I'm going to be perfectly honest I love these Telefunken recorded songs. However, that is not to say I did not find issues with the tracks. Mainly, the guitars recorded with the dynamic M80 I believe. What they did to those guitars just did not sound right to me. I honestly could not really think of a good way to put them into the mix. So, I opted for the AK47 mainly because they sounded a lot cleaner and much easier to work with. I personally found the drums pretty easy to work with, except the kick. I really did not like the kick drum in this track at all. The M81 just is too "metal-y" what with that pure click it seems. But after some parallel EQ, compression, and a little more EQ it gained a little bottom end.
As for how I approached the mix. I kind of went the more 80s route in the overall approach. In so much as I tried to make it more dynamic sounding. However, to much disappointment I'm sure there is no gun shot snares here. Sorry Anywho, my first thing was to get a good sounding drum kit. A little more on the punchy side of things. The guitars are nothing special, nor was the bass, nor anything else really. The big thing was more just coming up with what I felt was a good balance and working from there. No crazy FX chains. Just some reverb. Quite honestly it was really just EQ, Compression, and a little gating here and there.
Also, for fun I left the count in and even the little "la-la-la-la" the singer performed. They'd be easy enough to remove, but I like songs when they leave those kind of things in there. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!
I was waiting for your mix. Since Mike sent his recent newsletter, I checked the site every couple of hours, expecting a first mix to appear. I think this is an outstandingly likable song, and that so is your mix.
I think you wrote once that you don't like mixing guitars. Are you sure? Because it doesn't show. But speaking of it, it seems to me that guitars are sometimes not supposed to sound good by themselves, but to stuff the gaps between other instruments, sound-wise. And from that angle recording additional guitar tracks like the ones with the M81 mics can be rewarding. Not necessarily for this song. But for my purposes I found the M81 tracks to blend sufficiently well with the AK-47 tracks, and was happy to have them.
What I like most about your mix, apart from the sleek guitars and the tasteful overall balance, is how your combination of the different lead vocal tracks works out, for example at roughly 1:44, 2:02 or 3:05.
What I would try to do different (and actually did try to) is mainly the drums. I know that there are different notions of "punch". You executed one of them very well, I think, but for my taste it is not the best one for this song; too confined, surgical and, technically speaking, compressed. I think a more splashy, airy sound serves this song better. And for that, the M81-miked guitars might be just the right match.
Oh, and I miss the Tambourine! Almost completely! In your mix, that is. I think it plays a critical role in taking the chorus on the road, if not in taking if off of it and up into the air. Without it, your mix kind of melts into the tarmac.
Overall I think you did a very decent mix. But I already said that. So let me add that I find it also very inspiring for my own attempts on this song. Thanks again for sharing it!
Anyway, yeah I still don't like mixing guitars. I never get them to sound the way I want, ever. No matter how much processing I through at them or in what way. They never sound the way I envision them. So, as a result I don't like mixing them. That does not mean I don't try and treat them with respect in the mix. However, with this song in particular I found a lot more to like with these guitars, especially the AK47 versions. Now, I did try an old standby for mixing them and that was to pan them oppositely (a little wider than the actual guitars) and turn their levels way down and filter out what wasn't necessary. However, I found that when doing that they ate too much sonic headroom and ultimately ate away at the atmosphere I was going for in the mix. Really, I'm quite happy with the way the mix turned out.
Regarding the Tambourine. I honestly liked it further back in the mix adding some more motion during the choruses. I can understand pushing it more upfront though. Now, trust me the Tambourine is there, you're just not listening for it. It is dead center with no EQ. I used it not as a forefront bit of percussion, but for more motion in the chorus.
02-06-2013, 03:37 PM (This post was last modified: 03-06-2013, 12:02 AM by takka360.)
kick drum in this track is a nightmare.
Nice mix.i think the kick is a tad loud like mine was.
I also think the vocs are a bit low but you thought mine was loud
so just our own ideas there.
Good overall ballance,it does sound very wet tho
(02-06-2013, 03:37 PM)takka360 Wrote: kick drum in this track is a nightmare.
Nice mix.i think the kick is a tad loud like mine was.
I also think the vocs are a bit low but you thought mine was loud
so just our own ideas there.
Good overall ballance,it does sound very wet tho
Funny, I went to your thread and did not see a post by me so I have no clue what you're talking about. I don't even recall listening to your mix. You must have me mixed up with some one else.
I think the kick drum is perfectly suited for the mix. It gives the mix weight. Also, I would like to reference my initial post about my feelings on the kick and that is I don't like the original kick at all. Too much click and not enough low end information (I prefer more wooly kicks). However, I do feel that in the context of this mix the kick is perfectly suited and does its job perfectly. As for the vocals I can see them being too quiet because I normally mix them in pretty low in general. That is a personal taste kind of thing I'll admit. Additionally the song is meant to sound wet, very wet in fact. Otherwise I would not have mentioned an 80s style approach in my initial post.
Anywho, my first thing was to get a good sounding drum kit. A little more on the punchy side of things. The guitars are nothing special, nor was the bass, nor anything else really. The big thing was more just coming up with what I felt was a good balance and working from there. No crazy FX chains. Just some reverb. Quite honestly it was really just EQ, Compression, and a little gating here and there. 
