I'm 16.. and my mixes are shit HELP

I am 16 too :lol:

I think the most important thing is to learn to hear, what happens in a Mix.
So listen to every CD you will find, read everything about it, spend a lot of time here(:notworthy). So you will find out , when something ist overcompressed, and so on..... You will learn to know, whats a perfect mix, and what you have to do , to get it.

And don't buy(:p), or ''find'' expensive Softwares and Vsts. You'll never get a good tone out of them, cause first you have to learn to use, freeware etc. So you will know what you are doing, when you move a knob.
 
Don't listen to most of these douchebags. They're producing gash music for fucking coke heads.

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Do something about your speakers. Being on a desk is NOT a good idea. You're fucking up your ability to hear the audio properly. Move your desk forward, put the speakers on some decent stands, and make sure their arses are not facing into any corners.

Get rid of the couch. It's in the way.

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You've mic'd this snare incorrectly I'd say. There was a thread where AHJ posted a very good picture of how to mic a snare.

Other than that... yeah... READ READ READ. Get a subscription to Sound on Sound for a year or so.
 
The best advice I can give is to immerse yourself in EVERYTHING recording-related. If you're not prepared to spend every single spare minute of your life, on the subject of recording for the next ten years, then don't bother.

That's not a joke, nor an exaggeration.

There's no quick fix. Learning to record metal is like learning any instrument. It takes time to master the basics, and even longer to become a master.

Fortunately, there's loads of info out there. +1 on the subscription to Sound on Sound, or EQ, Recording, Tape Op, etc.

That being said, if you're prepared to put the work in, it can be very rewarding at times.
 
The one thing I notice is that although you're (possibly) lucky not to have the usual shitty plasterboard stud-wall student cube to mix in, that you have no acoustic treatment whatsoever in that room so its no surprise if any mic sources come out sounding below average. One o the cheapest, quickest improvements would be to order in some bass traps and antiverb panels for the room (there is a wealth of info about how to treat a room on the internet and probably on this forum too if you do some searching around). Also +1 to whoever mentioned the moniter position.
 
I'm going to chime in here and say, anyone can do whatever the fuck they want to.

You are young, and you are interested, so your odds of coming out on top are great.

It will take a shit load of time and practice before you're not only producing recordings on par with your favorites, but producing mixes that are up to your own standards and desire.

This is a serious profession for some of us, and a serious hobby for others of us. We didn't get to where we are quickly, regardless of our current skill level. If you aren't as interested in it as necessary to take the time to practice and learn what you're doing, the profession/hobby will weed you out itself. If you have the interest and patience, all will be well.

Don't let anyone talk to you like in a condescending tone about your interest, and don't take anyones advice for granted either.

Good luck.
 
start looking into sample replacement, for now and not micing your amps till you get legit gear, so ampsims are really helpfull to you right now can you edit drums yet? look into that


Thanks dude. Yes, I am using PODfarm at the moment. Tones on there are so flat and not alive. I've been reading up on mixing guitars all day. As far as drums go, I just purchased superior drummer and the ddrum pro acoustic triggers. What go's into editing drums? like quantisizing and what not?

Thanks "Ahjteam" for linking me to that. I'll be sure and listen to all of you guys' advice.

@Drew_Drummer. I read up on that, thanks. For that I was using drumagog to just get the impulse to replace it with a sample, but now I have triggers and superior 2.0. So i'm trying to get better with that
 
16 is such a good age to get into things. It means you'll probably be good by the time you start taking your music really seriously. Best of luck man!
 
If even you believe that your mixes are shit you shouldn´t be on the business chargin people and saying things like "I have top quality equipment that will make your bands track stand out. hit me up "

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+1
 
what exactly are impulses? i've searched them and didn't quite understand it.. from what i got out of it they are basically the result of some impulse, like reverb. or like if you shoot a gun in a large hall.. but you take the actual shot out, and whats left is the impulse??

It's a mathematical algorithm. Every space has a specific frequency response when sound is played in it. They basically record how a room responds to sound being played in it, and the information is turned into what's called an impulse.

Same deal with guitar cabinets.

So if someone takes the impulse of a guitar cabinets frequency response, and you put that impulse after your POD preamp signal in your effects chain (with no cabinet turned on in the POD), you essentially get an emulation of playing your amp through their guitar cabinet.

Everyone speak up and tell me how badly I butchered that. Quick. (Like I needed to ask.)

(I use impulse and convolution interchangeably because I'm a douche, and I don't care.)
 
For all that are bashin on this kid.. Lets hear your demo from when you were 16 :lol: I remember what mine sounded like, and this kids on a good start (although apparently you have much better christmas than I had hehe). Don't let people discourage you. Now while this is a competitive industry and to even be considered remotely good you have to be willing to put in more time then the next guy and go the extra mile. But music is about feel and expression. Dont ever forget that. All the sneap presets and superior drummer midi patters in the world dont match up to a well reheresed solid band with solid songs that you can get behind.. although having a great mix behind that is important. Dont get to caught up in the 1's and 0's. Just do what makes your head move. Fuck the rest :rock:

yep, also think yourself lucky, when I was your age I had to put up with 486's and Pentium 90Mhz :lol:

486 50Mhz, 8 Megs of Ram, 320 Meg Harddrive.. Windows 3.1 hehehe I don't miss it.