Rock Song - feel its dead and dull... Pointers?

A

alecmcmahon

New member
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=236709

BLACK CLOUD


recent song i've recorded... i was pretty comfertable with the mix in pro tools with my bx5's... but after the bounce is a diffrent story.... i feel it looses all its power.

i've been fooling with multiband compressors on the final bounce.... but, im really not sure

just looking for pointers on what i might of been doing wrong.

and hows the song? :)


- Alec
 
Vocals are way too loud. The drums are way too far back. I'd drop back and punt on the mix. It feels harsh in general.
 
I agree on the vocals. They seem to sit on top of everything else. They don't seem to be a part of the mix. Turn them way down, and see about bringing the drums up some.
I like the tune in general, so keep with it. Just needs some volume evening. Get the vocals to be a part of the music, and that will help immensely.
Good tune though. Get us another mix to listen to.
Ed
 
alright, i'll see if i can get to the studio sometime later on ( its at a buddys house , not my own ) i'll bring down the vocals and up the drums...and work on the guitar panning , like mentioned...

also, i feel i do something wrong when i compare real pro mp3's to my own....i feel my bounced audio is always clippping... which it seems to be...

when tracking in pro tools, i really never clip on the track... i always give each track a little bit of headroom... but, it seems the aftermath tells diffrent... i am confused.

https://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3579/blackcloudimage7sf.jpg
 
alecmcmahon said:
alright, i'll see if i can get to the studio sometime later on ( its at a buddys house , not my own ) i'll bring down the vocals and up the drums...and work on the guitar panning , like mentioned...

also, i feel i do something wrong when i compare real pro mp3's to my own....i feel my bounced audio is always clippping... which it seems to be...

when tracking in pro tools, i really never clip on the track... i always give each track a little bit of headroom... but, it seems the aftermath tells diffrent... i am confused.

https://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3579/blackcloudimage7sf.jpg
Click to expand...
I'd say with all the flat edges, it is clipped somewhere. The signal itself, is at a lower volume, but somewhere, it went wild. Is that after any compression, or something like that? I have messed with stuff, and compressd it, and set the output down a little, and it chopped everything off flat, just like that.
Just one thought.
 
Better mix this time. What's the main stereo mix buss look like? If you're clipping, it's probably there and not on individual tracks.
 
Hi alec,
I didn't get to listen to the 1st mix. The 2nd mix sounds very good to me, though the electric gtr sound is a little "generic".
You've obviously followed the recommendations - perhaps a little too well with the vocals at the very beginning.
Why don't you try mixing out to tape or even to an internal (or external) wave recorder & see if the problem with clipping persists?
Cheers
rayC
 
There is too much of the room sound on the drums which pushes them into the background. You have too many things in the center of the mix. You need to double track the guitars and pan them outward. The vocals sound flat and lifeless. Ad a hint of reverb to them so they sound as if they are in the same room as the rest of the instruments.
 
Hi Alec, What sort of mic are you recording the vocals with? Your results are similar to what i got starting out using a dymanic mic for vocals. They sound very dry and boxy.

As Ocnor says, theres definately some reverb needed on them, but try experimenting with a more expressive mic maybe?

Mac
 
The mix is only going to get so good. The recording sounds like what I'm sue it was; a quickie setup in a home studio. It sounds like a demo, and that's no ones fault; it is what it is. That being said, the aforementioned suggestion of doble tracking the guitars could add a lot of life to things, btu the drums are no where crisp enough in their recording to make the song really snap like i think you want it too. There is an overall lack of body in the mix, though a lot gets lost with the crappy mp3 compression that Soundclick forces one to use. Overall it just sounds like the recorded tones arent pure enough.

As for the song, it get's really interesting abot 2:50, but it sounds a little TOOL like at that point. It's not a bad song, but it lacks atmosphere, and atmosphere is hard to attain if you don't have absolute control over the recordings.
 
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