Tears In The Rain

[The_Metallurgist]

If you could be a little more specific as to what you think is fatiguing you, your observations would be a lot more valuable.

the problem in this mix is pretty much the same as it is in most mixes in the forum.

in DAW's, unlike mixing consoles and tape of the analogue era, high frequency retention is 100 percent. there's too much high frequency extension in too many of the instruments here. so, there's a prominent build up of high frequency content....and i'm understandably feeling it. the compression and limiting strategy employed on the stereo buss is contributing to the problem but to be clear, it's by no means the sole cause.

i fully understand the issues within the tracking. personally speaking, i think it's par for the course in many recordings, especially where "affordable" low quality China condenser mics are employed, and specifically mics that have a "lift" in the presence area. naturally some are worse than others and of course we do our best in the circumstances. but i don't agree this is a reason to sit and listen to mixes that are fatiguing and uncomfortable. so, we should do our best to make them listenable and as enjoyable as possible and think about the audience's needs. if we are mixing solely for the musician, it's quite possible their hearing is impaired? if so, they will have a bias in their subjective assessment on the spectral balance of a mix...."This mix ain't bright enough!". unfortunately, some of them will be your customer! and if it's an engineer with hearing impairment as well, it's probably best to avoid buying the CD. unfortunately, the masses are conditioned to distortion and spectral issues...the loudness war being one outcome. as far as i am concerned, an imbalanced frequency response especially in the HF zone, IS THE SAME as the loudness war and should be fixed. rant over.

if we look instead of listening, thereby removing the issues experienced by those with impaired hearing, poor monitoring, etc etc, in the direction of spectrum analysis, we will observe some significant peaks well beyond the call of duty which are aggravating the issues caused by a lack of "digital" attention towards EQ and low-pass filtering too. there's a monster concrete buster at about 13,000Hz for example, which is, quite frankly, nothing short of a health hazard to my ears. there's also a couple of others of extensive magnitude at 8,000Hz and 9,000Hz. you all have the opportunity to find this out for yourselves and as budding mixing engineers should be enthusiastic about doing so. but these peaks are only part of the problem......

..........i know of no valid reason why a shaker must have content extending to 20kHz, or a steel acoustic guitar, for that matter....unless one is trying to make the dog happy.

but this kind of "oversight" in appropriately addressing the high frequency spectrum is quite the norm in the forum. but why??????????

Pauli, if your hearing is not impaired, i'd suggest you have a duty to flag up your observations? if you don't, you are helping to contribute to the problem instead of being part of the solution? "feeling" the effects of compression isn't a taste thing and neither is it fashionable....it's the consequences and outcome of a quality problem, no more, no less. if mixes like this one for example, are seen by novices and perceived to be "good" because it's been mixed by someone with apparent experience (supported by complementary feedback from likewise individuals), there is a risk they will benchmark against it....

....make no mistake, this thread has some significant learning opportunities for the community. please don't delete it Bob, not least because of the time, effort and passion i've put into my posts here!

i could have taken the easy way out and just said "Hey, great mix"....or just ignored it. so, don't shoot the messenger, eh chaps? so, if you can't hear the issues for yourselves, then you need to question the components engaged in your audio process - especially your ears! hearing impairment is a condition in the community, and age holds no barrier to it. but there are tools out there to help us make valid informed judgements of our mixing, and spectrum analysis can be of significant value here but only if our mix is benchmarked against credible quality music (it's out there....you just have to look hard! check out Bob Katz's site digido.com if you'd like a speedier, highly qualified list!). use Skrillex material if you don't.

my vision for the mix was aided by the title of the song. this gave me the chance to present the mix in a warm way, dropping the steel guitars back in the mix thereby enabling me to roll off a significant spectral problem in their frequency response. brittle guitars were contrary to the emotion i was seeking. additionally, it enabled me to present the nylon guitar with a smoother delivery, to help present the emotion of the song...and it's subject. the shaker was likewise given the depth treatment so i could roll it's highly brittle top end off in a generous way. yes, there are issues in my mix, but that goes with the territory which has already been well discussed. i need to fix the one steel, it's low-mid isn't balanced correctly, unfortunately Olli didn't let me get away with it!

critically and crucially, tone has everything to do with emotion. brightness is normally associated with happiness, vibe and energy! tears? debatable.

i sincerely hope this has helped a lot of people...or at least made them think......

later's guys
Dave
.
.
.
.
.
.