05-04-2024, 05:00 AM
The most important thing I was trying to achieve with my mix was to get that in-yer-face, unrelenting aggressiveness. This was tricky, since there are quite a few stops, where the vocalist is singing alone, and also, the vocal performance doesn't quite have the conviction and power that a song like this really needs.
I ran the vocal through some pitch correction, and was surprised at how much of a difference it made. I guess it's the same as volume - if it's wavering even just a little bit, that robs it of some its power and authority.
I lopped off a lot of the mids and highs, but there was still a bit of tonal inconsistency, so I added a bit of dynamic EQ to damp that, at around 2.3 kHz. Sibilance was also a bit of problem - I usually handle this by manually automating the volume, but I eventually gave up and threw a de-esser on the track
I also ran the vocals through a guitar amp sim, to give it a bit of grit and dirt, and blended that back in.
The kick lacked body, so I used an EQ to isolate everything under 70 Hz, squashed it hard, and blended it back in. I'm still not real happy with the sound - one day I'll try Mike's technique of blending in a synth to boost the low-end. I also simplified what it plays after the drop (and a bit of the snare), to lay things back a bit.
Managing the bass was a little tricky, since it's sometimes almost completely masked by the guitars, but at other times, it's playing almost alone, and so sticks out prominently in the mix. I added a bunch of automation to try to manage this.
The guitars were relatively easy to deal with, in comparison. I was scratching my head trying to get that Nirvana-esque sound, and stumbled on a way by accident: saturation. FabFilter's Saturn, Funky Crunch FL, to be precise. I also automated the width, from 50% left/right during the verses, to 100% width during the choruses.
I thought the drums at the very start were a bit naff, but couldn't find a way to get them sounding good, so I cut most of it out. I'm still not real happy with the intro, but it's a bit tighter.
I ran the vocal through some pitch correction, and was surprised at how much of a difference it made. I guess it's the same as volume - if it's wavering even just a little bit, that robs it of some its power and authority.
I lopped off a lot of the mids and highs, but there was still a bit of tonal inconsistency, so I added a bit of dynamic EQ to damp that, at around 2.3 kHz. Sibilance was also a bit of problem - I usually handle this by manually automating the volume, but I eventually gave up and threw a de-esser on the track
I also ran the vocals through a guitar amp sim, to give it a bit of grit and dirt, and blended that back in.
The kick lacked body, so I used an EQ to isolate everything under 70 Hz, squashed it hard, and blended it back in. I'm still not real happy with the sound - one day I'll try Mike's technique of blending in a synth to boost the low-end. I also simplified what it plays after the drop (and a bit of the snare), to lay things back a bit.
Managing the bass was a little tricky, since it's sometimes almost completely masked by the guitars, but at other times, it's playing almost alone, and so sticks out prominently in the mix. I added a bunch of automation to try to manage this.
The guitars were relatively easy to deal with, in comparison. I was scratching my head trying to get that Nirvana-esque sound, and stumbled on a way by accident: saturation. FabFilter's Saturn, Funky Crunch FL, to be precise. I also automated the width, from 50% left/right during the verses, to 100% width during the choruses.
I thought the drums at the very start were a bit naff, but couldn't find a way to get them sounding good, so I cut most of it out. I'm still not real happy with the intro, but it's a bit tighter.