Cannot get vocals to sit right in mix!

[Ganks]

Hey guys,

I cannot get the vocals in this song to fit right in the mix.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2798302/All The Things I Couldnt Say_VOCALS_VERSION5.mp3

This is the first time I've recorded clean vocals, and I don't think I like it! >.<

They sound so amateur. I understand some of it might be the vocal performance, but I know there's something I'm not doing right.

I've compressed the shit out of them.
I scooped out like 10 DB around 2.5Khz and around 5 DB 700 Hz to get rid of a lot of their presence.

I've tried just having the vocals dry, with no reverb. I've tried the vocals with TONS of reverb. I've tried the vocals with a little reverb. I've tried them with delay, etc, etc.

Right now they have a pretty good bit of reverb and delay, and it's painfully obvious, but that's the best I've gotten so far.

Any pointers to make them sit better?
Thanks guys!

 

[Vargsjael]

Well, i think i can hear some good vocals under there. But u need to crank them up, they are way too Low, Volume Wise, Or try lowering the Guitars, they are a bit to loud.

 

[Notuern]

No offence, but i think your problems lies in the fact that everything is completely out of sync with each other, its just muddying up to insane levels.
Also, it seems you have the weirdest delay on the vocals, this type of vocals should be 99% delay/reverb free.

 

[updog]

EDIT: nothing

 

[ruonitb]

Pan the guitars 100% left/right/turn them down...and you got some weird distortion going on...I think you should clean the whole mix up (frequency-wise), so the vocals have some room.

I think the overheads are overpowering.

 

[nwright]

I don't think it's the vocals that aren't sitting as much as it's everything fighting for space around the guitars, which are too loud.

Guitars sound kinda funky, though, too. POD? Mids sound kinda bloated. Cymbals are overpowering in the sense that it sounds like you either cut too much meat out of them or boosted too much in the highs. Aside from the kick, the rest of the kit is kinda buried, too, especially the snare.

 

[Ganks]

Ughhh.
I honestly don't understand why it sounds THIS bad.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2798302/All The Things I Couldnt Say_VOCALS_VERSION6.mp3

I updated the mix a little bit.

Let me give you guys the specs of everything, and tell me what I should be doing differently.

DRUMS:

--------------------------------------------------------------
Drums are real with samples. I'm using SSD's Green Kick, and Snare 12 I believe.
I've got the Snare compressed just a little bit to bring up some levels. I've got a 2 DB boost at 200Hz and a 0.5 DB boost at 1.5Khz.

I've also got 2 snare tracks to try to bring up the volume, along with a snare track loaded with the room mic sample, turned WAY down.

The overheads are panned 100% L & R, and they have a high pass filter at 600Hz. Nothing else. They are also sitting at about -15 DB on my mixer.
--------------------------------------------------------------

GUITARS:

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Guitars are "POD", I suppose. I recorded them through my Line 6 Floor Pod on the Treadplate Amp setting. I've got the gain at about 4, the bass around 5, and the treble around 8-9. (I'm getting the POD XT soon.)

I recorded 2 Rhythm tracks, panned 100% L and R.
I recorded 2 Lead tracks, and panned 100% L and R.

(Is this double tracking, or quad tracking?)

The guitars are HIGH PASSED at 200HZ, and LOW PASSED at 8000 KHz.

The rhythm tracks have no EQ except for a 3 DB boost at 700Hz.

The lead tracks have a pretty intense scoop (9 DB) around 2.1Khz to get rid of this twangy thing that was going on. I think it was his guitar, and it sounded REALLY harsh.

I then boosted the lead guitars about 7 DB in the 1.2Khz area to add some presence and mids.

Bass was recorded through the Line 6 Floor Pod, and was EQ'd to taste. (I think the bass actually sounds decent.)
--------------------------------------------------------------

VOCALS:

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Vocals were recorded through a MXL 990, with a pop filter.
I doubled tracked, and turned the second track down a good bit.

I compressed the hell out of the vocals, and scooped around 2.5KHz.

I've got a tiny bit of reverb, and tape saturation on the vocals. Nothing more.
--------------------------------------------------------------


So what is going on in this mix?

A couple of questions...

- Why are my drums buried?
- Why are my guitars so dark sounding?
- And you guys say the guitars are too loud, but to me it sounds like they are very far away and distant.
- Why do the vocals stick out so much?


IF ANYONE wants to try to mix this differently, please have a go at it. I tracked in Reaper, so if you use that, I can just send the project file. If not, I can mix down each track to WAV for you.

Anyways, let me know what I should do differently!
Thanks.

 

[Notuern]

My answer again: Everything seems to be _COMPLETELY_ out of sync.
It sounds like everything is recorded in a slightly different bpm.

So the mud is because of that the takes are too bad.. what i would do differently? Re-record everything(Except for the vocals, which seem to be pretty good.).

Edit: also, as already mentioned, the guitars are WAY to loud.. not that i think that it will help that much lowering them.

 

[Ganks]

My answer again: Everything seems to be _COMPLETELY_ out of sync.
It sounds like everything is recorded in a slightly different bpm.

So the mud is because of that the takes are too bad.. what i would do differently? Re-record everything(Except for the vocals, which seem to be pretty good.).

Edit: also, as already mentioned, the guitars are WAY to loud.. not that i think that it will help that much lowering them.

Oh, yeah.

Everything is out of sync. They couldn't track to a metronome, and the drummer is pretty bad at keeping time.

The next track they do, I'm making them track to the metronome, though.

 

[mshabooboo]

I agree...guitars are too loud. You might want to boost some of the high mids to get a little clearer sound from the guitars, as right now they sound a little muddy to me.

 

[@tombomb]

turn things down!!! sounds like the guitars are taking the too much room in ur mix.

 

[nwright]

If you feel you have to run 2 snare tracks to get sufficient volume, then that's a sign the mix is too loud to begin with. Your guitars are just too loud, the rhythm guitars bury the leads, and pretty much everything else. Also, the hi pass at 200 IMO is too high, try 100 or 75...also, lo passing at 8K is too low, try 10-12K...You are losing air IMO cutting that low. I'd also get rid of the boost at 700Hz, too...By adding the mids there, you are making the highs seem "less there" if that makes sense. The guitars just sound like a wash of annoying mids.

The second clip sounds better IMO, but still suffers from some of the same problems as the first. I think you'd do wonders to get rid of ALL the EQ on the rhythm guitars and turn them down 2dB's, haha.