Anyone have any advice on the levels and mix for this track? I've listened to it so much I can't hear it anymore. And what sounds great on the studio headphones sounds different in say, my car.
Weeping Figs: All Hail Slobberchops
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Joined: Dec 09, 2019 Posts: 44 North Carolina |
Anyone have any advice on the levels and mix for this track? I've listened to it so much I can't hear it anymore. And what sounds great on the studio headphones sounds different in say, my car. Weeping Figs: All Hail Slobberchops — |
Joined: Mar 04, 2013 Posts: 76 |
I’m not going to offer any specific advice on how to mix it because I don’t know what your goal is, only you can hear that. I will, however, HIGHLY advise against mixing on headphones. Get yourself some decent monitors. Mixing on headphones… it’s never going to sound right in the car or anywhere else. J |
Joined: Jul 30, 2016 Posts: 883 |
The first thing I was going to say was to pan the lead a bit left, to balance the rhythm guitar, but then the third accent guitar came in on the left and I understood why you did it this way. So the one thing I'll suggest, which isn't exactly purely mix related, is to consider altering the sound of the accent guitar a little bit to differentiate it from the lead. Since there's so much reverb on the lead, what about running the accent guitar dry or dryer and adding a tremolo to it? |
Joined: Sep 02, 2022 Posts: 505 Central VA |
Very cool bass line. I'd like to hear a little more bass drum in the mix - might be a volume thing, might be an EQ thing, I'd have to have it in front of me to be more helpful there. Seems like everything but the lead guitar is really dry (ooh nice key change!) but overall I think the song sounds pretty good as it is. I like the breakdown as well - it feels very 1960s TV show tension music. —-- |
Joined: Dec 09, 2019 Posts: 44 North Carolina |
Thanks for the direction, all. @nismosurf: I guess mixing using headphones is the reason that most of my stuff doesn't sound like what I expect. Seems counterintuitive, but then again I don't know what I'm doing. Thanks for the tip. @Redfeather: I may monkey with that accent guitar some. I don't really want to re-record it at this point (laziness, inertia, existential ennui), but maybe I can muck with it some in the DAW. Thanks. @chiba: Thanks! I originally recorded the bass with a ton of reverb from a SurfyBear, but it really started sounding muddy, so I went back and redid it mostly dry. I may try and monkey with the drum EQ a bit more. Always am afraid of getting into clipping with stuff like that, but I'll give it a shot. Thanks again. — |
Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2230 Kiev, Ukraine |
Mix generally sounds for me ok, I maybe would work a little with bass a drums, especially kick and snare, but it sounds good in general. Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki Lost Diver https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com |
Joined: Jan 09, 2014 Posts: 612 Vancouver BC |
My opinion may not go over well...for this genre, I prefer mixes that have a narrower stereo spectrum and less compression. In general, I would err on the side of a bit more bite and rawness than soft and separated. Just my opinion! But it sounds great as-is and I know that a lot of people wouldn't share my opinion. —Lorne |
Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4426 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ. |
Let me start by stating that I like the track and hear a lot of good ideas, and good execution. That bass line is a work of art. The only thing I have available as a listening device, at the moment, is an iPad, which obviously has limited bass response. It came across as well balanced through these minuscule speakers, but that could translate differently in various learning environments. I would echo Vitaly’s sentiments, regarding listening in several different circumstances. I recording a little ditty, using just headphones to mix it, and while it sounds fine with smaller speakers, when I piped that recording into a fairly high end automotive system, the bass sounded overwhelming, and a baritone guitar counter-melody part melted into the mix. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, producers used to test mixes on cheap AM car radios, home stereos, and other settings. In those days, AM was king, and a song that didn’t sound great on a car radio, would be unlikely to do well in the Top 40 charts. In our world, it’s even worse, because there are so very many devices, ranging from Bluetooth headsets on a smart phone, to home and vehicle systems. —The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. |
Joined: Dec 09, 2019 Posts: 44 North Carolina |
Thank you, synchro and shake_n_stomp. (And thanks again, all.) I've tweaked a couple of things a bit more and test-listened using about as many sources as I have the patience for. I really appreciate the feedback. I'm going to go ahead and upload the song to the usual places, and then sit back and, uh... wait for the money to roll in? — |
Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2230 Kiev, Ukraine |
What money?))) —Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki Lost Diver https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com |
Joined: May 27, 2017 Posts: 17 |
Nice job! |
Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4426 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ. |
Samurai wrote:
My advice for anyone that writes a song would be to buy a new Rolls Royce and a new Bentley right now, because once the money starts rolling in you won’t have time to shop for a new car. —The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. |
Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2230 Kiev, Ukraine |
synchro wrote:
Exactly, it takes so much time to calculate all these costs going from Spotify, Apple, Youtube, Amazon and other sources! —Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki Lost Diver https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com |
Joined: Dec 09, 2019 Posts: 44 North Carolina |
If I play my cards right, I may eventually collect enough Spotify earnings to buy a new set of strings. — |
Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4426 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ. |
cricketseed wrote:
It’s good to keep one’s expectations well grounded. —The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. |
Joined: Jan 09, 2008 Posts: 385 Orange County, CA |
I listened to it 2x and really enjoyed it. The break to end groove is great. I would have been tempted to expand both halves and made 2 songs out of it. —Craig Skelly Little Kahuna |
Joined: Dec 09, 2019 Posts: 44 North Carolina |