JG96
Active member
Here is a pretty straightforward rock track. I would love some pointers on levels, EQ, etc.
Thanks,
Josh
View attachment Sides Mix 1.mp3
Thanks,
Josh
View attachment Sides Mix 1.mp3
Working on a single for my bands upcoming EP. Can I get some mix feedback?
JimmyS1969
MOODerator
Guitars sound distant. Especially the intro lead guitar track. Vocals quite thin but clear.
The toms sound pretty good to me, but the kick does not sync with the bass guitar-which is not doing what it should in the low end at all.
I would work on getting the drums and bass working, then maybe a saturation plug on the guitars to give them some 'up front' integrity.
Just what I would do. Not my baby though. You do what you feel is good for your tune man.
The toms sound pretty good to me, but the kick does not sync with the bass guitar-which is not doing what it should in the low end at all.
I would work on getting the drums and bass working, then maybe a saturation plug on the guitars to give them some 'up front' integrity.
Just what I would do. Not my baby though. You do what you feel is good for your tune man.
JG96
Active member
Thanks Jimmy! Yeah looking back the lead has a lot of delay on it. It sounds good in solo but less so in the mix. The singer was on top of an SM7 going into a tube preamp. I don't know how much thicker its gonna get 
. I'll try and retrack the bass and get it tighter. Maybe dumb down the part a bit too.
. I'll try and retrack the bass and get it tighter. Maybe dumb down the part a bit too.
ido1957
9K Gold Member
The vocals are ok for me in the mix. What preamp are you putting it through and what settings (does it have an eq).
G
Greg_L
Banned
There's like no midrange in that mix. It's all super lows and highs. Seems like each track has some compression going on. It's seems overcooked to me. I'd suggest you strip it down and start all over. Let things be. Let things be natural. Organic. If you need to correct something, go easy. Little steps.
But levels....they seem okay. I'd like more rhythm guitars.
The biggest problems to me are the vocals and lead guitar performance. Those aren't mix issues, but they detract from everything. The singer is bad. He's flat all over the place. The lead guitarist has poor self intonation. He's landing on notes that sound sour like his guitar is a little out of tune or he's just not too good at playing lead lines. His bends fall short or go too far. The lead tone is thin and nasally. If this is for human consumption, I'd wanna redo that stuff.
But levels....they seem okay. I'd like more rhythm guitars.
The biggest problems to me are the vocals and lead guitar performance. Those aren't mix issues, but they detract from everything. The singer is bad. He's flat all over the place. The lead guitarist has poor self intonation. He's landing on notes that sound sour like his guitar is a little out of tune or he's just not too good at playing lead lines. His bends fall short or go too far. The lead tone is thin and nasally. If this is for human consumption, I'd wanna redo that stuff.
JG96
Active member
@ido1957: Its a Studio Projects VTB-1. No EQ but a solid state/tube blend. It is turned slightly more to the tube side.
@Greg_L: You must really like tearing me apart. No but actually thanks for the feedback. I went back and adjusted the eq on some tracks a bit. The drums and bass mesh together way better now that they aren't as scooped. I still plan on re-tracking the bass to get it more in the pocket.
The lead did sound a bit pitchy to me too. I think its a combination of some sloppy bends and a poorly set up guitar. I will try and track it again in the next week or two.
I went back in and started trying some other takes on the vocals and I realized the earlier takes sound way better in the soft sections.
I will post an improved mix once the guitar and bass are retracked and I get a better vocal comp going.
@Greg_L: You must really like tearing me apart. No but actually thanks for the feedback. I went back and adjusted the eq on some tracks a bit. The drums and bass mesh together way better now that they aren't as scooped. I still plan on re-tracking the bass to get it more in the pocket.
The lead did sound a bit pitchy to me too. I think its a combination of some sloppy bends and a poorly set up guitar. I will try and track it again in the next week or two.
I went back in and started trying some other takes on the vocals and I realized the earlier takes sound way better in the soft sections.
I will post an improved mix once the guitar and bass are retracked and I get a better vocal comp going.
G
Greg_L
Banned
Lol. I don't like tearing you apart. It's not personal, I promise. I have no idea what role you play in this song. I'm just telling it like I hear it. Those things I mentioned are what I hear, how I hear it. I'm just one guy though. You could totally ignore me and that would be fine. But now you have some food for thought.
Pinky
and The Brain...
[keep in mind I didn't read the prior feedback]
The rhythm guitars are washed out, although I like their placement. Maybe they just need to be brought up a few db.
The bass guitar is lacking something. Can't put my finger on it. Might help to raise its low end (80hz) and maybe find something in the 1-5khz range to notch upwards that would help give it a little more presence and life in the mix. As it is now it seems to sit in a narrow band below the rest of the instruments. It almost sounds muffled.
The kick can come up, otherwise the drums fit okay. Maybe a little more reverb on them(?).
The vocals have a little distortion on them (?) that I don't think is translating as well as you might have wanted. I would perhaps pick a distortion patch that's less fuzzy. The vox are fairly dry/stale sounding as well, which i don't think works here either. I'd personally add some more reverb and/or light chorusing just to give the vox a little stereo effect/life.
The rhythm guitars are washed out, although I like their placement. Maybe they just need to be brought up a few db.
The bass guitar is lacking something. Can't put my finger on it. Might help to raise its low end (80hz) and maybe find something in the 1-5khz range to notch upwards that would help give it a little more presence and life in the mix. As it is now it seems to sit in a narrow band below the rest of the instruments. It almost sounds muffled.
The kick can come up, otherwise the drums fit okay. Maybe a little more reverb on them(?).
The vocals have a little distortion on them (?) that I don't think is translating as well as you might have wanted. I would perhaps pick a distortion patch that's less fuzzy. The vox are fairly dry/stale sounding as well, which i don't think works here either. I'd personally add some more reverb and/or light chorusing just to give the vox a little stereo effect/life.
Mr Clean
AKA Teddy Wong
I have a SP VTB1 but I'm not a fan of the Tube Blend on vocals as it makes them sound too muddy to me, with various mics I have tried. I much prefer to capture a clean vocal and use FX in the mix. The Tube Blend does sound pretty nice with a mic'd Acoustic guitar though.
RE: the mix above. I don't think it sounds that bad for the main part. There's a really loud plosive at 2:04 and another not so loud at 2:16. I actually like the vocals. It sounds real and not doctored. I'd rather a few flat parts here and there than perfectly in tune Pop Pap! The lead guitar would definitely benefit from less distance and the bass being tightened up.
I really enjoyed the track though. I'll be interested to see where this goes.
Thanks for sharing
RE: the mix above. I don't think it sounds that bad for the main part. There's a really loud plosive at 2:04 and another not so loud at 2:16. I actually like the vocals. It sounds real and not doctored. I'd rather a few flat parts here and there than perfectly in tune Pop Pap! The lead guitar would definitely benefit from less distance and the bass being tightened up.
I really enjoyed the track though. I'll be interested to see where this goes.
Thanks for sharing
Armistice
Son of Yoda
Lead vocal needs a bit more presence in the mix - sounds distant - and I'm not a huge fan of some of the performance either, especially in the quieter bits where he sounds a bit like he's got a peg on his nose. Could be a mic positioning thing perhaps?
Ever hear the singer from The Afghan Whigs? Can't sing on pitch to save his life, I reckon, but it all works... Don't think your man's quite there yet.
Greg's right about the lead guitar bending notes... they're often just a bit flat or a bit sharp - you may, just may, be able to touch them up with an autotune if you're committed to them, but there's a bit of that not quite pleasant distortion happening that you get from either not having enough saturation or not having good kit.... but if it was me, I'd be retracking them with a bitier, less distorted, middier sound myself, but your mileage, as they say, may vary...
What guitar and amp are we talking here?
Song has promise however. Keep working at it. Just my $0.02
Ever hear the singer from The Afghan Whigs? Can't sing on pitch to save his life, I reckon, but it all works... Don't think your man's quite there yet.
Greg's right about the lead guitar bending notes... they're often just a bit flat or a bit sharp - you may, just may, be able to touch them up with an autotune if you're committed to them, but there's a bit of that not quite pleasant distortion happening that you get from either not having enough saturation or not having good kit.... but if it was me, I'd be retracking them with a bitier, less distorted, middier sound myself, but your mileage, as they say, may vary...
What guitar and amp are we talking here?
Song has promise however. Keep working at it. Just my $0.02
JG96
Active member
@Greg_L: Im just playing around. I know a lot of people on this thread get butthurt towards your responses. I see it as a motivator.
@Pinky: I think you may be right about the rhythm. The bass is running through a bass big muff hence the muffled sound. I tracked the day I got the pedal but this time I will have a bit more experience on setting it. You are spot on about the vocals. I have toned down the distortion but I may just drop it completely. I still gotta experiment with a good sounding reverb for the vocals.
@Mr Clean: Thanks for the tip on the VTB1. I will try to edit out the plosives. I feel the same way about the vocals. I am trying to comp them to sound a bit better though.
@Armistice: I don't think its mic positioning. I realized I was using a very late take where the singer sounds horse in a good way on the verse. On the chorus he sounds more like he's dying. I got it to sound better comping some earlier takes in. I have not heard The Afghan Whigs. I'll check them out.
The guitar is a strat with Dimarzio super distortion in the bridge. The amp is a Jet City JCA2212. The distortion is a Proco Rat. Maybe amp distortion with a les paul would sound bigger.
@Pinky: I think you may be right about the rhythm. The bass is running through a bass big muff hence the muffled sound. I tracked the day I got the pedal but this time I will have a bit more experience on setting it. You are spot on about the vocals. I have toned down the distortion but I may just drop it completely. I still gotta experiment with a good sounding reverb for the vocals.
@Mr Clean: Thanks for the tip on the VTB1. I will try to edit out the plosives. I feel the same way about the vocals. I am trying to comp them to sound a bit better though.
@Armistice: I don't think its mic positioning. I realized I was using a very late take where the singer sounds horse in a good way on the verse. On the chorus he sounds more like he's dying. I got it to sound better comping some earlier takes in. I have not heard The Afghan Whigs. I'll check them out.
The guitar is a strat with Dimarzio super distortion in the bridge. The amp is a Jet City JCA2212. The distortion is a Proco Rat. Maybe amp distortion with a les paul would sound bigger.
C
Crazy Luke
New member
If you want the lead vocals to sound thicker, you may want to try a doubled take on it in the tracking process, or use pitch-correction software to make one, then mix to taste under the original.