26-04-2015, 12:00 AM
I think you may be pushing the top half of the spectrum to compensate for a lack of definition in the low frequencies, which sometimes has a tendency to blur the higher elements of a mix.
Just an opinion, but for me it usually produces a better result when the low end is in the pocket first, then it becomes easier to fade in the vocals. There are a lot of mixers out there who like to fade the vocal in first and build the mix around that and get great results, and I've been successful with that approach on ballads, but most of the time I just wind up with an undefined bottom and harsh mids. My advice... Get the kick and bass in the pocket first, and then you can fade things in on the basis of sonic priority.
Another easy trap to fall into is that with a live drum recording, especially in this genre, we often prefer to start mixing the kit with the overheads, using the close mics in a supplemental role. I've learned the hard way... It just doesn't work with virtual kits. You'll always get a toppy cymbal heavy mix. Better to think of the overheads as cymbal mics and fade them in after the vocal.
One more tip.... You can almost always get away with a low pass filter on any electric guitar recording from 5000 to 6000 hZ. After around 4500 hZ, the musically relevant harmonic content on an electric guitar ends, so it's mostly amplified noise. A low pass filter will give you a cleaner guitar tone that will respond better to compression... And it helps avoid the high frequency issue you're having in the bargain.
Just my two cents
keep it up
Just an opinion, but for me it usually produces a better result when the low end is in the pocket first, then it becomes easier to fade in the vocals. There are a lot of mixers out there who like to fade the vocal in first and build the mix around that and get great results, and I've been successful with that approach on ballads, but most of the time I just wind up with an undefined bottom and harsh mids. My advice... Get the kick and bass in the pocket first, and then you can fade things in on the basis of sonic priority.
Another easy trap to fall into is that with a live drum recording, especially in this genre, we often prefer to start mixing the kit with the overheads, using the close mics in a supplemental role. I've learned the hard way... It just doesn't work with virtual kits. You'll always get a toppy cymbal heavy mix. Better to think of the overheads as cymbal mics and fade them in after the vocal.
One more tip.... You can almost always get away with a low pass filter on any electric guitar recording from 5000 to 6000 hZ. After around 4500 hZ, the musically relevant harmonic content on an electric guitar ends, so it's mostly amplified noise. A low pass filter will give you a cleaner guitar tone that will respond better to compression... And it helps avoid the high frequency issue you're having in the bargain.
Just my two cents
keep it up
I'm grateful for comments and suggestions. Thank you for listening!