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Tom McKenzie - Directions, jzquantum mix
#1
Hi,

I'm a new member to this forum, and this is my first post. This is also my first mix using someone else's stems. I am liking this tune.

I am really enjoying this place, and would love to get any feedback on my mix! Thanks.

BTW, Mike, I bought your book and read it cover to cover. I hope that comes through in this mix Big Grin

JZ


.mp3    Tom McKenzie_Directions_r2.mp3 --  (Download: 6.79 MB)


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#2
Nice mix,i think the vocals could be a tad louder its like its a struggle to listen to them.
I dont know if its comp or what but the vocs sort of seem held back i cant put my finger on it.
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#3
(02-06-2013, 03:33 PM)takka360 Wrote: Nice mix,i think the vocals could be a tad louder its like its a struggle to listen to them.
I dont know if its comp or what but the vocs sort of seem held back i cant put my finger on it.

Thanks for the feedback. I agree, the vox need to be louder, as well as the volume of the entire mix. I'm using very little compression actually, barely getting the peaks on my final mix. I will try to get more air in the vox, without washing them out with effects.
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#4
In the beginning the acoustic guitar alone is too thin.

Actually, I think overall sound is too high frequency dominated. As balances seem to be otherwise ok throughout the song, I'm expecting that you may have a problem with your monitors/headphones. For example if your monitors are not neutral but little bit dull with high end, you easily try to compensate that with your mixing decisions. That is to say: in your system everything sound ok, but with others it sound thin.

Just guessing, it's always worthwhile to check the room and monitor problems.
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#5
(17-07-2013, 08:37 PM)Olli H Wrote: In the beginning the acoustic guitar alone is too thin.

Actually, I think overall sound is too high frequency dominated. As balances seem to be otherwise ok throughout the song, I'm expecting that you may have a problem with your monitors/headphones. For example if your monitors are not neutral but little bit dull with high end, you easily try to compensate that with your mixing decisions. That is to say: in your system everything sound ok, but with others it sound thin.

Just guessing, it's always worthwhile to check the room and monitor problems.

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. I have Mackie mr8 monitors, and krk 8400 headphones. And I just learned that my hearing, although normal, drops off a little bit at about 8 kHz.

What do you think about my Mackie monitors?
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#6
(17-07-2013, 11:33 PM)jzquantum Wrote:
(17-07-2013, 08:37 PM)Olli H Wrote: In the beginning the acoustic guitar alone is too thin.

Actually, I think overall sound is too high frequency dominated. As balances seem to be otherwise ok throughout the song, I'm expecting that you may have a problem with your monitors/headphones. For example if your monitors are not neutral but little bit dull with high end, you easily try to compensate that with your mixing decisions. That is to say: in your system everything sound ok, but with others it sound thin.

Just guessing, it's always worthwhile to check the room and monitor problems.

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. I have Mackie mr8 monitors, and krk 8400 headphones. And I just learned that my hearing, although normal, drops off a little bit at about 8 kHz.

What do you think about my Mackie monitors?

I will agree with Olli about hi end, is way to much!

Dont bother on taking the best monitors (first there are no best monitors and second the room is far more important)
Now, i would try to learn how i hear in my room with my monitors and my ears, for me thats the road, of course you will upgrade when you can, we all do, bat if you learn to hear your favourite music there and understand your limitations you can do great mixes there!
Just practice, and if you dont have any treatment in your room go for that, and adjust low end on headphones.
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#7
I agree with gopener. Monitors are not the problem. Most of them are good enough and flat enough. The culprit is the room. In my untreated room there was 30 dB difference between 85-110 hz. (Now the curve it's flat enough for a home studio)

I checked the frequency curve of those krk headphones. 100 hz has 13 dB boost and 11 Khz has -10 dB drop. So that's 23 dB difference.
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/krk-...s-8400.php.

Notice that what sounds good and what is neutral are not the same thing. I believe that those headphone may sound very good and it can be a pleasure to use them as a music listener, but I think they are not suited for mixing purposes. But as they are closed they may be excellent for studio work otherwise, for example for tracking instruments etc.

I recommend highly to buy best possible open headphones. In home studio with untreated rooms they are a must. Personally I use Sennheiser HD 600 phones. Check the difference with frequency curve:
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/senn...hd-600.php.
Between 100 ha and 11 Khz there's "only" 10 dB difference
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#8
(18-07-2013, 01:04 PM)Olli H Wrote: I agree with gopener. Monitors are not the problem. Most of them are good enough and flat enough. The culprit is the room. In my untreated room there was 30 dB difference between 85-110 hz. (Now the curve it's flat enough for a home studio)

I checked the frequency curve of those krk headphones. 100 hz has 13 dB boost and 11 Khz has -10 dB drop. So that's 23 dB difference.
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/krk-...s-8400.php.

Notice that what sounds good and what is neutral are not the same thing. I believe that those headphone may sound very good and it can be a pleasure to use them as a music listener, but I think they are not suited for mixing purposes. But as they are closed they may be excellent for studio work otherwise, for example for tracking instruments etc.

I recommend highly to buy best possible open headphones. In home studio with untreated rooms they are a must. Personally I use Sennheiser HD 600 phones. Check the difference with frequency curve:
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/senn...hd-600.php.
Between 100 ha and 11 Khz there's "only" 10 dB difference

Wow thats bad headphones (for mixing at least)!

Nice olli!I have treated my room, though i have some problems still!
Some crazy boost on 140 area is killing me, and makes me use my headphones Sad
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#9
Thanks, Goepner and Olli. I didn't know my headphones were that low on the high end! I read good reviews about them at the time i got them, and they are very comfortable to wear for long periods. My "room" is my small living room, which doesn't even have 4 walls. My next place will have a proper room to work in.

I hadn't heard my mix in awhile, and listening to it again, I agree. The sound is too harsh and brittle. I need to take more breaks to rest my ears before posting here. I also think I used too much high pass filter on the tracks. I was going for a bright and clear mix, with a nice tight kick.

Really appreciate the feedback.
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#10
(19-07-2013, 01:39 AM)jzquantum Wrote: Thanks, Goepner and Olli. I didn't know my headphones were that low on the high end! I read good reviews about them at the time i got them, and they are very comfortable to wear for long periods.

The fact that they are not suitable for mixing doesn't mean that they are bad headphones. There's no contradiction here. THose headphones are closed: bad for mixing, good for tracking!. They probably have huge emphasized sound: bad for mixing, nice for tracking and listening.

But with the price of cheap preamp you can get superb headphones for mixing.
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