New Mix: Vague Disatisfaction

  • Thread starter Thread starter arcadeko
  • Start date Start date
arcadeko

arcadeko

Illuminatius Overlordious
Check it - lemme know what ya think.

--edit newest mix - 3 ----


---- edit --- mix 2 ----
Brought the bass and kick up some, the vox a little, and added a couple guitar tracks.


 
Last edited:
Good punky, new wave vibe. Probably need a bit of top end eq to brighten up the vocals, cymbals and a bit more low end on the bass guitar and kick. Good.
 
the "gotta get up" part rocks hard. I agree about the need for low end and more clarity on the vox. Sounds good overall and it's a really cool song.
 
Sounds great dude but you might need to up the bass a bit. However I'm starting to suspect that I have an affection for bass that most others don't have as I seem to always complain about the lows (?)

Anyway I really dig the song, I get that 79'ish feeling; that unborn feeling if you know what I mean. Great performance and style.
 
Sounds really cool arcadecko - I can hear some stooges/iggy pop in there. With the style, I don't think you're looking to achieve perfect hi fidelity so I don't think there's much that needs changing. I'd bring the vocal up a touch though.

Good tune
 
Dig the tune man. It is totally you! :D

To me, it seems the guitars need some width. They just don't seem to move the song along when on their own. Sounds like you used at least two tracks and eq'd or changed tone on each. I would try two tracks panned far R/L, and add a couple more, at lower volume (just audible), panned around 50% L/R.

The drums sound WAY better with your new toys. I would still get the drums to separate tracks, and work the kick and snare a bit more with individual compression/eq. Parallel compress the drum tracks only and mess with the cymbals on another group. Have you tried 'Transient Monster' yet? It can really bring life to kick/snare/toms from drum programs.
 
toad_uk said:
Good punky, new wave vibe. Probably need a bit of top end eq to brighten up the vocals, cymbals and a bit more low end on the bass guitar and kick. Good.
Click to expand...

Thanks man - I tweaked the EQ a bit on the vox and brought the room mics up a little on the drum kit for the cymbals... hopefully not too much

reganito said:
the "gotta get up" part rocks hard. I agree about the need for low end and more clarity on the vox. Sounds good overall and it's a really cool song.
Click to expand...

Thanks man! I think the bass is louder now? But when I compare them I am not so sure :confused:

dainbramage said:
Sounds great dude but you might need to up the bass a bit. However I'm starting to suspect that I have an affection for bass that most others don't have as I seem to always complain about the lows (?)

Anyway I really dig the song, I get that 79'ish feeling; that unborn feeling if you know what I mean. Great performance and style.
Click to expand...

Thanks DB - I also like the bass :) hopefully this new mix is got more bottom

robgreen said:
Sounds really cool arcadecko - I can hear some stooges/iggy pop in there. With the style, I don't think you're looking to achieve perfect hi fidelity so I don't think there's much that needs changing. I'd bring the vocal up a touch though.

Good tune
Click to expand...

Thanks rob :)

jimmys69 said:
Dig the tune man. It is totally you! :D

To me, it seems the guitars need some width. They just don't seem to move the song along when on their own. Sounds like you used at least two tracks and eq'd or changed tone on each. I would try two tracks panned far R/L, and add a couple more, at lower volume (just audible), panned around 50% L/R.

The drums sound WAY better with your new toys. I would still get the drums to separate tracks, and work the kick and snare a bit more with individual compression/eq. Parallel compress the drum tracks only and mess with the cymbals on another group. Have you tried 'Transient Monster' yet? It can really bring life to kick/snare/toms from drum programs.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jimmy, I widened the guitar parts and added a couple more tracks of guitar to thicken it up some. I added some compression and volume tot he drums, I haven't separated them into individual tracks yet - I think with EZdrummer I would have to break apart the midi track to do that? I will check into Transient Monster.

I think my monitors were giving me problems with peaks around 150hz so I moved them to a different spot on the desk, see if this made a difference with the bass.

Here is the new mix (also added to first post) :D
 
I like the song with all the energy and attitude. Cool. Are you using ezdrummer?? Doesn't sound like it, but you mentioned it. If so, you can seperate the tracks into individual channels without creating separate midi parts. Just go into the mixer section and right click on one channel assignment and select Multichannel. If you aren't using ezd then nevermind. :rolleyes:

I'm hearing a lot of super low freq energy and then a lot of low mids but nothing in between. Almost like there is a spectrum valley from ~60 to ~200 hz. I hear the top end of the bass and the really low end, but nothing in the middle. I hear a lot of bottom end of the guitars, which I think you should HPF off to make room for the bass. I don't hear much oomph from the kick. I think some serious notching and EQ shaping is in order to get each instrument/track to stand on its own.

There is something going on with the vocals. Maybe you have a second vocal take that comes in on the last word of each phrase. I like that you're doing that, but it seems to be messing with the mix, like it isn't consistent with the the vocal levels. I guess it's hard to explain and I really don't have a good suggestion (sorry). Maybe move it more out to the side and offset it with another vocal take that does the same thing on the opposite side.

I like that the song has that raw feeling. I understand that is part of the style (I grew at the fringe of the punk epicenter), but a little more massaging and this mix is going to be killer. I think you're almost there. :)
 
Chili said:
Just go into the mixer section and right click on one channel assignment and select Multichannel. If you aren't using ezd then nevermind. :rolleyes:

I'm hearing a lot of super low freq energy and then a lot of low mids but nothing in between. Almost like there is a spectrum valley from ~60 to ~200 hz. I hear the top end of the bass and the really low end, but nothing in the middle. I hear a lot of bottom end of the guitars, which I think you should HPF off to make room for the bass. I don't hear much oomph from the kick. I think some serious notching and EQ shaping is in order to get each instrument/track to stand on its own.

There is something going on with the vocals. Maybe you have a second vocal take that comes in on the last word of each phrase. I like that you're doing that, but it seems to be messing with the mix, like it isn't consistent with the the vocal levels. I guess it's hard to explain and I really don't have a good suggestion (sorry). Maybe move it more out to the side and offset it with another vocal take that does the same thing on the opposite side.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback Chili.

I am using the EZdrummer and when I select multitrack it just plays the bass drum - I watched a video on how to set it up but I don't have the version of Cubase from the youtube video and I cant seem to get it to work in cubase LE4??? I would like to though maybe you have a tutorial you could point me to - this is the first song I have really mixed with EZdrummer so I'm kinda noobish in this area :eek:

I am working on the sudden valley now :) I think I am hearing it - this is also the first real mix I have done in the new studio so my ears are getting used to new space and all the acoustic treatment.

I think maybe the additional vocal tracks are a lot louder compared to the main vocal track, I will work on balancing that out.
 
Yeah, LE versions don't allow use of VST Rack that would enable you multiple outputs from EZD. :(

A workaround is to mute everything besides what you want separate in the drum editor. Solo the track and export it back into project. Do this for each track, then you can do whatever to each. :)
 
I like it. It's sloppy as hell but it does have a Stooges kind of sound, which I love. It would lose all it's funtasticness if it were a perfect mix and performance. I think it's fine as-is. I'd listen to this in my every day life.
 
Hmm, LE4 might be a problem. I think there is some limitation with the instrument track that it only does stereo tracks. Is upgrading a possibility??

A new studio, no wonder. :) It takes a lot of listening to reference material to learn your new studio. But that's fun!!! :D
 
Ok, This seems a lot clearer and more low end... Hopefully I am making it better and not worse :p

 
tbh i think the mix is quite mono(ish) sounding and a little muddy.....but Im not sure Id change that, too much clarity could push the whole song in a different direction..I can hear everything in the mix but its like the mix is between 11am and 1pm..a little more width could open up the sounds

like Greg said you could polish it up and lose the whole feel/vibe of the song

Im a Joy division fan and your stuff reminds me of their energy, circa No Love Lost, Warsaw..Id use something of theirs to A/B your EQ and general sound if it were my song

Id say its pretty done and I enjoyed it
 
Thanks KC - I guess I am about ready to call it done :) unless anyone sees any major issues - the cymbals seemed a bit too loud to me in the last bit... might bring them down a bit..

And one of my favorite parts: making* the artwork for the song

1321298857_vague-dissatisfaction.jpg







* Good artists copy, great artist steal ~ Arcadeko **



** Stolen from Picasso
 
Yup, last mix posted sounds better, overall sounds good, I like the song, great chorus. Easy song to remember catchy.

Good work!
 
Yeah man, sounds much better! I hear the need for more bass riding in the bottom. 80-110ish. And the cymbals sound 'washy'. Take compression off of those. I'm anal about stuff like this for music I tend to deal with. It could be fine for the genre already. Great job Wes!
 
Wow. This is interesting. Guitars and vocals sound similar to past productions, but the drums are way different. This can't be your buddy playing electronic drums. Sounds like software, but good software. I like it.

Not crazy about the guitar tone...kinda grainy, but maybe just the sound you want, and it is certainly sufficiently raunchy. There's some weird vocal doubling in places that I think detracts from your delivery a bit, but not too bad. I think you should've screamed in there somewhere just to put it over the top.

Good energy and a fun listen. Thanks.
 
Thanks guys - Some of the verse vocals are bothering me, I'm gonna have to redo them...

It is my drummer playing the Roland TD4 drums triggering EZdrummer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top