Actions - One Minute Smile (BRBWaffles Free Plugins Mix)

[BRBWaffles]

Hey, Nick here again. Another practice mix that I just finished, unless there are any adjustments that need to be made that anyone can point out. I tried to challenge myself and complete this one with nothing but free plugins. Nevertheless, my ear tells me this is likely the best mix yet, so I hope you enjoy.

Notes:
-While I did do this mix using mostly free plugins that can be found online, there are only two exceptions. I used Audio Assault's "The Punch" on a snare send, because I got it for free. But, it wasn't truly needed. It's a transient designer and saturator in one plugin, so I could have easily accomplished the same goal another way. I also used Addictive Drums 2 to replace the kick. Other than that, the mix was done for free.

-The vocals were recorded into heavy compression and the signals were really hot to begin with. So, I was having a really hard time with the high end on the vocals. Too little high end and they weren't bright enough, too much and they were too brittle. It's problems like this that led me to never track through processing with vocals. You can't get that brittle-sounding grit out once it is in there. So, the vocals might be too loud. Let me know what you think.

-The kick is the only fully triggered drum. I kept the original toms and snare, but used samples for re-enforcement.

-Vocal breaths are left in to taste. I removed the breaths that I didn't feel served the music.

-I tried my best to kill the mud in the guitars, but it appears to be integral to the midrange. After listening to everyone else's mixes I'm kind of accepting that this is just the reality of the recordings. The guitars are very unmanageable around the 200Hz and 400Hz ranges. It was either take the mud out and have scooped guitars, or leave it in and have blurry guitars. Not much of a choice. This will illustrate the importance of getting good, solid recordings first and foremost. Don't assume subtractive EQ will save you if you don't like the way your recordings sound.

As before, if anyone wants me to upload a tutorial video to YouTube, I'd be more than happy to make one.

[crownoise]

Hey nick! I have to say that it is not a completely destroyed mix but it is close to being completely wrecked. To have a good mix you need to retain certain elements like punch and clarity, this one really lacks that. But i do like it in that regarding the emotion and that it isn't to harsh to the ears. My tip to you is that you reference alot of music in how the pro's retain punch and focus. Keep on learning like me and the others!

[BRBWaffles]

Hey nick! I have to say that it is not a completely destroyed mix but it is close to being completely wrecked. To have a good mix you need to retain certain elements like punch and clarity, this one really lacks that. But i do like it in that regarding the emotion and that it isn't to harsh to the ears. My tip to you is that you reference alot of music in how the pro's retain punch and focus. Keep on learning like me and the others!

I'm not sure how to take this comment. What elements of the mix are lacking in punch or clarity that make it close to "completely wrecked"? The only thing that comes to mind are the guitars. I'm monitoring on Dynaudio BM5As in a treated environment, and I can hear every instrument perfectly clearly except the guitars in the 900-1400Hz range. Not sure how much responsibility I can accept for that. Especially seeing as though even Mike said in the sticky thread that the guitars are pretty much too spongy to be clear or punchy in the manner a pop song generally requires.

I looked at your other comments, and you praised other mixes for characteristics they didn't have, and you criticize my mix for not having characteristics that it does have. It's just very confusing. I'm not attacking you personally. Maybe your mixing environment isn't optimal. There's no way in hell my mix isn't punchy, comparatively speaking.

[LukasL]

Hey Guys!

I dont know what is going on with your monitoring (@crownoise) but your mixes generally dont have lot of low midrange, so maybe your room has a lot of build-up there.

I have downloaded and checked Waffles mix and the frequency balance is completly fine, maybe a bit much hi-fi but it fits the style.

Also, the drums are f*cking punchy... Good sustain, nice attack.
Maybe crownoise meant overall dymnamics, which are being pretty crushed (-10LUFS/9RMS), but again this style does not care as much.

Just as a side note: The track is clipping (at 1db, not audible (for me)) probably due to mp3-conversion, just a heads up.

Suggestions:
- Do all the tweaks you mentioned in your post, which are not doable because of the not perfect recordings...
- And also drums a bit loud for me


This mix is very very far away from being completly wrecked!

Lukas

[BRBWaffles]

Hey Guys!

I dont know what is going on with your monitoring (@crownoise) but your mixes generally dont have lot of low midrange, so maybe your room has a lot of build-up there.

I have downloaded and checked Waffles mix and the frequency balance is completly fine, maybe a bit much hi-fi but it fits the style.

Also, the drums are f*cking punchy... Good sustain, nice attack.
Maybe crownoise meant overall dymnamics, which are being pretty crushed (-10LUFS/9RMS), but again this style does not care as much.

Just as a side note: The track is clipping (at 1db, not audible (for me)) probably due to mp3-conversion, just a heads up.

Suggestions:
- Do all the tweaks you mentioned in your post, which are not doable because of the not perfect recordings...
- And also drums a bit loud for me


This mix is very very far away from being completly wrecked!

Lukas

Thank you! Yeah, I really need to watch how much I crush the mix when I'm finalizing it. I think closer to -14LUFS would be better, and I think that's actually a standard. I'll go back and check my loudness meter for more details.

Yeah, the track will clip as an mp3 if limited to -0.1dB. I think that's pretty common for mp3. It's a terrible, unreliable format, haha.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll make the necessary adjustments the next time I get a chance.

[dcp10200]

The mix really isn't balanced that well TBH, the drums are dominating the mix and making the compressor pump and taking the attack out. They are punchy but after the first minute they sound wimpy and flat. The vocals are extremely scooped out to the point of them being sibilance and low end with no middle. Take the eq off and start over, having a bright vocal is part of the genre, but there should be body there to help it stand up against the rest of the mix. To me this mix is wrecked, the vocals are too harsh and can't cut cut through the mix, the drums are forcing the compressor/limiter to pump and take the power out of them, the harmony vocal on the left during the chorus is misaligned and out of time with the track, there are multiple vocal edits that are completely out of time as well (just listen to the final chorus for the most extreme examples).

The solution would be to stop worrying about plugins and mp3 conversion and just achieve a rough balance with the raw sounds (keep the samples in on the kick because it's just a trigger track). The snare and toms will need the sample reinforcement and the guitars will need some top end added, but once you get a balance where by you can hear the majority of the elements pretty evenly, that's when you refine it with processing.

Cheers and hope this helps,
Doug

[BRBWaffles]

The mix really isn't balanced that well TBH, the drums are dominating the mix and making the compressor pump and taking the attack out. They are punchy but after the first minute they sound wimpy and flat.

I agree. I'll fix it. I also agree with the pumping. However, that's not really an argument against the mix, but the compression during finalization. If I didn't reduce the peaks of the final mix to the extent that I did, there's a very good chance that the drums would have sounded fine. That being said, I will fix the levels, because I do think that this is a good point.

To me this mix is wrecked

This is hyperbole, and it isn't helpful. If the only criticisms you can muster thus far are of a few minor level choices, nonexistent scooping in the vocals, and time alignment errors in the vocals, then "wrecked" is quite clearly an exaggeration.

...the harmony vocal on the left during the chorus is misaligned and out of time with the track, there are multiple vocal edits that are completely out of time as well (just listen to the final chorus for the most extreme examples).

Bullshit. They're all perfectly in time if you listen, and I can give you a picture of the waveforms against the grid if you really want to press the matter. The male bridge vocal was placed at the end as a hook (because it works), and there's a backup vocal out of the left channel during the choruses that was copied from the final chorus. It is also perfectly in time.

I'm perfectly open to criticism and taking your advice, but if you're going to criticize and offer advice you either need to pay better attention or stop making stuff up. Sorry, but several of these statements were demonstrably erroneous.

[BRBWaffles]

So, right now I'm in the process of revising the mix based on some suggestions I've received. I'm making level and EQ adjustments, as well as fixing the snare, but enough of the mix has been left untouched enough that I feel comfortable posting a mix breakdown video. So, even though a lot of information is no longer applicable, there are still a lot of cool tricks in here. Enjoy.

[crownoise]

Hey nick! I have to say that it is not a completely destroyed mix but it is close to being completely wrecked. To have a good mix you need to retain certain elements like punch and clarity, this one really lacks that. But i do like it in that regarding the emotion and that it isn't to harsh to the ears. My tip to you is that you reference alot of music in how the pro's retain punch and focus. Keep on learning like me and the others!

I'm not sure how to take this comment. What elements of the mix are lacking in punch or clarity that make it close to "completely wrecked"? The only thing that comes to mind are the guitars. I'm monitoring on Dynaudio BM5As in a treated environment, and I can hear every instrument perfectly clearly except the guitars in the 900-1400Hz range. Not sure how much responsibility I can accept for that. Especially seeing as though even Mike said in the sticky thread that the guitars are pretty much too spongy to be clear or punchy in the manner a pop song generally requires. Also the you clearly hear vocals being distsed and clipped. Makes everything sound very tiny compared to the vocals.

I looked at your other comments, and you praised other mixes for characteristics they didn't have, and you criticize my mix for not having characteristics that it does have. It's just very confusing. I'm not attacking you personally. Maybe your mixing environment isn't optimal. There's no way in hell my mix isn't punchy, comparatively speaking.

well yes its punchy i might have overstated that, it doesnt feel to punchy though because you can hear the compression happening relatively to the punch, i believe 2 much or wrong compession has been applied, and there for it lacks definition. I like punch in the higher frequencies without having a harsh tonal character. I know im not the best person to state this i am still working on my flaws, but i do know that the band would feel this being to pumping and undefined in clarity. Hope that helps .