opinions/suggestions on my mix/master

[AndyPanda]

Three or four years ago, I bought some audio interfaces and mics so I could record my band. I am, by nature, a geek and I am always going out into uncharted territory, above my pay grade (and being told by the "experts" that I'm in over my head - I'm used to it). I've just always enjoyed taking on something I know nothing (or very little) about how to do and trying to solve it by experimenting.

My band at the time was a group of guys that always sounded good live but none of them had any studio experience. They had wasted hundreds (thousands?) of dollars on studio time with nothing to show for it because they really didn't know how to make use of studio time. And that was why I decided to record them myself and just try to capture the way we sound when we play a concert.

I recorded in our rehearsal hall (near the airport - planes taking off or landing every 10 minutes - made vocal overdubs hilarious). And experimented with mic placement to try to get the best sound I could with a minimum of processing or EQ. I really made it a top priority to get everything as close to direct as I could and no compression or effects on any of the tracks (other than reverb on the vocals and final mastering EQ and compression).

I really like what I captured with some things that make me cringe now (in particular the reverb on the voice - I just couldn't figure out how to make the vocals sound FAT like the best studio recordings do - and the reverb I got just sounds cheesy and boxy to me (it was a great reverb - just user error on my part not knowing how to get the best from it). And another thing that makes me cringe is whenever the vocals are not up front enough or a guitar solo is not up front enough (or too up front). And being a part of the band - I had to always wrestle with how "up front" to make any one instrument (and I'm not the bassist BTW). I didn't want to favor my own parts or piss anyone off because I didn't mix them high enough. And with every mix I tried to make it work on boom box and car stereo and headphones as well as high end HiFi gear (quite a challenge and I must have mixed/mastered the recordings 100 times trying to pick the best compromise).

Sorry for the long rambling and history of this ... I just pulled these recordings out and listened to them again for the first time in years and thought I'd share a couple with you guys and get your feedback. And if anyone can tell me how to get the vocals processed the way I wanted them instead of how I got them - I'd love to learn the secrets. (and of course, please don't listen on laptop speakers )

 

[AndyPanda]

Here's another one:

 

[Mcgiver69]

They sound great, some general tips:
- De-essing the vocals to control the sibilance
- Use short delay on the vocals to give them even more sense of space, sometimes they seem too in the face.
- Pan the percussion, backing vocals and rhythm guitars to only leave drums, bass, main vocals and lead guitar in the middle. That will make it feel less cluttered and in your face.

It is great but with those tips it'll be even better. Congrats you've done a great job.

Note: if you want more tips look for Musician on a mission and behind the speakers in Youtube, those guys go in detail on what I was saying.

BTW: Nice lyrics, as a spanish speaker I appreciate them a lot.

 

[AndyPanda]

Thanks for the great tips!
I'm the gringo in the band (hilarious when they introduce the band members and everyone is from Nicaragua, Mexico, Portugal etc. and then me from Wyoming - yeehaw!)

 

[Badwater]

There are many tips of all kinds that will work. But in order for you to implement them, you'll need to learn about frequency ranges, and how they apply to various instruments and vocals in various styles of music. It's not something that can be easily done. It takes a developed ear to know how one instruments' EQ adjustment will impact the entire mix.

Then there's the playback of the mix, and how it sounds through studio monitors.

Nevertheless, the music and mix is not all that bad, in fact it's pretty good for all the instruments and vocals you have. I wouldn't change a thing. But if you feel there is something that needs adjusting, you can bring it into a DAW, and go to work on it.