Punk-Rock mix (upping the ante)

[lolzgreg]

PUNK ROCK: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1569935/Phineas Gage- Smoking with the Lights Out MP3.mp3

This is one of the first mixes I've posed here in a while. Let me know what you guys think.

The EP is already done, so I won't be making any mix revisions.

In case you were curious, vocals were done with an SM7 through the SCA N72.

Rhythm Guitars were Dual Recto into Recto Cab dual mic'd with a 57 and 421, into SCA A12. Lead guitars were the same rig, but with the Baron XTC as the head. Maxon OD820 pro was used as a boost throughout.

Bass was Ampeg SVX and a a little processing chain I do separately for bass grind.

Tons of automation on this one. It may not be noticeable at first, but it's everywhere.

Mastered with Elephant... I love how transparent it is.

 

[Morgan C]

Instantly, even through laptop speakers, the guitars sounded really cloudy.

The rest is pretty decent, nice and punchy. The drums are probably a little too metal, and could have used a lot more playing with the velocities on the snare fills, they sound really programmed. The left crash is a little painfully bright too :/

 

[sinquestsound]

Hi,
Nice mix,

The drums are probably a little too metal,

+1,

My latest recorded Punk band, live drums, live guitars (some combo randall 2x12 - 1 sm57)
PUNK MIX

Stay Metall,

 

[Joshua Wickman]

Great mix dude. Guitars are a little muddy in the low mids thats my only gripe. The drums sound stellar. What did you end up using there?

 

[lolzgreg]

Unfortunately, my reamps were a bit lower mid heavy, since I was shooting for a bigger tone, and it kind of screwed me in the end a little. I used Ozone 4's built in multiband dynamics section on the guitar. Next time, I'll be more careful with the low mids when I track this kind of music


Thanks for the kind words, Josh. The drums are processed to hell and back.

My chain looks something like this:

Trigger (with up to five different samples, mainly LSD, a Slate, a D4, etc). I honestly don't remember which.
SSL G Channel
ApQualizer
Transient Designer
G Clip
G Clip
Elephant

I also have a parallel distortion bus going along with all of the drums- just a stock Cubase distortion that I liked the sound of. Tiny boost at around 1.9khz on that. There's also a touch of reverb.

I'm doing tons of drum automation throughout the mix as well.

 

[zvish]

great drums;p good idea with 2x g clip, i must try this

 

[lolzgreg]

That was Slate's advice, and it works pretty great.

 

[zvish]

but uncle Slate talks about 2bus not single tracks?;p if i remember

 

[Tommy Gun]

Actually, I work in a hardcore/punk bar, so I hear everything from GBH to Blood For Blood, very loud, on the reg... the guitars, you nailed. I would have backed of the snare verb a bit and given the bass guitar a little more of a "soapbox to stand on", but all-in-all, great job man!

 

[zackpennington]

This sounds fucking badass man. My only gripe is that there's hardly any harmonies (production issue, not a mix issue). I can hear them in my head in the repeated parts. Just some highass blink style harmony. I agree that the drums sound "metal" but most of my favorite punk bands are very metal influenced so I think it suits the track/sound.

 

[lolzgreg]

Actually, I work in a hardcore/punk bar, so I hear everything from GBH to Blood For Blood, very loud, on the reg... the guitars, you nailed. I would have backed of the snare verb a bit and given the bass guitar a little more of a "soapbox to stand on", but all-in-all, great job man!

Thanks man. I wish I could have given the bass "that spot" in the mix, but the playing wasn't clangy/dirty enough for it to jump out as much as I'd like.

This sounds fucking badass man. My only gripe is that there's hardly any harmonies (production issue, not a mix issue). I can hear them in my head in the repeated parts. Just some highass blink style harmony. I agree that the drums sound "metal" but most of my favorite punk bands are very metal influenced so I think it suits the track/sound.

I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. I wanted to harmonize the second chorus, as well as a bunch of other lines throughout this song, but the band and I agreed in the end we'd like the guitar overdubs to do most of the snazzing up, and keep it a bit more simple. The other two songs they did with me have tons of overdubs.

 

[AllanD]

It's good, but it doesn't really have a punk vibe.

 

[MondoLikeMetal]

Pros
Great Punk Voice! With the right people, you'll sell

Great song - Love the use of different groves in the same song

Gutar and bass sound ok

Cons
For punk, use a real drummer, or at least try not to have all the fills at the same velocity (While metal is more about being machine gun, rapid fire precise and slick, punk is about additude, and nothing is more of a buzzkill for punk than a "drum machine"

Double your lead vocal and maybe some harmony

Good luck - can't wait to see it happen for you!!!

 

[-J-]

sounds cool to me, like a heavier pennywise.

 

[gabriel g.]

you absolutly nailed the guitars!
drums are to metal and feel to programmed.
vocals sound great but a bit nasal.

and I hear the limiter on the 2bus.
I think it would has sounded more open without the gclips and only ozone4 and maybe some hardware clipping.

also do you have the waves api bundle.
the 550b is a wonderfull eq for guitars.
if you cut 2db at 500hz it doesnt change the sound soxmuch but gives vocals alot more room to breath.

cheers