Much Too Much - mix by Tommy Marcinek (tjmtruth)

[tjmtruth]

Loved working on this project! Here's my mix and some details about what I wanted to achieve, etc. First and foremost, I am an old rock kinda guy and to me, everything sounds better loud! There are some great Jazz and Jazz Fusion tunes out there that are mixed nice and loud, with big bass and big kick and drums, etc. LOVE THAT! I've even heard big bands mixed in that way. THAT was what I wanted here. I did not want it to sound like a live recording although that is exactly what this project was. I WANTED it to sound more like an in your face studio recording. I think I achieved that. And, it's not crushed to death. I made it loud but I think it really breathes and has enough dynamics. On to some details......

First, the band was not tight in a few areas (kick, bass and snare in certain spots), so I fixed those up as best as I could...sounds pretty tight overall now. Second, the bone solo had some notes in there that didn't sound too good so I constructed the solo a bit in that area.

I thought the tracks were pretty good but the 3 drum tracks provided were extremely challenging, I thought. Did a few creative things in that department. Also, the lead vocal had some pitch issues especially in the scat part with the sax. So, I did some creative editing and pitch shifting, etc., to correct that.

Mixing Details: Mixed in the box with Cubase 5. Used various plugins including eq, compression, delay, limiting, convolution reverb (I used Steinberg's Reverence....nice reverb). Any constructive criticism, or better yet, compliments, are welcomed, but please keep in mind that I was NOT going for a live big band sound. Construct your analysis of the mix based on that, and thanks. Enjoy!

Tom

[Third Party]

Tom. I really like this mix. Great job. You definitely got the big kick and bass.
Piano sounds great ... I had problems with the phasing on the stereo track and had to do a bit of work on that.
Smooth vocals, but I'd like a smidge more upper mids or just a little less low mids ... just to punch it out a little more.
I'm listening on HD650 headphones. But overall, it sounds great to me.

Perry

[tjmtruth]

Tom. I really like this mix. Great job. You definitely got the big kick and bass.
Piano sounds great ... I had problems with the phasing on the stereo track and had to do a bit of work on that.
Smooth vocals, but I'd like a smidge more upper mids or just a little less low mids ... just to punch it out a little more.
I'm listening on HD650 headphones. But overall, it sounds great to me.

Perry

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Perry, thanks for you kind words and very constructive comments. I agree that my mix could use exactly what you suggested, i.e., more upper mids or less lower mids. My problem is I tend to mix for too many hours and my ears get too fatigued. After a day or two when I go back to my mixes I think they sound like crap. LOL. Anyway, I listened to your mix and I like it very much! I think the piano is perfect. It cuts through nicely, has a great tone, and I think it sits perfectly in the mix. I think a piano in Jazz should always be rather up front in a mix. Actually, my opinion is that drums, bass and piano.....well, THOSE are the backbone of most Jazz, basically. I would like to have heard the bass guitar a little louder in your mix though. You got a nice big kick sound, which you know I like. :-) Every day is a continuing learning process for me and that's what makes mixing such a fun and creative thing to do. Wish I could mix full time then I would get better at it much faster, but I have a regular full time job, etc.

[Third Party]

Ditto on the ears. I learned to look after them after many years of playing drums LOUD and mixing live bands LOUD in the 80's.
These days I have to compensate a little bit, and take regular breaks when mixing in my studio.
You gotta protect those little wings on the side of the head!
Cheers ..

[tjmtruth]

Here's another mix. Some things about this I like better....you decide.

Tom

:-)