14-08-2014, 09:50 PM
I think this is really close and you're being a little hard on yourself due to the difficulty... the ambiance is perhaps less realistic, but it certainly brings a lot more life to just about everything, and I'd say that's more important for the emotion. This mix had me nodding my head to the beat and engaged me, whereas your previous effort inspired a more analytical mindset.
Occasionally the vocal sounds a little "scooped" and perhaps bringing the fiddles down a dB or 2 could address the harshness, which really isn't too bad to begin with. Coming away from mixing a heavy metal track, the harshness of this mix is mild and probably not any more or less severe than it would sound firsthand in the pub, especially if they mic'd them directly to the PA. Here in Daytona Beach that's done all the time and I can't begin to imagine why... In other words, I'm not fussing.
Double bass on these tracks is pretty much untameable, isn't it? Either the performer is moving relative to the mic, which would be a nearly impossible temptation for me to resist personally (I played double-bass in a school stage band a few times and a stationary mic wouldn't cut it unless they wanted me to play like a robot) or the interior of the instrument is changing shape in response to different notes. Especially in older instruments, that's generally thought to be unavoidable, but for some it's desirable. Acoustic guitars have the same property... this is why a well made guitar often sounds better the older it gets.
At any rate, this is great. You can walk away from this with a clean conscience, knowing that you worked your tail off and got a decent result.
Occasionally the vocal sounds a little "scooped" and perhaps bringing the fiddles down a dB or 2 could address the harshness, which really isn't too bad to begin with. Coming away from mixing a heavy metal track, the harshness of this mix is mild and probably not any more or less severe than it would sound firsthand in the pub, especially if they mic'd them directly to the PA. Here in Daytona Beach that's done all the time and I can't begin to imagine why... In other words, I'm not fussing.
Double bass on these tracks is pretty much untameable, isn't it? Either the performer is moving relative to the mic, which would be a nearly impossible temptation for me to resist personally (I played double-bass in a school stage band a few times and a stationary mic wouldn't cut it unless they wanted me to play like a robot) or the interior of the instrument is changing shape in response to different notes. Especially in older instruments, that's generally thought to be unavoidable, but for some it's desirable. Acoustic guitars have the same property... this is why a well made guitar often sounds better the older it gets.
At any rate, this is great. You can walk away from this with a clean conscience, knowing that you worked your tail off and got a decent result.
I'm grateful for comments and suggestions. Thank you for listening!