Feedback on a mix?

[bungle]

Hi,

Last week my band recorded a couple of tracks. We did it kind of live - bass and drums together, then guitar then vocals, all of it in single full takes rather than dropping in and out. It was recorded to tape - the drums were done with just snare, kick and 2 overheads and the bass was a mix of DI and mic'd cab.

We've had the mixes back, and we're not entirely happy with them. We didn't pay very much or spend huge amounts of time tracking and they're the first recordings we've done in this guise, so we aren't expecting miracles.

In general I think the vocals are too loud, and the snare too. I think the bass might be a bit quiet, and that the choruses/ending bits could do with the instrumentation ramping up a bit so it feels like it kicks in a bit more.

I'd be really interested in some constructive suggestions to go back to the guy with.

The tracks are here:

[url="http://soundcloud.com/goodmoves/tombs/s-Hekag"]http://soundcloud.co...s/tombs/s-Hekag[/url]
[url="http://soundcloud.com/goodmoves/flaws/s-xwDMU"]http://soundcloud.co...s/flaws/s-xwDMU[/url]

Cheers,
Andy

[musophilr]

[b]Tombs[/b] - wouldn't say the snare is too loud, just the rest of the rhythm section not quite as loud as it should be. Bass came on a bit stronger at around 2.30 and IMO that's where it should be.

[b]Flaws[/b] - likewise I'd say the rest of the rhythm section should come up to match where the snare is but at 1.58 the bass came on stronger which is where it should be

[lettsguitars]

Ask the guy for all the seperate audio and mix it yourself or ask around. A lot of folks would have a go at a mix/master for nowt (me included).

[charic]

Sounds a little bit "thin" to me. There's loads of opportunity for this to be made much more interesting from a mix perspective. I would honestly say they've been a little bit lazy with the mix.

As above really, if you're able to get hold of the original audio then do and look around for someone to mix it.

As with letts I'm also happy to do a bit of work for free, my reasoning being that I've just got a new system I need to get my head around again

[xilddx]

I listened to Tombs. It all sounds as dry as a dog biscuit, sorry. The sounds need to be much brighter, they need much more punch and sparkle. The balance of the voice and instruments isn't great but that is easily sorted. It's just not inspiring to listen to the way it sounds now. Nothing you can't fix up, but it does need someone with mixing ability. Ideally, you need to think about how you track, you almost certainly need to print better sounds.

Sorry if that sounds negative, but I wouldn't want to blow smoke up your arse.

[charic]

Have just listened to the second track... sounds like somethings clipping somewhere in there. That may well be harder to fix.

[bungle]

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1335268613' post='1628285']
I listened to Tombs. It all sounds as dry as a dog biscuit, sorry. The sounds need to be much brighter, they need much more punch and sparkle. The balance of the voice and instruments isn't great but that is easily sorted. It's just not inspiring to listen to the way it sounds now. Nothing you can't fix up, but it does need someone with mixing ability. Ideally, you need to think about how you track, you almost certainly need to print better sounds.

Sorry if that sounds negative, but I wouldn't want to blow smoke up your arse.
[/quote]

Nor would I want you to. I guess that's pretty much how we feel about it - they lack punch. As I'd said in the OP, we didn't spend that much time or money on them, and they are just a tool to get some more gigs and to have something to put up on the web. I guess I'll email back with some of the thoughts/suggestions on this thread and some of my own, and see if his second stab is any better.

In the past, in a previous band with some members in common with this one we spent quite a lot of time and money on recordings with a quite pushy producer, and they came out with too much sparkle and sheen for our taste. I think these recordings are too much the other way, and there is some middle ground to be had.

I am intrigued to know what you mean by this below. Do you mean that the guitar/bass sounds aren't right (in terms of tone used/mic use/placement etc), the performance isn't good enough, or both?

[quote]Ideally, you need to think about how you track, you almost certainly need to print better sounds.[/quote]

[pendingrequests]

Tombs:
Drums sound like they were played on a toy drum kit.
Too much sense of space i.e. all instruments sound as if they are in separate rooms
You really should just be using the DI track of the bass and not the cab also. It sounds overpowering and not a good balance between the two.
Where's the kick drum?
The guitar really should be re-recorded. There's some weird delay/reverb happening when he starts strumming.
Cymbals are very washy. Sound as if they are being played metres away from the kit.

Finally, I made get killed for this......but the bass is far too loud.

Sorry for sounding like a Debby Downer, but if it'll help getting these recordings of the ground then its all for the greater good

[51m0n]

Usual disclaimer, I'll write what I think as I hear it, so this is going to be distinctly Mr Wolf, anot at all kind, in all likelihood.

[u]Tombs[/u]

Nasty snare, very tubby, the kick is just not happening at all, in fact a horrible representation of the drum kit, I hope it is the mix thats ruined that rather than the tracking!
Guitar sound is rather uninspiring, could be made far more sparkly, its a rather nice line in an old school indie kind of way. Liking the part a lot.
Vocal has a horrible reverb on it, something rackmount, digtial, old and very crap by the sound of it. Nasty s'ing going on, wrong compression on there, or just a generic LDC used rather than finding something to work beter. SOme careful work could bring this round I think

No sense of space, very mono mix, needs totally sorting out to give the vocal some room to take center stage.

It genuinely sounds very demoish and amateur to me. Certainly could well be possible to get a far better sounding mix, I've heard better mixes done by students.

[u]Flaws[/u]

Better mix, slightly,

The snare has no sparkle at all, very gated? and also compressed with too fast an attack maybe? That would explain the lack of bite. Not so much of the tub about it when its given a good whack as in Tombs though.

I imagine there is a kick drum on that kit, but I cant really make it out. Did they forget to turn the channel on? What were they using to monitor with when they mixed this?

Guitar wants to be the Edge on this one, fine stuff, but again straight down the middle of the mix, no sense of stereo, no space for the vocal.


What can I say, I'm not surprised you are underwhelmed, those are really nasty rushed mixes IMO, assuming the tracking is at all reasonable. Seems a distinct lack of understanding musically, as well as technically.

These just sound tiny from start to finish. Horrible stuff, I'd want the tracks off them and pay a decent mix engineer to rescue the project!

[charic]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1335279636' post='1628515']
Usual disclaimer, I'll write what I think as I hear it, so this is going to be distinctly Mr Wolf, anot at all kind, in all likelihood.

...

These just sound tiny from start to finish. Horrible stuff, I'd want the tracks off them and pay a decent mix engineer to rescue the project!
[/quote]

Good ears that man!

[51m0n]

[quote name='bungle' timestamp='1335272407' post='1628376']
As I'd said in the OP, we didn't spend that much time or money on them, and they are just a tool to get some more gigs and to have something to put up on the web.
[/quote]

Well that wont get you any gigs at all, it sounds very poor. If you want to hear what you're up against in terms of demos to get gigs, [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/173984-first-demo-from-skareggae-originals-band/page__fromsearch__1"]check out this topic[/url], the originals band here have recorded three tracks fo rexactly the same purpose, and their demo sounds superb. I know which band I'd put on if it were me, going on the demos alone....

[xilddx]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1335313282' post='1629267']
Well that wont get you any gigs at all, it sounds very poor. If you want to hear what you're up against in terms of demos to get gigs, [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/173984-first-demo-from-skareggae-originals-band/page__fromsearch__1"]check out this topic[/url], the originals band here have recorded three tracks fo rexactly the same purpose, and their demo sounds superb. I know which band I'd put on if it were me, going on the demos alone....
[/quote]

+1 !!