04-01-2017, 02:45 PM
Yet another great song.....funny how some of them grow on you when you should be sick of them after spending hours in front of a computer trying to make them sound nice.
Anyway, here's my attempt at a mix, and as usual, here's a self-criticism....please feel free to add to it!
What I struggled with :
1. Drums (aaargh....always with the drums, he says, in a Billy Crystal voice)..however, this time I had a new weapon - I upgraded my Sonar Pro to Platinum and got the BT Analog Trackbox, and it's really nice. I had tried gating the drums with the Waves gate, but it sounded so anemic compared to the BT thing, so if anyone's wondering, it's a mighty fine piece of kit. Anyway, even using it I think I could possibly try to get the drums to cut through a bit more maybe.....on my most recent listening to this track I noted down "snare cut through"....
2. Volume. I seem to be having a bit of trouble getting my volume settings right. I think what I probably need to learn about is 'gain staging'....? I found that towards the end of the process I had to select every track and turn down all volumes to give myself more room to make final tweaks. It's a mistake I have made before.......but I think I am still learning what is a 'proper' level to monitor at when mixing. I have a nice pair of Eris E5s......but every beginner tutorial says that turning up is bad for mixing, so I have always been afraid to turn up......but this time I came to the conclusion that turning up isn't necessarily bad if you are using that volume so that you can actually properly hear the changes you are making.
What I think I did well :
1. The swirling guitar thing. Another of my Vodka-inspired adventures....I spent ages trying to get the sound (what I thought was) right, and audible at the right times, so I hope it sounds OK to ears other than mine.
2. Bass. The bass tracks were great to work with, and after applying my bass weapon of choice I reckon it sounds quite nice. Hopefully there's enough bottom end in it, as I have a habit of shaving the balls off the bass sometimes (inadvertently, of course)
3. The overall sound. You really gotta love Izotope and Ozone. I'm sure everyone has their favourites, but I just love what you can do to a track with Ozone
Things that I could improve on this mix :
1. I think the high hat might be a bit loud in some sections
2. There's a couple of spots where the balance between keyboards and guitars could be a bit better
3. A couple more creative tweaks
4. I forgot to cut the fuzz from the front of the track.....D'Oh!
5. The end.......I kept all the audio because I was amused by what sounds like the guitarist yelling 'still no cans'......or something. I kinda like quirks like that!
OK.....I'll shut up now. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
Anyway, here's my attempt at a mix, and as usual, here's a self-criticism....please feel free to add to it!
What I struggled with :
1. Drums (aaargh....always with the drums, he says, in a Billy Crystal voice)..however, this time I had a new weapon - I upgraded my Sonar Pro to Platinum and got the BT Analog Trackbox, and it's really nice. I had tried gating the drums with the Waves gate, but it sounded so anemic compared to the BT thing, so if anyone's wondering, it's a mighty fine piece of kit. Anyway, even using it I think I could possibly try to get the drums to cut through a bit more maybe.....on my most recent listening to this track I noted down "snare cut through"....
2. Volume. I seem to be having a bit of trouble getting my volume settings right. I think what I probably need to learn about is 'gain staging'....? I found that towards the end of the process I had to select every track and turn down all volumes to give myself more room to make final tweaks. It's a mistake I have made before.......but I think I am still learning what is a 'proper' level to monitor at when mixing. I have a nice pair of Eris E5s......but every beginner tutorial says that turning up is bad for mixing, so I have always been afraid to turn up......but this time I came to the conclusion that turning up isn't necessarily bad if you are using that volume so that you can actually properly hear the changes you are making.
What I think I did well :
1. The swirling guitar thing. Another of my Vodka-inspired adventures....I spent ages trying to get the sound (what I thought was) right, and audible at the right times, so I hope it sounds OK to ears other than mine.
2. Bass. The bass tracks were great to work with, and after applying my bass weapon of choice I reckon it sounds quite nice. Hopefully there's enough bottom end in it, as I have a habit of shaving the balls off the bass sometimes (inadvertently, of course)
3. The overall sound. You really gotta love Izotope and Ozone. I'm sure everyone has their favourites, but I just love what you can do to a track with Ozone
Things that I could improve on this mix :
1. I think the high hat might be a bit loud in some sections
2. There's a couple of spots where the balance between keyboards and guitars could be a bit better
3. A couple more creative tweaks
4. I forgot to cut the fuzz from the front of the track.....D'Oh!
5. The end.......I kept all the audio because I was amused by what sounds like the guitarist yelling 'still no cans'......or something. I kinda like quirks like that!
OK.....I'll shut up now. Have a listen and let me know what you think.