Hiring out versus keeping it in the family

Dkerwood · #1 10-21-2006, 10:19 PM

Here's the situation:

Usually I do all my own recording. It's a fun hobby. Before we went on tour this summer, however, a guy I knew offered to record us for free. My recording machine was down with a faulty motherboard at the time, so I accepted.

My recording gear: MXL 990 condensor, MXL 991 condensor, Behringer mini mixer, stock soundcard (2 channels). I do all my compression, EQ, reverb, etc, in post.

His recording gear: 2 MXL 990 condesors, MXL 991 condensor, Behringer mixer, USB audio interface (I don't recall the specs on that, but also 2 channel). He also used some sort of rack compressor (Behringer, as I recall).

Anyway, we did three tracks with him and it seemed to work alright. I never gave it another thought until I installed iTunes a couple weeks ago. His version, recorded in June, came up right next to a recording of the same song that I had done in January. To my ears, my version sounds "bigger". My girlfriend insists that his version sounds more "mature". So I thought I'd bring it to your blind ears, and see if I should continue to use his services (he's offered 2 more tracks for free, and then a ridiculously low price after that) or do it myself.

Which do you prefer (and why)?

Track A

or

Track B?

floopy · #2 10-22-2006, 06:05 AM

Track A is better to me, more balanced, more professional sounding all round. On track B the mix is a bit muddy and has too much bass in the EQ.

BTW Girlfriends are always right

Steve · #3 10-22-2006, 07:20 AM

Agreed.

Cool Tune BTW.

spyinks · #4 10-22-2006, 08:40 AM

00:05:
A - great vocal sound
B - a bit lifeless, too much compression me thinks

00:25
A - the drums ruin it for me (sounds like a pillow and frying pans)
B - vocals sit on top in the mix nicely, but the guitar(s?)/bass are just dead and buried

01:15
A - overal nice but the vocals need a bit of thickening somehow
B - ugh..the guitar and bass are just a swirling pile of S***

Overall i'm guessing B is the other guy's mix?
I'd rather listen to A tbh

A: good start but needs some work
B: warble warble warble bad compression but its fair I guess

(ps. sorry if i've offended anybody)

Dash Rantic · #5 10-22-2006, 10:31 AM

I think I liked A a bit better, sounded more professional. B is OK, sounds more like a badly-mixed live track though.

Oh, and props for an awesome song. Got anything else like this we could listen to?

-Dash

Dkerwood · #6 10-22-2006, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dash Rantic

Oh, and props for an awesome song. Got anything else like this we could listen to?

Thanks! I'll post some more in a day or two...

I want to get a few more opinions before I reveal which mix belongs to which engineer...

odie · #7 10-22-2006, 11:31 AM

Well I think each is good and bad.

A- doesnt seem over driven or over compressed like B does. Drums are terrible. Vocals seem too loud. Very limp sounding but it might be the sound that you are going for. Sorta the "lo fi" vibe. If not it needs more punch.

B-Way too compressed. Guitars and bass need to be eq'd different maybe drop the lows from the bass. Less compression or lower the track volume.

Not that this helps but I think something in-be-tween would sound nice.

jady · #8 10-22-2006, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odie

Well I think each is good and bad.

A- doesnt seem over driven or over compressed like B does. Drums are terrible. Vocals seem too loud. Very limp sounding but it might be the sound that you are going for. Sorta the "lo fi" vibe. If not it needs more punch.

B-Way too compressed. Guitars and bass need to be eq'd different maybe drop the lows from the bass. Less compression or lower the track volume.

Not that this helps but I think something in-be-tween would sound nice.

agreed, A has no life but everything is clear and clean, B has WAY too much compression, this is a common mastering error, compression makes everything sound bigger so it must be better right? not always, it can mud things up fast. Bigness at the cost of clarity is not good.

go for a happy medium............

BTW Leah would love it!!!!!

Freaky Fender · #9 10-22-2006, 03:34 PM

A seemed a little weak compared to B, but I agree that the sound in B is way too compressed. I like the guitar sounds in B though, but I'm coming from that whole Shoegazer style of "WALL OF FUZZ" sound. (Think Loveless or Siamese Dream), but if the cymbals in B sound really compressed, and at like 2:15 they just become muddy. The breakdown with just bass in both sections is kinda weak, as it sounds lifeless on A, and just plain crappy on B. I'd have to go with A even though B seems to have the better guitar sound (to me).

Dkerwood · #10 10-22-2006, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freaky Fender

The breakdown with just bass in both sections is kinda weak, as it sounds lifeless on A, and just plain crappy on B. I'd have to go with A even though B seems to have the better guitar sound (to me).

So how does one fix a "breakdown" section with just bass? It's the section that vexes me live, too.

Live, we'll usually have a dozen or so folks up on stage with us jumping around and singing. During this section, since I'm not playing guitar, I pull the mic off the stand and just sing the full chorus (instead of the abbreviated one), trying to hype the crowd up. You know, the whole "shove the microphone in the fan's face" thing...

Anyway, I always worry that it's breaking up the momentum of the tune. I dunno. I don't know really how to fix it.

Freaky Fender · #11 10-23-2006, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dkerwood

So how does one fix a "breakdown" section with just bass? It's the section that vexes me live, too.

Make the bass sound good.

Dkerwood · #12 10-23-2006, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freaky Fender

Make the bass sound good.

How should I do that? Is it the bass tone that you don't care for?