Sugar -Analog mix

[Analog Dude]

I just had to try this song! Very well recorded och arranged. The challenge for me was a lot to make choices what instrument to cut low end on and how much. My mixes sometimes end up o the thin side and i hate that.
Please tell me what I can do better!
/AD

[Analog Dude]

I added an improved (?) mix where I turned the drums down. The drums where to loud in the first mix, especially the snare.
Please tell me what you like and don´t like!
/AD

[bbenderr]

I like your mix. Great tone and balance. Vocal overcompressed a bit.

[Analog Dude]

Thank you bbenderr for your comment, I really appreciate it!
I was to lazy for automation this time so I relied on a LA-2A clone to do the jobb for me.

[mikej]

Hi!

I did check out these mixes the other day, but forgot to leave a comment . Mix 2 is sounding quite nice here.

Yeah, mix 2 is much better balanced to me. I do like the snare in the first mix though. The kick sound is really nice in the second.

Interesting to hear analog mixes on here. I've never used any analog gear, apart from an old Moog synth I acquired some years ago. Which mostly sits on a shelf awaiting motivation to renovate/replace the sliders....

I know exactly what you mean regarding cutting low end and getting thin mixes, etc.

My mixes mainly suck, but I do find it helpful to think about it more in terms of utilising the kick and bass for the low end of the other instruments to get the right low end feel, if that makes sense? Have the kick bass and for example, the guitar playing, then set the high pass until the guitar sounds about right, sort of thing. That, and referencing other similar tracks too. A small amount of Pultec style eq on the master bus can also be useful to add some weight too, almost like a parallel chain - add too much then dial it back until it's just kind of there works for me on occasion. Probably all obvious stuff, but took me a while to figure out.

Cheers!

[Analog Dude]

Hi!

I did check out these mixes the other day, but forgot to leave a comment .  Mix 2 is sounding quite nice here.

Yeah, mix 2 is much better balanced to me. I do like the snare in the first mix though.  The kick sound is really nice in the second. 

Interesting to hear analog mixes on here.  I've never used any analog gear, apart from an old Moog synth I acquired some years ago.  Which mostly sits on a shelf awaiting motivation to renovate/replace the sliders....   

I know exactly what you mean regarding cutting low end and getting thin mixes, etc. 

My mixes mainly suck, but I do find it helpful to think about it more in terms of utilising the kick and bass for the low end of the other instruments to get the right low end feel, if that makes sense?  Have the kick bass and for example, the guitar playing, then set the high pass until the guitar sounds about right, sort of thing.  That, and referencing other similar tracks too.  A small amount of Pultec style eq on the master bus can also be useful to add some weight too, almost like a parallel chain - add too much then dial it back until it's just kind of there works for me on occasion.  Probably all obvious stuff, but took me a while to figure out.

Cheers!

Hi mikej, and thanks for your comment!
I also find it interesting comparing my mixes to others on this forum, I guess 95% is ITB. I´m not at all in to the silly discussion about witch is best. But I think it´s safe to say that ITB/OTB do sound different. 
I mix more hybrid to be correct but often i only use plugins for gateing and surgical eq.
I always do a 5 min mastering ITB before posting.

Thanks for the tips on getting the bass right, It´s not an easy thing. Im trying different methods at the moment and one important thing for me is to switch between my full range monitors, my Sennheiser hd600 and my tiny iloud monitors. If the ilouds get to much bass theý get really muddy. Another trick i try is to mute the bass some times, i want to really miss it but nothing must sound nasty or unnatural when its muted.

If you grow tired of that old Moog, please let me carry it to the dumpster for you.
I´m sure your mixes don´t suck, were all here to learn, right?

[mikej]

Well, some of my mixes on here are honestly pretty bad... but yeah we are all here to learn and my mixes are improving thanks to this forum.

Couple of other things that might help:

Check for resonance in the real low end of the bass instrument - you might find you can clean up the bass a lot.  RoyM on this forum commented on one of my mixes a few months ago that there was a bit of a resonance around 200Hz.  Pulling this out cleaned up the low end (and the mix) by a surprisingly huge amount, which was a bit of an 'aha' moment for me.

Resonances in the low end muddy up a mix a huge amount, and it can be hard to spot, until you figure out what is going on.  I try and make a point of checking this every mix now.  So, many thanks to Roy for that one.

Another thing to bear in mind that our perception of loudess changes with frequency.  I found I can end up creeping up the volume some, at times, which will affect how you mix. 

If you watch Chris Lord Alge interviews, such as the Pensado one I think...  He explains that he mixes at quite a low volume level.  I started trying this a while ago, and I've found it really works for me.  I've preset a conservative volume level on my interface as a default to reference for this purpose.  When I stray from this reference level too much I then know I am cranking it a bit, and know it's probably time for a break.  I find it really helps for setting balance and eq and helps to reduce guesswork.

Anyway, hope that is somewhat useful.

Oh, the Moog is just a Rogue.  Nothing too exciting, but I think I might just hang on to it for now.  I do however appreciate your thoughtful offer.

Casually avoiding the ITB/OTB thing.  I know the answer. 
- I was curious and own a few electronics, amplifier design (valve/transistor) and DSP books .

Cheers!