28-07-2014, 11:46 PM
Yes, a tough one indeed. I've been attacking this one and his other song (Ang Nasc Nua) furiously in short spurts for weeks now and haven't been able to get as much as a rough balance to use as a mixing guide. So take my comments from that perspective... I'm fully, painfully, agonizingly aware of the challenges in this one. Even recorded in an expensively treated live room, acoustic music (with mic spill!) like this is the hardest of all mixing challenges in my opinion.
So for me, this mix is 100 percent believable. If that was your primary intention, ignore the rest of my opinions, because you win. Dave, 10 points. Herculean mixing challenges, 0. I like the approach with the ambiance quite a bit... nice, soft, with a good deal of treble rolled off. To me it feels like I'm listening to live music in a big living room, sitting on a big comfortable couch. Very cozy, homey, warm.
Now from a more critical perspective, the mix is midrange heavy for my taste, and it's possible that the reverb is feeding into that perception, though I think much of that might be due to the inconsistent midrange presence of the upright bass. You've wrangled that bass a good deal better than I was able to, but the level inconsistencies between the different strings create "lumps" in the sonics that are distracting for me. It may be that while you've dialed in a very tight sound in a treated room while seated in ideal position, the level inconsistencies may be exaggerated by me less controlled environment. Still worth pointing out, though (in my opinion) as most people would likely be in an even less controlled listening situation than mine, and will most likely move about the room as they listen. Not really a criticism so much as an observation... there's only so much you can do with a double bass.
The other instruments sound very nice and blend well to my ears. Comb filtering between the acoustic guitar and mandolin is admirably controlled. The only "issue" that stands out for me there in this regard is that they could use a teeny bit more definition in the attack. As they sit in the mix currently, it sounds like they guitar and mandolins need new strings, because the tone is just a teeny bit dull. To my ear, it almost sounds like midrange cuts would do the trick? Or possibly the sounds I'm missing were lost in the process of filtering out resonances, which of course would be difficult or impossible to remedy without reintroducing the resonances.
Great work, man. What processing did you use on the bass?
So for me, this mix is 100 percent believable. If that was your primary intention, ignore the rest of my opinions, because you win. Dave, 10 points. Herculean mixing challenges, 0. I like the approach with the ambiance quite a bit... nice, soft, with a good deal of treble rolled off. To me it feels like I'm listening to live music in a big living room, sitting on a big comfortable couch. Very cozy, homey, warm.
Now from a more critical perspective, the mix is midrange heavy for my taste, and it's possible that the reverb is feeding into that perception, though I think much of that might be due to the inconsistent midrange presence of the upright bass. You've wrangled that bass a good deal better than I was able to, but the level inconsistencies between the different strings create "lumps" in the sonics that are distracting for me. It may be that while you've dialed in a very tight sound in a treated room while seated in ideal position, the level inconsistencies may be exaggerated by me less controlled environment. Still worth pointing out, though (in my opinion) as most people would likely be in an even less controlled listening situation than mine, and will most likely move about the room as they listen. Not really a criticism so much as an observation... there's only so much you can do with a double bass.
The other instruments sound very nice and blend well to my ears. Comb filtering between the acoustic guitar and mandolin is admirably controlled. The only "issue" that stands out for me there in this regard is that they could use a teeny bit more definition in the attack. As they sit in the mix currently, it sounds like they guitar and mandolins need new strings, because the tone is just a teeny bit dull. To my ear, it almost sounds like midrange cuts would do the trick? Or possibly the sounds I'm missing were lost in the process of filtering out resonances, which of course would be difficult or impossible to remedy without reintroducing the resonances.
Great work, man. What processing did you use on the bass?
I'm grateful for comments and suggestions. Thank you for listening!