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Author Topic: IMP15 discussion  (Read 22136 times)

typek

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #75 on: October 24, 2007, 12:23:04 PM »

osumosan wrote on Mon, 22 October 2007 23:17


Jhall
This has got the bottom. And the mix is close and intimate. Floor tom is clipping? Vox? Organ? Bass? Maybe the mix is clipping. The floor is the one track that seems to be disconnected. Are there gates on the toms. Is the release to quick?




hey..
so.. whats wrong with me- i cant hear where the floor tom is clipping.. can you point me in the right spot ? I am still trying to tune my ears to these small things you guys are all mentioning. Also, I am having trouble hearing the sound of "over compressed" things, and i think it is definitely showing in my mix. I have been comparing the supposed over compressed mixes/drums to other mixes, but cant hear too much of a difference. Is there some sort of approach or something specific I can be listening for? I know that's sort of a weird question- but I am trying to identify these things.
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J-Texas

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #76 on: October 24, 2007, 05:54:46 PM »

garret wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 09:50

I was overly harsh about it... it's a damn fine mix if you roll off the 10k shelf, and drop some 4khz (harsh vocal presence.).



Wow!  Very Happy

Whenever I get ripped by any other crits... I'll just read this one again! LOL


You know... without making excuses.  Embarassed I was so stoked about getting our control room finished. I took this thing down on Sunday night. The RADAR was giving me problems (needed to back some stuff up = no time). So I did this one in the home studio again on the NS10M's. We just got some new ProAc's and I was REALLY looking forward to doing this one in the new room. IMP 16. I can't wait to hear some feedback on the next one. It's been a long, difficult road to finishing, but I've gotten a descent freq response at the mix position. There is a lot of bass buildup around the perimeter of the room and at my position there is a little dip around 300 to 325. I'm happy and can't wait.

I did put on the Fostex headphones and the mix is bright.

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garret

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #77 on: October 24, 2007, 06:03:48 PM »

J-Texas wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 17:54

garret wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 09:50

I was overly harsh about it... it's a damn fine mix if you roll off the 10k shelf, and drop some 4khz (harsh vocal presence.).



Wow!  Very Happy

Whenever I get ripped by any other crits... I'll just read this one again! LOL


Indeed.... it's funny how much I react to high end... especially if I'm working quickly through a bunch of mixes... if you have hearing loss up there, I must have super hearing.

I just can't listen to it... pain pain pain. Smile

The general point is a good one... everyone who thinks I blasted ya in my "reviews", just remember that 10 minutes later I might have a different opinion.   I like the lyric from whatever Streets song it is... "It's hard enough to remember my opinions without remembering my reasons for them."

A lot of the reviews here are first impressions.  And that's great feedback, because most people do judge stuff by the first few seconds...  but it can be inconsistent... one user will hear a vocal as too loud, and another as too quiet, and maybe it is each, at various points in the song.  The real problem might be that the vocal level is inconsistent...

Gotta run, so I'm done rambling...

Cheers,
-Garret
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Doug_H

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #78 on: October 24, 2007, 08:49:33 PM »

My notes

Audio Geek
Liked it except the drums.  No kick up with the bass (which was about as loud as one could risk) and the snare sounded hard and chattery.  I kind'a dug the whole sax in your face concept.


iCombs
Kick and snare sound poppy.  Great sound on the vocal, clean mid range. I thought the kick and vocal were too dominant.


carefulcollapse
I like this right off the top.  Accoutic sounds a bit boomy.  Ya, the production gets a bit distracting but the mix is good.  Nice snare.


M_Carter
Bottom end sounds stuffy.  I was going to say it sounded like someone forgot to switch a couple of drum mics, buit then it started reminding me of old zep albums and I started digging it.  Something not quite there thought.  "Big" sounding mix, viocaks stuck out as too dry or forward or something.  Neat idea to dump the guitars near the end.

CJWall
yikes, it's open. COuld have left some low end on the kick IMO.  I liked listening to this but I have to say it's too bright and shrill.


osumosan
Big punchy bass eats the intro, and some other sections in the song.  Clear natural sounding mix, nothing but the bass sounds wrong to me.  Accoustic guitars sound nice.


darkhorseporter
Another big bass mix, maybe I'm wrong about this, I know this tune was begging to let the bass free, but...
Add that drone from the keys and I think this mix needs more air (and snare).


kellen_tyburski
intro sounds great.  I'd like louder vocals and more top end.  Big panning on toms always throws me.  


SingSing
Intro sax is kid of brittle.  Arrangment works for me.  Production maybe too bright.  This mix highlites the vocal performance which I think was great.  If this was a little less edgy it might be my favourite mix.
Drums at the end are pushing it a bit, but it all works.


JHall
Great drums and bottom end. Very clean uncluttered mix. Vocal tracks are mixed too loud for my taste.  Maybe could have used a touch more tinsle from the room mic or something.


ATOR
Probably the only mix I've heard so far with not enough bass.  I like this mix the more I listen to it.  Iv'e got some complaints here and there, like the tinselly accoustic guitars, but the production works.


Teleric
This has a good balanced sound right out of the gate.  Mix does a good job of presenting everything and capturing all the hooks, nice.  


Greg_Dixon
Not too clear on the bottom end.  Snare is kind of thuddy at times and that keyboard drone is killing me.  Rest of the mix sounds great, nice Sax.


JasonThompson
I like the drum sound drums.  Vocals are too edgy, especially as loud as they are mixed.  Soft sax in the background is working for me.


Mac_Liam
unobtrusive easy to take sound.  Maybe could use more edge or a punched up bottom.  Simple and uncluttered, grows on you.  Drums need more air, I think that may be my only complaint.  The sax break around 3:00 jumped out at me as sounding particularly good for some reason.


slash5969
Cool vocal effects that suited the mix.  It's kind of all drums and vocal.


garret
I like that the guitars are played up.  Had a hard time making out the kick, I think that's what's missing cause I couldn't put my finger on it for a while.  needs Mix is knd of flat, needs more push and pull. The all important sax blended in good.


mcsnare
I like the sound of this even if it sounds a bit bassy off the top.  Nice balance and presentation of the different elements.  Snare sounds a touch deep and poppy, maybe from a compressor.


maxim
Those are the keys?  Sort of cool, can't decide.  Guitars seem too dominant to me even though I liked the mixes that played them up.  Maybe it's just the one on the right.  Open and clean sounding mix for the most part, could use more top end.


cymatics
Almost missed this one cause I didn't check who it was from.
Dreamy vibe.  I think the snare should be toned down cause I really like the rest of the mix. Drums in general are too in my face.  Probably the only mix where I like the drone from the keys.


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J-Texas

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #79 on: October 24, 2007, 11:00:08 PM »

Garret - Nice acoustics. I like the low end in them. Nice verb on the vocals. Not overdone... I like the space. Good mix of the sax. The one thing that I'm missing is the bass drum in the mix. I could say that the bass guitar could come up, but then that would ruin it. If the kick comes up it ruins the bass guitar. I see where you were going man. Nice ending.

slash5969 - I like the establishment. I think the delay would be awesome if you used it more sparingly. Cool idea. If it just crept in at the end of the phrases or something? That's a lot of compression on the drums man. Especially the kick and the hats. Maybe if the snare was up more you wouldn't have used that much?? I love the ending man. Cool FX on the adlib vocal. Sax seems to me a few dB too low. I like that track in the background but not to strain.

Greg Dixon - Super duper sax out the box man. I would have like a lot more air on the snare. To me, a sax and the tom hits shouldn't beat the snare on high end. I love the mix everything else. It just really sounds odd. The kick is nice. The bass is nice with the kick. Personal preference I guess. I need a little more sheen on the OH and the snare. Not a lot of separation in the instrument. Panning yes. But not wide. Intentional?

mac - a little more automation on the vox? This mix... they doen't need compression. Just more consistency. (and a couple of db IMHO) Stronger snare to hold up to that kick and bass? I like the EQ on the mids though. A few tweaks. I like the dry sound. It's not dead, but not washed out. Cool. Adlib kind of pokes out. Part of the vocal automation thing. Straight approach, but cool man.

teleric - Bright. I like it already. Fat kick. Vox a little low for me. Oops. Actually... all over the place. This mix could use a little compression on the vox. I love the drums man. Bass is a little strong. A lot strong I guess. Distracting. Sax doesn't sit for me stuck way out there to the right. It's odd enough without accentuating it by drawing that much attention to it. So dissonant that lead organ, huh? I guess you liked it. Did you mean to leave the ending not cleaned up?

Jason Thompson - Cool drums. Too much on the high end overall. I hear it. I like the 70s quick delay on the vocal. Where's the sax when the vocal isn't in? Muddy bass. Needed automation on the vocal. Relied only on compression. I like the drone of the second Hammond as a dreamy pad. Good backup vocal balance. I like the buildup at the end. Ending sounds cool. Dude... you are SO biased.

ATOR - Man that's a lot of kick. I love that decay on the floor tom. BOOM. Cool acoustics. Kind of sound like a Dobro. I like the take off of the mothership too. Is it possible for the snare to have more bass than the kick? Sounds like it. Spacey man. Cool. Wait don't leave me. Take me with you mothership. I like.

cjwallgor - Holy hell. Tell that little dude in my head to stop knocking on my eardrum. These sounds are way over the top dude. It works great on the sax for me though. I like the vocal. I like the lead/backup vocal balance. I'm fighting all of these other things to hear that though. Trippy ending. Another one. It's cool if you want to hear the sticks, but where's the fade man? I know... the mastering guy will do that.  Rolling Eyes

darkhorseporter - What? Now a dirty intro? LOL. Meet my pet his name is Peeve. Vocal is not consistent. I like vox hotter than usual. Unless it's instrumental, that's where the message is. Snare doesn't hold up to the vocal eq. I like where the bass sits. First organ is cool, but just a BIT hot for me. I think the second organ could be that hot in most places, in some, it's too much. No adlib vocal? And dirty ending. Man you're killing me!  Twisted Evil

J. Hall - What the hell is that on the bass? Cool drums... as usual. That's your strongest suit IMO and the hardest thing to get right. Your kicks are always cool to me. Just a little brighter on the vox man!!! That lead organ is really twisted too. Distorted. I do like how you can hear everything on the bass. I gated mine. It is cool to hear it that way. Another off to the right sax thing. weird to me. I think the adlib vocal effect is cool, but too far out in front. The eq is different on that. I wish the rest of them had that treatment. The bass took a left at the outro!

SingSing - Sax. Exit. Stage right. I like the ethereal space. Although a good choice of verb for me, it's a bit too much. I miss the drums, please tell them to come back. Whoa!!! Not like that man! OK. I can go for that. When the bass came back in it sounded cool. Cool way to end it man. The only problem I have with it... if you're going to copy a drum part... make sure it's in the pocket. Obviously the tempo sped up at the end. The lazy sounding beat makes the sax WAY too far out front of the groove. All in all... I like it.

osumosan - Kick is weird. Replaced or really compressed and eq'd? I like the delay on the vocals. Very tasty. That could have been terrible. It's not. I love the eq on the acoustics. The vocal seems to be too low. Like I said before, I hate to strain to hear a vocal. If it wasn't important... it would be an instrumental. I like the drums overall. I think it would have worked very well in the sparse verse to use that delay on the middle line only. I like the evenness of the bass, but loosen that attack. It has no dynamics. Quick fade dude?

typek - Interesting intro. It highlights the sax part since it recurs throughout. Dude, you moved that lead organ didn't you? Way off my man. Vocal is WAY too low. Not just for me. It shouldn't be shadowed by an acoustic guitar bro'. Your bass works. Kind of dull for the kick. it would have been nice to hear that gap closed up a bit. You move some stuff huh? Where did you move the adlib vocal?

Audio-Geek - At least your dirty front was a count-off! LOL. Vocal is low man. Every time I say that it comes up. It needs automaiton. I like where the sax sits (edited remark = in most places). I can't figure out the drums. I don't like it though. Flabby and distorted. Backup vox overpower the lead. If they would have been ducked underneath... the stereo effect would have jived. In the outro I really could appreciate the early reflections on the OH. They sounded cool there.

cymatics - Your avatar scares me. Won't you take me down to Compression-town. I LOVE the vocal!!!!! A little less of the flanger/phaser would have left a great taste in my mouth. Delay on the acoustic? It's almost like a pad. Cool. If only a few things were tricked-out man! I like the growl on the 2nd Hammond. I would like nothing on the backup vocal too. The FX sound really weird stacked up. Whoa! ACID PARTY ENDING.

iCombs - They say soft panning is for wimps... I guess you are not one.  Smile Thank God for stereo. I would like to hear some stereo verb on that sax to match the separation though. nice vocal balance with the backups. What I notice most about this is that it sounds low in volume, but the dynamics are there. Something forgotten about a lot of times. That being said... I would like more low in the snare and less click in the kick. Just my opinion. I love the kick/bass guitar relationship too. My favorite overall mix so far.

Careful Collapse - Ok. The thing that I like about the last mix is the separation. What made it cool was that it was the same instrument on both sides. This is disturbing. Cool drums dude. I think is what I was going for. Nice vox. WHOA! green.green. Wait what was that? Sounded like you chopped up a verb trail on the vocal. I like the sound of the sax. Very cool and spacey. I really don't like all the hard panning of stuff. I usually would try it myself, but it kind of hurts because there is no freq balance. They are different ranges. I would have even put the backup vox on the left side to match the guitar, you know? I like the circus tent thing at the end. Very carnivalish. The adlib treatment made that very cool.

M Carter - Once again... a mix that sounds low in volume, but has cool dynamics. More vocal man!!  Sad Another far right sax! I love the punch in the snare. Good kick/bass balance. Sounds like a band in a tight room. Of course, the sax guy is in the corner... he's been bad or something.  Very Happy intimate. I like. The side sticks stand out and everything. Nice use of the room and the OH dude. Adlib thing is doing something funny. Gate closing up? I like the long fade. The panned right vox are killing me too. You know I'm just sensitive to it now.

Doug H - Yowzah! Need some separation with the two guitars man. Everything kind of sounds straight up the middle. A lot of midrange in this mix. The snare is fighting with the vox. Organs are a little hot for me. Everything just seems built up in the midrange. It's hard to get a handle on the parts. Sounds like you relied heavily on the room for the snare and then eq'd that. I would try working on keeping things closer in their freq range.

maxim - Hot acoustics in comparison to everything else. More vox. Nope. Automation. VERY cool organ thing man. Ringo snare. I could use more kick in this. It gets lost in all the mayhem. I really love that organ growl. Extra help on the left guitar eq in the midrange? Or less in the right? More snare punch along with the kick. i like this direction a lot!!!!

mcsnare - Kick... in the balls. Fat bottom. Nice acoustics. Man! Did you Autotune these vocals? Something strange in there. Beautiful balance. Drums sound incredible. I guess we saved the best for last. Being the last mix, I stayed interested in it the whole time. You have some growl on that low organ too? I love how this mix fills up the whole space left to right. There seems to be no frequency or spacial balance unused. Very cool. Brother. That's how it's done.
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Jason Thompson
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j.hall

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #80 on: October 24, 2007, 11:17:53 PM »

M Carter wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 09:26

make for more level comparisons.  

I know J.'s world is different, but I'm personally unaware of a situation in mine where the engineer is 100% unfamiliar with the client.  Maybe the New York scene is just different in that way.



i would never say i'm "unfamiliar" with the artists that i mix for.  i would say that it's VERY common for my first listen of a song to be me beginning to actually mix it.

in "my world" (defined as that of a mixer) i think this is very common.  and i might go as far to say that my ability to react to a track, and make quick decisions is what pays my bills........perhaps that's arrogant, i don't really know.

i know the artist as much as i have communication with them prior to the tracks showing up, and i get a chance to get an overall feel for what is in their head.

even at that, i still get, 90% of the time, the client saying, "hey man, make it rock" and that's it.  i quite enjoy trying to deliver for them without any other direction.

perhaps brings a bit of clarity to what "my world" is and is not.

the mixes i do for IMP, are exactly what i would have done for a pay session.  i really don't know how to do it any other way any more.
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M Carter

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #81 on: October 25, 2007, 12:28:47 AM »

J. -

I wasn't implying anything otherwise, and I hope you didn't feel the need to justify the way you do things based on what I said.  You're quite obviously successful the way you do things.

Generally speaking, I'm used to dealing with engineers and producers who have stayed with a project through its duration. Most mix sessions at Legacy are either producer or artist attended, or both.  I was just trying to illustrate that there are many different approaches in this business of making records.  You and I come from completely different places in it.  

you dig?




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Matt Carter
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mac

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #82 on: October 25, 2007, 01:10:07 AM »

ATOR - i like the 'howling wind' effect on the organ, although i think in a couple of places it distracts.  

M Carter - sax might as well not be there in the intro, i find myself straining to hear it.  i'm struggling with the room sound on the drums, doesn't seem to match the rest of the band, except maybe the organs.

J Hall - i like what you've done with the organs.  the distorted bass scares me a little.  i'd like the delay on the ad libbed vocal to last a little longer ( more repeats )

Garret - missing the kick a bit in the intro.  i like the sound and space of the guitars.  the vocals (especially when with harmonies) seem to bury everything else around them.  nice take on the ending with no drums

SingSing - everything seems to sit in the same space and belong together.  i almost forgot there was no drums, until they came in and gave me a shock.  i think the effect on the drums is  a bit much, although i see where you were going with it.  i think the ending is a bit sparse reverb wise compared to the rest of the track

cymatics - missing a lot of tops.  kick and bass work well together.  i kind of like the effect on the vocal in the chorus, although i could have used a bit less in the verses.  seems a little busy in the ending

audio geek - harmonies seem to overpower the lead vocal, kick doesn't work for me. i like the bass though.

CJ Wall - so far i'm liking what you did with the guitars.  i like the drums too.  i want to hear your drums come in on SingSing's track.  my favourite so far

iCombs - sax is hiding behind it's reverb.  i expected to hear the track come in louder after the coughing and whatnot.  

carefulcollapse - adventurous.  after the breakdown, and with the big verb still on the vocal, it's like the drums sound too close all of a sudden.

darkhorseporter - also missing tops.  

greg dixon - feels like a similar interpretation to my own, just better executed and with roomier drums.  and i really like your version of the ending, gives it more space

jason thompson - i'd have to agree about too much highs, especially in the vocal.  i like the snare, especially the reverb/space around it.  not sure i like the effect on the ad lib vocal.  i like the way the guitars stay up on the fade out at the end

kellen tyburski - vocal sounds dull.  actually everything does.  

mcsnare - nice interpretation of the intro.  not sure i like the effect on the harmonies, but it's pretty subtle.  overall a very good mix.  i'd be happy with that if i was the client

osumosan - i like the kick sound, i'm just not too sure it fits with this song.  bass stands out a bit much.  i'm not sure about the delay on the vocal either.  if i was gonna do a fadeout, i'd want to be out before they start the outro.

slash 5969 - i think the delay works in some places, not so well in others.  hi hat stands out a bit too much, especially compared to the snare.  i liked getting it down to sax and organ at the end.

teleric - well i guess i'm at the last one and i'm getting picky.  no big stand outs for me as far as things i didn't like, but didn't grab me either.  

my favourites - mcsnare, cjwall, greg dixon.

sorry to anybody i offended by what i did or didn't say.

but that's life eh?
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osumosan

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #83 on: October 25, 2007, 11:40:01 AM »

slash5969 wrote on Tue, 23 October 2007 23:18

 The early fade disappointed - I wanted to hear how you handled that end passage


I was just frustrated with the noise floor that popped up at the end and at one point thought a fade might work and didn't revisit it.

garret wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 00:05

The volume balance is erratic in this one... get that right.. it's the most important thing you can do.



Thanks. I wish I had had some time to do rides. Re: the voice: I used the new delay designer in Logic to get a quick slap along with a 2 beat echo with a touch of panning, the reverb is separate, but I tried to blend it.

M Carter wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 00:12

The balance between the band and vocal is a little off to me.  The kick is the loudest drum in the set, and the interplay between it and the bass feels a little like a drum machine to me.  I usually like your mixes, or at least the attitude behind them, but this one is a little confusing to me.



Unfortunately, I agree with the kick comment. I was interested to see what kind of treatment I ended up with given the time pressure and doing a quick mix is something I need to work on. Did everyone feel that the kick could actually use a little taming -- or in my case a little "leaving it alone"? I was trying to get the clarity of a beatles mix and maybe overshot it?

slash5969 wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 10:00

 I learned from every opinion offered. I got to mix a song that I would have never been exposed to in a million years if not for this forum.

Amen!

typek wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 12:23

- i cant hear where the floor tom is clipping.. can you point me in the right spot ?

The first time I heard it was at 0:30. What I might have heard is the compression bringing out some of the rough elements of the tom. Upon second listening, it sounds fine (J. did you remix?! Very Happy ) You can hear the disto on the bass obviously, no?

J-Texas wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 23:00

osumosan - Kick is weird. Replaced or really compressed and eq'd?


No replacement. I did a bit of a scoop on the eq with some SSL responses with Waves Q-clone, nothing too extreme and a 10ms attack on a 1.5:1 comp on the drum buss paralleled to an uncompressed bus at around -10dB, so not extreme there.

J-Texas wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 23:00

I like the evenness of the bass, but loosen that attack. It has no dynamics.


Agreed

mac wrote on Thu, 25 October 2007 01:10

if i was gonna do a fadeout, i'd want to be out before they start the outro.


I kinda like it. It's like the band is going somewhere else that you don't get to know about, like they'll play forever or something.
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Doug_H

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #84 on: October 25, 2007, 08:14:31 PM »

J-Texas wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 22:00


Sounds like you relied heavily on the room for the snare and then eq'd that.

yep, pretty much.  I had a hard time finding the snap I wanted any other way.
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slash5969

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #85 on: October 25, 2007, 09:31:52 PM »

mac wrote on Thu, 25 October 2007 00:10


slash 5969 - i think the delay works in some places, not so well in others.  hi hat stands out a bit too much, especially compared to the snare.  i liked getting it down to sax and organ at the end.



I agree. The delay would have been more effective had it been more subtle. I had trouble with the snare, and I wasn't terribly pleased with my result.

Doug_H wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 19:49


slash5969
Cool vocal effects that suited the mix.  It's kind of all drums and vocal.


Thanks...I thought so too. I liked what I got from the kick.

J-Texas wrote on Wed, 24 October 2007 22:00


slash5969 - I like the establishment. I think the delay would be awesome if you used it more sparingly. Cool idea. If it just crept in at the end of the phrases or something? That's a lot of compression on the drums man. Especially the kick and the hats. Maybe if the snare was up more you wouldn't have used that much?? I love the ending man. Cool FX on the adlib vocal. Sax seems to me a few dB too low. I like that track in the background but not to strain.


Ooooo...someone noticed my intro! I thought it was a cool way to commence the tune. I concur with all of your observations. In retrospect, I should have uncovered the sax line...worked with the snare until I liked it, and used the delay as spice instead of meat.

I'm learning. I thank you all for the observations. Bring on IMP 16 - this is fun!
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Greg Dixon

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #86 on: October 26, 2007, 04:25:33 AM »

OK here's my two cents. I loaded them into itunes in the studio and resized the window so I couldn't see the name attached.  
 

ATOR Very compressed and bright mix. Overall I quite like it.  The guitars almost sound like Dobros, which is interesting. I like the phasey stuff in the breakdown verse, but it gets annoying after that. I'd prefer the snare to be a bit lower, it's the most dominant part of the mix. My first thought was that the bass was too low, but I think I like it now. My biggest complaint is the vocal. It sounds like he has a speech impediment. No sax?

M.Carter. Interesting balances. Doesn't quite work for me. You would have been better leaving the sax out. It's too low to be anything but annoying. The vocal is a bit flat and one dimensional. Too much drums and bass compared to everything else. The sounds are ok, they just don't work together.

J.Hall Wow distorted organ, bass and sax.  Drums sound great. Tight but roomy. Nice use of the room track. Overall the drums are a bit too dominant and get a bit fatiguing. I would have liked a bit more of the main acoustic part. The dry vocal sounds good and contrasts well with everything else. I wouldn't have thought to leave the finger squeaks on the bass track, but they work.  I would have preferred a  touch more sax. The ad lib bit at the end is a bit loud and I don't really like the echo.

Doug H. Has a bit of that tape recorder in the middle of the rehearsal room sound to it. Roomy and a bit muddled. I like the ethereal organ and the vocal sound, but the rest sounds like a quick demo. Not terrible just needs some more refinement. Overall balance of highs to lows is good.

Mac. The bass is a bit loud. Quite a dry unaffected mix which is fine. I think if the level of the bass was reduced it would work pretty well.

Garret. Quite a sparse mix, which I think would have worked better with a more solid drum sound. Very light on the bass and kick, which kills the heartbeat of the song. I'd like to hear more sax, especially where there are no vocals. Interesting ending. I like it, but wish the drums had stayed around until the end of the chorus. The whole thing just needs more impact. At the moment it's all a bit limp.

Sing Sing. Ethereal treatment is cool, but seems to be leaning to the left when there's no vocal, in the first few sections, due to the sax and dominant acoustic parts being on the same side. I like the organ in that second verse. Interesting using the Nord in the breakdown verse. I like the drums when they first appear, but they don't seem to quite fit the rest of it, which I guess was sort of the idea. It might just be a volume thing. It's quite a relief when the the bass comes in and everything returns to normal in that last chorus. Cool use of the different drums for the outro. Fade works. Overall a good mix.

Cymatics. Interesting mix. I quite like it. Big drums, with dirty room sound and then the phased and distorted vocal. Massive bottom and yet in this case, it doesn't wipe out everything else. I feel like I want a change in the vocal sound somewhere. No sax? There's some sort of earth moving equipment in the room during the outro!

Audio Geek. Another loud bass that takes away some of the impact in everything else, except the snare. I'm not sure about the reverb. It sounds a bit cheap and trashy and gives the mix a slightly hollow sound. Apart from that, the balances are pretty good.

Maxim. Definitely the most original and out there mix so far. I like that you've made no attempt to make it into a traditional band mix. Interesting treatment of the sax and organ. The organ gets to be a bit much, but I mainly like the sax. I think it would work better with the vocal up, as I feel like there's no real focus otherwise. The mix feels like a massive storm out to sea and the vocal's a tiny rowboat.

CJWAll The industrial version. Interesting ideas. Very compressed drums. I think it needs a bit more vocal to focus on. The sax sounds a bit like a kazoo at times. You've made the bass sound like it was played with a pick, which it wasn't, but is interesting. Ending feels a bit messy, which sort of works. It's pretty good, but doesn't quite work as a whole. It sounds like you got a drum sound you liked and brought the other instruments in around them.

iCombs. I turned this down when I heard the level of the band noises before the music starts, as it felt like it was about to blast and then it came in quietly, which was an anticlimax. The guitars and snare sound very compressed and thin.  Another one that could use a bit less kick and bass for most of it. The first one that works with the sax so far back. The snare and vocal sound a bit too dry alongside everything else. Other than that it's good.

carefulcollapse. Wow the band recorded in a subway tunnel as you walk away, with the odd studio vocal fix. There are some interesting ideas, but they seem to be the focus more than the song. I like the distortion on the tooty organ at the end, but not as much for the rest of the song. Overall it's ok, but the reverb and delay effects just turn it into too much of a mess for my liking.

darkhorseporter.  Another one where the intro seems small in comparison to the band getting ready before hand. I like the vocal except it's a touch too bright, like there's too much exciter on it. I think it mainly needs the drums and guitars up to work well. At the moment it's mainly vocal, organ drone and bass.  

Greg Dixon. Voice and sax sound good. One of the few where you can really hear the acoustic guitars. Snare should possibly be a touch louder, although it's nice hearing a mix where it doesn't smack you in the face. After all, it's not really a rock track! Kick's a bit woolly. Needs more level or to be punchier (or both). Harmonies sit nicely. OK this is mine, as I don't think anyone else did the ending like that.

Jason Thompson. Bright and very compressed. Voice could work as is, if it was brought down a bit. Not much in there besides drums, bass and vocals. Could use more level on the kick to fit with the bass and snare. Another one where the sax either needs to be louder or not there at all. The whole track sounds a bit dirty, but otherwise is a pretty good mix, just not much going on harmonically.

kellen tyburski. Interesting intro. It works but sounds a bit like it's tacked on. Voice too buried for my liking. Too much bass again. The guitars sound a bit boxy. Snare panning is different, but ok. With the voice up and bass down this mix would be fine.

mcsnare. The tone of the voice is good, but it's obviously got some form of auto tune on it as it's changing the melody in a few spots!! Guitars sound good as does the sax. Nice to actually hear the sax. The snare sounds good, but is a bit too upfront for me. Plenty of bottom, but doesn't overwhelm the rest of the mix. Overall very good.

osumosan. Nice snare, although I think I'd prefer it in the centre. I like the slight delay on the cross stick. Is that just the room mic panned to the opposite side? Vocal delay is interesting, but is a bit distracting at times. The vocal could be a bit louder too. The bass might be a touch loud, but it's not anywhere near the problem of some of the others. The kick has gained a wooden beater. Don't love the fade. You miss some of the really cool bits. I would have either started it after the last chorus or finished the fade by the end of the repeat chorus. Overall, a pretty good mix.  

Teleric. Starts well. Voice could be louder. Guitars sound good and you can actually hear them. I like the drums. They're slightly trashy, yet still punchy. Another one where I'd like a bit less bass. Sax works where it is. With less bass and more vocal this would work well.

slash5969. I quite like the vocal before the band start. Distorting the sax and mixing it back is ok. The vocal delay in the verse gets a bit chaotic, which was probably the intention. I'm finding it a bit much. I don't like the harmonizer.  Other than that, it works well.
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osumosan

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #87 on: October 26, 2007, 09:55:10 AM »

Greg Dixon wrote on Fri, 26 October 2007 04:25


I like the slight delay on the cross stick. Is that just the room mic panned to the opposite side?


I cut that out of the snare track for a better level and panned it left. Notice the left hits before the room. Glad you like the mix in general.
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UnderTow

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #88 on: October 26, 2007, 09:56:53 AM »

Oh Damn. I got the wrong Monday. Lol  Very Happy

Alistair
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Greg Dixon

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Re: IMP15 discussion
« Reply #89 on: October 26, 2007, 07:31:51 PM »

I'm curious to know what everyone did with the bass drum mics on the stereo tracks? Did anyone change the balance, eq them separately or did you just treat them as the one track as they were?
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