Thanks to the artist for a well-produced and well-edited session. The only thing I noticed was the digital artefacts in the bagpipes, so I cleaned them up and had them really low in the mix.
Nice warm mix with the focus on flute and main vocals.
If you got comments, let me have em. It's cool to be in such a sweet forum.
03-02-2021, 09:51 PM (This post was last modified: 03-02-2021, 09:52 PM by SonicTramp.)
I like you mix. The drums entrance is super nice. I like the flute and its space but I think it's a bit loud (automation moves?); it makes the vocal, when coming back in (on the first part), a bit weaker, and some of the tail end got cut off abruptly. You tucked it in under the vocal quite nice while both are playing. Very nice. I also think the drums can be tightened a bit more. It could also be the bass. It's hard for me to hear it bc they are so close in frequency range, but I'd lean toward working on the bass first. Yeah, nobody wants to mess with that kit, man, not when everything is rolled up in one like that. It's just beyond my skills for now. Flying blind is never fun . Good job! Cheers!
(03-02-2021, 09:51 PM)SonicTramp Wrote: I like you mix. The drums entrance is super nice. I like the flute and its space but I think it's a bit loud (automation moves?); it makes the vocal, when coming back in (on the first part), a bit weaker, and some of the tail end got cut off abruptly. You tucked it in under the vocal quite nice while both are playing. Very nice. I also think the drums can be tightened a bit more. It could also be the bass. It's hard for me to hear it bc they are so close in frequency range, but I'd lean toward working on the bass first. Yeah, nobody wants to mess with that kit, man, not when everything is rolled up in one like that. It's just beyond my skills for now. Flying blind is never fun . Good job! Cheers!
Hey man, thanks for the detailed comment there. I agree, it's hard to use bussed drums but that's all good. It's impossible to rebalance drums that have been printed so I purposefully had them warmed up and put back in the mix, and I even put a low pass filter on them because there is too much high-end energy coming through past 8k. Without the low-pass filter, everything else seems pretty unclear, but I feel like there is still plenty of presence and clarity in the drums.
I will disagree about the vocals and flute, not because you're wrong, but because I was going for a very focussed and forward vocal/lead flute.
Would you mind clarifying what you mean with the bass? I don't think I really understand what you mean.
(04-02-2021, 01:51 AM)Saint Wrote: I will disagree about the vocals and flute, not because you're wrong, but because I was going for a very focussed and forward vocal/lead flute.
* That's ok to disagree. To each his own. I still like it.
Would you mind clarifying what you mean with the bass? I don't think I really understand what you mean.
*Well, when I thought the drums in your mix could be tighter, I paid attention to the bass and sometimes when my bass is a bit loose, it also makes my drums less tight. But bc I wasnt sure (too hard to hear it in your mix and my listening skill is not great either) which one is the culprit, so I just made a wild suggestion. of something I'd do. I know you have your ways of doing things and that's fine by me. Just throw it out there and see if it stick. If not, no real harm done, right? Hope that untangles the confusion somewhat. Cheers!
(04-02-2021, 01:51 AM)Saint Wrote: I will disagree about the vocals and flute, not because you're wrong, but because I was going for a very focussed and forward vocal/lead flute.
* That's ok to disagree. To each his own. I still like it.
Would you mind clarifying what you mean with the bass? I don't think I really understand what you mean.
*Well, when I thought the drums in your mix could be tighter, I paid attention to the bass and sometimes when my bass is a bit loose, it also makes my drums less tight. But bc I wasnt sure (too hard to hear it in your mix and my listening skill is not great either) which one is the culprit, so I just made a wild suggestion. of something I'd do. I know you have your ways of doing things and that's fine by me. Just throw it out there and see if it stick. If not, no real harm done, right? Hope that untangles the confusion somewhat. Cheers!
Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying. Yeah, it's like you said. It could be a bit of both, and I would usually separate the bass from the kick with side-chain compression (let me know if you're not familiar with side-chaining kick/bass compression). But because there is no Kick channel, side-chaining is impossible.
Thanks again for your comments, they are really helpful.
(04-02-2021, 03:12 AM)Saint Wrote: Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying. Yeah, it's like you said. It could be a bit of both, and I would usually separate the bass from the kick with side-chain compression (let me know if you're not familiar with side-chaining kick/bass compression). But because there is no Kick channel, side-chaining is impossible.
Thanks again for your comments, they are really helpful.
* No problem, bud. It's just a learning process for us all.
I am familiar with side-chain compression. And yes, you can still side chain it using the kit. May require a bit more adjustments than usual by avoiding the snare hits and only get the kick's hit. Timing is the key here. I only let the kick, the very tip of it to control the bass. On the bass, I hit it a bit harder (since I only got a bit of power from the kick) but compressed only the tail end of the bass leaving the attack alone (not much there so it's kinda precious). I thought it made my kick/bass much tighter.
*btw, your mix required a lot more attention to listen to, to me. That's a sign of a competent mixer actually. When your peers have trouble picking out what's wrong with your mix (technical flaws, not personal preferences), you know that you are in a good position.
I absolutely agree on the 8k LP. Sometimes I go even lower. Not too long ago I couldn't hear it and, yeah, needless to say, I was swimming in pain. But no more of that nonsense . Now I find myself looking for it way before the HP, my once faithful companion. I still think HP is cool, it's just that LP is a bit cooler. Cheers!
(04-02-2021, 03:12 AM)Saint Wrote: Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying. Yeah, it's like you said. It could be a bit of both, and I would usually separate the bass from the kick with side-chain compression (let me know if you're not familiar with side-chaining kick/bass compression). But because there is no Kick channel, side-chaining is impossible.
Thanks again for your comments, they are really helpful.
* No problem, bud. It's just a learning process for us all.
I am familiar with side-chain compression. And yes, you can still side chain it using the kit. May require a bit more adjustments than usual by avoiding the snare hits and only get the kick's hit. Timing is the key here. I only let the kick, the very tip of it to control the bass. On the bass, I hit it a bit harder (since I only got a bit of power from the kick) but compressed only the tail end of the bass leaving the attack alone (not much there so it's kinda precious). I thought it made my kick/bass much tighter.
*btw, your mix required a lot more attention to listen to, to me. That's a sign of a competent mixer actually. When your peers have trouble picking out what's wrong with your mix (technical flaws, not personal preferences), you know that you are in a good position.
I absolutely agree on the 8k LP. Sometimes I go even lower. Not too long ago I couldn't hear it and, yeah, needless to say, I was swimming in pain. But no more of that nonsense . Now I find myself looking for it way before the HP, my once faithful companion. I still think HP is cool, it's just that LP is a bit cooler. Cheers!
. Good job! Cheers!