NYHC NJHC CrownOfThornz/RagMen/Bulldoze preprod (ENGL SE 6L6, Torpedo VB-101)

Djabthrash

Member
Aug 26, 2007
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Paris / Montpellier, FRANCE
Hi, here is a semi-ghetto (see details below) preproduction of a new song for my new NYHC/NJHC project.

Basically it's still the same VSTi/mix template i ended up with in this previous thread of mine (http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/...men-snippet-engl-se-6l6-torpedo-vb-101-a.html), except that the guitar tone has changed a little bit since then, so this is gonna be about the guitar tone (in this mix context of course) first. Indeed, the Torpedo VB-101 (my hardware cab/mic/miking/post-eq sim unit) firmware has changed, including the load compensation function (whose meant to negate the effect of the loadbox on the tone), which results in a more natural tone, and flatter post-EQ settings as a consequence. To keep the clarity/crispness/tone cleanliness i had in my previous tone, i had to back up the mic a little bit (went from "stuck to the grillcloth" to "a couple of inches back") and move the overload (which simulates the speaker excursion effect) from 20% (slight excursion effect) to 0% (no excursion effect). I ended up with a more balanced and natural guitar tone while retaining the original crispness/cleanliness i believe, but i lost a bit of proximity effect in the way also (and maybe lack some low-mids and lows in my guitar tone).

Here is what you have to know (mix context) and what i have in mind for the mix so far (considering my own impression, and feedback from some friends and fellow forumers (from previous thread also)) :

-i like my guitar tone character (sharp/crisp/mid-gained/hi-mids/clear and chunky (almost punkrock-ish)) so i'm not looking towards getting a completely different tone, but just adapting this one to fit the mix better.
The mix-vibe i'm heading for is : Set Your Goals "burning at both ends", Rag Men "rag men", Skarhead "kings at crime", Maximum Penalty "independent", Leeway "desperate measures" "open mouth kiss", Deftones "the white pony" "around the fur", E Town Concrete (the whole discography), Madball "look my way" "hold it down", Bad Brains "quickness", Downset "do we speak a dead language" "check your people", Snapcase "Progression Through Unlearning" "Design for automotion", Sepultura (from Against till' Roorback) (drums tone mainly) , Bulldoze "the final beatdown", Agents of man "count your blessings", Vehement Serenade "self-titled", Truth'n'rights "e.p"...
... and to a certain extent : New Found Glory (the whole discography) / International Superheroes Of Hardcore (the 2 EPs), Hazen Street "hazen street", H20 "nothing to prove", NJ bloodline "be afraid" (ep), Biohazard "urban discipline" "state of the world adress", Pantera "CFH" "VDOP" "Live Official 101 proof" "TGST" "RTS" (guitar and bass tone), Dying Fetus "Destroy the opposition" (all) "Descend into depravity" (guitar tone) ...
-guitars are sloppy as fuck (tons of mistakes)
-old guitar strings
-worn-out amp tubes
-no vocals yet so it might get a little unexciting at times
-drums programming (drums are Superior 2, stock Avatar kit, built-in fx all the way) has to be improved (i didn't humanize it much so far and did some heavy part copy-pasting, and some parts needs to be changed anyway)
-some guitar parts will change
-what's next for the mix :
*improve OH/HH/ride brightness
*improve bass/guitars glueing (i'm gonna try to move the mic a little closer again and/or add some bass/low mids to the guitar tone (amp EQ or post-fx) -> reamping tests to come) and overall guitar tone mix-readiness (more low-mids/lows ?)
*compress the bass (which is made with Trilian VSTi, mostly built-in fx) and humanize it (velocities and timing)
*decrease the cheap/overcompressed/VSTi-obviouness feel of the snare and kick (redo the processing and/or use/blend with other samples)

Tell me what you think so far :

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15008135/ot...35 (CrownOfThornzish)_20110924v1(Draftv3).mp3

http://www.netmusicians.org/index.php?section=id&value=11739
 
I think the guitar tone sounds good. Plenty of chunk while retaining clarity. The bass sounds good too, low end with punch. The solo toward the end in the left ear is bit loud though. I'm personally not fond of the cymbal chosen during the parts where the drum beat is crashing out, it's a little abrasive. You might want to try a few others. Overall I dig it and I don't think the tune drags without the vox.
 
I think the guitar tone sounds good. Plenty of chunk while retaining clarity. The bass sounds good too, low end with punch. The solo toward the end in the left ear is bit loud though. I'm personally not fond of the cymbal chosen during the parts where the drum beat is crashing out, it's a little abrasive. You might want to try a few others. Overall I dig it and I don't think the tune drags without the vox.

Thanks for your feedback !

About the solo, i wasn't sure about the volume myself, and i also thinks it could use some compression to sound less aggressive (the fact that i played it wrong doesn't help for sure :) )

Not sure what you mean by "the parts where the drum beat is crashing out" though...
 
Thanks for your feedback !

About the solo, i wasn't sure about the volume myself, and i also thinks it could use some compression to sound less aggressive (the fact that i played it wrong doesn't help for sure :) )

Not sure what you mean by "the parts where the drum beat is crashing out" though...

By crashing out I mean when the drums are playing a beat using the crash cymbal instead of HH or ride.
 
Actually the crash is used a lot throughout the tune even in the begining with the overdubbed gtr melody. I think it needs to be something bigger sounding. Try chosing a larger crash. Does this make sense now?
 
Been trying out replacing my Avatar snare with a Hit Factory snare that has tons of crack/ring/room in it, which is the kind of tone i like (i love them pitched high also). Pitched down my avatar kick a bit also for more low end.

Snare volumes need some work (they're quite all over the place), i did this quickly to hear those snares in my mix, let me know what you think :

My former mix/kit (100% avatar) :

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15008135/Xs...s 135 (CrownOfThornzish)_20120131(Avatar).mp3

With replaced snare (various Hit Factory snares) and downtuned avatar kick :

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15008135/Xs...nOfThornzish)_20120131(wGMSBlueSnare@4-2).mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15008135/Xs...31(wGMSMapleAshShell(TunedHigh)Snare@4-2).mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15008135/Xs...ish)_20120131(wGMSMapleAshShellSnare@6-3).mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15008135/Xs...ornzish)_20120131(wGMSWoodShellSnare@6-3).mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15008135/Xs...ish)_20120131(wLudwigBrassShellSnare@6-3).mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15008135/Xs...ownOfThornzish)_20120131(wTrickSnare@6-3).mp3

EDIT : not been working on my mixes for a while, i'm gonna get back at it soon !