Tears in the Rain - A Metallurgist Mix and Master

[The_Metallurgist]

more than a few coffees disappeared while working on this song.

one of the [many] things i battled with here, was the bassDI. it's clearly software, but unfortunately the decay wasn't programmed and the lack of transient on the attack is an issue too. without correction, it merely hums along without dynamic. being a key component of the rhythm section, i felt it needed some investment in time and energy to get it fixed as best as possible, especially as i had the plan to run it with another guitar as a duo, to help introduce some interest to further engage the listener.

there's a section two-thirds of the way through where the original arrangement has everything strumming away and it was just way too busy and confusing as it was difficult to know what the musician wanted us to focus on, so some tweaking was made to change this into something that i felt was more complementary for the song.

Mix and Mastered using sustainable energy....and the coffee was FairTrade ;)

enjoy
Dave

[pauli]

There are quite a few effects in this mix that deserve their own collective adjective to describe how indicative they are of your mixing style: Metallurgisty and they made me smile. Particularly the spring reverb (or something similar) about three quarters of the way through the tune... that's exactly what it sounds like if you accidentally tip my guitar amplifier over when it's turned on (you hear the spring resonate), and I've always liked that sound... you hear quite a bit of it in vintage recordings.

My main concern is that it sounds like you've removed a bit too much top end from the cat-gut guitar and it sounds a bit boxy, allowing the steel string guitars to dominate that region unduly. That wouldn't be much of a big deal if the captures were a little better. My gut is telling me the recording environment had a wicked flutter echo, or perhaps the mic placement was off a little, because the steel stringers are wildly tonally inconsistent in a few spots across the mid-range due to phase shifting. Normally I'd suspect that the guitarist was shifting his position (especially because it's mono) but you'll notice a similar property in the electric guitars (and the amp is presumably quite stationary ) around 500 or so, although the effect is actually pretty pleasant in that case. At any rate, that issue drove me ba-nay-nays, and after 4 hours of fiddling with dynamic EQs, multiband compressors and phase shifters, I gave up and buried the offending frequencies with the lead acoustic, which is probably contributing to my perception of the lead guitar's tone as it leaves those phase shifts more exposed.

In general, the EQ feels a bit too aggressive and some of the automated tonal changes sound a little stand-outish/unnatural, and in the odd spot here or there, the electric guitars get a bit harsh, but the separation of instruments and overall mix clarity is well executed, nonetheless. As always, your reverb choices are very profoundly emotional in nature and very successful in creating the illusion of space around the instruments.

As you mentioned, the hard work on the bass guitar is the real victory here. Nice, punchy, warm but not muddy, and very well suited to the style. I didn't notice the attack/decay issues when I was mixing this because I was too busy fighting a losing battle on the rhythm guitars and thus left the issue unattended, but your work here really shows and might possibly inspire me to try something similar in a revision.

And the drums sound absolutely outstanding, but something suggests to me that you already know that!

Good work on a track that had a lot of unexpected challenges!

[thedon]

Very impressive demonstration of creativity Dave I really like it ,Just a personal preference I love to play the acoustic guitar and like to hear the upper frequencies of the strings plucking a touch more .

[Olli H]

Nice creative effects. Very good sound to my ears.

Nice job with that bass. It goes together nicely with drums.

The band has right kind of supportive role, and it's not trying to steal the show from solo guitars.

Finger picking acoustic guitar has some hollow element in it. Listen for example when it's all alone at 0:40. Maybe it's not a problem at all, but I just noticed it. (I probably have the same problem, I must check)

[Chris93]

The changes to the feel of the song you've created with automation are interesting and you solved the issue I wasn't able to with the bass DI.

The toms at the start sound like completely separate entities from the rest of the drum kit. It sounds like maybe you had a drum bus and/or reverb that they weren't a part of.

I do feel that the electric guitar sounds a bit separated from the rest of the mix around 0:50. It's much further forward than everything else, maybe a short ambience reverb would help it? Maybe a bit less 1-2K? I'd agree on the boxiness of the nylon, one of the main things I like about that instrument is the percussive attack to the notes, but that's been diminished slightly. It could be a touch less loud, it again sounds like a separate thing on top of a backing track rather than as much a part of it, I do like how it sits against the electric though.

Does the nylon guitar have a reverb on it with the pre-delay set in time with the song? I like that.

Chris

[The_Metallurgist]

thanks for dropping in Chris, and indeed to all the other posts giving feedback, all right, all respected, all appreciated immensely....

The changes to the feel of the song you've created with automation are interesting and you solved the issue I wasn't able to with the bass DI.

what was your issue? you are aware it wasn't a DI but software, right? unfortunately the parameters weren't properly set up before the print which made things a bit troublesome for us. it lacks decent attack. and the decay? didn't have any! there's one point in the mix where i had to switch the processing off and resort to the original format, but it only lasted about 4 bars i think; i needed the sustain at that point. the devil is in the detail, as they say.

The toms at the start sound like completely separate entities from the rest of the drum kit. It sounds like maybe you had a drum bus and/or reverb that they weren't a part of.

i sent too much bass down the middle to take some weight off the sides - nothing worse than a floor tom banging the left ear drum [in headphones] which novice mixes tend to do in excess, especially with 20 foot wide drum kits!! not pleasant. the treatment of the kit is the same in the intro as the rest of the proj, if i remember correctly. i think it probably sticks out more for you at this juncture because of the automation during the intro. but it's a good point. i'll take more care in future, thanks for that

I do feel that the electric guitar sounds a bit separated from the rest of the mix around 0:50.....

it's mixed no differently here as elsewhere in the mix. sounds fine on a re-run of the print to me. if you listen to the mid channel, it's fine. and the sides are consistently behaving themselves, so i'm not sure what you're listening to here?

.....It's much further forward than everything else, maybe a short ambience reverb would help it? Maybe a bit less 1-2K?

LOL, it's meant to be forward [in my vision]...it's in front of all the instruments but shares it's position in the mix with the nylon - both had a lead role. interesting that you understood the psychoacoustic messages but failed to accept them. how come?

I'd agree on the boxiness of the nylon, one of the main things I like about that instrument is the percussive attack to the notes, but that's been diminished slightly.

i think the nylon is fine. there's no international standard on how a nylon should sound. given the vast array of designs, shapes, different woods used in construction, the diverse range of string brands of varying quality, string tensions/actions, string AGE, playing styles, mic placements, microphone choices, signal chains, pre-amps, room modes.....and what the audience hears isn't the same as the guitarist hears whilst playing the instrument, and what the mic hears isn't what ANYONE hears, eh? all microphones tell lies.

the tracking quality was far from ideal - i'm being politically polite so i don't offend anyone. the top end on the nylon was brittle and also bright for Tears....in the rain. i wanted mood, emotion. brightness is associated with emotions like excitement, joy, not tears. i wanted mellow. brightness gave the wrong emotion.

i personally think that anyone who mixes this material with a spectral balance towards bright has totally lost any reference to the song title and any sense of the kind of emotion the music is aiming to present.

i'd agree the steel sucks though, and Olli was right in his obs on that. i needed to spend some time shaping it back after hitting the top end. it needed a different EQ during the intro because of it's exposure and role at that point in the mix. this is one thing i'd feel motivated to tidy up especially if the bank transfer was imminent!

It could be a touch less loud, it again sounds like a separate thing on top of a backing track rather than as much a part of it, I do like how it sits against the electric though.

personally, the nylon wasn't part of the backing track but a lead instrument, sharing the role with the electric. the two steels performed a role within the rhythm section panned either side. but note one acoustic, the right one, was muted extensively owing to it's REALLY bad tracking quality. the nylon then, had the spotlight when the electric wasn't doing it's thang.

i think you were looking for oranges instead of apples

Does the nylon guitar have a reverb on it with the pre-delay set in time with the song? I like that.

no, it's more complicated than that. pleased you liked it though...thanks for the acknowledgement and indeed thanks for taking the time to listen and give some feedback and observations. i must check out your own mix (done one?) and see what you've been up to, especially as you appeared to have preconceived expectations like placement for example. interesting....

laters...
Dave