Silona - Learning How To Fly (mix 4.0)

[mikej]

Hi,
Nice track.  My mix attempt.
Cheers!

Update: Decided to start over from scratch and have another go at it.  Mix 2.0 added.
Update: Still not happy... Mix 3.0 added.
Update: Mix 4.0

[Roy]

It's a bit sibilant. It's just that way naturally. But it gets distracting in the ping pong delay. If nothing consider putting a de-esser before the delay or maybe just a filter. I like the louder acoustics but they might be too loud and overpower things. The instrumental break balance feels a bit better. Overall it feels a little distorted, especially by the end when everything is kicking in. Could possibly use more of the background vocals?
Anyway, those are my on the fly notes. It all feels a little 'pushed'. Let it have its space.

[mikej]

Hi!

Thanks for the comments.

Yeah you are right about the esses. I did the de-essing manually, but I think I can lower them a bit more hopefully without it getting too lithpy.

Filter in front of the delay is a good idea too. Just stuck an eq in front of it and it works well to stop the esses pinging around so much, and cleans things up bit.

Yeah you are right again about the acoustic - it is a bit loud. I've just gone through and lowered it a fair bit for the verses and just a touch lower than it is for the chorus and about the same as now for the instrumental part. Yeah, I think it works much better and adds a bit more contrast.

I think it should be sounding a bit more distorted than it does, as it seems to be around -6.3 LUFs... Hadn't realised I had squished it so much. I want it to sound up front, but not quite that much! Yeah looks like I can back it off quite a lot actually.

I shall go through and do some tweaking and post another version tomorrow.

Many thanks!

[thedon]

I like your version Mike  ,
Nice effects a little level adjustment here and there like the piano in the intro sounds a touch upfront on my monitors .
also the acoustic as already mentioned.

Cheers

[mikej]

Hi!

Thanks for checking it out. Yeah, I had a bit of fun messing about with delays on this one.

To be honest I think I got a bit carried away with it and really should have waited a couple of days before posting so I could do some referencing with other tracks, etc, with fresh ears.

Still, I have learned I can really crush things with a limiter, and have picked up some good suggestions from the forum. I have also played around with moving the esses and t's to another track for processing. Need a bit more practice at it, but an interesting exercise never the less, and doesn't take too long now I've figured out how to do it, whilst keeping everything aligned.

I have been working on a tweaked version, but am getting a bit burned out on it so might be a few more days. I also think I might have gone too far with the tweaks. I might go back to my first mix, or maybe start again, now I have some idea of direction. You know how it goes sometimes. I feel I am wanting this to be kind of more pop than acoustic, so not sure if I am trying to turn it in to something it doesn't quite want to be.. or not.

I'll be sure to check your mix in a day or two once I have recovered some sense of perspective!

Cheers!

[Roy]

Hi!

To be honest I think I got a bit carried away with it and really should have waited a couple of days before posting so I could do some referencing with other tracks, etc, with fresh ears.   

....

I feel I am wanting this to be kind of more pop than acoustic, so not sure if I am trying to turn it in to something it doesn't quite want to be.. or not. 

I'll be sure to check your mix in a day or two once I have recovered some sense of perspective!

Cheers!

Sometimes I find it helps to just print a mix. Set it in stone and analyze that. I think mentally we approach that differently than a mix we know we can just continue to tweak. There's nothing wrong with posting a work in progress. "In the real world" it'd be the time the client comes in and listens and gives feedback and direction. We really can't think we'd drop a mix that's right from the start. That's the purpose of this forum. So, it's cool to post a mix that might not be perfect. In fact, it's even better.

I'd say it's a pop tune. And never fight a mix. Most of the time the song will tell you what it wants to be. If you're really trying to go in a direction and hit a wall it's probably "you" (the mixer) and not the song.

This is a song that seems to need a few days after mixing. I keep listening to other mixes but not in the headspace to comment on them just yet. There's a lot going on but it's a blend, not individual parts. So until I forget what's going on I still focus on tracks that I know are in the mix as opposed to the mix. In the end I think this needs to be viewed as an orchestra as opposed to the right level of the 2nd mic on guitar 4 or the trash mic on the outro snare. If that makes any sense. I'm ranting.

[mikej]

Thanks - appreciate the advice, it's all good. I've added a 1.1 version to the orignal post.

Cheers!

[mikej]

Hi,

Decided to start over and have another try at it. Mix 2.0 added.

Cheers!

[mikej]

Hi,

Added yet another go at this one...

Cheers!

[mikej]

Heh, decided to have another try at it... Mix 4.0 added.

Cheers!