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Shiny Dog Mix
#11
(06-01-2014, 06:37 PM)Shiny Dog Wrote: I used a multiband Comp on the bus not something I normally do but I just felt I wasn't getting what I wanted from my usual comp.

Speaking of compression, now that I've listened to this mix again it feels just a tad squashed. Nothing too serious but maybe just a touch too aggressive with the compression for country.

I'd love to hear this "unmastered" with NO compression whatsoever in the mastering stage; I suspect that'd sound a lot better. Wink

(06-01-2014, 06:37 PM)Shiny Dog Wrote: I have a bit of a dilemma with drums I often feel they are far too prominent in the mix with modern music but I know that is what people expect.

There's a good reason for that. Drums, as an instrument played live, ARE loud; if they're not loud enough in the mix they don't sound natural, or at the very least it makes them sound like the drummer is sitting way back against the rear stage wall while all the other performers stand several meters out in front of him/her... Tongue

That being said, drums in a recording do not have to be balanced to be as loud as they would actually be in a live performance but they should "punch" up over the music a bit. Exactly how much "punch" you give them really depends on your mixing style and tastes IMHO.

Speaking of which, snare has decent punch here. Maybe just a tad TOO much for my taste right now. Not sure if my ears are tricking me or if you actually turned it up but now I think it might benefit from coming down just 1 dB. Wink

(06-01-2014, 06:37 PM)Shiny Dog Wrote: The noise is the slate VTM That Needs sorting.

Respectfully, I think it needs REMOVING IMHO.

I understand in principle why you'd want to use it; you want that old school "warmth" that magnetic tape distortion provides. However, bear in mind that the original multitracks were recorded with Telefunken TUBE mics which ALREADY impart a lot of that "warm" character if recordings of yesteryear.

It's up to you, of course, but I suggest you try doing the mix ENTIRELY WITHOUT the Slate VTM and see what you get; I suspect you'll be more pleased with the results than you might expect... Wink

(06-01-2014, 06:37 PM)Shiny Dog Wrote: I have made a couple of very quick changers and would love to know what you think.

This is a definite improvement. Vocals sit better in the mix here, but overall sound is just a tad too bright and that reverb is still a little heavy.

I'm beginning to think that BOTH problems might be due to the compression you're applying at mastering; compression tends to overemphasize subtle reverbs and can make recordings sound too bright in some cases.

Once again, I'd love to hear what would happen if you bypassed all compression in the master buss and see what comes out... Wink
John A. Ardelli
Pedaling Prince Pictures
http://www.youtube.com/user/PedalingPrince
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#12
Just having another go at this Mix, Sorry Pedaling Prince I forgot to render a un-mastered version. I am relatively new to county music so can you name me a couple of tracks that I could use for reference.
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#13
(13-01-2014, 07:48 PM)Shiny Dog Wrote: Just having another go at this Mix, Sorry Pedaling Prince I forgot to render a un-mastered version. I am relatively new to county music so can you name me a couple of tracks that I could use for reference.

Well, if you're looking for MY advice I would stick to any popular country music recorded pre-1995 before "loudness" mastering techniques got out of hand. Vince Gill's I Still Believe In You jumps to mind, and probably anything on any of his albums from that one back would be good examples, whatever sounds good to you. Smile

The singer I personally tend to base my country sound on is Scott Phillips, though you're not likely to find copies of his one and only album, Day One very easily; he dropped abruptly out of the music scene a couple years after his CD was released. Here's an article on him from just prior to his abrupt departure from the music scene:

http://www.whatsgoinon.ca/scott-phillips...tSQAvbWRpE

His pulling out of music had nothing to do with the quality of his work; he pulled out for personal reasons. I wasn't privy to the intimate details of exactly what happened but I did hang out with him and the band on a handful of occasions and I gleaned bits and pieces of what happened from his colleagues in the band. What I do know is not my story to share, but suffice it to say I wish I could've heard some of the new songs he wrote after Day One recorded in the studio. Sadly, it was not to be. Sad
John A. Ardelli
Pedaling Prince Pictures
http://www.youtube.com/user/PedalingPrince
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#14
Mix No 4
And Just for Pedalling prince I have uploaded a version without The any Mix bus compression and pre mastered.


.mp3    Who I Am - Shiney Dog Mix 4.mp3 --  (Download: 2.8 MB)


.mp3    Who I Am - Shiney Dog Mix 4 - No Bus Comp Pre Master.mp3 --  (Download: 3.5 MB)


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#15
(21-01-2014, 08:12 PM)Shiny Dog Wrote: Mix No 4
And Just for Pedalling prince I have uploaded a version without The any Mix bus compression and pre mastered.

Cool! Cool Thanks for the "unmastered" version. Wink

I listened to both, of course. One thing I noticed was that your "unmastered" version not only sounds more dynamic but also has less compression artifacting; the mastered version has a weird wavering sound in the background that makes it sound like the song is "swimming" through the compression to get to your ears. This is, in fact, another reason to keep dynamic range intact; material with narrower dynamic range, with so much sonic content crammed together, doesn't convert to AAC or MP3 as well as dynamic material. Wink

So, in short, the dynamic version is, IMHO, the superior sound. My only suggestions would be to sharpen up the snare drum a tad, sharpen up and bring up the volume of the banjo and mandolin a little, and maybe back down a notch on the vocal reverb (country music tends to sound better with a drier sound I find). Also, maybe just a subtle 1 or 2 dB boost in the 5-6 kHz range to sharpen up the vocal just a little.

It's up to you, but based on what I'm hearing here I'd suggest you try seeing what happens to some of your other mixes when you drop out the mix buss compression; I'm willing to bet you'll get much better sound that way every time. Wink

Good work! Cool
John A. Ardelli
Pedaling Prince Pictures
http://www.youtube.com/user/PedalingPrince
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#16
Hi, Pedalling Prince, thank you for taking time to listen and critique this mix, some good stuff.
I like the sound of the buss comp but maybe sometimes it is not appropriate but I think the problem lies with the fact I must spend less than 10 minutes on the final mastering stage.
I use Nero to convert to MP3 maybe I need to use better codec's.
Some things I need to to look into.
SDA
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#17
(04-02-2014, 09:11 PM)Shiny Dog Wrote: I use Nero to convert to MP3 maybe I need to use better codec's.

Actually, I recommend you convert to AAC instead of MP3; the quality is higher.
John A. Ardelli
Pedaling Prince Pictures
http://www.youtube.com/user/PedalingPrince
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