The_Metallurgist mixes Enda Reillys Cur An Long Ag Seol

[The_Metallurgist]

the following link refers to Enda's formal on-line version of the song, complete with a short movie for those who might be interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyckYANzsm0

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.

thanks for your feedback on the revised master, Pauli. from my perspective, i find it frustrating in trying to get something out that isn't there....instead of merely mixing what's present, "....warts an' all" to quote Oliver Cromwell. perhaps this is my major lesson here. i think a more "Voelund" approach in that sense would have been more rewarding; while i don't always agree with Niel's approach in some mixes, this is one where his wisdom certainly would work well i.e. accept what you got, don't fight it, and focus on the bits that really brings the mix out.

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.

agreed. when i was remastering it, i felt it really needed going back into the mix with a different mind-set, especially regarding the vocal. your observations are totally valid.

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.

this bass is an unwieldy beast! i should have left it so.

i found your comments interesting here on instrument characteristics, as well as your experiences. perhaps a decent room with a controlled frequency response would have made a big difference with the Enda project though. all those modal issues in the low end are so difficult to control. it makes mic placement, and indeed instrument placement critical on such low frequency, high energy instruments. but perhaps this was the recording engineer's ideal....we will never know.

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'd hate my experiences to put others off from mixing this song. as much as doing a good mix is always important, sometimes we can do a good mix and we haven't learned from it, perhaps because we chose a mix of a genre we are more familiar with, as in the "Hello comfort zones" thing, or the raw materials were already of a decent quality. whatever, this multi offers experience.....and it's invaluable. a personal thanks to Enda for making it available and to Mike for posting it.....this song has changed my approach to mixing and that's the last thing i'd have expected..

thanks especially for your support and encouragement, Pauli.