A real challenge this...
As most people know who have attempted this project there are any numbers of problems to solve, not limited to
1. lack of low end in drums and bass coupled with poor mid range harmonics.
2. loss/lack of upper range harmonics in many of the instrument tracks.
3. there are upper frequencies to be had in the overhead tracks, but also the danger of clanging cymbals if boosted too hard.
4. lots and lots of mid range mud to sort through and clear out
Here's a quick overview of the main work I did
1. standard compression - maintain consistent levels on drums and bass
2. parallel compression - add urgency to guitar and vocals
3. Distortion - Snare, Kick, Congas, Guitars, Bass. Improve timbre by adding density to existing harmonics and where possible extending harmonic range
4. EQ - low end boosts on kick and bass. Boost 2,3 & 4th harmonics on bass. High end boosts on overheads. Hp filters on guitars and Hammond. LP filters to reduce hiss, mid range cuts to remove mud. Top & Bottom shelving boost across master buss for final polish.
5. Automation - used on lots of tracks, but importantly used to manage clanging cymbals during middle 8 sections
Some parts of the mix came together faster than others, namely vocals, guitars and bass. I also found myself down any number of dead ends, especially trying to get the snare to sound half decent - which I think on balance, having listened to some of the mixes posted, I never really managed to do.
Now mix is finished - or maybe one could say abandoned, I'm pretty happy. Would love to make snare sound better, but just ran out of ideas.
If you have any comments about my mix, let me know. Feedback welcomed.
p.s. I used tracks off Led Zeppelin's Presence Album as references. Released in 1976, and often quoted as being their "darkest" sounding album, I found it helpful in deciding how "bright/dark" my mix should be.
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new version, mix_01a uploaded
new version, mix_03 uploaded
As most people know who have attempted this project there are any numbers of problems to solve, not limited to
1. lack of low end in drums and bass coupled with poor mid range harmonics.
2. loss/lack of upper range harmonics in many of the instrument tracks.
3. there are upper frequencies to be had in the overhead tracks, but also the danger of clanging cymbals if boosted too hard.
4. lots and lots of mid range mud to sort through and clear out
Here's a quick overview of the main work I did
1. standard compression - maintain consistent levels on drums and bass
2. parallel compression - add urgency to guitar and vocals
3. Distortion - Snare, Kick, Congas, Guitars, Bass. Improve timbre by adding density to existing harmonics and where possible extending harmonic range
4. EQ - low end boosts on kick and bass. Boost 2,3 & 4th harmonics on bass. High end boosts on overheads. Hp filters on guitars and Hammond. LP filters to reduce hiss, mid range cuts to remove mud. Top & Bottom shelving boost across master buss for final polish.
5. Automation - used on lots of tracks, but importantly used to manage clanging cymbals during middle 8 sections
Some parts of the mix came together faster than others, namely vocals, guitars and bass. I also found myself down any number of dead ends, especially trying to get the snare to sound half decent - which I think on balance, having listened to some of the mixes posted, I never really managed to do.
Now mix is finished - or maybe one could say abandoned, I'm pretty happy. Would love to make snare sound better, but just ran out of ideas.
If you have any comments about my mix, let me know. Feedback welcomed.
p.s. I used tracks off Led Zeppelin's Presence Album as references. Released in 1976, and often quoted as being their "darkest" sounding album, I found it helpful in deciding how "bright/dark" my mix should be.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
new version, mix_01a uploaded
new version, mix_03 uploaded