Rock/Blues track

[Goldilox]

Some critiquing/help with the mix on this would be much appreciated.

The whole band was recorded live in the room & the only overdub is the vocal (& the silly gunshot effect obviously). There's no digital 'verb, just 1 room mic on the live take and another on the vocal session.

I've been tinkering for a while with the mix and it just doesn't feel like it's gelling.

Thanks for your help

 

[RawDepth]

- The vocals sound somewhat background and distant. Did you compress the vocal track?

Just in case you want help with that, watch this video I made on compressing vocals. How to compress vocals.

- The kick drum may be slightly too loud or huge sounding for this genre of music. We still want to hear it, just not so "on top" of the mix.

- Is there bass guitar in there? (You don't need it, just asking because I didn't notice any.)

One way to help get all levels in line is to temporarily set the mix to mono and scrutinize what appears to stand the tallest. Another way is to turn down the mix for a moment to the point where you can barely hear anything. Listen for what remains to be heard, that will be the loudest thing.

Hope this helps.

 

[Goldilox]

Thanks for the reply RawDepth.

There was no compression on any individual tracks in that mix, just some on the master bus. Am working through your video now to see if I can get some better results with a compressor on the vocal.

Not sure if it's the kick drum way out front? I think it may be the floor tom in the drum overheads you're hearing (it certainly dominates those tracks somewhat), I may try pulling the whole kit back a smidge to see if that's any better.

No, there's no bass guitar. We don't have a bassist as a deliberate artistic choice. My four favourite acts R.L. Burnside, Hound Dog Taylor, The Black Keys and the White Stripes manage without one, although the latter two do cheat with bass overdubs in the studio.

 

[Goldilox]

View attachment 01 44 pistol electric.mp3

Here's a fresh mix.

I played with the vocal compression as per your video.

Also, I recruited some help from a professional, and we compressed the kick, put a verb on the vocals, to better match the room sound of the band. And had a play with the EQ to try and cool down a spiky cymbal crash that was messing up the levels.