My First "Real" Mix Attempt

[aclarson]

My first attempt at making a decently professional sounding mix. Can't say I'm fully there yet, I already am hearing stuff I could do better (and will), but I thought I'd get it out there and see what people think.

I appreciate any comments or criticism, particulary if it's specific production tips. Thanks.

"Inside.mp3"
"Let It Go.mp3"
"Off-Black.mp3"

I also have wavs available if preferred, though they make take a while to download:

"Inside.wav"
"Let It Go.wav"
"Off-Black.wav"

or hear them at MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/fairweatherenemies

 

[aclarson]

Maybe I posted this at the wrong time, anyone have any thoughts? I'd really appreciate any comments or criticism, thanks.

 

[arv_foh]

I think the drums are the worst part of this mix (minus the snare). The toms have a lot of attack but not much else.. they're very dead sounding, maybe old heads? I'd augment with some samples, or even replace them entirely. Are you compressing the toms? Mine sounded kinda like that before I learned how to properly compress them... all attack and no body. The kick can get lost in the mix, I think mostly because there's not much attack on it. The guitars sound thin, but I think that's mostly because of the lack of bass guitar in the mix. I'd bring the bass up, especially for more rock oriented type music like this. It's an alright start man, it just needs work.

 

[aclarson]

I think the drums are the worst part of this mix (minus the snare). The toms have a lot of attack but not much else.. they're very dead sounding, maybe old heads? I'd augment with some samples, or even replace them entirely. Are you compressing the toms? Mine sounded kinda like that before I learned how to properly compress them... all attack and no body. The kick can get lost in the mix, I think mostly because there's not much attack on it. The guitars sound thin, but I think that's mostly because of the lack of bass guitar in the mix. I'd bring the bass up, especially for more rock oriented type music like this. It's an alright start man, it just needs work.

Thanks for the comments; I got similar ones over at Gearslutz. Toms are the one thing I still feel lost on how to mix properly, truthfully I didn't spend a lot of time on them, I'll have to go back and revisit and play with the comps a little. I have a fair bit of room mic in the drum sound, so it's a challenge. I also only have one close mic per tom pair, that may have an effect.

I still have never done any sample replacement, been a bit gunshy about that, I tend to like bands that have a more natural production style, and sample replacment was always one of those things that felt like "cheating" to me, maybe I just need to get over it and learn how to do it tastefully. :Smug: I just don't want that drum machine sound.

Yeah, I need better bass parts on there so I can turn them up more.

This recording was a demo for our new band before getting other members, I did everything except drums (which were done by my drummer), and I kinda suck at bass, hence the simplistic and subdued bass sound. We just got a new guy that rips, so hopefully I'll be getting a much tighter performance on there soon.

 

[arv_foh]

Thanks for the comments; I got similar ones over at Gearslutz. Toms are the one thing I still feel lost on how to mix properly, truthfully I didn't spend a lot of time on them, I'll have to go back and revisit and play with the comps a little. I have a fair bit of room mic in the drum sound, so it's a challenge. I also only have one close mic per tom pair, that may have an effect.

I still have never done any sample replacement, been a bit gunshy about that, I tend to like bands that have a more natural production style, and sample replacment was always one of those things that felt like "cheating" to me, maybe I just need to get over it and learn how to do it tastefully. :Smug: I just don't want that drum machine sound.

Yeah, I need better bass parts on there so I can turn them up more.

This recording was a demo for our new band before getting other members, I did everything except drums (which were done by my drummer), and I kinda suck at bass, hence the simplistic and subdued bass sound. We just got a new guy that rips, so hopefully I'll be getting a much tighter performance on there soon.

Drum machine sounds are quite a thing of the past, with multivelocity samples. The "machine gun" effect I think you are referring to results from using a single sample for every hit. Steven Slate Drums are great sounding samples for a decent price. There are also many free samples on this forum that are quite good. It's nice to have even as a backup for when you are recording a kit that doesn't sound so hot.

Here are the compressor settings that I use as a start for toms: Threshold -15 Ratio 4:1 Attack: 15ms Release: 75ms

Adjust to taste.