Okay, I just uploaded version three of this mix.
I went through and tried to do a number of cleanup items such as reducing the 4kHz content a bit, notching out a nasty ring at 2kHz (musta been a room mode or something), and trying to deal with the buildup in the mid tones. I also grouped my guitars into three faders "distorted", "clean", and "lead" and did a little more shaping, especially on the distorted guitars. I also added a little more reverb to the guitars and keys since the mix felt a bit drier than I wanted it. I further tried to reduce the dynamic contrast a bit so the loud bits aren't quite so explosive but still preserving the softer character of these bits.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure I improved it, just exposed other issues. There is definitely more than can be done but I've already got at least 35 hours into this mix and that's about all I can afford right now so I'm just calling it done before I completely lose control over it through over processing.
[edit: Replaced the file I just uploaded since in another listen I finally found a problem that had been bugging me for a while. The toms seem to have been gated or otherwise trimmed before they were uploaded. The mic on the lower two toms and the bottom tom especially got a fair amount of spill from the crash. Well, the gate on this mic closed too aggressively. It often happened that the drummer, after hitting this low tom, would go for the crash. If he did this with a bit of a gap, no problem. If he hit it immediately, then the aggressive gate release would cut it off. So after bringing the toms up to where they can be plainly heard (and I like louder toms than some) and after compressing the kit, it basically sounded like there was a misbehaving compressor cutting an especially loud crash hit in half but because it didn't happen all the time, I could never find the source. Finally figured out what was causing it and went through and cut up the bottom two tracks so I could add a linear fade on the final tom hit in each "open" section. That patch then required adjusting the compression and levels of the overhead mics. They sound much more consistent now!]
[p.s. I also want to say how gratified I am that members of this and some other bands occasionally participate in this forum. It's nice to hear from those who put the tune together and get their thoughts on where they were going with it and whether they feel the given individual has captured the right vibe of the tune in their mix. So I just want to take a moment to thank them for being patient with us nitwits and putting up with the occasional ill considered comment. Part of learning how to do this job is knowing when to clam up or be especially careful in word choice and phrasing (the art of "producer speak" as one of my instructors termed it) and it can sometimes be very clear that many of us are still learning!]
I went through and tried to do a number of cleanup items such as reducing the 4kHz content a bit, notching out a nasty ring at 2kHz (musta been a room mode or something), and trying to deal with the buildup in the mid tones. I also grouped my guitars into three faders "distorted", "clean", and "lead" and did a little more shaping, especially on the distorted guitars. I also added a little more reverb to the guitars and keys since the mix felt a bit drier than I wanted it. I further tried to reduce the dynamic contrast a bit so the loud bits aren't quite so explosive but still preserving the softer character of these bits.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure I improved it, just exposed other issues. There is definitely more than can be done but I've already got at least 35 hours into this mix and that's about all I can afford right now so I'm just calling it done before I completely lose control over it through over processing.
[edit: Replaced the file I just uploaded since in another listen I finally found a problem that had been bugging me for a while. The toms seem to have been gated or otherwise trimmed before they were uploaded. The mic on the lower two toms and the bottom tom especially got a fair amount of spill from the crash. Well, the gate on this mic closed too aggressively. It often happened that the drummer, after hitting this low tom, would go for the crash. If he did this with a bit of a gap, no problem. If he hit it immediately, then the aggressive gate release would cut it off. So after bringing the toms up to where they can be plainly heard (and I like louder toms than some) and after compressing the kit, it basically sounded like there was a misbehaving compressor cutting an especially loud crash hit in half but because it didn't happen all the time, I could never find the source. Finally figured out what was causing it and went through and cut up the bottom two tracks so I could add a linear fade on the final tom hit in each "open" section. That patch then required adjusting the compression and levels of the overhead mics. They sound much more consistent now!]
[p.s. I also want to say how gratified I am that members of this and some other bands occasionally participate in this forum. It's nice to hear from those who put the tune together and get their thoughts on where they were going with it and whether they feel the given individual has captured the right vibe of the tune in their mix. So I just want to take a moment to thank them for being patient with us nitwits and putting up with the occasional ill considered comment. Part of learning how to do this job is knowing when to clam up or be especially careful in word choice and phrasing (the art of "producer speak" as one of my instructors termed it) and it can sometimes be very clear that many of us are still learning!]
Old West Audio