First post: Technical Metalcore

DJGCrusader

Pit Rat
Jan 21, 2009
8
0
1
32
www.mediafire.com
Okay, So here's an updated version: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4108178/DJG-Riff%20and%20Sweep.mp3

Note: I haven't done vocals yet, cause I haven't gotten around to writing them yet, and I gotta get better at screaming anyway.

So here's a little background.

I've been recording ever since I wanted to put my guitar ideas down. First with my computer's built-in mic into Audacity, then with a DI toneport thru amp modeling. Learned how to use drum modeling as well. Then recorded a lot of songs with an old band, all amp modeling. Everything I learned from the internets =p Thank god for free and infinate knowledge. Then I finally decided to kick it up a notch and not have to borrow my friend's voice-actor dad's vocal studio by getting myself the most multi-purpose mic I could pick: the SM57. I'm using it for guitars and vox now.

Now I've been learning to mix well and use multichannel fake drums like EZDrummer and making everything sound good. Here's what I used for this recording:

DAW: Cubase SX3

Guitars: SM57 right at center of cone, Peavey Bandit 65 clean channel, Zoom G1 multi effects pedal w distortion (shitty setup but hey I have no money and it works), Piece-of-crap Ibanez with no name, part of the Jumpstart pack. The reason I used this is because It's the guitar I experiment with, like putting ridiculously heavy strings and tuning to Drop A. For this song it's in Drop B though, so the high strings have nice action.

The amp has lows at 1 o clock, mids at 2, highs at 2, and presence at 3 and change. It's in my cedar closet with stuff in it. I have a rug stood up behind it for some reason, maybe because I think it helps muffle the sound?

Bass: midi, using 4Front Bass Module vsti with Guitar Rig 3 amp sim. I don't own a bass, and I didn't have my DI interface at the time. Normally I would play the bass on my guitar and shift the pitch a whole octave down. Dirty production, I know.

Drums: Drumkit From Hell EZ Drummer plug in, split into multiple channels, all bleed control on, following Lolzgreg's advice on nearly everything, changing some stuff around to make bass drum smackier and to make the snare more heard. I'm not happy with the snare sound, though. --> http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips/557807-mixing-drums.html

VSTS/FX:
4 Front Bass Module VSTi
EZDrummer VSTi
Guitar Rig 3 (for Bass)
Classic Compressor
Some epic parametric EQ that has an orange interface and allows custom addition of dots and what kind of parameter it is.
Vonego Span spectrum Analyzer
Reverb A--> built into Cubase

I have four guitar tracks.
Guitar L: panned 100% left Holds rhythm stuff found in R track
Guitar CL: panned 80 L Holds the echo of a lead part found in CR, used rarely
Guitar CR: 80% right. Holds most of the lead stuff
Guitar R: 100% right Holds rhythm stuff found in the L track

Mixes I love:
As I Lay Dying-Shadows are Security
Thrice-The Artist in the Ambulance
Bring me the Horizon-Suicide Season
Winds of Plague-Decimate the Weak
As Blood Runs Black-Allegiance


So Yeah, what do you think? Lolzgreg, you are amazing and if you can analyze this for me, i would be SO happy =].

In particular:

Getting the bass to sound good n the mix: how the hell do i EQ it? I just had a low pass at like 400 ish and cut 90 a bit(because my bass drum takes up from 75 to 110 ish)

Should I EQ the guitars any differently? I had a HP at 200 ish and a LP at 6k ish, added some to 500 k and between 1 and 2 k (why? spectrum analysis indicated nothing was holding that spot in my mix, so I let the guitars take it up) and I cut 4k because of this acidy annoying fizz thing that would give me a headache every time I heard the song.

Why do my guitars always sound like they have so much high power? I feel like I'm listening to some high frequency and like it'll give me a headache.


Any Noob mistakes I made? The playing's not best, I know the sweepy riffs in the triplet and blastbeat epic part sound botched, but I'm more worried about learning to mix than playing well.

Please, tear me apart, you have permission =p
 
Couple of things:

GET DROPBOX! :p
No one likes to download files to listen.


ANDD, I would probably keep your opening post a little shorter.
 
the guitars have no meat and sound quite plasticlike ...and the EZ drummer overheads are neaaawwww...blup^^
i would get a real bass or at LEAST do it with the pitchshifted guitar...
& replace kick and snare with some nice samples....
but the song itself is nice!
 
Okay, the meat of the guitar is where in the spectrum? around 500 or less?

And Are there any problem frequencies that are present in every instrument with a high end that make everything sound brittle? Particularly with cymbals.
The EZDrummer overheard Im gonna have to play around with to get some good August Burns Red attack on the cymbals without giving a mess of high-end headache.

And I finally got my DI interface back, Ima try pitchshifted guitars soon.

Whenever I try to use the drumagog demo it fails to install in Windows 7. But it installs the VST dll. I try to use the VST but then Cubase crashes. Are there any other drum replacement programs that can take the EZDrummer midi stuff and output a sound? Preferably free?

And thanks for the compliment on the song itself lol. That means a lot, ive really been studying composition n aesthetic n all that good stuff.
 
Try getting the TSS plugin.
I had problems with the high end of my guitars, and that helped a lot.

Otherwise, just add some more mids. (Personally, I don't like scooped tones.)

Your cymbals are incredibly bright, and the drums don't really fit the song. The drum tones sound industrial?

The song is VERY August Burns Red-ish, and it's a pretty neat song itself.

What do you have on the master bus?
 
Nothing on the master, just the spectrum analyzer.
Why, what do you suggest in the master bus? I'm not a fan of much compression, if that's what you're thinking xp. Maybe i should raise the mids and lower the highs in the master bus.

TSS Plugin? Googled it and just found Tubescreamer amp modelers lol. Link plz?
I'm trying adding mids, but what would be considered a mid for a guitar? like I said, I THINK it's between 300 and 1k, but I just need confirmation. I have a significant peak there as it is.

Any suggestions for cymbal EQing? When I have time I'll really go in depth, sweep the ranges and find the attack frequencies and annoying frequencies and do all that. But until im done w my midterms, any suggestions?
 
Here's the link to the stereo version:
http://requietus.blogspot.com/2008/12/tss-gui-wrapper.html

I usually set up 2 "GUITAR FX" tracks (as I name them).

I pan each track 100 % L & R, and then send my 2 guitar tracks to these buses.
I put the plugin on these tracks.

Then I mix the FX buses lower in the mix (around 6-8 dB lower than my guitar tracks).

It's definitely NOT ideal, but it helped me a lot. :)

I asked about your master bus because your overall mix is very bright, so I was going to tell you to drop some of the EQ on the master bus, but it seems you will have to fix that problem elsewhere! ;)
 
Okay, So here's an updated version: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4108178/DJG-Riff%20and%20Sweep.mp3

Toms sound much better, guitars have a lower low pass, and the mids are increased by a lot, I recorded bass, sounds pretty bad, cause I'm not a bassist. But it works. Drums have been remixed, snare sounds much better, removed hihat mic because it sounds good enough in the overheads. Overheads and room mics have been remixed to get nice cymbal sound while keeping things not so bright.

And yeah, I think it sounds better lol.
 
Later on, use the distortion on the Bandit.

IMO it's one of the best budget solid-state combo amps.

It'll sound much more natural.

Try soloing the drums and remixing them with a reference, then adding bass and guitar. Mix isn't that bad but isn't that good either.