Can I Get Some Feedback?

[HCL]

Hi everyone. I'm in the process of recording and mixing a band and I would really appreciate it if you were able to give it a quick listen and tell me what you don't like and anything you think might help improve it. I've been having a really hard time with it so far, especially the mixing. I had to retrack a few parts myself without telling the band and I can still hear a few mistakes and out of tune/time parts. I reached the nightmare stage of mixing where you go in endless circles while not making a whole lot of progress so I went back to the drawing board, mixed it in the (lacking) that way I'm comfortable with (I was trying a lot of new things that weren't really working) and decided to ask people who were better and more experienced what they thought I could do to make it better.

I don't have any monitors and I'm using an unactivated NS-2 as a makeshift interface. I will be upgrading soon but for now I am aware of the limitations my gear impose, I know that having a proper interface and monitoring situation would help.

Of course I'm not charging them for this. I'm using it as a chance to, as Joey put it so well the other day 'build my standards'.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1926148/Recording/rough.mp3

Thanks to anyone who checked it out!

 

[Stones]

I don't really have any tips for you, but that could sound a lot worse!

 

[HCL]

I don't really have any tips for you, but that could sound a lot worse!

Thanks man. Is there anything about it you don't like the sound of? It doesn't matter if you can't offer any tips, just saying what you didn't like and maybe what you'd prefer would be a big help!

 

[drdan]

I would work on trying to get the drums to be more realistic sounding. I think the guitars sound a little too scooped or sunk in the mix. I would try to remix the snare to have a different type of crack on top and maybe a little less wood block sound. I want to hear more clarity on the guitar and less hissy distortion on top. More mid would help, potentially less gain.

 

[HCL]

I would work on trying to get the drums to be more realistic sounding. I think the guitars sound a little too scooped or sunk in the mix. I would try to remix the snare to have a different type of crack on top and maybe a little less wood block sound. I want to hear more clarity on the guitar and less hissy distortion on top. More mid would help, potentially less gain.

Thanks! Do you have any tips on getting clarity out of the guitar? All the methods I've been using have been adding to the fizz/hiss.

I'll get on that right now.

 

[Sam Bottner]

Bring down the snare velocity during blasts (and it's overall loud as hell). This a really sick song, sounds really tight for the most part, except the kick is a little behind the beat at parts though (or the guitars are early?), either way it needs to get worked out. Maybe you over-humanized it or something. Guitars sound pretty good to me, maybe a little more high mids (4khz or so) would make it a little more clear and it may cut a bit more. A trick I found for eliminating fizz i guitars is to lowpass lower than you think you should (maybe 8khz? whatever gets rid of it) and then give it a 7khz high shelf boost to brighten it up.

 

[reg3n]

one important thing i learned is to leave the guitar tone as "pure" as posible, don't try to get an amazing tone from eq's, get it at the very amp, eq can help, but it can't turn a shitty tone into a great one for sure. I'd start there, trying to stay as clean as possible, and work on the details, get a good source first.

 

[HCL]

one important thing i learned is to leave the guitar tone as "pure" as posible, don't try to get an amazing tone from eq's, get it at the very amp, eq can help, but it can't turn a shitty tone into a great one for sure. I'd start there, trying to stay as clean as possible, and work on the details, get a good source first.

Bring down the snare velocity during blasts (and it's overall loud as hell). This a really sick song, sounds really tight for the most part, except the kick is a little behind the beat at parts though (or the guitars are early?), either way it needs to get worked out. Maybe you over-humanized it or something. Guitars sound pretty good to me, maybe a little more high mids (4khz or so) would make it a little more clear and it may cut a bit more. A trick I found for eliminating fizz i guitars is to lowpass lower than you think you should (maybe 8khz? whatever gets rid of it) and then give it a 7khz high shelf boost to brighten it up.

That was extremely helpful. I have definitely been over processing my guitars.

 

[DanLights]

Just want to point out because it still happens a lot: Wrong section, this should be in the rate my mix subforum, not production tips

 

[HCL]

Just want to point out because it still happens a lot: Wrong section, this should be in the rate my mix subforum, not production tips

Sorry, I'll get it moved.

 

[colonel kurtz]

the kick stomps all over everything else, and after that one break in the middle of the song, the snare sort of disappears for a bit

also agree the guitars are a little too scooped in the mids

oh...toms are also pretty buried!

 

[HCL]

the kick stomps all over everything else, and after that one break in the middle of the song, the snare sort of disappears for a bit

also agree the guitars are a little too scooped in the mids

oh...toms are also pretty buried!

I finished rendering and uploading before I got this so I haven't been able to address it explicitly. Hopefully I'll have corrected a few issues inadvertently though!

Here's what I got from your advice guys:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1926148/Recording/master.mp3

 

[Sam Bottner]

Sounds a lot better, but I still think the snare is a little loud during the blasts, sounds too fake.