'ETC' - 80's garage mix

[electricladyLAN]

Hi, I just signed up 2 minutes ago, and looking at the memberlist realised that I was already branded a 'Lurker'. QUICK!! get a post up

Well I haven't got around to checking Mikes mix of this (or anyone elses), but I'm sure if anyone could turn this baby into a silk purse it would be him.

It was 'interesting' that the track/file 03_Overheads had identical L and R channels (they nulled out). I couldn't be too motivated to fix what was wrong with the playing in this piece, but I liked the amount of heart that the bassist was putting in.

I was moved to apply liberal amounts of TAL reverb II (algorithmic plate reverb) and some cheap and nasty compression to produce what I call my '80's garage mix'

Don't play it too loud, it is guaranteed to hurt

Hamish

[Mike Senior]

Blimey -- this is a bold vision! So bold, in fact, that I'm not sure quite what to say about it! What I like about it is the general lo-fi rehearsal-room vibe, because there's something a bit magical about the way the bass is eating everyone else and the buss compression is breaking out in a sweat trying to keep order. Mainstream it isn't, but it's pretty cool nonetheless!

Now it'll be clear to anyone who knows me that I probably wouldn't make any of those same mix decisions in a million years, so I'll try to repress the desire to change everything and try to consider what I'd try to improve, on the assumption that I'm working on (what I think are) your terms. My main thing, I think, would be to try to give the kick drum a bit more definition -- a bit of high-mid EQ or some transient enhancement perhaps. I'd also maybe try to bring the crash cymbals a bit further up in the balance so that the heaving of the buss compressor would be even more obvious. I might even go for more of an obvious slap-back treatment for the vocal effects, just to give more of a sense of the room walls.

Not sure if any of those suggestions are useful, but I hope they are. Thanks for broadening my mind!

[electricladyLAN]

Mike, thanks. That's amazing. You've got it totally. I think those two tips (esp. Kick drum and vocals) you give would definitely improve it.

My intention was to try to recreate the sound that my friends and I would get with our tape 4 tracks and first generation Digital Recorders, when the only outboard effects we had were our boss guitar pedals and an alesis microverb. Really crude