.

Stratomaster: A few drinks might have done the trick! Thanks for the listen and glad you dig the song. Good suggestion about varying the phrasing on the vocals to take away the mechanical feel. And thanks for the birthday wishes.

Sam: Thanks, man...I take it you mean that I show a bit of energy for an old dog...cool. :D
As mentioned above, those vox may be as close as I can get without pitch help...sad, eh?
But I'll gladly take the thumbs-up, bro!

Now in the tradition of crawdad (I'm pretty sure that's who it was). I'm very grateful for all the listens and comments, and will continue to monitor for suggestions, etc. But I won't bump it up to respond anymore. So don't think I'm not reading or being rude, just trying to stay out of the way of new postings and songs.
Thanks again to all!

Mark :cool:
 
Listening now...Good sounding drums and guitar. Nice to hear the lead vocals brought to the front....haven't heard that much tonight. Man, I sure do hear a high third harmony that would sound awesome... panned over to the right. Anyway you could add some high strings on the third verse only? I think that would add some emotional drama to it. Good ending but you've got to add that third-part high harmony. Great job.
 
hmm

this one made me smile laugh and move around.

there must be something really really wrong with it.

its got a great rock n roll fun feel.

of course youll want to re-record it for the major label release...

hopefully they wont ruin it!

i could understand all the words!!!

the rhythm guitar playing is powerful!

:)
 
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