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Pray for Rain - The Noob Mix
#1
I've been out of the game for a while and have never mixed anything this complex. I don't have the best monitoring environment and can't really use headphones because of sizable hearing loss. Still, despite being really rusty and listening through hearing aids, I think this is shaping up well. I would love to hear your thoughts because I'm certain there are things I'm not hearing well.

I haven't listened to any of the other mixes, so now I'll go do that. Then I'll probably redo mine another 100 times. lol

Thanks!


.mp3    Pray for Rain with BGVs WAV.mp3 --  (Download: 10.5 MB)


.mp3    Pray for Rain v3.mp3 --  (Download: 10.5 MB)


.mp3    Pray for Rain v4.mp3 --  (Download: 10.5 MB)


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#2
I tweaked the lead vocal a bit. I reduced the compression and tried to add some heft back into it. It was a bit too thin. I also reduced some snare reverb and vocal effects. I think this version sounds pretty good.


.mp3    Pray for Rain v5.mp3 --  (Download: 10.5 MB)


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#3
hearing well.

I suggest:

- more drum, at the same volume level of the lead vox
- delay 1/4 long feedback, stereo
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#4
Okay, I just bumped up the drums a bit, added some delay to the lead vocal, but just a touch. It's hard for me to tell when I'm overdoing it. I also backed off the snare reverb a bit. After making it louder, the verb really stood out too much and was a bit too long.

EDIT: Added another version. Added a little thump back to the snare and lengthened the reverb. I shortened it too much the first time.


.mp3    Pray for Rain v6(2).mp3 --  (Download: 10.99 MB)


.mp3    Pray for Rain v7.mp3 --  (Download: 10.99 MB)


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#5
I tweaked the snare a bit more because I thought I had it too loud. then I added a very subtle vocal double (two L and R tracks) for the lead vocal. It helped clear it up and spread it out just a bit. I really like how this sounds a lot.


.mp3    Pray for Rain v8.mp3 --  (Download: 11.15 MB)


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#6
I added the lead guitar to the same doubler tracks I just added for the vocal and it really made the lead parts pop, while also sitting great in the mix. More spacious, but not overdoing it. I *really* like this mix now. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I really need to stop making changes or I'll be working on this song non-stop for a month. lol


.mp3    Pray for Rain v9.mp3 --  (Download: 11.15 MB)


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#7
Ugh...I can't stop making changes. I raised the snare by about 1.5 dB, tweaked a few other things, and added just a tiny exciter to the lead vocal. Then I automated the background vocals better. This version is so much better than where I started! It's exciting. I'm addicted. I also faded out the ending, which I totally forgot to do before. lol


.mp3    Pray for Rain v10.mp3 --  (Download: 9.99 MB)


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#8
Hi Neiby - thanks for sharing your mix. I am listening to v10 at this point. The standout points for me right away - love the intro and verse guitar treatments. Your snare sound is really cool too - did you pick an alternate sample? Delays on the lead vocal are really nice too. The room space you picked is cool too.

Lots of good balancing choices - I am not sure I am a fan of the chorus effect (?) on the lead vocal. The other thing I noticed is that the mix seems to pump on the kick drum - do you have a bus compressor on the mix that may be being triggered by the kick? It may be worth a spectral analyzer check against the reference mix for the amount of bass as well - it sounds like a little more wouldn't hurt to me.

Thanks for posting ! You have a really cool vibe going with some of your creative choices. I hope a few of these comments help !

Cheers

Thomas
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#9
Thank you, those comments do help! I really should go back to this and start from scratch. I've rearranged my studio to fix speaker placement issues and have been learning so much the past few weeks. I think if I were to do it all over again, the result would be much better. I think this mix is, as you noticed, over compressed to the point of sounding squashed. I'll have to pull up the last mix, but I think I had Cakewalk's Boost 11 and another plugin on the mix bus, plus lots of compression elsewhere. Way too much.

I did not replace any sounds, so that snare is the original, but I added some compression, EQ, and an excited plugin to bring it out a bit without having to raise the volume too much. I struggled with that. I think partially because I had my speakers in the worst possible place and it was making my room boomy and muddy. That made it difficult to make good choices.

I think all I did to the vocal was to send it to a stereo FX track where I delayed the left and right by slightly different amounts and also detuned them by slightly different amounts. It was supposed to thicken the lead, but I went overboard. If it stands out, it's too much. lol

I appreciate the comments, they are very helpful!
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#10
Ugh...I'm listening to that mix again and with my speakers in a better part of the room up on foam and on speaker stands, it sounds so different! It's amazing, and I really don't like it. I think I'm going to have to do it again or it's going to drive me crazy. haha
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