Passing Ships

[Obelix]

I mixed this song in an hour. It was a challenging one. The main vocal was main challenge due too big dynamic range it has. The snare was also hard to get it right (when in solo drums sounded good, but in the song the snare went to be too bright). Any suggestions for version 2 ?

[chuck moe]

Bold moves in cello and vox effects. I think the VOX with less verb and delay in the chorus might bring it up a bit so it's not so recessed. I always like your bold moves. Cheers

[pauli]

I mixed this song in an hour. It was a challenging one. The main vocal was main challenge due too big dynamic range it has. The snare was also hard to get it right (when in solo drums sounded good, but in the song the snare went to be too bright). Any suggestions for version 2 ?

When you're having a hard time balancing a vocal with long term dynamics as wide as on this recording, it's often a good idea to split up the vocal track into separate instances for the verse and chorus so you can balance and process each separately.

It's not uncommon when you start balancing on the loudest chorus (as you should be, if you're not already) to get a good vocal level, only the find the vocal is way too quiet during the verses. Most often vocals will also need different EQ and compression strategies at different points in the song as well, and it doesn't just stop with vocals... if a bass guitarists playing style (picked vs. fingered vs. slapped) changes over the chorus of the song, different compression strategies and different levels will almost certainly be required to maintain a consistent low end, so other instruments will also benefit from the same strategies.

Another thing you could try (and this is how I worked on my version) is splitting the vocals different sections into clips on the same track, then using your DAW's item processing utilities to adjust the level of each clip to get a more even dynamic before you even start using plugins.

Either way, before you start using plugins (aside from high pass filters or stereo utilities), your goal should be to find a relatively solid fader position for each track such that you can play the song from start to finish without huge shifts in the mix balance... then you can use plugins to tighten the balance up, and then you can automate the faders to make it sing.

So if you feel like you can't even come close to a solid fader level for the vocal or anything else for that matter without plugins, it should be a strong hint that you either need to mult (chop it up and lay it out on different tracks) or otherwise even out the long term level by directly manipulating the raw audio. That will ensure that you're either set up for varied processing in different spots from the outset, or that the processing on a single track will react similarly throughout the song.

[Obelix]

[quote='pauli' pid='32605' dateline='1429662772']
[quote='Obelix' pid='30633' dateline='1427988517']

Thx for kind words

[takka360]

Good feedback pauli

[pauli]

Good feedback pauli

Thanks

Another thought came to mind... what sort of compressor are you using on the vocal? Funny thing about compressors, you can never have too many, because the exact same settings on similar models are most likely going to sound distinctly different enough that one model might be preferable over the other. Sometimes that's a matter of personal taste, but sometimes you'll get an objectively better result with the exact same settings on a different compressor.

If that doesn't make sense, think about what exactly is meant by attack and release, because not every compressor treats those controls the same way. Some compressors with a 20 ms attack time with a 3:1 ratio won't reduce gain at all until the signal has been over the threshold for 20 ms... HOWEVER, most compressors actually start reducing gain the moment the threshold is crossed and simply don't reach the full 3:1 gain reduction until 20 ms has passed. And some apply that gain reduction linearly across the attack time, some logarithmically, and quite a few are pretty unpredictable until you try it out.... and the same principles apply to release times. And let's not mention that "20 ms" might not mean the same thing to different compressors for whatever reason. So three different compressors set to the exact same settings will most likely react differently to transients and note tails, more noticeably with longer attack and release times and higher ratios... which is why different compressors are often better suited for different purposes.

It's not really important to think mathematically about this kinda stuff, but it's a good idea to build up a good collection of compressors and start listening for which ones are more well behaved under different circumstances. Try a leveling amplifier style compressor for vocals... the attack, release and ratio automatically change depending on the vocal level, so you can generally even out a vocal without any nasty sounding side effects until you push it way harder than you'll likely need to.

[paulcjohnson]

For this song I think less is more, I couldn't get past all the effects! I think trying things like you have is great but if the effects and processing is the first thing I hear I think it might be too much?