One of those days, I guess

[gecko zzed]

So I record my guitar (12 string) which I have been doing for years . . . so I know what to expect, where to get the best sound, how to EQ it and so on . . . it holds no terrors for me.

The next day I listen to what I did. I decide that maybe the EQ is not quite right, so I fiddle a bit and it sounds okay.

The following day I have another listen . . . I decide I don't like the sound. Whyever did I think the EQ of the day before was ok?

On each of three consecutive days I've had three EQ settings, each of which I thought was okay at the time, but on later listening decided it wasn't.

It makes you question your judgement, and whether your brain is bypassing your ears and saying that it sounds okay (because you want it to be ok).

Have others had similar experiences?

 

[joeym]

So I record my guitar (12 string) which I have been doing for years . . . so I know what to expect, where to get the best sound, how to EQ it and so on . . . it holds no terrors for me.

The next day I listen to what I did. I decide that maybe the EQ is not quite right, so I fiddle a bit and it sounds okay.

The following day I have another listen . . . I decide I don't like the sound. Whyever did I think the EQ of the day before was ok?

On each of three consecutive days I've had three EQ settings, each of which I thought was okay at the time, but on later listening decided it wasn't.

It makes you question your judgement, and whether your brain is bypassing your ears and saying that it sounds okay (because you want it to be ok).

Have others had similar experiences?

all the time!!!!

 

[hardwire666]

sigh... I hate that. I really really do. When that happens I tend to start all over, because the odds are by the time I realize I have gone that far I have done more harm than good. A messy project is gonna sound like a messy project.

 

[omtayslick]

Yup. This is a frequent and humbling occurence. The other night I pulled up a mix that I have been tweaking to death for weeks. Apparently I have been tweaking it to death, because when I pulled off ALL of the processing, and listened to the bare original tracks, they sounded better than my mix. Ouch!

 

[rayc]

The BIGGEST advantage of computer based recording is the ability to stuff around - it's also one of the biggest problems.
I've taken to saving the settings with day and time each time I do a mix fix. So taht I can work backwards if necessary to get to where it was good or less bad.
I pulled up a mix I did last year last week. I listened to it then switched off ALL compression & VST effects before listening again. I attempted to address perceived problems just by simpel EQ & fader adjustments with no fancy stuff & you guessed it - MUCH better, much less comp gain based noise and more AIR.
Each time I learn something, (or unlearn something) I have the good fortune of going back into a whole lot of projects and tweaking then saving.
I went right back a couple of days ago to a 4 track recording of a song from the 90's I had subsequently uploaded, augmented and tweaked. There was a hell of a lot good about the 4 track that I'd stuffed around in the comp. BUT the limitations of 4 track work really hadn't allowed the song to grow. I also couldn't undo the bouncing, panning effects decisions I'd made back then so that, in the end, the ability to undo some of the stuffing around won the day.

 

[PhiloBeddoe]

Probably the best thing you can do is use a reference. If you have recordings of your 12 string that you know you like (you've heard and liked playbacks on lots of systems, etc), just keep it cued up to A/B with the newly recorded one.

Also, I'm assuming you're talking about a solo guitar and not one in the context of a full band. In the case of a full band, you have all the other instruments competing so one-size-fits-all sound does not apply.

 

[steppingonmars]

The best thing to do is give it a week instead of a day or two, then listen to your source and see if that's the problem or if it's the eq try fixing it again, sometimes 1 day isn't enough. It's like listening to an off time drum fill, if you listen to it all the time, it starts to sound like it's supposed to be there, until someone else listens to it. Also sometimes it's just a confidence issue that plagues everyone at certain times, so just give it time!