Newb needs some mix tips, pretty please :)

J

JPlush76

New member
I took a bunch of advice from my last post and here is a new song we just did.
Drums:
2 overhead, 1 snare, 1 kick mic

2 guitars, bass, no vocals just yet

I made it only the first 80 seconds so the file is small.

I am still trying to train my ears and I'm not quite sure whats wrong or right if anything.

Anypointers? thanks guys!

 
As if I knew anything

1. Vocals are too low...oh...wait; (nevermind that)
2. Bass has a cool tone, but if you're gonna' use a middy slap bass (which I like), you gotta' get some low end from somewhere; to me, you need an EQ bump all the way from about 50Hz (especially in the kick) up to prolly' 400Hz.
3. Guitars were my favorite part of the mix
4. Drums are "wrong" in some way...they need help, but I'm useless when it comes to drums to do anything other than annoy drummers. They definitely sound live. (I'd guess the snare and toms need a ton of mids, but I'm guessing).

So basically, I've said: BOOST THE LOWS AND THE MIDS, which leaves only the highs untouched...but yet, the mix needs more highs too. So boost lows, boost mids, boost highs...hrm....that's pretty much just turning the volume knob up...

Oh well. Smarter folks will help you.

:D
-chris
 
IMHO- it's sounds like you just put a couple of mics up and recorded a band in a rehearsal room, kind of. I know it's better than that but...

The individual sounds are pretty good, but they sound like basic tracks. Even if you're going for a live sound try some harder panning of the drum OH mics and a different reverb for the snare. The guitars are begging to be hard panned left and right. Once you get a nice stereo spread you'll make room for more of a dynamic mix.

Keep workin' it.

Jon
 
How big was the room you recorded the drums in?
I like the tune!!! Nice guitar tone!
Did you use a click track for the drums?

I think the guitars could come down a tad..
Stereo spread on guitars and overheads!!!
 
Nice guitar playing!

Sounds to me like the guitars and drums aren't in the same place,reverb wise.

I like what you have so far,production wise,sounds good.

Best to you,
Pete
 
Looks like it's been a few days since you've posted this, have you made some changes? Because it sounds pretty good now, sounds like you might have done some eq'ing... balance is pretty good.

Mark
 
I was actually working on another song, but I'm coming back to fix this one this weekend. I think I have a better understanding of what to do with it now. I still can't get cakewalk to pan the guitars and overheads :(
 
1) Kick drum. Needs more level, probably some EQ. Needs more balls

2) More low-end on the bass like chrisharris said

3) Sounds like you're recording the guitar direct. Try micing it. And then try doubling it (not a full L/R pan, but maybe 70%-ish). It's worth the extra take to widen it up. Cakewalk should have a slider under each track (if I remember correctly) in the mixer.
 
The only thing I can offer is seconding the idea of doubling the guitar track. It sounds pretty nice as is, but I think it would really kick some backside if it was doubled.
 
What is your signal chain? It sounds very muddy and undefined. You've got a very good start but it sounds like it's either tracked on poor equipment, over processed or both. Are you doing much to the tracks with plugins?

The actual mix isn't too bad but the sonic quality just isn't there to really make it sound great. I'm not trying to be a dick but just help you pinpoint possible problems. Cool tune.
 
there's no fidelity to it....no high end...mono mix, no distinction between instruments, and definately no sense of space in the mix. It basically sounds like your standing in the hallway, outside the 'jam room'. Correct a few of these problems, and your mixes will improve immensely.
 
good song

I think you need to pan a bit more which will give you a wider stereo field.

It also sounds like you are not using the whole frequency range
which means that there is no separation with your instruments.

Overall a good mix and I think you will greatly improve as time goes on and you get more experience

Tukkis
 
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