ironside1966

A big thank you, Nigel and Kit Richardson for allowing this track to be used and also a big thank you to everyone who voted or comment, last but not least a very big thank you to Si for his time and effort in running this competition. This was a good song and a great performance from the band and it was also well tracked so well done to them. [size=4][size=5]My mix[/size]:[/size] My usual approach to a mix is to get a good drum sound and then build up the rhythm section first but with this track was different I built everything up around the Piano and lead vocal. I automated the EQ on the piano to a thin the sound out and add a little presence when the song started to get busier. Even though the faders are virtual for the majority of the time I mix on them in a similar way to using a real desk. I generally only use automation at the end of a mix process apart from on the vocals witch I automat quite heavily to make sure the vocals come across clearly but again this track was different, the majority of this track was mixed using automation. I bussed the BV,s into four different groups but automating each separate track. so I ended up with all the BV on four faders same with drums and guitars. There are no short cuts when working with a mix of this complexity you have to listen and get to know every track and then work out what part they have to play, is it a supporting one, counter melody or main part, in other words you need to have a vision of the final production. You can't have a big drum sound, massive backing vocals and an upfront vocal it just sounds a mess or at least it did when I tried it. Nothing more to say really no clever EQ'ing or compression but I do use saturation and layer the compresses I also mix into a buss compressor. This track was mixed on headphones using Cubase 7

When I first started out I used the old M-Audio[b] Audiophile 2496 [/b] [b]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M-Audio-Audiophile-2496-Soundcard-Free-UK-Shipping-/321213931566?pt=UK_Computing_ComputerComponents_SoundCards&hash=item4ac9d7a02e[/b] And a small Behringer desk they worked ok and the sound card was stable and sounded fine. I revisited some old songs I did with this gear not long ago and the tracks were perfectly usable. I would buy Studio Monitors and room treatment long before I would upgrade this card and the Behringer desk.

Congratulations to both of you I like the recording forum and would to see it do well. I have a couple of ideas on the same theme : [b]Play on my track[/b]: I know we are all bass players but many of us has other talents and it would be great if we could collaborate. let's say someone wants a guitar solo, keyboard part, programming, loops, mixing, mastering or anything really they could just ask the forum to help out you could even share sounds, pitchers or just offer to print some ones midi part to audio if don't have good enough sounds. [b]Be my band: T[/b]his could be a competition. A singer songwriters submits a skeleton of a song then it is up to us to turn it into a fully mixed track. Sorry for the naff names

That is not a bad idea, but I would be careful about compression by constantly hitting the limiter but for protection only is not a bad Idea.

I would forget the technical aspects of the instrument and trust your ears. Listen to how the bass sounds, put your ears where you would place the microphones get a feel for what the mics would pick up. listen to the bass close up as well as in the room you could try it in a few rooms. Certain strings will give you a certain sound but whether it is good or bad depends on the context of the music that it is played and personal preference. Some instruments sound great on their own but don't work in a band or ensemble and visa versa just like bass guitars but in the end it is down to you and what sound you are looking for. IMHO If you get a instrument that sounds good acoustically and you play it well It should record well so long as you have the resources and the skills to get a good recording in the first place.

[quote name='Stephen Houghton' timestamp='1378918551' post='2206531'] Cheers for the advice, have gone for the RP 6 G3s pick them up tomorrow, problem with this home studio lark is its never ending. I have already got my on other stuff I REALLY NEED [/quote] Glad you got sorted, Just remember that they are not hi-fi speakers and need to place them properly there is plenty of information on how to do this on the internet. Let us know how you are getting on with them.

It may sound contradictory but my advice would be to try them both out and see which suits you best but don’t fall in the trap of bigger is best, take each one on its own merit. Remember you are not buying hi fi speakers take a few tracks you know well to the shop and listen out for the detail especially in the mid range.

Unfortunately I don't use Reaper I use Cubase. It might be a good idea if someone who uses Reaper could start the mix off for you then you could play about with it to see how they got the sounds. If you just want it mixed I could do that for you.

This is a subject that could get complicated very quickly but I will try to keep it simple. The only difference a larger bass driver makes is to allow the speaker to produce louder deep bass. a smaller driver should be capable of developing loud enough bass in a domestic environment. The problem with sub bass it is hard and expensive to control, if your speakers can deliver an extended bass you need a well treated acoustic environment to place them in because the lower frequencies will be far from flat and would probably lead you to make wrong mix decisions. Unless you are mixing for cinema or EDM I wouldn't worry too much about it. Most people get by mixing on smaller speakers and they do a great job. If you want to release your mixers commercially and are the lows you could have them professionally mastered by someone with the resources to make accurate judgements.

[quote name='JamesXP' timestamp='1378480693' post='2200975'] Thanks for the advice.. I've never touched mufti-track recording before... I've been struggling to get a good reverb sound with my current plugin so I'll work on finding a better one.. could you give me some advice on making the bass sound punchier? I have a straight DI signal + Mic'd cab signal and I'm also assuming that the drum sound is okay haha! regards, james [/quote] I concur with Xilddx. the mix need a lot of work. There is so much to learn about getting a good mix and I think you may need to get to grips with the basics. but I can't fault the band. It sound like the lead vocals are in front of you and the band is playing two streets away. try using a reference mix and keep A\B your mix with it. What did you do the mix on?

I may look impressive to have big loud monitors but unless you have a large enough space with good acoustic treatment they can cause you a lot of problems. Smaller less powerful monitors will do you more favours in smaller spacers. when looking at [size=4][font=Arial, sans-serif]recommendations see what type of room they are used in and what type of music they are used for.[/font][/size]

Are the drum sounds Toontrack, mabe EZdrumer?

If this is his first mix it is very good first attempt. If I was to critique the mix I would agree with the above it lacks openness a bit of clarity (this need to be sorted in the mix by using the EQ to crate space for the other instruments), the vocals don't cut through and the reverb on the main vocal in the quiet section sounds like a low quality native verb. A good reverb is one of the best investments you will make. One question I always ask myself when mixing is if someone wanted to transcribe the song could I work out all the parts and in this case the answer whould be, no

You get a great drum sounds by having a great drummer on a great sounding kit, with well placed mics in a great room with a great mix engineer. All the above would have much more effect on the finished drum sound then the choice of microphones used. I own the RED5 drum set and I am happy with them, would I use them if money was no object, probably not. There are a lot of positive reviews about them on line, also if you are not happy with the sound you recorded you could always use drum replacement software. Have you thought about using a studio just to record the drums.

Red5Audio have some great microphones for the price.

I am not saying don't buy a Mac but to use your budget wisely.

I use my PC mainly for music and it has been just as reliable as my Mac. When you are starting out or you have very little gear there a lots of things you can buy to improve actual recording of your music, studio monitors, room correction, good preamp or a good audio interface which will also help to keep your DAW stable. if looked after all of these they will retain their value and usefulness long after any Mac or PC is long gone. One thing about Macs that I dislike is they tend not to be has backwards compatible has a PC. You upgrade you gear and it may no longer run on you old operating system or visa versa. I have heard that if you want to upgrade to the new logic pro X you need the latest operating system. but if you have a old Mac you may not be able to run the new OS. so your machine may become obsolete long before it stops working.

I own both, Mac and PC and and they both get the job done. Would I pay a premium for a Mac? maybe a small one but when you getting into the hundreds of pounds I can think of better ways of spending the extra money then on upgrading to a Mac.

[size=4]Here is another tip.[/size] If you have grouped or rendered the harmonies to stereo groups be careful of your panning. in Cubase ,panning stereo tracks turns down one side of the stereo mix, use duel panning instead ( a separate panning for each side)

[size=4]Could be the speaker placement.[/size]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1376953290' post='2181585'] Well, for better or worse, that's that. I'm not going to improve on this, not least because my PC is now bordering on 100% occupation, with all those tracks running..! I've rendered, and I'll give it a final listen on the eldest's system, just for good measure. It'll then be presented for inclusion. I've not dared to fiddle about with my metering. I might turn my hand to that once all is done, but I'd prefer a result that's at least workable to the catastrophe that I'm perfectly capable of engendering once I 'take the lid off'. Once finalised and committed, I'll give the 'official' Kit version a spin, although I may also be tempted to 'bin' the lot if the comparison is too cruel (no, no bets please...). I'm not equipped for mixing philharmonic orchestras, either. [/quote] [font=Arial, sans-serif]Try not to get too down hearted and give it your best shot. there's plenty of time.[/font] [font=Arial, sans-serif] [/font] [font=Arial, sans-serif]if you are not used to working on projects this size, try breaking it up into smaller chunks, Work on just one section at a time . Work on the harmonies in sections and then render them to a stereo tracks so instead of having a load of vocal tracks you have three or four stereo harmony stems maybe do the same with the piano, guitar, strings Ect you could bounce the kick and snares to individual tracks. Doing this will take some of the strain off the CPU and make them easer to work with. Remember George Martin only had 4 tracks for most of the Beatles albums. I work in sections and create various views of the mixer for different sections and group them together. I keep a main page for the sub groups and important things like bass and lead Lead Vox.[/font] [font=Arial, sans-serif]if you don't think your mix will stand up to others put it up anyway because you may have some good ideas that we all can learn from. No one is here to pull any one apart or pretend they are a mix wizard. it's hard to have an ego because even if you win the majority of people prefer someone else's mix [/font]

Why not hire, lend or go into partnership with someone with the gear if its only for one project?

A professional will deliver the goods , quickly, on time and with the minimum of fuss or ego even when the goings gets tough.

It might be worth double checking that all the digital connections in the studio are running off the same clock.

Could it be the battery in the bass?