My First Attempt at Recording.

[AdamG94]

Hi Guys,

This is my first attempt at recording and mixing and it's a demo for my band. Vocals should be done soon (I'll update the link then). I used a SM57 on the guitars, DI'd the bass and the Drums are SSD EX.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17547680/ArcadiaUnMasteredNew.mp3

Any advice on my mix?

Thanks,

Adam.

 

[cloy26]

yah, don't use the ride cymbal. Make use of cymbals and hi hats to carry the parts, not the ride.

Guitars are very muffled and muddy as well.

 

[oroinvictus]

Bring those drums and OH's up, I can barely hear them. Guitars are muddy and very muffled.

 

[JeffEstrada]

How did you EQ your guitars, I can help you out with your mix but I need to know how you EQ'ed things first.

 

[Virgil.]

I agree with everyone else, the overall mix (especially the guitars) are very muddy and boomy. Could be a lot brighter. Giving us details on how you EQ'd and your amp settings, mic placement, etc. will help us provide more targeted feedback for you. Also, lose the synth shit at 2:55.

 

[AdamG94]

I pretty much followed Goddamn Guitar's tutorial guitar wise.

I used my Line 6 Spider 3, with the drive at 6, bass at 6, mids at 4 and treble at 6 with the metal emulation setting. I mic'd the on the edge of the dustcap, probably 1-2 inches from the cloth with my SM57 (my interface is the Focusrite Saffire Pro 14). There's a EQ cut at 7k like in the tutorial and a 1db boost at 3.5k on the guitars.

Thanks.

 

[Virgil.]

I pretty much followed Goddamn Guitar's tutorial guitar wise.

I used my Line 6 Spider 3, with the drive at 6, bass at 6, mids at 4 and treble at 6 with the metal emulation setting. I mic'd the on the edge of the dustcap, probably 1-2 inches from the cloth with my SM57 (my interface is the Focusrite Saffire Pro 14). There's a EQ cut at 7k like in the tutorial and a 1db boost at 3.5k on the guitars.

Thanks.

Keep in mind that Ola's guide is just that, a guide... not a end-all-be-all solution. I guarantee you everyone's guitar tone would sound different even if everyone followed Ola's tutorial. Why? Tone is all in the player's fingers, their gear, and their settings. A Line 6 Spider 3 sounds WAAAAAAYYYYYY fucking different compared to Ola's Axe Fx or 5150 or 6505, etc. The EQ he used fit his gear and the way he played. I bet cutting at 7k is way too low for you... especially since you're scopping your tone by having mids so low. Try turning up the mids and adjusting the mic placement to get a nicer tone. Also try cutting at about 16k first, and then going lower. Just because one person's tone sounds bright and crunchy cutting at 7k doesn't mean yours will.

Are you high-passing at all?

 

[AdamG94]

Yeah, I cut at 60Hz.

I was using it as a starting point as to be honest I'm pretty clueless with this recording business at the moment aha.

Thanks for all the comments so far

 

[Virgil.]

Yeah, I would use those as a general starting point, but every mix you do those settings will sound different. It all has to do with how it was tracked, how you played it, and all the little sonic nuances in the mix making sure all the tones and sounds blend well together. None of your mixes will have the exact same settings, imo. So if I were you, I would try some different amp settings, different EQ and mic placement, and post several clips for some more intensive feedback on how to narrow it down. Ultimately, it's up to you on what sound you're going for and what sounds best to fit the song overall.

 

[AdamG94]

Yeah, I would use those as a general starting point, but every mix you do those settings will sound different. It all has to do with how it was tracked, how you played it, and all the little sonic nuances in the mix making sure all the tones and sounds blend well together. None of your mixes will have the exact same settings, imo. So if I were you, I would try some different amp settings, different EQ and mic placement, and post several clips for some more intensive feedback on how to narrow it down. Ultimately, it's up to you on what sound you're going for and what sounds best to fit the song overall.

Thanks man, I'll do exactly that.

 

[JayB]

Throw some more mids in the guitars and high pass them more, and like the other guy said , maybe don't low pass so much.