Lost in guitar sound

[Andrasia]

Hi guys,

Its maybe a idiot question but Sometime I'm like lost in guitar sound.
I tweak and finally get happy but when I relisten them and bypass fx I really don't know if its better or not... Even When I compare them with old sound I cannot choose...
Do you have tips or mind trick to continue to move forward?

Thank,

 

[MultiM]

try listening to it in the whole mix with other instruments.
I had this problem before.
You can also try listening to it on a diferrent speakers or headphones.

 

[Manicompression]

Less is more when it comes to processing. If down the line something is still urking you than you will know what your intended tweak should accomplish and be able to judge it more accordingly.

 

[Heabow]

Take reference mixes. It helps a lot!

 

[HOFX]

Take reference mixes. It helps a lot!

+1

 

[Andrasia]

Thank for your help , I'll try this next! Even is sometimes with references basse and Guitar blend so good together hard to know which one is^^
Maybe woth a mid/sid plug!

Thank,

Martin,

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

The problem with reference mixes is not knowing what amp/mic/cab was used to record them. I can easily find the guitar track for Six by All That Remains on YouTube, but I can't figure out what they recorded it with, and I don't want to use a 57/421 impulse combo and make a bunch of cuts to get it to sound like the reference if it turns out the reference was just a boomy Krank cab with an i5 or something. It's easier for well-known albums (Killswitch, Testament, whatever else- esp. Sneap ones) but I find that's a common issue, at least for me.

 

[schismatic]

I reference because it's useful for getting into the right ballpark, but my issue with reference mixes is that they are always post-mastering, yet I am mixing something with the aim of providing a great, balanced mix pre-mastering. The mastering process inevitably changes the perceived sound of the mix, so where does this leave referencing?

 

[Heabow]

In all case, you can't get the exact same sound even if you use the same rig. The player is an important factor in the equation. And the reference mix is not a guide to "copy a sound" but a guide to how "feel" your mix in comparison.

 

[Nimvi]

If down the line something is still urking you than you will know what your intended tweak should accomplish and be able to judge it more accordingly.

This. Your changes should be aimed at achieving goals you determined before you started the processing. What did you make the changes for? Did the changes accomplish what you wanted them to do? If yes, problem solved, move on. If not, redo it and focus on your goal.

You have to have a vision, or else you will be chasing your tail forever!

One more thing though: it can happen that after making a certain change, you hear a new problem. This doesn't necessarily mean your change was bad. It could be that the new problem was already there and just became more noticeable because you took care of something more obvious, so A-B check to see if the problem is created by your change or not. If the problem persists, you may just need another stage of processing to take care of the new issue.
But as always, try to get to the finish with as few moves as possible.

 

[SoundsLikeFog]

I reference because it's useful for getting into the right ballpark, but my issue with reference mixes is that they are always post-mastering, yet I am mixing something with the aim of providing a great, balanced mix pre-mastering. The mastering process inevitably changes the perceived sound of the mix, so where does this leave referencing?

And the reason you wouldn't want your mix to sound like a mastered record is..?

 

[slo77y]

a 'technique' is sometimes use when i find myself getting lost in details.


1) clear everything on the guitar bus.

2) close the project. do something un-related.

3) open up the project, and literally EQ the thing in like max 30 seconds. save this version.

4) do something un-related.

5) repeat step 3.


if you have like 3-4 versions you will immediately notice at a later point which will suite the track better, because the sounds are not so "in your head".

sometimes you mix against a temporary memory of a sound you heard and once that is not anymore there, it will sound completely different (with fresh ears).