Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Happy Pills
#1
Happy Pills

A bit of Amp noise on the first guitar - maybe I should have gated it (or maybe they should have!)

Not a bad recording though.


.mp3    Happy Pills.mp3 --  (Download: 7.88 MB)


Reply
#2
Guitars are nice and big, but along with the drums extremely harsh. The vocal is nasal and overall balances are not great. The track really comes down to mid/side balances and the balances between the drums and bass, and guitars and vocals. Not a terrible mix, but could be improved easily.
Reply
#3
This is totally a song where some amp noise is ok. I remember being religious about getting rid of amp noise and such but then I heard them leave in amp hum in a Weezer song. And it was great and since then realized those little noises give a sense of space on occasion. Also, I'm old.

Yeah, I do like the overall tightness of the dynamics of the song. Ok, maybe it's a little too compressed overall but it doesn't bother me that much. I think it polishes up the track in a good way. I do agree that there is some harshness. I find it more on the vocals than the guitars but I think it depends on the guitar parts at the time. They do feel like they have extra distortion or saturation on them at the top. The vocal could use some de-essing and feels pretty midrangy. It does give the vocal a sense of volume and helps it cut but it'd be nice if the vocal felt bigger, but not louder against the band. Like the vocal feels the biggest when he speaks that one section near the end. The drums and bass work totally but also feel a little drowned out by the guitars. I wouldn't say it's a M/S thing but a guitar vs drums issue and the vocal eq'd in a way to fit in. Maybe, and I don't know if this will help or if it's any different from how you did things but I think getting a drum/bass mix, then bring in the vocals and then have the guitars fill in the gaps might have things balance out differently. Give the vocals the importance. Not just by volume but in size. Just a thought.
Reply
#4
This was a bit of a weird one. Loathe the crunchy guitar tone so the only answer I have to that is to add more distortion using Octofuzz, which is brilliant, so more tube distortion added to both midranges. Probably explains some harshness but sounds ok in my headphones.

Struggled with the vocals a bit to get them to cut through. The speaking got panned hence it had less to compete against - but I liked that effect.

The Drums Struggle to cut through. But I thought Overall (and compared to others) it was punchy enough and dynamic enough to pass the does this sound Sh.. test. And to be honest Black Hole Sun and it's ilk do not, to me, pass that test.

Not a mix that I would say is great but is a passable live sound if I heard it in passing.

So....this was a guitar and vocal mix and drums and bass just moved back where they belong or as far upfront as possible without sounding like a drum and bass track.

I know when I am struggling with drums When I decide to go for TG12345 and they still don't cut through.
Reply
#5
Heck, if you like it then that's all that matters. I don't say that to be snarky. If you like your mix and the decisions you made then you stand by them. (just do so in a good way, which you have, but sometimes people get too defensive it seems.)

I've come to learn that guitars tend to be sacred animal to some people. Usually guitarists. So I approach guitar sounds as "whelp, that's what they wanted, for some reason. ( See https://tinyurl.com/y45dma4b (long read but the gist comes across quickly)). So I tend to try not to do too much to them because someone probably fought for 'their tone!' early on. That's not to say you can't or shouldn't do too much to guitars but I tend to leave them alone and maybe add some high end and cut some subs. But one can view guitar tones forensically as sonic DNA as to what the band wants to sound like. But if it sucks fix it. I know that doesn't help right now but I wanted to say it anyway. I do think the added distortion feels "fake" and kinda throws off the ear. Mine at least. Maybe both. But definitely one.

I honestly didn't notice the panning of the speaking. A totally valid way for highlighting things though. On re-listen, I'd consider panning the vocals back center after the speaking, when he goes back to his singing voice.

I am unfamiliar with the "Does this sound like Sh.. test". As one could tel from my own drum sounds. Wait, it's been a while does Black Hole Sun not pass that test? I though they sounded cool but it's been a while... (Also, related, this was kinda cool on some level but I did hope for more insight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng4f_fj9Lfc). I'm not sure if any plug in will magically will make something cut through. I never really used the TG1...5 but they certainly seem capable to get that to happen. But maybe the just didn't in this instance. Or if they did then maybe the issue is before the plug in. Just being Socratic.

It's certainly a passable mix. It does sound like a "guitar and vocal mix" I just kinda wish there were more to latch onto of the other elements. It's pretty good. Could be better. None of this is a put down or anything like that.

Am I being helpful or just weird and annoying? Or both? Which I'm ok with as long as helpful is in there somewhere. I loathe talking about Hz and Dbs normally and tend to be obtuse.
Reply
#6
Was not being defensive.....was just pointing out the choices in this mix. When guitars are crunchy they tend to just be annoying so may as well not make them even more annoying - after all there is no way to decrunch them and reamp them. DI's should be mandatory on pain of death.

Pet hates:
- Orange Amp crunch
- Open chords with Orange Amp crunch
- Cursing Vocalists (sorry not going to edit or de-ess you as no-one is going to listen to you after the first curse word)
- N0 Di's
- Drummers who finish every run with a cymbal crash even when it makes no sense
- out of tune backing vocals
- Mandolins
- Singers who think they can play Madolin or violin (Please show me your Music Degree)
- Bleed in Vocal Track which sounds like a full drum kit even when the singer is singing

Reply
#7
(27-08-2019, 07:14 AM)Retchid Gretchin Wrote: Was not being defensive.....was just pointing out the choices in this mix. When guitars are crunchy they tend to just be annoying so may as well not make them even more annoying - after all there is no way to decrunch them and reamp them. DI's should be mandatory on pain of death.

Pet hates:
- Orange Amp crunch
- Open chords with Orange Amp crunch
- Cursing Vocalists (sorry not going to edit or de-ess you as no-one is going to listen to you after the first curse word)
- N0 Di's
- Drummers who finish every run with a cymbal crash even when it makes no sense
- out of tune backing vocals
- Mandolins
- Singers who think they can play Madolin or violin (Please show me your Music Degree)
- Bleed in Vocal Track which sounds like a full drum kit even when the singer is singing
Ha. But I like Orange Amps! And cursing and hate DIs (not really hate but dislike. The less I have to dictate a band's sound the better)
Agreed on mandolins.

But on the list the "out of tune" backing vocals really jumped out of me. It brought back a lot of memories of local bands and their first time in the studio and they'd have a decent song and did a decent job performing it and then the last thing they'd want to do was add BGVs done by other players in the band who couldn't sing and have never sung before. IT just ruined everything. This was mostly either back on tape or when we moved to Pro Tools there was still a stigma against autotune. I could rarely convince them to just have the lead singer do it. "But that's how we do it live!" Yeah, but you don't double track all the guitars live! That vocal flange won't be happening at the local venue. Sorry to rant.

Anyway, kids today. Get off my lawn.

Reply
#8
I was sounding a bit prudish about cursing...... but as I type I am listening to Kill F@@@ Die album by W.A.S.P. probably one of the best albums I have ever owned. It is all about Context if there is no context it is just meaningless vulgarity for the sake of sounding cool.





Reply
#9
(27-08-2019, 07:15 PM)Retchid Gretchin Wrote: I was sounding a bit prudish about cursing...... but as I type I am listening to Kill F@@@ Die album by W.A.S.P. probably one of the best albums I have ever owned. It is all about Context if there is no context it is just meaningless vulgarity for the sake of sounding cool.

No need to defend yourself, &*#$*(()(R(#F($(!!!
Sorry that was harsh.

I get what you're saying. I try to keep it clean on here. But normally I swear like a sailor who slammed his/her thumb in a door. Certain things impact people and sometimes more than others. No worries. As a bonus I might check out "Kill Fatatat Die" by W.A.S.P.

You're cool. Don't worry.


Reply