feedback/pointers on production

[Phoncible]

I've been doing home recording for some time now, and feel i'm starting to get a decent sound going. I thought i'd ask you (nk or anyone else really) for ideas on things to do to take my production further.

http://www.divshare.com/download/1376526-f6d

 

[NK]

Welcome. The jobs of a producer and that of a recording engineer encompass many different areas, both technical and aesthetic.

Do you have any questions along specific lines? Sound/sonics, the musical angle, or perhaps approaches to session etiquette etc?

Neil K.

 

[Phoncible]

might have been a bit unclear, i simply want to improve the mix. Its all me, with pods and dfhs, so mic placement and stuff is not what i'm after, but any pointers on either the tones themselves or what i can do to make the mix sound better (i feel its lacking punch) would be very much appreciated!

 

[NK]

It's a matter of separation. Keeping the instruments away from each other as much as possible in terms of frequency overlap is fairly critical. That means filtering out overlapping frequencies in places, which will vary from situation to situation. This is the sonic version of not having instrumentation doubling up the same notes in the same octave ranges, which can cause cloudiness. That of course is a matter of musical arrangement and would be a musical decision rather than a sonic one, but the principle is somewhat similar.

 

[Phoncible]

yeah, so i've understood, have tried to draw out a map of all the frequencies and placed the instruments where they are mixed, making sure each one got some space. now i'm experimenting on the pre mix settings a bit, so that i dont attenuate sounds unwanted in the first place just to fit it in the mix! its quite a hassle, but i think its getting decent. Thanks for the reply!