04-05-2014, 07:22 PM
(04-05-2014, 09:37 AM)lydkjell Wrote: I agree that the vocals are "in the mix" and not floating on top, but in my view vintagerock vocals should not be floating on top but "struggeling" a little. That gives the mix, for some reason, more energy to me...
Yes, and that's perfectly normal, vintage of the track notwithstanding. Vocals too high in the mix rob it of power because when they're too loud the overall volume of the music must be lowered so the peaks created by the loud vocals don't "clip." That's why it's important to get the vocals into that "sweet spot," loud enough to be intelligible but not so loud as to ride up over the music too much. And I agree with you on that "classic rock" sound, too, where the vocals should be just loud enough to be intelligible, and it creates the illusion of loudness when they have to "struggle" at the crescendos. Personally, I thought your vocal levels were already fine, but the levels on your new mix are just as good so it's six of one, half a dozen of the other to me.
In fact, the only quibbles I have about your current mix are, first, the piano; I think you could bring that up another 2-3 dB, and I think it would add to the emotional resonance of the track. Also, the Hammond is just a touch loud early on; maybe bring it down 1 dB?
BTW, I was serious about my request for a copy of the 24-bit master; I've gotten copies of 24-bit masters from a couple of other members whose mixes I really enjoyed. I have a Dropbox you can upload it to if you'd be willing, once you get to the final version, of course.