Magnificent 7 Challenge

[Chris SweetParticipant]

Thanks for the feedback Maurice. Yeah I'll try and get a little more snap from the snare. I think my vocals are brighter than they need to be. Once I added some top on the mix bus I think they got pushed over the edge a bit. Revision coming soon.

[Chris SweetParticipant]

Just a little fun, forged in the fires of Tobys imagination LOL. A good challenge I say.

[Chris SweetParticipant]

Nice Chewie! Vocals could come forward a bit though. I know those esses can rip your face off but the vocals sound a bit buried on my monitors.

[Chris SweetParticipant]

Kip, nice improvement on mix 3! Vocals sound better for sure. Couple technical comments...I'd really dig into the esses and pull them back. I had to pull mine down between 8-11db as a point of reference. The other technical critique would be just the vocal evenness. I would automate them more. I love dynamics, but they need to make sense in the context of the song. So the vocals start soft, fine, but then really jump up on the back half of V1, and then get super loud on the chorus. If you're not monitoring at a quiet-ish volume I'd take a listen that way...you'll really hear where stuff leaps out of the mix.

On a creative note (and this is just opinion stuff now), I'd back off the reverb a tad OR use more predelay to bring out a sense of intimacy in the vocal. It sounds a bit "far away" when I want to hear her whispering in my ear. Pre-delay changes the depth of the soundscape. Also, everything sounds a bit straight up the middle on the chorus. I'd get those harmonies opened up left and right, and the guitars as well. You have LCR, use it for maximum effect! This is just taste stuff, but if you want to make big impactful mixes, you gotta use the stereo field to maximum effect. When the song gets big, the mix has to get big too.

One way that I found useful to think about it is this... if you want the mix to sound "taller", add top and/or bottom; if you want it go wider, pan stuff all the way out. If you want stuff to sound closer/further away, use more/less predelay on your reverbs. Understanding these principles can help you create dynamics in different ways then just "volume". A great example of this is "Rolling in the deep" by Adele. Listen how on the chorus the mix gets "wider" and "taller". Also, notice the pre-delay on the vocal verb. The vocals sound intimate, with the reverb blooming behind them. Once you wrap your head around those concepts and learn how to use your tools to achieve them you'll be unstoppable.

Ok that's my speech. Hopefully some of that was useful info lol.

[KipParticipant]

[quote quote=27695]Kip, nice improvement on mix 3! Vocals sound better for sure. Couple technical comments…I’d really dig into the esses and pull them back. I had to pull mine down between 8-11db as a point of reference. The other technical critique would be just the vocal evenness. I would automate them more. I love dynamics, but they need to make sense in the context of the song. So the vocals start soft, fine, but then really jump up on the back half of V1, and then get super loud on the chorus. If you’re not monitoring at a quiet-ish volume I’d take a listen that way…you’ll really hear where stuff leaps out of the mix.

On a creative note (and this is just opinion stuff now), I’d back off the reverb a tad OR use more predelay to bring out a sense of intimacy in the vocal. It sounds a bit “far away” when I want to hear her whispering in my ear. Pre-delay changes the depth of the soundscape. Also, everything sounds a bit straight up the middle on the chorus. I’d get those harmonies opened up left and right, and the guitars as well. You have LCR, use it for maximum effect! This is just taste stuff, but if you want to make big impactful mixes, you gotta use the stereo field to maximum effect. When the song gets big, the mix has to get big too.

One way that I found useful to think about it is this… if you want the mix to sound “taller”, add top and/or bottom; if you want it go wider, pan stuff all the way out. If you want stuff to sound closer/further away, use more/less predelay on your reverbs. Understanding these principles can help you create dynamics in different ways then just “volume”. A great example of this is “Rolling in the deep” by Adele. Listen how on the chorus the mix gets “wider” and “taller”. Also, notice the pre-delay on the vocal verb. The vocals sound intimate, with the reverb blooming behind them. Once you wrap your head around those concepts and learn how to use your tools to achieve them you’ll be unstoppable.

Ok that’s my speech. Hopefully some of that was useful info lol.[/quote]

i just went ahead and printed that off for my mixing folder
that is quality info
thank you very much for that will prolly use my 7plug for a desser i just dont think i have it in me to make those edits
will report back

[Chris SweetParticipant]

Here's my revision. Haven't listened in the car but hopefully a little bit better.

Another interesting lesson learned regarding sibilance and such; if you expand the wave forms it starts to pull apart like cloth, but the high energy stuff like S's and F's and TH's will look dense still. An interesting bit of physics that a seemingly quiet looking wave form, when you zoom in, has dense/high energy and that's why it slices through the mix. YEAH SCIENCE B*TCH

Ok revision 2.

https://soundcloud.com/csweet08-1/wasting-away-mix-2

[KipParticipant]

Chris mix2
this is the thick drums i dream about getting.. dude that snare
the whole mix is reference quality to me
7 plugins

chewie you definitely inspired me to push up the guitars(i liked how you did those) more and that help control the vocal more
but i couldnt get them without a delay and that was 1 of my goals
this has been fun past few days' guys

[ChewieParticipant]

Thanks Chris, If I had a vocal tone like yours I would push it way towards the front too 😉 Initially I was going for a rock style vocal, but after hearing your mix, I think that a more pop style vocal would suit the song more. I'll do a revision and try and get that sound going on. This also would be a good exercise for me.

[ChewieParticipant]

Amazing! Mix 2 is great! I love the vocal tone, very upfront and personal. The only thing I would say, which is a matter of taste, is that personally I would like a little more separation between the kick and bass, but not too much though, and maybe a bit bass heavy? I am a little afraid these days about having too much bass.I guess you did the car test, so it's probably OK?

I too had that discovery about the waveforms, after I processed a few, I could just tell by looking where the esses were (see screenshot).

Nice job! If you have any pointers re the vocal, I'm all ears!

[ChewieParticipant]

Go for it Kip!

[ChewieParticipant]

Nice mix Kip, sounds full and exciting, nice kick. Works for me overall, although you may have over done it with the guitars a tad, but I like the idea! Sounds alot like tape, which I'm guessing you were going for? Well done 😉

[TobiKeymaster]

Kip,

Like the placement of the bass. Vocals are too reverby for my tastes... but I do like dry vocals. Chorus kicks in nicely. Guitar tones are nice. Drums feel good, but swallowed up by guitars.

Alexx's voice is interesting... she has a lot of low mid, but a little thin on the lows... I found boosting the lows a touch, while cutting the mid lows seemed to helped. Having said that, it feels like not one EQ setting will work for her voice. Feels like it'll need automating and/or the track split up so different EQ settings can be applied to the different sections. The nature of her voice changes a lot through the song.

The overall feel of the song is right for me. More drums please! And maybe cut some lows from the vocal reverb...?

Tobi.

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