My latest mix - 5150, Slate, the works

[Ermz]

Hey guys,

So I've just wrapped this up for a UM band from Russia. It's fairly different as far as my prior mixes go, because I tried to get more body and mids in there than ever before. Now I suppose it's up to you guys to tell me whether it's too much or not.

Link: http://files.getdropbox.com/u/285689/song-1-master3.mp3

Now a few notes while you listen:

-The rhythm guitars were a bit undergained for my tastes, which made it hard to get a crushing/smooth midrange.

-The master right now is a half-arsed attempt on my part. The track will likely be going to Plec to add the final touches.

-The intention was to have the track a bit duller/muddier than normal.

So anyway, go crazy. Give me your feedback, whatever you want. Thanks!

 

[Rex Rocker]

I personally think the toms are spread a bit too far out, but yeah, I agree about the guitars being a bit undergained. I'm honestly not completely sold on the snare tone. Sounds a bit too nasty compared to everything else being super tight.

JMO

I think the mix overall is pretty balanced, tho!

 

[Skaldir]

Sounds pretty good. The snare really stands out a bit. Not really bad, but it somehow forces me to just listen to the snare.
And I would swear the crashes are not from SSD.

 

[Ermz]

The crashes are from natural overheads. I only use Slate drums to augment real drums, so I'm still using 2.0.

Fair call on the snare. Hmm I'm sure if Plec squishes it with a limiter in mastering it'd go back down. The band wanted Amon Amarth-esque sort of sound, so I went really hard on the drums being 'large' sounding. On the snare I really compressed the original snare to get more ring out of it, then blended it underneath the Slate one to sort of grunge/filth/rock it up a bit.

 

[poidaobi]

Love it Ermz.

Any complaints would just be personal preference.

 

[Nebulous]

I was thinking lately that it was about time for another one of your mixes!

I agree on the toms being a touch wide, but shit they sound hot! The vocals could come up abit and snare + guitars down.

Sounds pretty good though. Good to hear you're trying new things for yourself. Definately not too many mids

 

[Teddyboy]

I also think that the mix i really balanced. I believe the guitars are not undergained for that style and that fit the music. The toms sound huge,which is something I like,but a bit wider than usual. Can you give us info about guitars and bass?

 

[Soundlurker]

lol @ the high-pitched vocals

Very nice overall, Ermz! I think the main thing you should change is the snare, it has too much lows or low mids. The guitars are just slightly undergained, I wouldn't really worry about it. I love the fact that they have a nice midrange, any info about them?

 

[Ermz]

Hey guys,

Phew, glad to hear that the criticisms so far are minimal. I was actually afraid that you above all would not like the mix, Dan, since we tended to go for the more scooped edgy vibe. I just figure I'm at a point where I should branch out and do as wide a range of mixes as I can, and not turn into a one-trick pony. That's something that's very important to me.

I've been told to raise the vocals before so it may be worth doing. They seem pretty clear here on the Events, but maybe not so on other systems.

Snare is probably too loud, but im hoping some slamming down on mastering might fix that up. I was comparing to some other CDs and they had a lot of snap. I couldn't get the same sort of forward presence without making the snare too loud. Unfortunate, but hey, we'll see how we go next time round.

@Teddy: I didn't realize that the toms were so wide. I suppose I wasn't paying attention. It sounds kinda cool to me I think the band like it too.

@Shadow_Walker: The guitars were actually reamped by Oz, so he may be able to give you more details there. As usual I did quite a bit of EQ, so they don't resemble what came out of the amp 100%. Lots of mountain ranges on Curve EQ.

 

[Soundlurker]

Shadow_Walker: The guitars were actually reamped by Oz, so he may be able to give you more details there. As usual I did quite a bit of EQ, so they don't resemble what came out of the amp 100%. Lots of mountain ranges on Curve EQ.

Well, good work to both of you. I've been struggling with getting a clear midrange recently. I just can't leave the nasty stuff there but once I've dialed it out the guitars end up to scooped.

 

[Ermz]

I completely understand what you're saying. It's about thinking of the midrange in different bands. There are various ways to sculp it, and whilst I'd prefer to capture it right at the amp, most of the time I'm forced to do it surgically with curve EQ or intense Sonnox work.

One thing I can tell you is that Oz used his 5150 there, with a dual mic technique (assuming Fredman by the sound of it). It also didn't sound like there was a TS used.

 

[Teddyboy]

Can you post a picture of the guitars' Eq? Or give us info about cuts and boosts?

 

[dan weapon]

Sounds really cool man, the toms sound very cool and thunderous, although prehaps just a little sampled sounding. Guitar tone's really good.

I think that band listen to Paradise Lost, Cradle of Filth and In Flames. Crazy russians with their vodka and tanks.

 

[Ermz]

I think that band listen to Paradise Lost, Cradle of Filth and In Flames. Crazy russians with their vodka and tanks.

@Teddy: The cuts and boosts are all over the place. I've got about 4 EQ plug-ins going, along with C4 and an L2 (slamming down the peaks to 'compress' the tone and make it seem more gained).

When I boot into the audio OS I'll take some pictures for you if you'd like, though it doesn't help you much unless you know the starting point. For me it really is just tweaking until it sounds 'right'. Next project my EQ curves will probably be totally different.

 

[Soundlurker]

I know what you mean about CurveEq. That plug is a bliss and a curse at the same time. I wouldn't dare post a screenshot of the kind of processing I end up using on the guitars ever since I got the Adams. It's a bit better with real amp recordings but with impulses it looks scary.

 

[Metaltastic]

Hey Ermz, pretty cool dude, though one thing that strikes me right off the bat is the upper parts of the attack of the bass occasionally poke through in a kinda distracting way. Also, I know you were going for a muddier mix, but I still do feel the snare could use more air/snap. Guitar tone is pretty cool, not sure I'd really want much more gain tbh! Toms sound great too. AND HOLY FUCK AT THE HIGH VOCALS JESUS CHRIST I can see why they're automated a fair bit lower

 

[Black neon bob]

I like the mix dude.. nothing to add really, i especially like that snare!

 

[Metaltastic]

One thing I do wanna mention though, I notice you seem to have a very similar kick sound for all your projects (a Slate I assume?) and I can't say I'm a big fan of it; it's got a weird sort of harshness to the attack, not really a "click" but more like a "clack" (if you will ), just doesn't quite do it for me, I prefer something with more of a full-bodied "smack" (the kick on the new Devildriver actually is one of my new favorites if you're curious, check out "Pray for Villians", one of the songs they've released off the new album). It works well enough in the mix, I just can't say I like the timbre of it!

 

[Melodeath]

I really like it. Based on cheap headphones, my only complaint is the snare, which I feel has a little bit too much ring, if not being a little bit forward.

 

[Ermz]

Cheers guys. It's good to read the various opinions. Seems everyone has something different to say on the snare... I suppose the point is that it's a contentious sound which is good! That was the idea.

@Marcus: There is no default kick that I use in every project. In this one it was 2 Slates blended together. I may hover around a particular sound, though I've never really thought about it. I try to avoid the complete 'Sneap-esque' click kicks whenever possible. But yeah, I respect that you don't like it. Everyone has their own preferences and it has been long established that we don't like the same mixes, so I definitely don't take it as an insult or anything fo the like