Library Preview Mix

[Mike Senior]

Download the multitracks here.

[FytaKyte]

A few things about this track that may help with mixing:

This song is all about the Jangle!... meaning that the jangly guitar riff is one of the crucial verse hooks - the song was written around it. For sonic inspiration, I looked to songs like "Orange Crush" by REM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPfzuFVuFMk & "Unguarded Moment" by The Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7ukwrKd8cA Make that jangly riff guitar big and ringing, but be sure to leave room for the vocals!. It's a nice opportunity to perhaps try out some tips you might have picked up from Mike S about creating space while maintaining audibility in two major (potentially) competing parts.

The chorus is perhaps a little more definite and hooky - think along the lines of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers "Refugee", or even "Run to You" by Brian Adams. There's a chance to bring some more crunch and impact to the arrangement here. Don't forget the importance of the background vocals - they really lift the chorus.

The drums should be in fairly good shape - make them as roomy or dry as you prefer. Just make sure they are not the biggest thing in the mix - Keep them proportional to the other elements. For a reality check, reference some of the mixes mentioned above.

The bass has some fairly distorted options in the multitracks. These are "flavour" tracks. Like spices in a meal, they are probably best used tastefully and sparingly. Balancing the bass with the drums is crucial to the feel of this track.

As is usual for most raw multitracks, the vocal will definitely need some dynamic control and eq to get it sitting right in the track. It's not ridiculously dynamic, but you may find that you need to use some de-essing to deal with the sibilants once you compress and brighten it. Take care not to go overboard with the de-essing though. There is nothing worse than a lisping vocalist!

There are plenty of backing vocals to play with here, and spread out across the stereo spectrum.. However, in the interests of keeping the track count under the "brutal" threshold, I did actually submix some of the "answering" vocals for ease of placement.

Keep in mind that the keyboard parts are mainly "flavouring" elements. They are designed to add movement and interest to the arrangement, but they are definitely far from the main event here. However, treated with taste and care, they may provide an opportunity to add some more textural colour to the arrangement - worth experimenting with if you want your mix to be a little different.

The guitar solo was an attempt to create a slightly impressionistic solo somewhere along the lines of the one at the end of The Church's "Under The Milky Way" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA54NBtPKdI The Church's solo I'm referring to is the outro solo that starts around 3:45 in the clip and plays pretty much to the end. "Bitter"s solo is much more succinct, but there is room for some creative input to create that kind of a feeling.

The acoustic guitars are interesting. Although they are only provided on two tracks, in different parts of the arrangement, they can be used to take on different roles. I would definitely suggest "multing" them to (for example) treat the finger picked parts differently to the strummed parts.

Don't forget the percussion tracks. They may seem fairly standard and subtle, but when mixed at the right level, they really liven up the arrangement.

If you're fairly new to mixing and you'd like a little more direction and inspiration, try downloading the processed stems of my original mix of the song here: http://www.multitracks.cambridge-mt.com/..._Stems.zip Hearing the processed elements solo'd may help with decisions like eq, compression, panning and use of FX.

Finally, this song has lots of room for you to use ambience and colourful fx to help tell the story. Who wants to hear a boring story?.., so whatever you do, please don't be boring!

Remember that mixing isn't just about balancing sounds and churning out something that sounds "ok". Mixing is an opportunity to use your creativity and imagination to put the finishing touches to a sonic "painting" that the artist started.

Mix your first mix like you'll be presenting it to the artist - Always aim to impress, and most importantly... Have fun!

[Roy]

One thing I noticed about the multitracks is I'm pretty sure the OHs and Room tracks are audience perspective and the toms lay out in the drummer's perspective. Not a huge issue but something for people to be mindful of when deciding their panning.

[FytaKyte]

One thing I noticed about the multitracks is I'm pretty sure the OHs and Room tracks are audience perspective and the toms lay out in the drummer's perspective. Not a huge issue but something for people to be mindful of when deciding their panning.

Yes, I personally always mix audience perspective, so that is the way the OH and Room tracks are configured. Regarding the toms - I lay them out that way so that they come up in order from left to right matching the panning perspective in my mix window...ie. floor tom to the left, tom 3 next, then tom 2, and tom 1 to the right. Hope that makes sense.

[Dangerous]

With a reference to "The Church" I'm in for sure! A great sounding track fHumbles. Well Done.

Is the preview mix that of your own?

Dave

[FytaKyte]

With a reference to "The Church" I'm in for sure! A great sounding track fHumbles. Well Done.

Thanks Dave - looking forward to hearing your mix! The rest of the album is here: https://fytakyte.bandcamp.com/releases

Is the preview mix that of your own?

Yes indeed!