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Long Way Home mix and master
#1
My attempt to mix and master this beautiful song (Thanks David). Please comments are very welcome.

I really haven't made too many mixes and this particular one has been quite challenging because of the high ammount of instruments. Trying to figure out how to place each one onto a particular place and fitting into the mix while standing out in turns, depending on the music, has required time and effort. Althougt it has been a pleasure because of the beauty of the song.

Listening afterwards to others attempts to this song, I find that my reverb level is way lower than the mean, although I've tried to keep a relatively wide stereo field.

I've also have had trouble shaping the timbre of the piano. The original track is stereo and with an eccess of lows and mid-lows and lacking highs. Has anyone had similar troubles?

Also the song does not fit into my normal style, which is normaly metal, or hard rock at least, with heavier drums and bass guitar. This is why my bass is maybe louder and more present than in other versions. I think I made a better job with drums.

Anyway, regardless of the result, It's been rewarding to explore outside of my "comfort zone": I've been forced to learn a lot and expand my resources.

As I said, comments are welcome.

(BTW, sorry for any mistake on my language, I'm not a native speaker)


.mp3    David Tyo - Long Way Home_AWE_v3.1.mp3 --  (Download: 11.72 MB)


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#2
Good Mix. LCR-Mix?
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#3
(22-12-2019, 12:04 PM)M.W.A.P. Wrote: Good Mix. LCR-Mix?

Not really a LCR-Mix. What has led you to believe so?

Every instrument has been panned to a particular place, not fully left or right, lead voice has been left in the center and widened with LR delay, and main guitar is also in the center.

Thanks for your reply!
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#4
Quick listen. In general, it feels out of focus. The kick and bass feel ok. The snare and vocal feel wide and hard to place in the stereo image. I hear the vocal. I can make out the words but it doesn't feel important in the mix. It feels like another element and catches my ear just as much as any other instrument. The overall sum of the mix feels like a soup with no one part being big enough to be the star. It's a deep song, lyrically (though I have my issues with them). The vocals are the emotional backbone of the song. They should be front and center.

I really am mixing metaphors.

I never thought the original tracks lacked highs. It might be a difference in monitoring. A lot of the parts in this mix feel 'overworked'. Maybe tweaked to much in solo? I'm not sure.

Unrelated: I feel like this should be said for everyone on this board, don't feel a need to apologize for your grasp of English. If anyone should apologize for how one butchers the English language it should be me as an American. You write better than I do in English and you do it in multiple languages. This is an international board. We all get what people mean when they write on here. I've never had language be a barrier, except when I'm drunk. Some day Google translate will sort that out. Plus talking about music and mixing is so difficult in any language. You're doing fine. If something doesn't make sense just ask.
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#5
(22-12-2019, 03:15 PM)RoyMatthews Wrote: Quick listen. In general, it feels out of focus. The kick and bass feel ok. The snare and vocal feel wide and hard to place in the stereo image. I hear the vocal. I can make out the words but it doesn't feel important in the mix. It feels like another element and catches my ear just as much as any other instrument. The overall sum of the mix feels like a soup with no one part being big enough to be the star. It's a deep song, lyrically (though I have my issues with them). The vocals are the emotional backbone of the song. They should be front and center.

I really am mixing metaphors.

I never thought the original tracks lacked highs. It might be a difference in monitoring. A lot of the parts in this mix feel 'overworked'. Maybe tweaked to much in solo? I'm not sure.

Unrelated: I feel like this should be said for everyone on this board, don't feel a need to apologize for your grasp of English. If anyone should apologize for how one butchers the English language it should be me as an American. You write better than I do in English and you do it in multiple languages. This is an international board. We all get what people mean when they write on here. I've never had language be a barrier, except when I'm drunk. Some day Google translate will sort that out. Plus talking about music and mixing is so difficult in any language. You're doing fine. If something doesn't make sense just ask.

Wow! Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply! Some considerations:

I have tried to make a quite choral song, where instruments pop out to the front and go back to get hidden into the mix, and as far as I understand that is your impression. Maybe that is why you find it out of focus. It may not be the appropiate approach or even it may not match with the style of the song, or even may be absolutely wrong! But that was my approach.

On the other hand it would be great if you could go deeper in what you mean with "overworked". I tweek tracks both in solo and with the whole mix. I'll try and pay more attention Are you meaning too processed? Too compressed? Not natural? (You're right saying that writting about music and mixing is difficult in any language)

With regard to the issue with the voice you are surely right. I suppose is what I am used to do and hear in metal and alternative: voices that do not stand out that much from the mix. I'll try and use more references to the style next time.

I really want to thank you again for your time and your extensive comment. Very helpful. It's great to share and contrast ideas.
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#6
(22-12-2019, 05:54 PM)AwakenSound Wrote: Wow! Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply! Some considerations:

I have tried to make a quite choral song, where instruments pop out to the front and go back to get hidden into the mix, and as far as I understand that is your impression. Maybe that is why you find it out of focus. It may not be the appropiate approach or even it may not match with the style of the song, or even may be absolutely wrong! But that was my approach.
I certainly appreciate any intentional approach to a mix or any work of art. Even though I might not see it I accept that your approach was thought out and deliberate. What you painted feels more Impressionist. This song needs more of a Renaissance interpretation. I would never say what you did was wrong. But the subject, in my opinion, is the vocal and lyrics and emotion and that should be what the focus is. All the other parts of the song should support that.

Quote:On the other hand it would be great if you could go deeper in what you mean with "overworked". I tweek tracks both in solo and with the whole mix. I'll try and pay more attention Are you meaning too processed? Too compressed? Not natural? (You're right saying that writting about music and mixing is difficult in any language)
I feel like a lot of the instruments, particularly I thought of the piano, was really eq'd and processed to be a 'sound' as opposed to letting it be what it was. I honestly don't recall the initial track but I feel like it's radically different than what it is. And that's ok if you need to fit it into the overall picture. But I'm not sure if it has to be that way.

Quote:With regard to the issue with the voice you are surely right. I suppose is what I am used to do and hear in metal and alternative: voices that do not stand out that much from the mix. I'll try and use more references to the style next time.

I really want to thank you again for your time and your extensive comment. Very helpful. It's great to share and contrast ideas.
I get it that metal mixes are different and the vocal might not be as important. And as mixers we have to be able to switch genres and know what fits. A metal guitar or bass or drum tone is way different than a blues or jazz tone.



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#7
Thank you very much once again for your comments and your time. Now its all clear. Very clever example that of the art periods. I've got your points.
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