The Abletones Big Band - Corine, Corine; counterzack Mix

[counterzack]

My first big band mix EVER. And it will not be my last because it was so much fun! The Mic's and Pre's used to capture the tracks was also pretty cool touch to this one.

[The_Metallurgist]

hi there,
i'm a traditionalist when it comes to big band....and most who follow this genre are heady aficionados. the key i think, is getting the space right and if one is unfamiliar with the genre it doesn't take much to make it all sound out of shape. i think you had a good go here, but i recommend most strongly that you reference, especially if this scene doesn't normally fit your listening/music collection profile.

i'll mention the drums primarily. a 40 foot wide drum kit as well as attention to it's depth relative to the other instruments, needs fixing if you wish to dominate this genre. perhaps there's some mixing habits of more familiar genres showing up here? that's always a risk in uncharted terrain. this is why research is imperative...and this takes time and effort. but if you want to do a decent mix it's the only way to go. you might also like to look at the eguitar especially here as a matter of priority.

there's a lot of frequencies that want to mask and muddy up the sound scape as all those fundamental's merge together, so one needs to drill for clarity and be extra vigilant in the low and low-mid range far more than normal. it's quite a challenge, not least on a first bb mix. i'd flag up depth as being one of your major weaknesses here....and if you can nail this you will be able to position any instrument in the depth perspective in any mix project. you need to understand where the instruments are positioned in the performance space, and replicate this by manipulating levels, compression and especially EQ. the closer an instrument is to the audience (me), the more hi's it will contain and the louder it will appear. subtle differences can be perceived, especially at the subconscious level. how you apply ambiance to what is already present requires a thorough understanding of acoustics (how sound behaves in a space).

if you apply vigilance to the main points i've mentioned here, with a bit of practice you will be rocking the scene. this Telefunken material, from past experiences, offers superb opportunity to sharpen skills - perhaps some of THE best material in the forum to work with...because there's less technical issues and problem solving which needs to be addressed compared to the majority of stuff which tends to be of a DIY nature.

catch you later
Dave

[counterzack]

Thanks a lot for your kind and in depth comments Dave!!

I will follow your advise with my next mix. Clarity which was hard for me to achieve with everything being tracked together; in school I was spoiled with Isolation. I agree about the guitar with this mix, in some mixes I listened to later on no one used it really like I did Being said yeah, referencing the genre fail. Your right about possible habits from other genres' showing up in my drum kit..

Thanks again,
Zach