Better DM mix- your thoughts

Foxworthy925 · #1 05-15-2008, 05:14 PM

I posted a few weeks ago with a mix that my drummer did, that I was not happy with AT ALL. I'm still not completely content with this current mix, but I feel it's miles better. He still EQed it in a way that gets rid of a lot of that finger slap tone that I play with. OH well. Listen to The Prophecy. The other song (Eternal Darkness) was recorded months before I joined the band, so I'm not featured on it. Tell me what you think, add us on myspace, say hi, do whatever. Thanks

www.myspace.com/emortus

|m/

Foxworthy925 · #2 05-15-2008, 08:43 PM

Recording quality and mixing aside, how do you guys like the song itself? Can you hear me playing? How're the vocals? We just introduced a new singer and this is one of the first recordings with him, so our lead guitarist (who was doing vox previously) now gets to focus completely on shredding and doing back up vocals. I'm not looking for compliments or sugar coated praises. I just want honest opinions- what do you all think of the music?

Nyarlathotep · #3 05-16-2008, 07:59 AM

Honestly. I can't totally hear the bass. I can hear the drums (including the bass drum), the guitars, but its really hard picking out the bass. And with the gear you have, unless your mid-scooping it, you should be able to kick much ***.

If he's EQed it the way I think he has, your still very much blended in with the guitars/bass drum. There is a part in the middle of "Prophesy" where your doing a run type deal thats not entirely "with" the guitar from what I can tell, and your tone sounds a little hollow in the mids to me.

From the sounds of things you're drummer seems afraid that more mids on you will make the song sound muddy, but I think that there is plenty of midrange for you to breath in.

The higher pitch vokilling doesn't do it for me, but you singer does stay within a lower range most of the time, so that's cool.

Nyarlathotep · #4 05-16-2008, 08:07 AM

On a side note. Take NEW pics of the band, or at least the singer/guitarist and your main vokillist. Make sure your backup vokill/guitar player never, ever does THAT pose again. If he insists, give him a sword or something.... And your main vokillist should get rid of the "WORD" vibe.

Kudos to at least not having corpsepaint!

Foxworthy925 · #5 05-16-2008, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanielTulip

Honestly. I can't totally hear the bass. I can hear the drums (including the bass drum), the guitars, but its really hard picking out the bass. And with the gear you have, unless your mid-scooping it, you should be able to kick much ***.

If he's EQed it the way I think he has, your still very much blended in with the guitars/bass drum. There is a part in the middle of "Prophesy" where your doing a run type deal thats not entirely "with" the guitar from what I can tell, and your tone sounds a little hollow in the mids to me.

From the sounds of things you're drummer seems afraid that more mids on you will make the song sound muddy, but I think that there is plenty of midrange for you to breath in.

The higher pitch vokilling doesn't do it for me, but you singer does stay within a lower range most of the time, so that's cool.

Hey thanks for the reply.

imo I LOVE my completely flat direct tone. Great finger slap tone, not to bassy or trebly, just very aggressive. No matter what, our drummer keeps boosting the low mids (very low mids), and I think, not doing much else to the other frequencies besides rolling off some very high treble. I think his main problem, is that the guitars were recorded direct WITH modeled distortion on at the time (I know I know, horrible move. I wasn't there when they recorded), so the guitar tone is basically as is no matter what. On it's own, it doesn't have much of any body, so he's somewhat relying on fat bass to fill out the sound. I think he's also afraid to give my bass it's naturally clanking sound, which annoys me, because I work SO hard to perfect that technique.

So I need your more experienced advice: what frequencies should we cut and boost to get the sound more, ya know, right? What do you think I should do?

The higher pitch vocals were done by our lead guitarist/backup singer, while all the lows were done by our new vocalist. That's on The Prophecy btw. On Eternal Darkness, it was all done by the guitarist.

Oh and I'm just wondering, what part in the song are you referring to when I'm doing something different than the lead guitars?

Thanks again for the reply

Nyarlathotep · #6 05-16-2008, 09:21 AM

The "different" part is somewhere around the middle of the song. Its sortof a breakdown type thing before the vokills kick back in. I say keep this new vokillist, even if his pic on the 'space screams "word". He's good.

As for the freqs, I assume that your able to EQ using a parametric mid? I'd start with the mids boosted around 800Hz, and work backwards towords the lower midrange. While doing this listen for the bass to POP out. It should, in theory, unless you bass is naturally really scooped in the mids. Boosting the low mids on the bass is a little iffy, depending on what freq. you were boosting. Your "very low mids" seems to translate into "guitar-range bass" to me, which is why your track will blend in with the guitars.

Hope this helps a little.

Foxworthy925 · #7 05-17-2008, 12:39 PM

Haha, yeah that guy's picture is sort of...uh...yeah. I don't know if you can tell, but he's actually holding a necklace in his hand, wich is why it looks like he's trying to pound an invisible fist.

I haven't gotten to chat with our drummer at all, so I didn't get to try your suggestion yet. But my only concern is how to make the bass, like you said, POP out, but without making it sound very honky and annoying. Any more advice would be great.

Thanks again for all your help and input.

EviscerateNick · #8 05-17-2008, 01:04 PM

how did you record the bass? what i like to do is mike my cab and blend that signal with a direct box. i find that it helps bring out the bass a little better. also i would almost always cut the bass and boost the mids. mids are your best friend.

Foxworthy925 · #9 05-17-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EviscerateNick

... i would almost always cut the bass and boost the mids. mids are your best friend.

Yeah definitely- I just need to convince my drummer. He's the one doing the mixing/mastering

I actually recorded the bass on my own time at my house, direct through a PreSonus Firebox into Cubase LE on an iMac. The drummer then would pick up the tracks with a flash drive, and then mix 'em how he wants back on his comp with the rest of the tracks. You said you like to mic your cab: what mic do you use?

Foxworthy925 · #10 05-17-2008, 02:44 PM

Hey btw Nick, I just checked out your band's myspace and noticed you're in the bay. Have we ever played a show with you? Hmm, I'll have to ask the other guys in my band, because they probably know your band. Are you one of our friends on myspace?

Sick music by the way. Seriously. Tell me whenever your album comes out in June- I definitely need to buy it.

Matt Till · #11 05-17-2008, 02:50 PM

Weird... I can hear you fine.

I'd get some decent headphones fellas. Not bad overall, Death Metal doesn't do much for me anymore. I like the band pics too, you guys look like you don't take yourselves ultra serious like most Death Metal bands do, which is stupid. I prefer a band not take themselves too serious, they end up looking like even more of a joke.

Good stuff, but my opinions on Death Metal don't mean much, like I said, I can hear you fine.

Nyarlathotep · #12 05-17-2008, 09:08 PM

^ I will listen again sometime with phones (mine are awesome).

I did listen through pretty good desktop speakers tho, fwiw

Foxworthy925 · #13 05-17-2008, 09:21 PM

The thing that gets me is not that I can't hear myself. It's that our drummer mixes it in a way that gets rid of HOW I play. It would be nice to be audible too, however

Matt Till · #14 05-18-2008, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxworthy925

The thing that gets me is not that I can't hear myself. It's that our drummer mixes it in a way that gets rid of HOW I play. It would be nice to be audible too, however

How can the mix interfere with how you play?

Foxworthy925 · #15 05-18-2008, 01:28 AM

I play with a very aggressive finger slap tone. He EQs and mixes me in a way that completely gets rid of this tone, so all you hear is a round blob of bass with no attack. I suppose it wouldn't bother me if I didn't work so hard to play and sound the way I do.

Thanks for the reply and the kind words by the way.

EviscerateNick · #16 05-18-2008, 02:28 PM

i dont think we have ever played together before. i think my guitarist and drummer met some of your band before though. as for the mic i like bass drum mics and those flat faced instrument ones. i dont know the exact brand or model. also having someone who knows how to record and mix helps a s#!t load. paying someone who knows whats up is the way to go. you will be alot happier in the end. hope this helps my friend!