We Care More

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bruiser1964

Member
Hi Guys, I'm really struggling with this mix as I am doing it for a friend and it might be used for promotional purposes for work.

Cant quite get the vocals to sit in the mix, amongst other things!

Any suggestions welcome :)

Thanks in advance
 

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  • We Care More test.mp3
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I thought the acoustic guitar sounded pretty decent. I didn't think you had any trouble sitting the vocal. It's easily heard. It seemed to distort a little bit during the chorus - but that might have just been your voice wavering. If anything, I'd bring the vocal down a db or two.

The vocal tone could use some work. Not sure how it was recorded, but it has a boxy USB mic sound to it. It contrasts distinctly with the guitar.

I might nudge up the harmony vocal.

All in all tho, it's not really a bad mix.
 
Nice song, good vibe. Acoustic guitars sound great. The vocal seems a little dry by comparison to the rest of the tracks. Everything else could come up relative to the vocal.
 
I don't like the driven guitar, but that is just my taste. The melody is fine, but i don't like the tone.

as for the vocals, my opinion is that you don't seem to set it on the mix because when he stops singing there is "silence". and it sounds almost unnatural stop and unmusical. Note that the parts where you have the second voice it sits in there a lot more confortable.

My suggestion? use a delay in the main voice, perhaps 1/8 or 2/8 of the tempo on a different track( all wet of course), then set a low pass somewhere between 800 and 1k to take away the clarity. This should give the voice appear bigger and the cut when he stops singing a bit more gradual. Think of it a a tail of the sound but not reverb. Then of course set the volume of the delayed track to sit a bit behind the main vocals.

Another think you can do, complementing the delay is using a side chain compressor on the delay track, using the main vocal as a side chain input. Doing this the delay track will lower it's volume while the singer sings and get up inmediately when he stops providing the same tail but leaving the singing part more alone.

Side-note: I would also use a very light de-esser on the main vocal track, but veeeeery subtle.

Of course this is my opinion.

Federico.
 
TripleM said:
I thought the acoustic guitar sounded pretty decent. I didn't think you had any trouble sitting the vocal. It's easily heard. It seemed to distort a little bit during the chorus - but that might have just been your voice wavering. If anything, I'd bring the vocal down a db or two.

The vocal tone could use some work. Not sure how it was recorded, but it has a boxy USB mic sound to it. It contrasts distinctly with the guitar.

I might nudge up the harmony vocal.

All in all tho, it's not really a bad mix.
Click to expand...

Thanks TripleM
I've struggled with the vocal throuout and might see if I can get him to do it again, I used an AKG Solidtube via Liquid Channel, it was recorded in a large open room with wood floors at about -10, it sounded good at the time but I wonder if I over comprssed it on the way in?
Cheers :)
 
Robus said:
Nice song, good vibe. Acoustic guitars sound great. The vocal seems a little dry by comparison to the rest of the tracks. Everything else could come up relative to the vocal.
Click to expand...

Thanks Robus, I'll have a fiddle but might also try asking him to retrack :)

Cheers
 
FedePatane said:
I don't like the driven guitar, but that is just my taste. The melody is fine, but i don't like the tone.

as for the vocals, my opinion is that you don't seem to set it on the mix because when he stops singing there is "silence". and it sounds almost unnatural stop and unmusical. Note that the parts where you have the second voice it sits in there a lot more confortable.

My suggestion? use a delay in the main voice, perhaps 1/8 or 2/8 of the tempo on a different track( all wet of course), then set a low pass somewhere between 800 and 1k to take away the clarity. This should give the voice appear bigger and the cut when he stops singing a bit more gradual. Think of it a a tail of the sound but not reverb. Then of course set the volume of the delayed track to sit a bit behind the main vocals.

Another think you can do, complementing the delay is using a side chain compressor on the delay track, using the main vocal as a side chain input. Doing this the delay track will lower it's volume while the singer sings and get up inmediately when he stops providing the same tail but leaving the singing part more alone.

Side-note: I would also use a very light de-esser on the main vocal track, but veeeeery subtle.

Of course this is my opinion.

Federico.
Click to expand...

Thanks Federico, yeah the guitar, is my USA Tele through Waves GTR Stomp, not the best solution but I dont have access to a real amp at the mo and my Orange practice amp is pants :)
As Robus suggested too I'll maybe try add more effect to the main vocal but may also see if I can get a fresh start :)
Cheers
 
Maybe I shouldn't comment since I'm on my laptop speakers, but I'm becoming addicted to this forum and can't help checking in even though I'm out of town away from my studio. That being said, your mix actually sounds really good on my laptop. Very clear, warm, full. The vocal is too loud and dry. That's really all I can tell right now. The tone sounds good to me right now, when I get home in a couple of days I can listen again and see if it really does. It's a good sign that the mix sounds good on these speakers. Crappy speakers are always my final test for a mix.
 
bruiser1964 said:
Thanks Federico, yeah the guitar, is my USA Tele through Waves GTR Stomp, not the best solution but I dont have access to a real amp at the mo and my Orange practice amp is pants :)
As Robus suggested too I'll maybe try add more effect to the main vocal but may also see if I can get a fresh start :)
Cheers
Click to expand...

You can use some free plugins for your guitar, i may recomendaciones a few, I personal use a tuve screamer from tse and an amp simulación dron ignite amps, it is calles emmisary and works very good, for that you also need a cabo simulador, i use ignite NadIR and a series of IR calles guitar hacks, google them. Another option that sounds very good for cleans is mercuriall u530, there is a limited free edition that should do just fine.

Investigaré a bit and you will find that these are are a very good alternativa if you dont have acceso to the actual amps or a studio to récord them .
 
Lead guitar lines have a very muffled and congested tone. Acoustic is very dark as well. Vocals are very loud and dry compared to the rest of the mix. Backing vocals have an effect on them that is a little off-putting to listen to. Maybe it's not an effect, but rather just a radio-y sounding thing that is a little harsh. I am actually very much getting the sense that there are two mixes going on here: the instruments; and the vocals. Two different vibes, two different spaces. They need to be brought together.

Vocals don't need to be retracked at all, IMO. The tone is good and the performance is good. I would build this mix around the vocals, and keep everything as natural and unprocessed as possible. The singer is the focus and the star of the show, period.
 
I'm starting to hate listening to mixes on my HD280's. Everything sounds good.

Wasn't anything I didn't like in the mix - just arrangement stuff really. After the long break near the end, I wanted to hear that orchestra-type sound all those indie bands have been doing for a few years. That kick drum fits it already. But adding in that Fleet Foxes style symphony would have been great for a minute or two at the very end, to kick it into another gear. Strings going, Two or three guitars strumming, that kick pounding, you know. ah. i can hear it in my head perfectly. would be great for the outro to this song.

anyhow, great mix. :thumbs up:
 
Hi, sorry I've been away for awhile. Thanks again for all your comments I have been chipping away at this and the performer was interested in mastering so thought it worth trying online mastering services. Abbey Road has a service so we gave them a try... would appreciate your input and thoughts about the final result and about this kind of service generally??

Think it was around £100 the file was retrned in a matter of hours.

This is lower quality as the WAV was 60mb


View attachment we care more abbey rd_1.mp3

Thanks again
Bruce
 
I really like the atmosphere on this song and nice arrangement,I really like the effect on the background vocals it really suits the song. Most of the points have been addressed already, not much to add, on my part.
 
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