Issues with mix, need solid advice

[OhSoInsane]

Hey folks,
It's been a while since I've been on these forums.. I could really use your help.



Here are the problems I find it with:

1. Low end not really present
- Planning to cut some highs from the kick, EQ in a boost around 60hz semi-wide Q and raise the level
- Boost around 80-100 Hz on Bass guitar

2. Hi-hats and cymbals too loud
- Planning on turning them down a little more

3. Volume dropping in random parts because I'm overly boosting the maximizer on the master
- I really want this mix to be loud but it's causing issues getting there. What can I do to make this as loud as it is right now (or even a little bit louder) and get rid of this issue? I know I need to mix better for this to happen, but what specifically in the mixing process can I do for this particular song?

4. Not the tightest playing
- Just a demo really.. other songs are much tighter

Are there any other issues you guys are spotting? Anything else I could do to make the mix more punchier and better?

Thanks guys! Looking forward to some ideas!

 

[Ich666]

Dude, you need to stop focussing on making this loud and instead get your mix right first. Read up on some tutorials for mixing drums, those seem to be the biggest issue for now, once those are in place you can start worrying about fixing the rest of the instruments.

Sorry if that sounds a bit harsh, but right now it sounds like a mess.

 

[OhSoInsane]

Yeah I agree man, there are issues for sure. I appreciate your criticism, could you give me some specific things I could fix?

 

[Terminus]

The drums sound like they are in another room from the rest of it. Either too much room mic, reverb or whatever it is making them sound too distant. Also bring them up in relation to everything else. In addition to sloppy rhythm playing, it sounds like the guitars are under-gained. Instead of fucking with the mix, redo the rhythm guitars and focus on being tight. It's never going to sound punchy if the playing is sloppy.
EDIT: also hearing a bit too much honk on the mid-range of the guitars.

 

[Ich666]

Yeah I agree man, there are issues for sure. I appreciate your criticism, could you give me some specific things I could fix?

What did you use to record the drums? A proper miced up snare and kick could give you exactly the the low-end thats missing right now, I just have no idea how much of that low-end is hidden under your maximizer, some is definitely lost there atm.

Contrary to Terminus I think your guitar tones are fine, you can always redo them if you need to re-record the rythm guitars tighter anyways.

I would suggest solo-ing the drum kit, making it sound good on its own, then bringing in the bass, making that sound good with the drums and so on.

But take off that mastering chain.

Edit: Please tell us what gear you used for the rest of the instruments too.

 

[OhSoInsane]

I really appreciate your help guys.

I fixed some of the issues but I know some things are still quite off. We will re-do the rhythm when we get the whole band together but in the meantime, what else can you guys suggest for the new mix below?



Gear used:

- Mesa Mark IV and ENGL Savage amps for guitars
- Bass DI with virtual bass amps (like TSE BOD 2.0)
- Superior Drummer for drums

 

[bryan_kilco]

Well, that's a slight improvement. You need to re-track those guitars tighter and then work with EQing to create the proper space for the rhythms and leads. It just sounds like a jumbled mess when everything gets loud near the beginning. Not trying to sound rude or mean.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Are you clipping into the masterbuss?

 

[EachHit]

I am not the greatest Mixer but I kinda like the Guitars even if they're are not perfectly tight.

How did you mix your Superior Drums (which Kit)? As I started with SD I was also having huge problems making them sound good in a mix. As I started to route every Output from Superior Drummer to an Aux in my DAW and program the Drums so that it is playable made a huge difference.

Heavy Greetz

 

[OhSoInsane]

Are you clipping into the masterbuss?

Nope, GClip at the end of the chain. The dynamics were getting squashed at loud master because the mixing was terrible hah.

How did you mix your Superior Drums (which Kit)? As I started with SD I was also having huge problems making them sound good in a mix. As I started to route every Output from Superior Drummer to an Aux in my DAW and program the Drums so that it is playable made a huge difference.

I used Ola's preset and tweaked it from there. Then I saw his video and bought his OlaPack with Kick and Snare samples. I incorporated them using APTrigga (he has a video about this)

Thanks a ton for the feedback guys. awesome stuff. I think I'm down to the final version of the song! Have a listen and see what other tweaks are needed (if any!). Was able to bring the master close to studio loudness as well without losing a ton of dynamics

 

[OhSoInsane]

The other songs have tighter guitar tracking so that's good. Also, I need to work a little on properly EQing and compressing the toms, don't think they shine as much as they should on this track. Hopefully I can do a better job on the others. The overheads and hihats are a little too bright for my taste but they sound different on every speaker I listen to so I didn't bother dicking around too much with that.

What really helped the mix was dropping the drum mic level additional 10db! Really gave the drums more space and now they actually sound like they're in the same room as other instruments hah