Sputnik Music Forums - View Single Post - hey guys what do you think of my vocal mix?

ares · 05-08-2011, 11:03 PM

Dude, that sounds like ass. Not just the vocals, but the whole mix.

Drums:
Kick has very little low end to it, could use some more presence in the 4-5 kHz and up range.
Snare is alright.
Cymbals/overheads have a tinny sound to them - sounds like you boosted like crazy at around 5 kHz. It clouds the whole mix.
Couldn't really hear the toms/distinguish them from the kick drum at all.

Bass
Either inaudible or too loud in the mix. Compress the fuck out of it, I like to use a compressor that has a setting that adds harmonic distortion to emphasize the 1st and 2nd order harmonics. Perform any EQ before compression in order to keep levels consistent across the whole song. It could also use some more low end in the 80-160 Hz range (I high-pass bass at 50).

Vocals
First, I'm going to ask what mic you are using to record vocals with. With a good mic, very minimal EQ/processing is required.
I'm of the opinion that your high pass filter is a little high. I don't go higher than 110 for male vocals, but whatever.
I don't hear any of the stereo spreading that you mention.

Do you know how high 15kHz really is? Most people over age 20 can't hear much higher than that, especially musicians. Get a test tone plugin to see how high it goes. One of these can also be useful in determining where your room modes are and what frequencies are notable/absent in your speakers. The frequency range for most sibilance is around 8-12 kHz anyway. Your de-esser probably isn't doing anything really useful.

NEVER copy+paste the same take to 'fatten' something up. At best, you'll just make it louder and at worst, you'll end up with lots of comb filtering. This isn't an issue if you record multiple takes and mix those, because the spectral content is different.

Everything else
The mix as a whole lacks a lot of stereo spread, and the things that are panned wide are so low as to not have much of an effect. There isn't really any definition between what is a guitar and what is synth, etc. They both compete for the same spot in the mix and it ends up being a mess.

My guess is that you are mixing on headphones (due to the narrow stereo spread of the mix) that have a substantial low-end boost and dip at 5 kHz.

Compare your song to professional hard rock mix. You'll see how different it really is.

EDIT: I'm listening on calibrated JBL LSR4328P monitors

05-08-2011, 11:03 PM	#2
ares Expirator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Posts: 173	Dude, that sounds like ass. Not just the vocals, but the whole mix. Drums: Kick has very little low end to it, could use some more presence in the 4-5 kHz and up range. Snare is alright. Cymbals/overheads have a tinny sound to them - sounds like you boosted like crazy at around 5 kHz. It clouds the whole mix. Couldn't really hear the toms/distinguish them from the kick drum at all. Bass Either inaudible or too loud in the mix. Compress the fuck out of it, I like to use a compressor that has a setting that adds harmonic distortion to emphasize the 1st and 2nd order harmonics. Perform any EQ before compression in order to keep levels consistent across the whole song. It could also use some more low end in the 80-160 Hz range (I high-pass bass at 50). Vocals First, I'm going to ask what mic you are using to record vocals with. With a good mic, very minimal EQ/processing is required. I'm of the opinion that your high pass filter is a little high. I don't go higher than 110 for male vocals, but whatever. I don't hear any of the stereo spreading that you mention. Do you know how high 15kHz really is? Most people over age 20 can't hear much higher than that, especially musicians. Get a test tone plugin to see how high it goes. One of these can also be useful in determining where your room modes are and what frequencies are notable/absent in your speakers. The frequency range for most sibilance is around 8-12 kHz anyway. Your de-esser probably isn't doing anything really useful. NEVER copy+paste the same take to 'fatten' something up. At best, you'll just make it louder and at worst, you'll end up with lots of comb filtering. This isn't an issue if you record multiple takes and mix those, because the spectral content is different. Everything else The mix as a whole lacks a lot of stereo spread, and the things that are panned wide are so low as to not have much of an effect. There isn't really any definition between what is a guitar and what is synth, etc. They both compete for the same spot in the mix and it ends up being a mess. My guess is that you are mixing on headphones (due to the narrow stereo spread of the mix) that have a substantial low-end boost and dip at 5 kHz. Compare your song to professional hard rock mix. You'll see how different it really is. EDIT: I'm listening on calibrated JBL LSR4328P monitors Last edited by ares; 05-08-2011 at 11:08 PM.