(22-09-2014, 07:20 PM)juanjose1967 Wrote: Here's the mix with a 320kps mp3
cool..
Quote:No, I hadn't panned anything to the left, but in most parts of the song, the left channel sounded louder than the right one. I've fixed that already and now everything is more balanced.
oh yeah, that's cool too..
Quote:I liked the idea of having a 'dreamy' violin in the song. But in order to make everybody happy here (including me), I've decided to bring the violin forth and back according to the part of the song it plays. I also like the idea of a non-static instrument, so here it is!
i can understand what you mean about the dreamy aspect, however, the reverb applied originally didn't really translate as being dreamy but rather "back of the room". now you've brought it forwards in the mix, things are sounding better.
moving an instrument about in the mix can help masses, speaking generally. it's a good idea when we want it up-front and present in the mix, but drop it back when we'd rather have something else in it's place later on. i think this sort of attention helps to make a mix more interesting for the listener, and can help change the emotional dynamic and transitions to better effect.
i would make an observation, however. in terms of depth, thinking about the sound's spectral make-up is critical and i'm not sure you're working this fully? basically the rule is, the further up front in the mix, the more high frequency content it will have.....and the further back, the less so. simply playing with reverb won't do the job of placement unless this aspect is taken care of at the same time....and not forgetting the volume level (hate the word volume..because it's got nowt to do with loudness!). if either of these things isn't right, it will be a distraction because it won't meet our belief's of space and depth. humans are good at this.....until it comes to making it happen in a mix and we all find it hard to do.
Quote:I've decided to put the e-pianos on one side and not taking the whole spectrum. I checked the before and the after, and I like better the after.
me too. however, it's opened up another issue? the keys have quite a bit of bass/low-mid elements. placing this off to one side without having something balancing it on the other will skew the spectral balance of the stereo-field, making it a bit lop-sided. it's especially noticeable in headphones. normally, something like this would be given consideration in the arrangement during composing...or hacked out during Production, but it looks like you will need to get your Producer's hat on and try and find a solution. it's all a challenge, eh?
i've often found that simply changing an instrument's position in a mix can really upset things, especially if the mix is already in a very mature state of progress because of this balancing thing regarding the spectrum, but also in terms of what it's now getting in the way of. and this means the EQ of all the applicable instruments needs to be revisited if masking is to be avoided as much as practically possible.
i note there's a lot of masking in your mix generally, which suggests to me this isn't a straightforward project to mix; the violin especially springs to mind, for example.
i'm not comfortable with the drums, but it's not one thing in particular which stands out, but seems to be a number of minor issues of detail which are cumulatively working against you. have a listen to Bob's (aka "bmullen") version of this song, and check out his drums for a reverence and see what you think.
perhaps also have a listen to some other mixes of the song and see which you prefer regarding the treatment of sibilance in the vocal. i think some closer attention to it would be an advantage. but be careful here, because messing around with high frequencies for even a short period of time can really throw our perspectives right out the window, and we can lose touch with what is really happening - but you already know this. someone might mention also, the lead vocal is a little out of balance with the instruments - edging on the too loud? i don't think it's a problem, per se, but try some REALLY gentle nudges on it's fader and see how it goes. drop the fader right off, then bring it up until it sounds about right - note the level. then pull the fader down a touch, and do it again and see if you are back in the same position. if you end up placing the fader back in it's original slot, then it's fine. as it is at the moment, i'd say it would be fine for radio - nothing wrong with that
Juan, don't get disheartened. i think this is a difficult project perhaps made even harder by your absence from the DAW. but it offers some really good opportunity for building on the deeper and more meaningful aspects of mixing which we can all take advantage of. if you are getting a bit fed up with hearing it, perhaps re-visiting it later on might be a good idea, but think about the concepts in your next mix....
Quote:Thank you once more for your help and ideas!
and thank you for sharing your mix with us so we can engage in some active listening and providing us all with an opportunity for discussion.