ChrisJaxon Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Our band is making a demo disk, just to help get gigs etc. We wanted a fairly 'live' sounding recording. Our first song which is being mixed is attached. I think it is a bit 'muddy'. Keyboards too far forward, snare too far back (not snappy?)...any comments much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 (edited) [quote name='ChrisJaxon' timestamp='1465246742' post='3066536']...any comments much appreciated! [/quote] Not much wrong with that, especially if it was (I assume..?) a 'live' take, all together..? It's got an authentic 'live' sound to it, with a nice (to me...) '70s feel. If you want to adjust, it's micro-measures, not tablespoonfuls. A tad (1-2 db..?) less keys..? Why not, but there's a healthy Al Kooper vibe in there. Snap on the snare..? Yes, maybe a tad, but it mustn't distract from the rest. If I wanted to improve things, I'd go for a slightly wider stereo spread each side of the vocal. Frankly, I'd say there was more lost in porting it to mp3 than much else. It's difficult to be more specific from that source; the mastering will make all the difference. If that's done correctly, that's not just a demo; it's good for release. If it's still being mixed, I'd say you're nearly there. Maybe give it a couple of day's rest and come back with fresh ears..? I was comparing with Youtubes of Butterfield Blues Band, Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield etc; for sound quality your lot came out winners. Micro-measures, not spoonfuls. Edited June 6, 2016 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisJaxon Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 Hi Douglas, Many thanks for your comments. It was indeed a live take, with guide vocals which were then added afterwards (to avoid bleed into the vocals). Good point about the stereo spread, it would enhance it a little. Bearing in mind most landlords etc will either be listening on a smart phone, cd player or on the pub system, I guess it will not need so much tweaking! Once we have this one right we will copy the settings onto the other 4 tracks we put down and see what happens. We did 5 songs in 4 hours, which we were pretty pleased about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 I agree with everything Dad says, sounds great. It sounds like there are two keys parts most of the way through? I'd probably pan them on opposite sides to free up some more space in the middle. Other than that, maybe a bit more reverb on the vocals or a bit of slap-back? But I'd whack a big dollop of master compression on there first, to see how it all sounds when it's loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisJaxon Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 Thanks for those suggestions. Yes the Hammond was added afterwards to fill it out, with the Rhodes sound alone it was a bit thin. Good idea to pan them each side. When mastering is finished I will put up the 5 songs for your delectation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 [quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1465292879' post='3066766']... I'd whack a big dollop of master compression on there first, to see how it all sounds when it's loud. [/quote] I did exactly this, through Reaper and EZMix, and it 'improved' the 'punch' quite well; all was lost when I rendered to MP3; I could no longer distinguish between the treated and raw tracks..! Mastering to the selected medium, and choice of final format will determine the final sound more than any tiny touches, or even the quite extreme 'wash' that I gave it (I was trying to bring up the 'snap' of the snare but couldn't, without isolation of the drum track...). I think the panning will do enough; it's really not bad at all, especially, as you mention if it's not going to be listened to on monitors..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 what sample rate mp3 are you encoding Dad? I probably shouldn't admit this but I can never tell the difference between 320kbps mp3 and CD WAV file (encoded on Cubase) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 [quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1465294881' post='3066800'] what sample rate mp3 are you encoding Dad?... [/quote] My trial was 128, as I wanted a fairly lightweight file to post back to this topic. T'wasn't worth it, in the end; I didn't want to post a WAV, and 128 is usually good enough for Soundcloud, I find. Maybe I'll do another version, 'hiking' the bitrate, just to see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 ahh, I see, that's reasurring. Honestly I find anything less than 256 awful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 (edited) Here's the best I could render in mp3 320, very highly compressed, just for fun... [attachment=220955:untitled_2.mp3] It's got a bit more 'air', maybe; a touch more assertive, 'in your face'..? It would sound better through a car radio than a hifi unit, I reckon. Edited June 7, 2016 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 not bad dad! It does highlight the echo on the snare, mostly 200Hz ish (I guess) slapping back after every snare hit, which I really don't like! I'd just cut the low end out of that reverb (assuming it's not the sound of the room!). The vocals could take a bit more reverb or delay, but it's not essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 All I'd say is that the keys are not too forward in my headphones, the guitar certainly is, though. Take the guitar rhythm work down a few notches. Why does the guitarist feel the need to double up on the bass part? Get him to play something more rhythmically interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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