New Drop To Zero Songs + DRUM SAMPLES

[AStacy2]

I'm working with some of my good friends from Drop To Zero on some remixes from songs off their first album. I'm done with one mix and wanted some feedback on what you guys thought as I really want to do a good job for these guys. Here's what we've got so far:


http://www.sneapforum.celtiaproductions.co.uk/HexTheNet/This_Addiction.mp3


Also, I took drum samples from the session and I figured I'd post them up as well. The kit was a Sonor 3005 Force Studio all maple set.


22" x 17-1/2" kick drum w/ Power Stroke 3 beater/Sonor front head. Mic was a Beta52.


10" x 8" and 12" x 9" rack toms w/ Emperors on top/Ambassadors on bottom, mics were SM57's.


14" x 14" floor tom w/ Emperors on top/Ambassadors on bottom, mic was SM57.


5" x 14" snare drum w/ Power Stroke 3 on top, mic was SM57.


Drum dial settings were Kick 75/75, Snare 85/80, Toms 72/70.


Here are the unprocessed samples:


http://www.sneapforum.celtiaproductions.co.uk/HexTheNet/Sonor_3005_Force_Studio_Unprocessed.rar


And here are the processed ones (eq and comp only):


http://www.sneapforum.celtiaproductions.co.uk/HexTheNet/Sonor_3005_Force_Studio_Processed.rar


Everything was fed into my RME Fireface800. As far as the rest of the recording goes, acoustic guitars were my Martin D-16GT miced with a SM81 about 3ft back pointed at were the neck meets the body. Bass was a Cort bass through my Sansamp Bass Driver DI. Vocals were a SM7b. Drum overheads/ride were SM81's. Highhat was SM7b. Strings are East West Symphonic Orchestra Gold.


Thanks and let me know what you guys think. Also check out www.myspace.com/droptozero for some even heavier songs by these guys.


-Arlie

 

[Unavailable]

Fantastic work you've done! My one problem with the mix is that in the busy parts with drums, I feel all I can hear of the acoustic guitars is the picking sound. Mainly in the early parts of the song. Maybe the orchestral thing in the background could lose a few db.

 

[AStacy2]

Alright, I will try turning down the cello a little bit, thanks. Anyone else have any ideas? I really want to make a good mix for these guys so any opinions are appriciated. Here's a Soundclick link if that makes it easier for you guys to listen to:


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=714550

 

[AStacy2]

Anyone else?

 

[smy1]

The strings sound terribly fake, sorry.

That's the only thing I really noticed, because I hated the music so much. Timing issues all over the place and the singer seriously needs to mix up his vocal style.

Although, thinking about it, the boringness of his voice may actually be due to the mix decision to "telephone-fx" his voice all the time. He probably asked for it, but it's never a wise decision to overdo this. At least mash it up: use a tinnier version of it, pan it L75 with some leslie fx, put your regular "phone vocals" with some more delay into the middle and use a more distorted version at R75 with a chopper effect on it. Then cut up the vocals into parts that lyrically make sense and switch back and forth between these 3 effects.

But you should definitely have spaces without radio-voice.

Although, then again, this song has no chorus (or if it has, it is so badly written and arranged that I can't find it) - so where are you gonna put the clean voice?!?!!!

On material like that, I do NOT envy your job, dude ...

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Yeah gonna have to agree with smy1 I pretty much hate the vocal effect.

 

[AStacy2]

Hey, thanks for the feedback smy. Any ideas for getting the strings to sound less fake? This is the first time that I've ever used the East/West Orchestra. What do you think about the individual insturment levels in this mix? I will try changing the vocal effect and then post it up this weekend. Thanks again.

 

[smy1]

Hey Hex,

sorry, I have a guy who does all stringwork for me. I basically make crappy no-velocity midifiles of how I want the strings to play and he then mixes all his libraries to take the best instruments from each one for the specific thing.

Making strings sound real is not an easy task.

 

[Mutant]

Hey, thanks for the feedback smy. Any ideas for getting the strings to sound less fake?

Use shorter notes and up/down samples, vary velocities, hide the fakeness in loads of reverb .