Hats off to you proper sound producers/mixers

[neepheid]

For a while now, I've been recording The Inevitable Teaspoons rehearsals on a Zoom H2N. It does remarkably well considering its size, but the PA in the room isn't the best and the vocals were just about distinguishable at best. So I decided to leverage the flexibility of the H2N and use a separate microphone for the singer and put it into the H2N as well. 4ch surround mode means that you get internal stereo mid-side microphones of the Zoom plus a stereo external feed. Trouble is, the gain control isn't independent, and it needs to be set to zero for the ambient room stuff, so I needed to employ a separate mic preamp between the Zoom and the vocal microphone. No biggie, a bit of mucking about with levels and a couple of ruined clippy ones but apart from that got some usable stuff.

Anyway, long story short, I only have two stems (is that the right word?) to work with - one with the singer (plus a little bleed from the room) and one with the rest of the band (and a little bit of the singer). I applied some quick and dirty reverb to the vocals (50/50 dry/wet mix so it's not a reverbfest then panned the wet/dry out about +- 20% - I don't really know why, seemed like a good idea. Once I mix them wet/dry vocals down to a single stereo track, I find myself constantly tweaking the relative levels of the rest of the band and the vocals. I never know if I'm happy with it or not - I want to be able to make out the words, but I don't want the band to seem drowned out by them either. After what seems like an eternity, I come to and realise that it's only a rehearsal reference recording and say "that'll do".

Hats off to you proper sound producers/mixers, where you have to tackle the relative levels of every piece of the drum kit and each individual player. I think my head would explode. This is why you pay experts for their expertise

[lurksalot]

It does appear to be insane black magic that makes it all happen

A couple of things I have learned though , is that you need to have good clear recordings that are nice to hear , and that if you can apply EQ when mixing it gives each part its 'sonic' space , you might be able to tweak the vocal EQ a touch to make it fit better into the band mix that you have . I am not sure on the reverb/delay tricks as each mix might need a different approach , and don't ask me how to work that one out

[51m0n]

The answer is a bit of compression and a lot of automation

[51m0n]

It's also why a real mix takes a good 15 hours graft

[lurksalot]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1396113994' post='2410093']
The answer is a bit of compression and a lot of automation
[/quote]
[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1396114086' post='2410094']
It's also why a real mix takes a good 15 hours graft
[/quote]

well of course it is , we all new that bit , it is the tiniest tweak of EQ that really works though ,

on a serious note , I did think of that but it sounded a bit too simple , but then, that is why you are good at do what you do , and I amn't

[Mornats]

I bow down to all those who can craft good mixes. I try, I learn and I never get anywhere near as good. All good fun though and I get better with each mix I do.

[Skol303]

Yup, as Si has said, compression will help to 'even out' the level of the vocal, making it a lot easier to work with. You'd then need to automate the vocal level (known as 'riding' fader) to make sure it's audible throughout the track.

But in all honesty... you're never going to get a great recording with just two mix stems! So don't beat yourself up about it Just accept that it's a demo or invest in more gear (mics, mixer) to make a proper recording of your sessions.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1396114086' post='2410094']
It's also why a real mix takes a good 15 hours graft
[/quote]

Hmm, sometimes it seems a lot easier! My latest CreepJoint track took about 2 hours in total. It was in 3 seperate sessions, but it's my best mix yet, and definitely the quickest!