Mix Critique Please

[Mark]

Could you fine folks please critique this mix of a cover song that my
band did. This is my first attempt at mixing an entire band in my home
studio.

Thanks

http://www.geocities.com/lincolnhwyguitarman/audio/red_dirt_road.mp3

[Wayne Stephens]

Hi Mark,
I'm probably not the guy you where thinking of when putting in your
request here. I'm still faily new at this also but I'll tell what I think.
First I'd say that the song in genreal was played well by all. Maybe not
a "tight" as most pro recordings but not bad. Vocals sound good and
blend well with background vocals. The drums sound a bit dry to me. Need
some verb on at least the snare. Not much but some. The overall music
level has some dramatic level changes that need to be addressed.
The intro of the song has levels to the point of clipping, then a fast
fade to almost nothing when the vocals come in. I think if you listen to
a pro mix/recording and try to get the levels balanced somewhere near
that you'll find a better sounding mix overall.
Good luck
Cya

Mark wrote:
> Could you fine folks please critique this mix of a cover song that my
> band did. This is my first attempt at mixing an entire band in my home
> studio.
>
> Thanks
>
> http://www.geocities.com/lincolnhwyguitarman/audio/red_dirt_road.mp3

[dafe]

hi,

if i were you, i'd have the band record this song a second time, but
this time all in one room (noise gate, gobo) and - important - with no
click ata all. Do many takes in good mood. Alternatively, you can of
course go and do the drop'n'bounce thang for one or two nights in your
editor. Not exactly fun, you may figure out.
If the raw mix does it, start mixing.

dafe

[DrBoom]

(Mark) wrote in message >...
> Could you fine folks please critique this mix of a cover song that my
> band did. This is my first attempt at mixing an entire band in my home
> studio.

Listened once, memory fading fast, no credentials, void where prohibited...

Dislikes:

Lead guitar is (way) too low and + rolled off on the high end.
Rhythm guitar could come up a bit and with more spread.
Backup vox sound a little dry and dynamically uneven.
Lead vocal fadeout at the end of the bridge could be more subtle.
Was that a drum machine? Tough to tell, but mp3 does that.
This genre of music (but see below).

Likes:

Good singer! I dislike country almost as much as rap, but the
singer sold the song well. He belongs right in front where
you put him, though it wouldn't hurt to push him back a little.

I agree with the other poster who suggested doing something
to get the energy level up -- re-tracking "live", getting in a fight
with the singer before a take, etc. I'd put this suggestion in the
"... it would be even better if you ..." category.

Overall, the only thing that would strike me as odd if it came on
the radio in the background (aside from the fact that my radio
had malfunctioned and tuned in to a country station :-) ) is the
lead guitar.

Beats the hell out of a lot of people's bedroom efforts, to be sure.

-DrBoom

[Roger W. Norman]

Well, at least it's not your 500th mix. I wouldn't even ask for input at
this point because you've got a long ways to go before anything someone
tells you actually makes sense.

However, for doing those first few mixes, do yourself a favor and put the
mix away for a few days and come back to it. See what you, yourself, thinks
of it. You'll probably be more critical in a positive manner than what any
of us could say. Besides, if it's your first attempt, then you have plenty
of excuses to play with the mix over and over again. Just remember that the
first part of a musical recording is the music part. If that's not right,
then it makes no difference about the recording part, unless what you plan
to do is to learn to gain some tremendous editing skills.

And the song could probably be edited to make it tight enough to really pay
attention to a mix, but you won't do yourself any favors by spending a bunch
of time mixing a product that you know doesn't have the timing or the chops
to please the people that cut the tracks. That's up to them, and if you did
the tracking and they didn't catch it, then it's also probably up to you to
walk out and say "well, you guys need to listen to that first part and get
in time with it or we are wasting our time".

So what I'm saying is you need good music to track, and then you can have
good tracks to mix. It makes mixing one hell of a lot easier to do.

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio

"Mark" > wrote in message
m...
> Could you fine folks please critique this mix of a cover song that my
> band did. This is my first attempt at mixing an entire band in my home
> studio.
>
> Thanks
>
> http://www.geocities.com/lincolnhwyguitarman/audio/red_dirt_road.mp3

[Mark]

Thanks to all that took time out to reply.

Playing it live is pretty much un-doable due to the logistics of the
studio (My basement). The timing issue at the beginning is due to the
fact that there is no click track. It is a live drummer, who played
along with the rest of us doing a scratch track to one channel. I
couldn't tell where the music started to lay down the integrated
guitar parts at the beginning. Live and learn. Next time, I'll have
him slam the high-hat when songs start that way. Or at least count
1-2-3-4. Something. I didn't even think of it at the time.

Again, thank you.

[Hal Laurent]

"Mark" > wrote in message
om...

> The timing issue at the beginning is due to the
> fact that there is no click track. It is a live drummer, who played
> along with the rest of us doing a scratch track to one channel. I
> couldn't tell where the music started to lay down the integrated
> guitar parts at the beginning.

One of the advantages of using a DAW for recording is that you
can add a count-off after the fact. Record a count along with
the playing on a spare track, then slide the track back until the
count-off occurs at the right time before the music starts.

Hal Laurent
Baltimore

[Arny Krueger]

"Hal Laurent" > wrote in message

> "Mark" > wrote in message
> om...
>
>> The timing issue at the beginning is due to the
>> fact that there is no click track. It is a live drummer, who played
>> along with the rest of us doing a scratch track to one channel. I
>> couldn't tell where the music started to lay down the integrated
>> guitar parts at the beginning.
>
> One of the advantages of using a DAW for recording is that you
> can add a count-off after the fact. Record a count along with
> the playing on a spare track, then slide the track back until the
> count-off occurs at the right time before the music starts.

Exactly. Using a good DAW, it's possible to synch tracks on a cough in the
room or a dropped stick.

[Roger W. Norman]

Well, here's a trick for adding that important guitar lick before the song
actually comes in. If you're working with tape, go back to a pre-roll
position of a couple of seconds and do a count about 15 times until you know
when the song starts. Then, arm the track and simply do a stick hit or clap
and stop the recording. Now go back to the pre-roll, press start and count
the tempo out from the clap and you'll know where to begin.

If you're doing it on a DAW, then just do a clap track and fly it into
wherever it works.

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio

"Mark" > wrote in message
om...
> Thanks to all that took time out to reply.
>
> Playing it live is pretty much un-doable due to the logistics of the
> studio (My basement). The timing issue at the beginning is due to the
> fact that there is no click track. It is a live drummer, who played
> along with the rest of us doing a scratch track to one channel. I
> couldn't tell where the music started to lay down the integrated
> guitar parts at the beginning. Live and learn. Next time, I'll have
> him slam the high-hat when songs start that way. Or at least count
> 1-2-3-4. Something. I didn't even think of it at the time.
>
> Again, thank you.

[Peter Larsen]

Mark wrote:

> Could you fine folks please critique this mix of a cover
> song that my band did.

Voice is good. I like the sound of the guitars, they sound real. Yes,
drums are dry, so they are. And they are very amurrican. Don't fix them,
they aint broken. Overall I like it.

> This is my first attempt at mixing an entire band in my home
> studio.

Let us have a new listen in a couple of weeks, first digest all that
everybody wrote. You are *not* meant to agree in all points made, but
you should try to understand the reasoning and the viewpoint.

Those were the sweet words ... now to a few minor points ... oh, go get
that cup of coffee now, you may need it ... O;-)

First of all, when you make a mix, then stop worrying about dynamic
range and stop using that much automated gain reduction. It sounds plain
silly when everything gets lower just because a new layer is added.
Fader movement is generally too drastic. Don't do a lot of overall stuff
on a mix, you take options away from mastering when you do, there is
lots of overall squashing and it shouldn't have been there, it is just
lazy mans automix, a sonic tv-dinner.

The mix is right when you ask about and the question "what mix" is
asked, at least in the sense that it should not as a general rule be
_perceived_ as anything but a static mix. Same principle as in film or
tv drama music being right, really really right, when the
counter-question "what music" is asked when an opinion is sought. I have
asked that counter question when asked what I thought about the music in
a a british (bbc) tv-series, I plain had not noticed any music in it,
just drooled over the beatifully recorded sound effects.

The illusion I want when I hear such music is the illusion that a well
played and well reinforced live performance could sound like that. Keep
it simple, keep it clean. There is only one way to start loud and go
louder, and that way is not to start loud and have the listener turn it
up.

> http://www.geocities.com/lincolnhwyguitarman/audio/red_dirt_road.mp3

Overall it is "kinda ok'ish".

Some people have suggested that the ensemble should learn the music and
play it. Listen to the Magiba sound example on my site, they're just a
hobby ensemble, but they recorded a full CD at an average of 3 takes pr
song and thus in only two non-consecutive sundays.


Kind regards

Peter Larsen


--
*******************************************
* My site is at: http://www.muyiovatki.dk *
*******************************************

[Iowa Recorder]

(Mark) wrote in message >...
> Could you fine folks please critique this mix of a cover song that my
> band did. This is my first attempt at mixing an entire band in my home
> studio.

I read through the comments and agree with the remarks about the
squashy sound and the fade of the band when the lead VOX comes in.
Sounds like too much overall and individual compression. Try to use
as little artificial stuff as possible.

I can't seem to put my finger on it but maybe someone here can. I
hope I can illustrate it well. The drums sound to me to have a
tappity tappity tap tap kinda sound. I'm a big fan of solid natural
kick and snare. To me the drums sound like a tap tap sound in the
back.

I did like the vocals being out front like they were. Nice harmonies.

Overall not too bad. I liked it. Post it when you've tweaked it some
more. I'd be interested to hear it as well.

IR