I first mixed this song in 2011 when the multitracks were first posted on the Mixoff.org site.
I loved the energy of the song, but the timing stumbles always bothered me no end, so I edited them. Of course, the drummer's tempo is still all over the shop, but I guess it has it's own shambolic charm.
After mixing the track, I thought it might be interesting to play around with the arrangement & give it some dynamic interest, as it tends to be pretty relentless in it's original form.
I happened across my original mix the other day, so I though I might post it here for some feedback. Before I did, I took a listen to it with the benefit of 4 more years of experience and decided that there were a lot of things I didn't really like about it now...
So I decided to do a complete remix of the track. I had long since deleted my original DAW project, so I had to re-download.
Comparing the two mixes was pretty illuminating for me, so I thought I would share them here to get your feedback & opinions.
Both mixes are fairly heavily rearranged/edited all the way through, but they are completely different edits nonetheless... The filenames that identify the mixes are pretty self-explanatory... let me know what you think.
I think the mix itself is too hot like there is to much GR happening so theres a distorted sound and theres masking going throughout the frequency spectrum. I think the drums could have been done a little better and been a little closer up in the mix. However, I like how you added the harmonies, that definitely added a different texture to the arrangement. With that said i do think its a good mix but the balance does need work and the overall sound doesnt need to be as driven so it has a cleaner sound.
(14-02-2015, 06:25 AM)Dustin3P Wrote: I think the mix itself is too hot like there is to much GR happening so theres a distorted sound and theres masking going throughout the frequency spectrum. I think the drums could have been done a little better and been a little closer up in the mix. However, I like how you added the harmonies, that definitely added a different texture to the arrangement. With that said i do think its a good mix but the balance does need work and the overall sound doesnt need to be as driven so it has a cleaner sound.
Hi Dustin - Thanks for the reply.
Firstly, which mix are you referring to?
When you mention that the balance needs work, is it just that you feel the drums that are too distant, or are there other elements that are too loud or too soft?
The new mix is the one im reffering too. It feels to me that the drums were to far back in the mix and the guitars were a little overpowering for the rest of the elemnts such as the vocals and including the drums. Mayne a lpf would help the frequency balance but i think the level balance is still off some to. Maybe reference it to a commercial mix. It could be just a difference in preference though.
(14-02-2015, 06:44 AM)Dustin3P Wrote: The new mix is the one im reffering too. It feels to me that the drums were to far back in the mix and the guitars were a little overpowering for the rest of the elemnts such as the vocals and including the drums. Mayne a lpf would help the frequency balance but i think the level balance is still off some to. Maybe reference it to a commercial mix. It could be just a difference in preference though.
Thanks for clarifying that....
When you mentioned it being too loud & distorted, I thought you might be referring to the old mix - I can definitely hear it on that mix, but the new one sounds pretty clean to me. Maybe I still have a lot more to learn...
TBH, there is not a tonne of GR happening on the master buss - only 1 or 2dB of buss compression, & maybe 3dB of GR on the limiter. A song of this type by nature has a fairly high RMS level.
I did actually reference Green Day's "American Idiot" fairly comprehensively during the mix. I'm certainly no CLA, but it seemed to measure up reasonably well. Personal preference may play a part... hmmm...
Quite a difference between the two mixes fH!
The old one sounds harsh in comparison, while the new one is really punchy but with a solid low end, shows how much you've grown in your mixing in a really cool way! The ambience feels more natural and less constrained. Nice little arrangement touches with those extra harmonies, nicely done! >beerbang<!
"Music, in performance, is a type of sculpture. The air in the performance is sculpted into something." - Frank Zappa
15-02-2015, 08:26 AM (This post was last modified: 15-02-2015, 08:31 AM by FytaKyte.)
(14-02-2015, 05:02 PM)ptalbot Wrote: Quite a difference between the two mixes fH!
The old one sounds harsh in comparison, while the new one is really punchy but with a solid low end, shows how much you've grown in your mixing in a really cool way! The ambience feels more natural and less constrained. Nice little arrangement touches with those extra harmonies, nicely done! >beerbang<!
Thanks Patrick - yeah, it actually surprised me how different I am hearing things these days. The fact that I used the same reference for both mixes and yet produced such completely different results 4 years apart was an eye (ear?) opener to me.
- I can definitely hear it on