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Advice/Suggestions on Mix

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  • 15-04-2007 2:54am
    #1
    Paligulus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 364 ✭✭


    Hi folks,
    I posted a couple of months ago asking for people to give some advice on my home recordings. I got some great feedback and I've spent the last couple of months trying to learn as much from the net and books on ways to improve my mixes. (BTW for me, the best resource was The Mixing Engineers Handbook -by Bobby Owsinski - Excellant book. Couldn't recommend it enough).

    Anyway I'd like if yee could take the time to have a listen to my latest songs and make a few suggestions on any aspect of the songs that may improve them.

    The songs are "Once Upon a..." and "Putting in the Hours".
    "Putting in the Hours" is a bit of funk sillyness but I kind of like it!!! "One upon a..." is a bit more serious and I put more effort into the lyrics etc.. I'd say "Putting in the Hours" is a better mix though...

    You can find them here:
    http://www.artistserver.com/paligulus

    If you wanna listen to my other ones:
    http://paligulus.bebo.com


    BTW im using:
    Cubase SX3
    Toneport
    Gearbox
    Ezdrummer
    Organised Trio vst (for organ)
    Edirol Orchestrol

    All criticism welcome!!!

    Cheers Dave


Comments

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    #2
    pinksoir
    Registered Users Posts: 1,735 ✭✭✭pinksoir


    i like putting i the hours. the falsettos are great as is the guitar/bass work. not too sure about the lower vocals though, they seem a bit week. could you beef them up a bit? if you wanted to go funkier you could double track them, or add abit o chorus or flange...


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    #3
    Paligulus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 364 ✭✭Paligulus


    Cheers for listening pinksoir.
    I tend to double track most of the vocals but I never really put much FX on one of them. On "Once upon a..." I double tracked most of the vocals and had one nornal and then the other with a fairly heavy reverb. That's as much FX as I've used.
    I havn't tried chorus on vocals though. I'll try flange as well but I'd imagine I'll have to do so with a fair amount of restraint!!!
    Cheers


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    #4
    brettzy
    Registered Users Posts: 164 ✭✭brettzy


    Paligulus, not a bad sound for a home studio. EZ Drummer sounds pretty good, but you need to busy up the beats a little, add some fills and cymbals. Get a drummer to sit with you when you program it, might help!!

    I wouldn't double track the vocals here, it's not really that type of song.

    What mic and pre are you using for vocals??? They sound a touch on the dull side! This has nothing to do with your singing it more a mixing thing!!

    Try one or two things.

    1. If you have a nice EQ plugin like Waves SSL channel or Voxengo GlissEQ add a nice bit of "air" to the vocals by boosting a little around 10-12kHz. It will help to open them up and place then higher(not volume but space) in the mix! If EQ isn't cutting it then try a multi band compressor and boost the top band from 10k to 12k.

    2. When you have a nice airy sound then add some distortion to the vocals, just a tiny tiny bit, if you can hear distortion it's too much. What it will do is add a 2nd and maybe 3rd harmonic to the vocals which will make it sound bigger without being louder!! DaTube should do the trick in SX3. Otherwise try Voxengos warmifier!

    There are a few more things I'd point out in terms of mixing but I have to go, my girlfriend is giving out to me. It's my first day off from the studio in nearly 2 weeks and I'm back on line talking about recording! I really am a NERD!!

    Keep up the good work!!


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    #5
    Paligulus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 364 ✭✭Paligulus


    Cheers for the advice Brettzy...
    EZ Drummer sounds pretty good, but you need to busy up the beats a little, add some fills and cymbals. Get a drummer to sit with you when you program it, might help!!

    I definately agree with you on that one (and admitting is half the trouble, right?!!!!:) ) This is something I'm working on and slowly making progress on. I'm just basically listening to my fav CD's and trying to expand my fill repertoire as best I can!!!!!
    What mic and pre are you using for vocals??? They sound a touch on the dull side!
    Thats a problem on all my recordings. I'm using the Toneport UX2 and the Gearbox modelling software that comes bundelled with it. The mic I'm using is just a dynamic Leem mic:
    http://www.promusicaustralia.com/other/LeemImages/SR-305.JPG

    1. If you have a nice EQ plugin like Waves SSL channel or Voxengo GlissEQ add a nice bit of "air" to the vocals by boosting a little around 10-12kHz. It will help to open them up and place then higher(not volume but space) in the mix! If EQ isn't cutting it then try a multi band compressor and boost the top band from 10k to 12k.

    2. When you have a nice airy sound then add some distortion to the vocals, just a tiny tiny bit, if you can hear distortion it's too much. What it will do is add a 2nd and maybe 3rd harmonic to the vocals which will make it sound bigger without being louder!! DaTube should do the trick in SX3. Otherwise try Voxengos warmifier!

    That is some great sticky-worthy advice. I'll definately try it. I've never actually touched any EQ above 5K!!! Makes sense though.
    I've never added to distortion to vox except as an exaggerated effect so I will try this too.

    Cheers again


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    #6
    brettzy
    Registered Users Posts: 164 ✭✭brettzy


    Anytime!!

    Now knowing what you had to work with I say "hats off to you sir!!". Good work!!

    Just one thing on the drums! I'm pretty sure EZ drummer has built in grooves. If so, find a beat and some fills that near suit your mix. Then (if EZ Drummer has a midi output) route the midi out to a midi track and record the groove in midi. Then go in and manually edit the beats! It might be time consuming at the start but it would help you to learn the way drum patterns are constructed.


    Keep posting your stuff!!

    Paligulus wrote:
    Cheers for the advice Brettzy...



    I definately agree with you on that one (and admitting is half the trouble, right?!!!!:) ) This is something I'm working on and slowly making progress on. I'm just basically listening to my fav CD's and trying to expand my fill repertoire as best I can!!!!!


    Thats a problem on all my recordings. I'm using the Toneport UX2 and the Gearbox modelling software that comes bundelled with it. The mic I'm using is just a dynamic Leem mic:
    http://www.promusicaustralia.com/other/LeemImages/SR-305.JPG




    That is some great sticky-worthy advice. I'll definately try it. I've never actually touched any EQ above 5K!!! Makes sense though.
    I've never added to distortion to vox except as an exaggerated effect so I will try this too.

    Cheers again


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