A test mix for a local band.

[MDV]

http://soundcloud.com/mdv/seek-solace-in-ruin-rooted

Whaddaya reckon?

[nfe]

"Oops, looks like we can't find that page!" :(

[Denim n Leather]

You cannot copy/paste a Soundcloud link until AFTER it's done the push and you have saved it.

[MDV]

http://soundcloud.com/mdv/rooted-seek-solace-in-ruin

Doh!

I reloaded it at some point but forgot to make the title the same.

[James C]

I think that the guitar tone is amazing, manages to have clarity without sacrificing fullness. and the drums sounds great.

[_tom_]

Sounds good to me, nice and clear. The bass drum sounds a bit clicky on the faster double bass bits to me though. Might just be a personal preference thing.

[nfe]

I think the drums could sit a bit lower but it's cool. Makes me think of Godflesh a bit, as it goes. Dense and gritty but open sounding.

[MDV]

Cheers chaps :)

Its on my Pittbull CL100 EQ, ubercab, AT4050 on a T75 is making the lions share of the guitar sound, with an MD421 backing it up on a V30, Btw. Guitar was the guitarists RGD with blackouts.

I still need to humanise the drums a bit, go and move a beat a few ms here and there, change some velocities to sound more like a person did it, but they're *more or less* where I want them tonally: me and the guy whose song it is both like pretty clicky kick! Its actually the snare I think could do with a bit more body, but its a tricky one with all the low mids going on, and without sacrificng the cut of the snare. Anyone like/not like the snare, think a beefier one would work better? Or leave it?

[nfe]

Tonally I like the snare, just needs to sound a bit more like a person with a hint of velocity variation to my ears.

[Oli]

Tonally I like the snare, just needs to sound a bit more like a person with a hint of velocity variation to my ears.

Yea, the snare needs some dynamic to it, and maybe little tonal changes too?

I didn't really like the bass, for me it seemed to make it sound too sloppy and loose-- especially on laptop speakers, I could just hear the mids and top of the bass cutting through, and it wasn't always locked with the guitars.

Aside from the snare bits, I thought the drums sounded pretty good :)

[MDV]

Wait....you checked a mix and commented on the bass in particular on laptop speakers?

Dude.....just......dude. Seriously.

I love you really, but for $%&# sake!

The drums are totally static max velocity, that needs sorting, I know.

[Oli]

Hah, I didn't just check it on laptop speakers! But when I did hear it on the laptop, the non-bass portion of the bass really stuck out, that's all-- it sounds more like a timing issue to me though.

Don't discredit the use of laptop speakers for mixing though... i've known engineers use them for referencing as that's where a fair amount of the audience will listen from (granted this was for pop, but i'm sure some people in the metal world still listen with them :) ) Anyway, I don't need to tell you how to mix, you're doing a pretty good job of it already :)

[JDC]

Not on my best headphones but sounds like your mixes just keep getting better

Just an idea, not sure if it'll work how you want but instead of changing some hits by a few ms, you could use your PC keyboard and the virtual keyboard in reaper to capture midi hits. Obviously won't have the velocity but might save you some time depending how many hits you want to alter.

[_tom_]

(granted this was for pop, but i'm sure some people in the metal world still listen with them :) )

I'm currently listening to metal through laptop speakers :lol: not ideal but my headphones are in my backpack on the other side of the room and moving right now is not something I'm willing to do :P

[MDV]

Well man, if you'd said it was for reference then thats great; love a bit of referencing, cheers for the feedback.

I wasnt utterly strict about the timing of the bass as past a certain point I thought that groove was more important than accuracy (in a lot of the song at least), but if people are thinking its inaccurate, I'll sort it.

Cheers JDC.

I've tried 'playing' the midi before for natural timing; it never seems right, and I dont like doing it. Feels like doing drum takes on a mouse and isnt automatically faster. I prefer to completely contradictorily manually and intentionally put in the sort of emphasis and little lags and drifts that a drummer might actually play it with.