The Doppler Shift - 'Atrophy' - EL mix v1

[electricladyLAN]

Here's my first fairly rough mix of this song.

I wanted to try the new free plugin 'LISP' http://sleepytimedsp.com/software/lisp as there has been a lot of problems at getting the vocal right and I thought this song would be good to road test it.

I'm posting my v 1 mix that has my first punt. Done in about 5 hours.

Hopefully one day I'll have time to revisit it and get it right.

Cheers to ottarino, dags, juanra, NathanT and downcastbass for their excellent and inspiring mixes of this one, they make a good reference for anyone attempting this song and are highly recommended listening.

Hamish

[thedon]

Hi Hamish

Nice sounding rough mix.
Maybe the vocal in the 1st verse could come up a just a little.
I havn't heard the multitracks yet might give it a go soon.

good work

Don

[electricladyLAN]

Hi Hamish

Nice sounding rough mix.
Maybe the vocal in the 1st verse could come up a just a little.
I havn't heard the multitracks yet might give it a go soon.

good work

Don

Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment Don.

When you get the multitrack I think you'll find that the vocal is fascinating, it's a great performance, but fitting it in to the mix is very tricky, especially the sibilance.

Paradoxically you may not want to hit it too hard (my mistake here) because it's got it's own rhythm and can be used to get the vox to cut through. Check NathanT, Juanra and ottarinos work for instance. You may want to try camel phat (although I used Voxengo TubeAmp).

re. your comment, yes probably, I didn't finish my vol automation on the vox and effects.

[takka360]

Very loud kick here and the snare is very lost also, big time in the chorus.
The bass i think is a lot of the problem as its very loud and taking over the whole mix.
The mix also has a fair bit of mush that needs cleaning out.

[Dags]

I think I solved the vocal issues with this song (and also for the 'Broken Man' song) by separating out the verse vocals from the chorus vocals and giving them different treatment according to what was annoying me about each one, and to try to make them sound a little more consistent. I remember using a lot of de-essing on the vocals, especially for the last chorus, which was separated out onto a third track.

Yes, automation of the volume for the vocals also helps keep the various parts controlled, such as dropping the initial couple of words which were louder than the following ones in a verse or chorus here and there or getting quieter words to cut through a little better.
It makes me wonder how much of this finessing is done in big production houses where time spent on this kind of detail = money paid to the engineer?!

The mix as you have it might come into focus a little better with the kick and snare brought down a little (as Takka mentions) as they are much louder than the rest of the band. Maybe a multiband or EQ cut acting mainly on the 170-300Hz range will clean up the bass without reducing the overall volume. It will also open up that range for the toms to cut through during that quieter section at 3:38

I also like how you have panned that little guitar piece at 1:55 which is usually overlooked in the mix (unless you're Dags who turns it into a big feature - LOL)

Oh, and thanks for the plug, Hamish

Dags

[electricladyLAN]

Thanks for the perspective guys. It just occurred to me after I posted 'of course, the vocal problems are different from verse to chorus!' Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I know I can get a lot more out of the drums, and yes there is some mush and junk floating around in the bottom end. Hopefully I'll get around to a v 2 sometime, and something more fine-tuned, because it is a rewarding one to mix.

[Dags]

LOL - yes, I think we all have wonderful 20/20 hindsight
Problems become more apparent usually only after we have posted the mix.
Some issues only come to light after not listening to the song for a day or so and we come back to it with fresh ears, which I am really guilty of *not* doing. But that's mainly because I never know when I'm going to get time to myself to work on the mix again.

Hope you can also get more time to work on the track again!

Dags

[davidpaulpaige]

Hi,
I am new to mixing, about a year now.
Here is the thing... I LOVE THIS Mixing thing !!! I hope I might get decent by just practicing.
Here is what I would like to know.
As a LISTENER... Gid you like it?
As a mix engineer... What is wrong with it? How could it's weakness be better?

[electricladyLAN]

Hi David. 'Atrophy' is your first mix posted on the forum, and it's pretty darn good I'd say, I'd rate it above mine any day. Maybe you have overdone the distortion on the bass gtr, it just sticks out a little too much I reckon.

The main suggestion I have at this stage is just to make a new thread in the forum. You'll get a lot more views and comments that way!!

Great work though, I look forward to giving it a better listen later, but so far it appears technically quite good as well as having some creative additions.
Hamish

[davidpaulpaige]

Thank you VERY MUCH!
I had a fun time doing this! Like I said I am merely a pervertedly curious amateur. I've mixed many of the tracks on this site but I didn't feel confident enough to post. Truth is I always think it's good then I go and listen to some talented mixers and I realize that below average would be where my skill level is. So I just read, listen and try again. I do record for a living BUT none of my "roughs" ever made it to a record.
The biggest inspirational comment I have ever heard about my mixing skills, "...You might be a good recording engineer BUT you may never be a good mixer." - A Famously Talented Producer
So I thought to myself "WHY NOT?" I mean... I record what you hear AND passively put up with the artists and producers. -That was 5 years ago. I must be a slow learner.
If I could ever help please feel free to drop me a line.

Hi David. 'Atrophy' is your first mix posted on the forum, and it's pretty darn good I'd say, I'd rate it above mine any day. Maybe you have overdone the distortion on the bass gtr, it just sticks out a little too much I reckon.

The main suggestion I have at this stage is just to make a new thread in the forum. You'll get a lot more views and comments that way!!

Great work though, I look forward to giving it a better listen later, but so far it appears technically quite good as well as having some creative additions.
Hamish