Opinions on Mixing.... need your Hearing...

[3nity]

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=905214&content=music

Listen to the track No name track......

It was not recorded/mixed/mastered by me....

THe artist wants me to make it sound better....

What would change??? to me it sounds like completely bad mixed....just like a demo!

Thanks Guys.

 

[Mbira]

Just got about half-way through it.  I guess I would start from the ground up and try and get a drum sound that I like and then the bass.  Then I'd start working on getting the vocals more powerful...Or maybe get her into a studio with a vocal sound that you love and do a retake?  IMO you are trying to 'fix it in the mix' and there is only so much you can do.  Listen to tracks that are in a similar vein and see how their drums, bass and vox sound.  But remember there is a LOT of music out there that sounds much worse!

 

[Davo]

I second what Mbira said... I'd start by getting those drums more present.  It might be that it's an mp3, but I can
barely hear the kick, and I'd add some more pop to the snare (maybe compress with an 1176 and combine with the original)....
I like punchy bass, so once again, a bit of compression.
It sounds like all the elements are there, just needs some reworking.... I bet you can do a better job!
Anyway, my two cents

 

[Svart]

kick needs to be punchier.
Snare needs more presence(more snare snap)
toms are ok.

guitars are too faint.  more compression and more bottom end, less echo/reverb if possible.

bass guitar needs more bottom end.

cymbals need more sparkle.

voice is a little muffled but still has too many sibilants.  Try multiband compression around the S freqs.

 

[analag]

Just get her in the studio and do what you are capable of...once you get the public involved, everything goes to shit. Too many egos and opinions. Just work with the artist and you'll know it when it feels right. The song sounds like shit that's why she came to you.

 

[3nity]

Just get her in the studio and do what you are capable of...once you get the public involved, everything goes to shit. Too many egos and opinions. Just work with the artist and you'll know it when it feels right.

Thats funny....
Worst thing its that i know her potential..
For now she only wants to overdub vocals and a remixing....

PS: i was putting the finishing touches to my S800 Eq...i decided to hear what the EQ was capable...
the mix sounded a lot more clear and top end at the outs...

Lol Thanks guys i'll do a lot more better.

Jorge Aristondo.

 

[Mbira]

You know, like with most things it will probably take more time (and money) for you to fix someone elses recording than it would be for her to rerecord the whole thing with you...

 

[Larrchild]

Use half of the tracks and make those half twice as big.=)

 

[analag]

Use half of the tracks and make those half twice as big.=)

Big?...how about making the vocals work harmoniously with the rest of the track. She is going flat in some areas and the build up around the chorus makes me feel like I didn't quite make it to the .....she has potential but the producer just got carried away with the guitar.

 

[Larrchild]

Not talking about the vocal, I'm talking about the track.

 

[analag]

In production, my first love is the vocal. The rest is simply the accompaniment.So you can understand my reaction to the lack of attention the vocals was subjected to.

 

[josan]

focus on the vocals +1  I personally do not like to have the drums so in my face. Drums and drummers should elevate the vocals not pound them into the ground especially if they are just so so 

 

[Larrchild]

In production, my first love is the vocal. The rest is simply the accompaniment.So you can understand my reaction to the lack of attention the vocals was subjected to.

I'm just sayin the slab of the house has to be firm like cement, not mud.
Or the vocal won't want to live there, anyway.=)

 

[spica]

The link just takes me to soundclick.com and entering it manually doesn't seem to work on my machine...  :-\

 

[3nity]

Link is on now...

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=905214&content=music

 

[3nity]

From what i heard....the producer was the guitar player......
Personally drum Kick is lost...as well as Bass Guitar...
She is going flat at a lots of parts...
Her performance seems like the first take..no emotion.
Seems like not EQ at all...

 

[MartyMart]

IMO - She sounds quite decent and could either pull off a few better takes or be
"fixed" as far as a few tuning things go, I don't find it to be an "unemotional" vocal take !

The drum track is one of the worst I've heard in a while, sounds like he is playing to a totally
different song ! - it's VERY forward leaning also, not a good thing in this song as it pushes it
along in a horrible way. ( the 16's hats HAVE to go )

The ambience on everything seems overdone, needs to be tighter and dryer for sure.
I would start with replacing the drum track and I just hope that not everyone has followed that
horrible "push along" timing thing !!

Marty.

( I could be totally off the mark, but that's what I would do with it )

 

[3nity]

you know you're right the drums is like playing to another song!!!
I mean no emotion but from the musicians or music....

 

[ColinS]

...once you get the public involved, everything goes to shit. Too many egos and opinions. Just work with the artist and you'll know it when it feels right.

I'm not a recording engineer or producer by any stretch of the imagination, more of a live PA kinda guy, so I should probably keep my opinions on this to myself. But I couldn't agree more with what analag said in his first post.

Asking 10 people what they think is wrong or right about a mix (or anything artistic for that matter) and you'll get at least 10 conflicting answers. There is no right or wrong mix, it's entirely dependent on what you're trying to achieve. I would say, that in this case what has been achieved is something which sounds very "live". There are some mistakes, the tuning in the vocal isn't great and is quite sibilant (although that could be down to the MP3 process), the drums sound angry and the hi-hats sound like they've got a mind of their own. However, it does have a very honest girl-rock sound to it, if that's what the original intention was, then it's pretty good.

Music is an art, not a science. Ask your artist what she wants it to sound like then try to make it work, re-record what you have to and fix what you can in the mix. At the end of the day it's her work and she has to say what she does and doesn't like about it.

 

[mushy]

I'll try to keep my comments to the subject of sonics because it seems the areas of production and vocal performance have been covered.

Overall, it feels way too wet to me.  I think that's where a lot of your "punchiness" is going. The drums particularly.  In addition to using less, the times can be a bit shorter.  The vocal is very sibilant as well.  I'd like to hear a little less brightness and a bit more bite (800Hz or so) on the vocal as well.  Remember that midrange can be your friend.  The overall mix feels a bit "smile curved". 

Balance wise there is nothing "wrong" with this mix but "right" isn't always "good". This concept is a bit touchy feely hippy crystal crapola but I'm gonna throw it out anyway.  Not everything has to be at the perfect level through the whole mix.  Sometimes some of the color elements can jump out at certain moments.  Think of it as a matter of perspective.  When you frame a photo shot, for example, and place something in the foreground of your shot to give the overall picture a sense of depth.  Listen to records you love.  Hell, listen to records anyone loves (the band, the producer, your cousin, etc) and listen to where the instruments sit.  I'll bet that at least one instrument in each song will surprise you when you really pay attention to where it's all placed.  When someone pointed out to me where the tambourine sits in most Rolling Stones tracks I just about plotzed.  It's louder than the vocal half the time.

I hate this zen and the art of mixing shit but here goes:  Feel the mix.  Be one with the mix. Less head more heart.

Course at the same time you have to remember all of the technical stuff you've learned over the years.  That's what makes mixing more artisanal that artistic.

Me shut up now.