Not metal, but still good tones?

[ffaudio]

Recorded these guys a week or two ago and finishing up with mixing. I think I go good tones on the drums (first time I didn't have to sample replace the kick) and the guitars sound preeeetty good. I'm still working on getting them really good, but this place helps with that.

Yeah, the singer is off key 90% of the time. Ignore that. I just want comments on the mix!

I got some advice to get the bass more pumping, so this mix has some more bass but it may be too much, or maybe it's just sounding a little too boomy to me.

Final: http://www.ffaudio.com/music/thedec...er Skyline - Just Alive Just Enough mix 2.mp3

Newest: http://www.ffaudio.com/music/thedecemberskyline/The December Skyline - Just Alive Just Enough.mp3

 

[Tachy]

The sounds in general is not bad, I think that the guitars need more balls and fix the snare in the mix....( more punch )

 

[ffaudio]

Here's the newest for anybody interested:

http://www.ffaudio.com/music/thedecemberskyline/The December Skyline - Just Alive Just Enough.mp3

 

[Djabthrash]

-Good drums.

-I hear some kind of untuneness between guitars and bass.

 

[ffaudio]

-Good drums.

-I hear some kind of untuneness between guitars and bass.

Thanks. Another new update:

http://www.ffaudio.com/music/thedec...er Skyline - Just Alive Just Enough mix 2.mp3

Any particular spot with the out of tune guitars?

 

[grywolf627]

Thanks. Another new update:

http://www.ffaudio.com/music/thedec...er Skyline - Just Alive Just Enough mix 2.mp3

Any particular spot with the out of tune guitars?

Yes...a lot, actually. Sorry...not trying to pick on you or be harsh...my ears are just really sensitive to tuning/pitch. Although I can't quite tell if it's the guitars out of tune to each other, or out of tune to the bass...or maybe just due to the way the guitars were played (inconsistent left hand pressure when playing chords). Maybe my ears are just playing tricks on me right now, with my tinnitus acting up more lately (so take my comments with a grain of salt)...but I'm hearing a lot of tuning issues.

The mix and song itself sounds pretty good. Although (just personal taste) I'd like the guitars to have more bite...a little brighter and a little more gain. But again...just personal taste.

Haven't seen you post anything around here for a while. Thought maybe you left the flock. Welcome back.

 

[ffaudio]

Yes...a lot, actually. Sorry...not trying to pick on you or be harsh...my ears are just really sensitive to tuning/pitch. Although I can't quite tell if it's the guitars out of tune to each other, or out of tune to the bass...or maybe just due to the way the guitars were played (inconsistent left hand pressure when playing chords). Maybe my ears are just playing tricks on me right now, with my tinnitus acting up more lately (so take my comments with a grain of salt)...but I'm hearing a lot of tuning issues.

The mix and song itself sounds pretty good. Although (just personal taste) I'd like the guitars to have more bite...a little brighter and a little more gain. But again...just personal taste.

Haven't seen you post anything around here for a while. Thought maybe you left the flock. Welcome back.

No problem man. Honesty is what I'm looking for, haha.

And damn, I didn't think anybody noticed me in the first place.

 

[James Murphy]

up until early this year i had been working with a band, who shall remain nameless, on a remote basis..... IOW, they tracked themselves and sent me the files to mix... i hate this kind of arrangement, and i seldom do it any more.... in fact as soon as i hear that a project was self-recorded it raises a red flag with me.... 9 times out of 10 the tracking is atrocious. and it was with this band as well... but worse was that the guitars were hideously out of tune. i made the guy re-record them 5 times... they still sucked every time and he would SWEAR he'd had his intonation set and that he'd tuned constantly. i had never seen him play in person, but i warned him about paying attention to how he held his left hand while playing and to watch that he was't pushing notes out with his individual fingers.

finally on the 6th attempt i had him come to FL.... i didn't have the time in my schedule to record him myself, but i had a guy i sometimes use for assitant/editing work record him over at his place. i stopped in the first day to set up the record path and levels... and to observe the guy....

it was his hands, as i'd suspected. i had checked the intontaion and tuned and played the guitar myself... it was perfect. he played 5 seconds into a song and it was already sounding horrible. i had watched his left hand... those fingers that were suppsed to be holding down a chord of 5 notes with even pressure so as to maintain their notes, relative to both the key and to each other, were in fact shooting off in different directions in minute amounts... but enough to throw the tuning completely off.

one thing i noted as i watched this, aside from the finger issue, was something i see a lot with "self-recording" bands.... he constantly watched the screen... he even had asked my assistant, prior to me arriving, to be sure to have a second monitor that he could set up to mirror the main screen for him to watch, up close..

i put the kaibash on that arrangement immediately... told him that he needed to NOT look at the screen.... you don't play music with your eyes... you don't hear music with your eyes.. you only need your ears and hands. now, this did not cause his problem with his left hand, but it kept him from being able to concentrate on what he was doing.... so, once i got him focusing on his guitar he used his ears more and he watched his fingers....

the sixth attempt was finally successful. their album will be out next year on a small indie label. i ultimately passed on mixing it, but i'd say my "cracking the whip" on that issue is directly responsible for making it releaseable at all.

this is key... if you or the musician being recorded can't hear tuning problems in the guitars, and others do... then you need someone on hand who can, to act as a producer..... in fact you'll need that person for every melodic and harmonic component of that project, so basically everything but drums. tuning after every take will not necessarily work to avoid those issues.