Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
One Minute Smile - Saturday Afternoon Mix
#1
Hi All,
I heard a great mix of this one this afternoon, and thought I'd have a whack at it. One problem I encountered that I have no idea how to deal with was the sibilance! The sibilance was blinding, and I have no idea how to tame it Sad. There was great air in her voice, but I feel like I took a lot of life from the vocal and it is still sharp. I'd love any suggestions on how to deal with it Huh (I tried notching things out, spent lots of time fiddling with the de-esser, and this is what I ended up with). This was a fun mix though, as I have never used any samples in my mixes before, and it was fun to learn how to use sampled kicks (now i need to learn different ways to do it, and maybe a way to do it automatically). As always, and especially on this one, comments/criticisms are welcome and encouraged! Thanks for listening.


.mp3    One minute Smile.mp3 --  (Download: 3.74 MB)


Reply
#2
Hi low string your mix sounds well balanced !
On my monitors it sounds like the overall mix needs a bit more high end Big Grin !

Please Help Mike Keep This Awesome Educational Site Alive And Become A patron !
https://www.patreon.com/CambridgeMT/posts

Reply
#3
(24-11-2013, 02:24 AM)lowstring Wrote: Hi All,
I heard a great mix of this one this afternoon, and thought I'd have a whack at it. One problem I encountered that I have no idea how to deal with was the sibilance! The sibilance was blinding, and I have no idea how to tame it Sad. There was great air in her voice, but I feel like I took a lot of life from the vocal and it is still sharp. I'd love any suggestions on how to deal with it Huh (I tried notching things out, spent lots of time fiddling with the de-esser, and this is what I ended up with). This was a fun mix though, as I have never used any samples in my mixes before, and it was fun to learn how to use sampled kicks (now i need to learn different ways to do it, and maybe a way to do it automatically). As always, and especially on this one, comments/criticisms are welcome and encouraged! Thanks for listening.

Dude, your vocal is okay for me. The sibilance issue was hard to fix even stacking 2 de esser in series. I think it's from the recording.
When I hear it on my system, the vocals is way too upfront so the rest of instruments kinda disappear. It feels like karaoke, imho. I guess you're too focus taking care of vocal, perhaps? Tongue
Mixing and Mastering with he[art]

Low Rates!

Listen at:
https://soundcloud.com/mystycalfanfare

Contact me at:
https://www.facebook.com/mystycal.fanfare

Follow me at:
https://twitter.com/MystyFanfare
Reply
#4
Ya, 2 dessers is what I used. And focus on the lower part of the esses. What you've got already is not that bad. I also noticed once I started compressing the vocal there was just a little too much 1K which gives a certain perceived harshness, just pulling that back a slight bit makes a difference. I think I only did a half db. Once you get the vocal balanced to the other instruments a little better you'll be well on your way.
Reply
#5
Hi All,
I re-worked this one to get a better balance, and I think that I've pulled more of the music out. Thanks so much for all your comments! They are so helpful!


.mp3    One Minute Smile 11-26-13.mp3 --  (Download: 3.74 MB)


Reply
#6
Thanks Myst!
When I listen again with your direction and fresh ears, I totally agree with you. I was way too fixated on the vocal, and had her a bit too up front. I tried to re-balance this, let me know if she sits right for you now, as well as if the guitars now sound too much rock and too little pop... Thanks so much for your comments!

[/quote]

Dude, your vocal is okay for me. The sibilance issue was hard to fix even stacking 2 de esser in series. I think it's from the recording.
When I hear it on my system, the vocals is way too upfront so the rest of instruments kinda disappear. It feels like karaoke, imho. I guess you're too focus taking care of vocal, perhaps? Tongue

[/quote]

Reply
#7
Thanks Don!
I did rework the balance a bit, please let me know if I've thrown anything off for you. I also tried to get a bit more high end, particularly through the cymbals and some of the higher guitar parts (when I try to put more air into the vocal, I get more ice pick sibilance and I'm still deciding where the happy medium lies). Always a pleasure to have you listen and critique!


(24-11-2013, 10:35 AM)thedon Wrote: Hi low string your mix sounds well balanced !
On my monitors it sounds like the overall mix needs a bit more high end Big Grin !

Reply
#8
Thanks Jay!
Great information and direction! I'm keeping it on file so that I can play with your suggestions more and practice. Thanks so much for listeningSmile


(25-11-2013, 06:18 PM)jayb6120 Wrote: Ya, 2 dessers is what I used. And focus on the lower part of the esses. What you've got already is not that bad. I also noticed once I started compressing the vocal there was just a little too much 1K which gives a certain perceived harshness, just pulling that back a slight bit makes a difference. I think I only did a half db. Once you get the vocal balanced to the other instruments a little better you'll be well on your way.

Reply
#9
Hey Lowstring, so heard both your track, second one better improvement. As far as the vocals, don't put two auto tuned vocals in the same panning because they start to sound very strange and robotic, kinda like flutter echo. Try panning them away from each other. As far as sibilants goes, more compression and a lot of vocal riding. She needs some weight to her voice sounds a bit thin. I rolled of a little around 6k ish, to tame those in my mix and added Just a tad to the 300hz for weight. But definitely better improvement from the first mix, Good Job!!
Reply