mjbphotos
Moderator
Been working on this one for a year, but mostly rewriting. Tracked it a couple of weeks ago. Added some EQ to the rhythm acoustics last night, got some of the boom-mud out.
DM60
Well-known member
Mix sounded good.
Have you tried your vocals an octave lower? It doesn't seem like the range fits your voice. It didn't sound bad, just seemed like it was strained.
Have you tried your vocals an octave lower? It doesn't seem like the range fits your voice. It didn't sound bad, just seemed like it was strained.
mjbphotos
Moderator
My voice always sound strained unless I whisper! (30 years of smoking and a few cases of laryngitis - where I kept straining it) Thanks for listening.
TAE
All you have is now
Cool tune MJB! Good Job.... You might experiment with panning the backing vocals a little L or R...maybe...I'm a newb at the mixing stuff and getting a kick out of moving things around...new toy
BroKen_H
Re-member
Good tune. Like what you did with the guitar to make it sound almost mandolin-ish. Good performance. Your voice gets better as you go through. Just the first bit sounds pitchy and strained. Or maybe I just got used to it 
.
.
T
TripleM
Well-known member
I like the instrumentation. And I like how you're adding voices, rhythm section, etc. as the song starts up.
I think you could turn up the bass a bit. You have more space in the low end.
I'd get rid of the chorus on the acoustic guitar. I'd back off the reverb on everything (I always say that).
Drums are a bit programmy.
I think you could turn up the bass a bit. You have more space in the low end.
I'd get rid of the chorus on the acoustic guitar. I'd back off the reverb on everything (I always say that).
Drums are a bit programmy.
mjbphotos
Moderator
Thanks for listening and comments. I wa spretty happy with this mix considering its the first one on this song's full produciton, all comments will help on tweaking.
I've got them panned a little, but they sounded weird (because one is high and the other low) when I panned them further.
Yeah, my voice is like living next to a sewer treatment plant - eventually you don't notice the smell.
It usually takes me at least one full take to get my voice to some semblance of pitch, I'm used to muting take 1, and then using a comp of the next takes. On this song take 2 was better than take 3 (which I use for the doubling).
Reverb is pretty low on everything but the strings and lead guitar part. No chorus on the acoustics, but there are two parts, playing different things. However each guitar part is double miked, with one pointing at the 12th fret and the other th elower bout, think I might be getting some phase issues?
Yeah, I need to get into the drums a little more and add some changes.
I've got them panned a little, but they sounded weird (because one is high and the other low) when I panned them further.
Good tune. Like what you did with the guitar to make it sound almost mandolin-ish. Good performance. Your voice gets better as you go through. Just the first bit sounds pitchy and strained. Or maybe I just got used to it
Yeah, my voice is like living next to a sewer treatment plant - eventually you don't notice the smell.
It usually takes me at least one full take to get my voice to some semblance of pitch, I'm used to muting take 1, and then using a comp of the next takes. On this song take 2 was better than take 3 (which I use for the doubling).Reverb is pretty low on everything but the strings and lead guitar part. No chorus on the acoustics, but there are two parts, playing different things. However each guitar part is double miked, with one pointing at the 12th fret and the other th elower bout, think I might be getting some phase issues?
Yeah, I need to get into the drums a little more and add some changes.
T
TripleM
Well-known member
That's my guess. I'm definitely hearing something phasey going on. My guess was a chorus effect. But if it's not, then micing might be culprit.
Agree that the reverb was particularly high on the strings. But I thought there was quite a bit on most everything.
ido1957
9K Gold Member
Great song and arrangement. I can't put my finger on the style but it's familiar but new at the same time. No nits on the mix at all. The chorus from mics is cool - I would keep it.
TBH I would do a bunch more takes and comp some more to get a (more) solid final vocal track(s).
This song is too good to let it go this early on - it deserves a bit more work. Some of the vocal parts are perfect.
PS - Autotune is not out of the question for the minor issues....
TBH I would do a bunch more takes and comp some more to get a (more) solid final vocal track(s).
This song is too good to let it go this early on - it deserves a bit more work. Some of the vocal parts are perfect.
PS - Autotune is not out of the question for the minor issues....
rayc
retroreprobate
Nice song - has a touch of Moody Blues about it - if you could swap your synth pads for Mellotron samples it'd have an even better sense of 60s.
The drums are the weak link.
The drums are the weak link.
mjbphotos
Moderator
Thanks, I think doing a lot more vocal tracks might be the answer. My wife is oging out of town next week, so I'll have much more 'quiet time' than usual to get some tracking done. Normally I'm rushed to get mic recording done.
I'll have to add a MIDI track to try out the Mellotron idea, all strings were done 1 note/2 notes at a time from my Casio.
One problem I had on the drums was tempo change - I speed up a couple of bpm in the chorus and and bridge and it was throwing everything off until I slid the beats around a little bit. I really haven't messed with them yet except setting levels.
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heatmiser
mr. green christmas
Man, each of the last few mixes of yours has featured progressively tighter performances and clearer mixes. You're definitely on the right path whatever you're doing lately. Good job. I think this is much better than the last track which in turn was an improvement on the one before.
I liked the acoustic guitar sound. If anything, the drums were a little too clean and bright for me on this. Vocals are almost there...so close to nailing it on those higher notes really that I have to think with more attempts maybe you could nail it?
Has a mellow, '70's radio kind of vibe to it.
I liked the acoustic guitar sound. If anything, the drums were a little too clean and bright for me on this. Vocals are almost there...so close to nailing it on those higher notes really that I have to think with more attempts maybe you could nail it?
Has a mellow, '70's radio kind of vibe to it.
Mr Clean
AKA Teddy Wong
This was my first thought when it started out.
Great tune mjb. I can't really add to what the other had said. I would've liked a bit more bass but I'm a bassist, what can I do. I would definitely look at the drums and try and dirty them up a touch.
Definitely the best I've heard from you.
kindafishy
Member
Cool track. It has a really pleasing feel to it.
If you are open to staging/arrangement suggestions, I think that when the drums come in, as an alternative, the synth could stay muted here. The introduction of the drums is enough to bring in a new texture and a new sense of interest on it's own. This would present an opportunity for the synth to be a brand new element a little later on to add yet another new and interesting dimension for the listener.
I think there is a lot of room for the drums to come up in the mix. Not the drum bus, as the hats sound like they are sitting in the right spot, but the kick, snare and toms.
The single picked guitar accents are cool. I like how they frame the harmony whenever they sound out. When they come in at the end where the mix is just a touch more sparse, they can potentially be automated down a bit because there is a lot less density for them to cut through.
I like how the vocals are carrying the natural melody of the song along.
I like this track. Looking forward to hearing it again as you continue on with it.
If you are open to staging/arrangement suggestions, I think that when the drums come in, as an alternative, the synth could stay muted here. The introduction of the drums is enough to bring in a new texture and a new sense of interest on it's own. This would present an opportunity for the synth to be a brand new element a little later on to add yet another new and interesting dimension for the listener.
I think there is a lot of room for the drums to come up in the mix. Not the drum bus, as the hats sound like they are sitting in the right spot, but the kick, snare and toms.
The single picked guitar accents are cool. I like how they frame the harmony whenever they sound out. When they come in at the end where the mix is just a touch more sparse, they can potentially be automated down a bit because there is a lot less density for them to cut through.
I like how the vocals are carrying the natural melody of the song along.
I like this track. Looking forward to hearing it again as you continue on with it.
mjbphotos
Moderator
'Dirtying up the drums' - suggestions on how to do this? Throw the Boot EQ tube preamp plugin on those tracks? Or do you mean get the tracks less looped-sounding? Something else? All my plugins are free ones (budget is a big thing with my music!)
Thanks for listens and comments. If there's any improvement on my mixes, its because of all the help here.
Thanks for listens and comments. If there's any improvement on my mixes, its because of all the help here.
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Schwarzenyaeger
Formerly "Dog-In-Door"
Is the vocal slighlty off center? Either the guitar was a bit left or all the vocals were a bit to the right. Sounded more like the vocals though. It sounded like they were standing on the wrong side of the stage.
The mix could use some spreading out. During the final chorus I really noticed that the mix was almost mono besides a hi-hat ghosting around the left.
The mix could use some spreading out. During the final chorus I really noticed that the mix was almost mono besides a hi-hat ghosting around the left.
C
chambie
New member
I like this tune a lot. I'm pretty new to all this, but i was wondering if something like the Sans Amp could be used to add some dirtiness to the drum track ? Great Job. My first impression was Moody Blues too
mjbphotos
Moderator
The (first) acoustic guitar is panned to the left, the one that comes in on the chorus to the right. The lead vocal is actually two mics side-by-side (I wanted to see if there was any real difference in the tone (no), and I had them panned a couple of % each, so the right side could have been microscopically louder! (I couldn't hear it but I put them both back on center.
I don't like wide-panned guitars, just my preference.
I soloed the guitar tracks in mono and listened with headphones, no phasing going on, so I think it might have been a combination of the double mic and the reverb. I changed the reverb impulse file from St Nicholaes Church to my usual LaScala Opera House, and it tightened it up, I think. I should know better than to go near churches! (ducking the lightning)
Until I get the vocals retracked, I won't post any further mixes, but welcome more ideas.
heatmiser
mr. green christmas
I bet there's a lot of ways to do this, many of which are probably better than whatever I do, but...
Myself, I used to actually run fake drums through distortion pedals, but the results were pretty extreme, even with the pedals at super low settings, so I don't recommend that for anything subtle like you'd probably want on a track like this.
Lately what I do with loops or other software drums is I send the snare, possibly the kick and OHs too, through a guitar amp sim plug in (vintage tweed is my fav). First, I crank the effect so I hear it clearly with the crunch, then I just keep dialing it back so low until the actual distortion effect is lost but the tone of the drums just starts to change. They tend to get slightly hollow sounding and less perfect if you will. Then I usually compress the hell out them with fairly heavy settings (quick attack & release) depending on the track and how much I want to alter things. Last, I usually play around with different reverbs on the snare and sometimes OHs, but rarely the kick.
If you're so inclined, give it a try. A little goes a long way though, and I think I tend to gravitate towards more offbeat sounds than some, so what works for me may not for you. Just some thoughts....