Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
About This Multitrack
#1
You can find the multitrack files for this project in the 'Mixing Secrets' Free Multitrack Download Library.

Before posting a mix, please read The Three Commandments!
Please post your mix as a new thread, rather than as a reply to this sticky.

Here's some more project info you might find useful:
  • About The Raw Multitracks:
    • The drums seem to have been generated by one of those multitrack drum virtual instruments, so although you get the same kind of track layout as with a live kit, the spill situation is very different. Stereo tracks include: a very odd-sounding stereo 'overheads' signal which features no kick drum at all, very little snare or hi-hat, only a moderate amount of toms, and masses of cymbals; and three drum-room alternatives with a complete kit mix, but strangely low levels of hi-hat. The close mics all have little or no spill at all, and comprise kick (in, out, sub), snare (over, under), hi-hat, and three toms. There's also a single track of rainstick.
    • There's one track each for bass guitar and four further electric guitars.
    • The stereo hammond organ track has been recorded with reverb.
    • The only vocal track is for the lead line, which is nicely performed and recorded.
  • Challenges You're Likely To Face:
    • If you're used to mixing live drum kits, this kind of virtual kit can seem rather counterintuitive, as a lot of normal drum-mixing techniques don't really make sense when the spill situation is so different. The peculiar overhead and drum-room balances will also likely cause some difficulties in terms of getting a cohesive sound.
    • The small number of guitar overdubs and lack of double-tracks presents a bit of a problem in terms of creating a satisfying mainstream-rock stereo spread.
    • There is a central conflict inherent in this production that needs to be tackled if you're going to get the best out of the music, namely that the lead vocal is clearly the star of the show from a performance perspective, but that the drums, bass, and guitars still need to be powerful enough to live up to the rock stylings. Overcook the vocal, and the backing will sound puny; overcook the backing, and the vocal performance won't shine as it deserves to do.
  • Some Mixing Tips: Although I've not mixed this particular track myself, here are some suggestions that come to mind:
    • If you're going to get this kind of multitrack virtual instrument to sound like a real kit, then it makes sense to try to get the drum-room tracks (whichever ones you decide to use) to sound as well-balanced as possible. That way, the kit should hopefully still blend fairly naturally once you start mixing in the close-mic tracks.
    • I'd almost certainly get out the editing tools to generate some fake double-tracks from the guitar tracks, as a means of filling out the stereo image. The whole song's very riff-based, so you should at least be able to conjure up a convincing double-track for the main rhythm guitar part, if not for other sections too.
    • I'd probably also edit the reverb tails off the hammond part to give me more options for adjusting the track's ambience as the timeline progresses.
    • I'd probably add at least a couple of decibels of 1kHz to the lead vocal to help give it a bit more body in the midrange. Otherwise, it may be difficult to get it sounding solid against the rest of the tracks without turning it up a bit too loud overall.
If you have any other general questions about this multitrack, just reply to this post and I'll see what I can do.
Reply