To You I'll Turn

[ido1957]

The first time i listened the lead vocals seemed a bit either forward or dry.
Second time I realized they are quite "alone" in the center and tend to stand out as such.

The right side seems a bit empty (except when the lead is playing on that side)
First Lead guitar is a bit loud on the right side when it solos by itself.

Solos are a bit loud and trebly, might eq or compress the highs just a bit.

Bass is ok for me. Drums good too.

The mix sounds very "live on stage" - this is a good thing as parts all stand up well.

It's a good song and arrangement - vocals are fine - no cringe-worthy moments during both listens .
Balance is good between vocal tracks in my opinion - if you don't like the double phasing try flipping the phase switch on mixdown.
It might work - hard to say.

 

[VomitHatSteve]

My dog thinks I'm the greatest musician on the planet. I know better, and come here for help in improving.

Words to live by!

I was also noticing the vocals. I can definitely hear the flanging in a few spots. The EQ seems a little weird too; it kind sounds like you're singing into a tin can.

Everything else seemed pretty balanced on a first listen tho.

 

[Robus]

The first time i listened the lead vocals seemed a bit either forward or dry.
Second time I realized they are quite "alone" in the center and tend to stand out as such.

The right side seems a bit empty (except when the lead is playing on that side)
First Lead guitar is a bit loud on the right side when it solos by itself.

Solos are a bit loud and trebly, might eq or compress the highs just a bit.

Bass is ok for me. Drums good too.

The mix sounds very "live on stage" - this is a good thing as parts all stand up well.

It's a good song and arrangement - vocals are fine - no cringe-worthy moments during both listens .
Balance is good between vocal tracks in my opinion - if you don't like the double phasing try flipping the phase switch on mixdown.
It might work - hard to say.

Thanks man. I don't know why I'm getting that phasing. I didn't think to try switching the phase. I'll see what happens. It also becomes worse with reverb. Maybe I'll try leaving the double dry. First things first--I need a better take on the lead vocal.

There are a couple of rhythm guitar parts panned hard left. I'll try moving one center right and see if that gives more support to the vocal. Also TM mentioned that the piano sometimes tangles with the vocal--that might be going farther right to address the lack of activity on the right side that you mentioned.

Lead guitars are coming down in level. Hopefully those changes will help. I've got another song I'm itching to finish, so that might be it for this one.

 

[GONZO-X]

i don't mind the 'gentle' mix,
everything is kind of washed out...
but i dig the bass lick that supports the changes....
backup vocals seem completely ad libbed..in the beginning.. they tighten up a bit as you go on.
lead vox seems very rough, at the beginning, this is where it should be the tightest..

drums sound like the drummer didn't know what to do.
the snare needs a lot of work.

i dig the clean guitar tones...

 

[Robus]

Thanks Gonzo, I agree with most of that. Hopefully another mix will go up this week with better takes on the lead and backing vocals.

 

[GONZO-X]

so, when you go in to do the lead,
make sure you NAIL the first note of every sentence.
my guess is, all the rest will follow.
just back off the mic a bit, and then push it out harder.
that will make you focus on the pitch, and let the words just roll out...

 

[Robus]

Thanks man, I'll give that a try. I'm feeling motivated to do some vocal takes tonight. I'm actually pretty far back from the mic--about six inches at least. I keep the pop filter set well back to keep me from creeping in. I was wondering if I was too far back. The other problem I'm having with my vocals is a lack of presence. The mic I'm using, an old CAD Equitek E100, is notoriously flat. Nice mic for its price range, but it lacks the presence bump of many purpose-built vocal mics, so I wind up trying to EQ those frequencies back in during mixing. So far, not much luck with that...

 

[JohnnyAmato]

Any issues I might have with it were definitely already addressed, I think it will come out much better the next time after you clean it up. That being said, the adjustments are all very minor, nice job on the tune and the writing. I also dug the dueling guitar thing near the end, sparkly and kind of draws you in, nice work. Was that all strats or was there also a tele in the mix somewhere?

Felt it almost had a Pink Floyd/Grateful Dead kind of feel, with maybe just a touch of Skynyrd at times.

Also, is that the EZDrummer program you were telling me about? They do sound quite real.

 

[Robus]

Thanks Johnny. That's a Strat on the left. The guitar on the right is a Gibson SG. Both are played through a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue turned up pretty loud, the Strat especially so. The Strat part is close-miced with an SM57. The SG part is through a ribbon mic set back about six feet from the amp in a pretty nice sounding room.

The clean rhythm parts on the left were done with the SG as well, neck pickup. The part you can probably hear most clearly is close miced through the same amp. Hiding under that part is another clean SG part, not quite doubled, but playing a similar line to fatten up the first. That part was recorded using the Red Box DI on my Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18.

The lead guitar on the right in that bridge part in the middle of the song is the SG again, neck pickup, through the Hughes and Kettner, close-miced with an SM57.

I use a Tele in most of my songs but not this particular one. All the panning will change a bit in the next mix, which should go up this weekend.

Yeah, the drums are EZDrummer.

 

[kindafishy]

Nice bass tone, but I feel it's very hot in the mix. Very nice sounding guitars. In particular, the one on the right is very sweet. Guitar on the left could potentially come up a lot, unless you really want it taking a back seat in the mix.

Drums could potentially be less roomy, but I feel this is very much subjective, so please feel free to ignore if they have the feel/sound you are going for. I think the mix would benefit from a closer sounding kit, but that might just be my sensibilities coming out. Thought I'd mention it despite the subjective nature. Why not, right? Throw it out, just for discussion if nothing else.

Getting a phasey sensation when the hats are being played louder. It might the "the soundcloud factor", but if you hear it in your DAW, you might just need to invert it (or something else).

The vocal "swagger" that was coming through your one tune isn't coming through here. You've definitely got it in you. Maybe try singing in a way where you almost feel like you are over-emphasizing everything just for fun. Don't get me wrong, your vocals here are good, and they are far better than what I am capable of. It just sounds like you are holding back, and you aren't delivering with confidence. Vocals are something that infect a listener and leave an impression like no other element. Fake it till you make it. If you don't feel the confidence, play the part of someone who does.

 

[Crycookie]

I really like the song, and the cozy feeling that come with it. The guitar coming at 1.44 is pure candy for the ears. The only thing that bugged me was the keyboard ,at times taking too much space in the center where vocals and backings are before 2.08. Could be just a tone issue as it doesn't not bother me afterward from that point,or just my ears getting more relaxed as my head was bouncing from left to right with the drums.

 

[Robus]

Thanks Crycookie and Kindafishy. The keyboard interfering with the vocals is on the list of issues to be addressed in a future mix, as is the bass being too loud. The drums need rethinking. I'll look into bringing down the room sound a bit. My vocals are a work-in-progress. Still getting used to enunciating the lyrics while singing in pitch. Hopefully as that begins to come more naturally, I'll be easier to inject more enthusiasm into the performance. This song is a bit slower in tempo than the last one. Slower is harder, I'm finding.

 

[Robus]

New mix in the OP and below. I made a lot of changes. Rhythm guitars up, lead guitars down, bass lower, keyboards panned and leveled better, I think. Retracked the vocals with some changes in lyrics and melody.

Hope some of you who heard the first mix will comment. I like the song. Vocals are what I can do at present. I must move on to the next song.

 

[PhilLondon]

I like it. Nice chilled vibe. Not much I can say about the mix, it's pretty great.

What I have noticed is sometimes the snare seems to lose their impact when the vocals are present.

Really cool song. The harmonies are great.

 

[andrushkiwt]

Yeah, the drums are EZDrummer.

Why no Superior Drummer???

 

[ido1957]

This mix sounds better - yeah the snare is occasionally lowered in volume by the vocals (maybe compression?) but not a biggee. Overall great!

 

[Robus]

Why no Superior Drummer???

It will have to be somerhing else when I upgrade. I'm not giving Toontrack more of my money. Maybe Addictive Drums, or Steven Slate.

 

[sparky123]

Thought of Bob Dylan.. i liked it

 

[robgreen]

Thought of Bob Dylan.. i liked it

Yeah, I hear a little Knockin on Heavens Door in this maybe. I didn't catch any earlier versions, but this latest mix sounds great to my ears. I wasn't sure this was my thing stylistically when I hit play, but it surprised me how much I enjoyed the listen - smooth mix and those backing vocals are beautifully done. Nice one Robus