Myriad Rocker

3 hours ago, John Hazel said:

intro - Strings are overpowering the guitar, maybe carve out some space and set them further back in the mix ( less top - more verb )..let the guitar shine as it's the main part there

Talking of the guitar the timing is very loose and sloppy , I would go through and tighten it up - maybe use the metronome to figure out where it's going out, tighten up the piano and guitar together

There's some intonation issues in the vocals which need some help with tuning , they also sound like they are sat on top of the music instead of "in" the track . This could be because in the mix/arrangement you've got other instruments in the space where the vocal should sit which makes them inaudible and people naturally turn up the vocals.  The trick is to make space so the vocals can sit lower but still be heard by reducing parts that mask them.  

Drums are a bit boxy sounding when they come in around 1:20 and it sounds like there is too much of the close mic signal and not enough of the rooms & overheads

Your voice sounds a bit like Chris Cornell or Chad Krueger and I think the vocals improve once you get going but there's lots of things you can do to improve the mix and production starting with fundamental timing / tuning / arrangement before you even get to mixing as fixing these will improve it 100% 

Thanks for the tips.  I'll do what I can.

The strings are supposed to be the feature up until the second verse.  There's very little guitar at all until that time minus bits here and there low in the mix that jump in and out at times.  

As for the timing of the guitars, I listened back on isolated tracks.  Where are you talking about exactly?  Maybe point me to an example and I can have the ah ha moment.

I went back and tuned up the vox a bit with Melodyne.  I'm not getting the same "on top of the mix" that you are, but I'll listen back more critically tomorrow after resting the ears.  Does it always have that "on top of" feeling or is there a time where it sits back in better in your opinion?

I took out some 300 or so on the drums.  I started to add just a touch of high shelf boost on the side eq, but didn't care for it.  I also adjusted some toms and the room and overs a tad.  I need to listen again after a rest and see if I'm ok with it.  I know that I don't like a ton of room on drums.  That kind of sound is really not my thing.

Not my voice, but I'll take the compliment and pass it along.  You mention arrangement, though.  Not really following there.  The arrangement is good to me.  Also not really picking up any bad timing issues.  At least right now.

I posted this song about 2 years ago and said I was working through a re-mixing project for my band's first (and only) album.  The goal here is to ultimately re-release the album remixed and remastered and then follow that up with several EP's worth of new material.  Anyway, I got sidetracked with pandemic BS, but now I'm back.  Trying to get this project back on wheels.  I'll have more songs I'm sharing in hopes that I can get these really honed in as best I can.  And who knows, maybe I can find a few collaborators on the new EP's!

I hope you enjoy.  This mix is a bit different than the one I posted a few years back.  I'm open to any comments you have about how I could improve the mix.  Appreciate you all!

I'm not sure what you were going for, but I'd like to hear some backing vox or answer/call back in the chorus.  Possibly select spots in the verses as well.

I liked the phrasing in the verses.  Good stuff.

Nice.  Wouldn't mind collabing on something at some point.

Perhaps I'm not familiar with their recent offerings.  Last time I looked at a place like Best Buy at a Dell desktop that was dirt cheap, it was junk.  I'm sure you're probably correct.

Enjoyed this one.  I'm on another listen.  I agree with what has already been said about the low end.  I actually wouldn't mind mixing this for my own enjoyment if you wouldn't mind sharing the tracks.  

Good work.

35 minutes ago, Jack Stoner said:

I mostly agree with you.  My recording system is a self built system with a Gigabyte "Designare" motherboard and an i9 9900K CPU.

In ref to the Dell's, I do user support on the Dell forums.  I can buy Dell at employee discount but as noted built my own.  However, there are many using Dell's for DAW work.  I have a friend with a ProTools studio in Nashville and he is using a Dell XPS8930, stock, and not having any PC issues.  There is a recent thread on here from a user that just bought a Dell for DAW work.  There is a recent thread on the Dell forums of a user with a new XPS8940 that is going to use it for DAW work.  If I were to buy a Dell for DAW work it would be their "workstation" Precision line.

Maybe I wasn't clear and that's why you said "mostly agree".  I was specifically talking about cheap off the shelf Dell stuff (or insert whatever manufacturer here).  I was not referring to the better XPS line, which are less integrated than the cheaper ones.

Glad I read about this because I've been eyeing getting OVox myself...

I'm not familiar with Vietnam supply chain and their currency, but I can say that building a machine spec'ed for audio is going to be fairly similar to doing a gaming rig minus all the silly lights and the beefy GPU.  And it gets expensive fast.  I'm battling some of the same things you are right now.  Most of the cheap off the shelf stuff from places like Dell are super super integrated.  They're nearly impossible to upgrade.  Everything is proprietary and basically a throwaway machine.  And the PSU's are sadly underpowered for anything more than a web surfer.

I saw a question earlier about onboard video.  Most mobo's these days have onboard video.  You wouldn't need a graphics card.  Seeing as how you don't game, it'd be a waste of money to get the graphics card IMO.

So, I'll come right out and say...don't laugh.  There, that's out of the way.

My main recording PC has been kicking around for a while.  I originally built it back in 2011.  It has had a RAM upgrade since, but little else.  I took a lengthy bit of time off from doing any real recording not long after building the machine, so unfortunately, I don't feel I've gotten my money's worth out of it.  Actual life got in the way and music took the back burner.  Or not even on the stove, actually.

Fast forward and a few years ago I started remixing some old tunes and planning to record new songs with some old bandmates.  Then the pandemic hit.  Everything kind of got put off.  I recently started doing it again with the remixing and I'm noticing clicks and pops at 512 samples.  Noticing a few occasionally at even 2048 if I'm being honest.  I recently picked up some ML Sound Labs amp sims and those run terribly inside Cakewalk.  Especially when more than one instance is running.  As a stand-alone, it's fine.

Here's my current system specs (this is where the no laughing bit comes in):

Mobo:  ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Rev 3.0 LGA 1155 P67 Intel
CPU:  Intel Core i7-2600 QuadCore @ 3.40GHz 1155 w/Zalman cooler
RAM:  32GB (4x8GB) DDR3 1600
PSU:  Corsair TX 750W 80 Plus Bronze
GPU:  Sapphire Radeon HD 5570 1GB DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 (I only have this because it supports 3 monitors...which I no longer use)
SSD (OS & Programs):  Samsung 840 Pro 128GB
HDD (Audio):  WD Blue 1TB
HDD (Samples & Plugs):  WD Blue 1TB
Interface:  RME Fireface UFX (a bit old, but still solid as a rock for me)

For programs I'm using, it's Cakewalk, Slate Drums, various synths, Toontrack EZbass/EZkeys, Slate All Access, a few Waves plugs, Melodyne, Kontakt, ML Sound Labs amp sims, Neural DSP amp sims, and various other bits and bobs.  Also plan on getting Fab Filter and potentially some other things, but I haven't tested resource consumption on those.

So, with those specs out there, I will say that watching the performance meters in Cakewalk, the CPU is hitting red on one bar quite often.  The others are up higher, but not as high as the first bar.  The RAM is only getting about 25% utilization on a given project with mostly audio.  More so if I'm running samples (drum VI, EZkeys).

If I need to upgrade, which I suspect I might need to, below are my thoughts.  The old parts will get repurposed into a new computer for my woodshop.

Mobo:  MSI Z590-A PRO LGA 1200 Intel
CPU:  Intel Core i7-10700KF Comet Lake 8-Core 3.8Ghz LGA 1200 w/ Cool Master 212 V2
RAM:  G.Skill Ripjaws 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3200
PSU:  I'm planning on re-using the one above...don't think there will be any issues, but it's not modular.  That seems to be the thing right now.
GPU: Planning to use the onboard video as I only realistically need 2 screens, maybe less.
SSD (OS & Programs):  Again, planning on reusing the Samsung 840 Pro 128GB, although it's getting a bit full with only 45GB left.
SSD (Audio):  Samsung 980 M.2 2280 NVMe 1TB
SSD (Samples & Plugs):  Samsung 980 M.2 2280 NVMe 1TB

My motivation for re-using the small Samsung drive is that I don't want to have to re-install everything.  I can, hopefully, just copy my stuff from the old HDD's to the new M.2 SSD's and everything will be fine.  If I get sucked into buying a new OS drive, I'll have to start over. 

Those parts total to almost $1,000 so this isn't just pocket change I'm throwing at it.  Truth be told, it's painful.  I'm not exchanging food for new parts by any means.  I'm just a cheap b*****d, LOL.  I'm really open to any and all feedback here.  Do you think I need to upgrade?  What do you think about what I'm looking at?  Anywhere I could save some bucks?

Also, any other info you think would be helpful here?  I've added about all I know to for the post.

Thanks all!  Appreciate it!

So I don't even need BA anymore then?

This is kinda sorta related to Cakewalk, but I can't find a good way to put in a support request to BandLab, so here I am.  I did submit something off into the internet abyss but the options to click on the website didn't have a section for Assistant so I chose "Other".

I'm curious if anyone else is having this same issue.  I haven't had any problems, that I can recall, until now.  When I open Assistant, I show that there's an update for Cakewalk.  I click the "Update" button and it says "Downloading 0/0" and then just stays there.  If I cancel it, the button then changes to "Install".  If I click that, it just shows the add ons (drum replacer, melodyne, etc).

Anyone else having this issue with Assistant?

I thought the mix was good.  The vocals are a bit too up front, as mentioned, but I seem to recall the original having some pretty up front vocals as well.  That was kind of a thing for Garth Brooks.  For me, the vocal is consistently too staccato sounding.  I'd like to hear the words "flow" more into the others.  Not unintelligible or anything, but just more flow.  Sounded a bit like you were reading from a lyric sheet.  I say this because I've heard plenty of your other ones and you've done great with them.

Garth is a hard one to do.  You can like him or you can hate him, but you can't deny he's one of the most popular country and recording artists of all time.  I like him quite a bit, personally.  Seen him a few times and he's just a great guy...incredible performer.  Had an uncle that had a farm next to Garth's property in Oklahoma and he always said he was super nice.

Just posted the latest mix.  I think that's a wrap on that one.

6 hours ago, Grem said:

Really clean mix you got now!! Like Wookiee says, more open. And that translates to a very god sounding beginning of the song. That is much better!

But the scream... I went back and read what I posted before and sure enough, I said something about that scream in that post too! But in this mix it just isn't as up front as it should be. Vocals before and after are right there, in your face, then the screams kinda drifts out there in the 3:17 until the main vocals come back in. And of course myriad, this is just a personal thing of mine, it really does sound good as is! : )

Drums sound good with the kick having some umph! The bass in the middle breakdown has great tone. Lots of low end and a metallic sound on top!

You definitely are finding your sound. Sounds to me like your zoning in on it. Great work.

 

Thanks so much, Grem.  I appreciate it.

That was a super fun listen.  I actually hate that old song, but you made it fun to listen to.  LOL!  I honestly think this would be perfect at the end credits of the movie.  I don't know why.

New mix posted!  See my updated comment in the original post.

56 minutes ago, garybrun said:

The difficult thing for me here (not being big headed) but I sing a little like Elvis..  but that is my natural voice.

My mind immediately goes to Elvis.  I don't think it's because of your previous Elvis song posting, but maybe I'm getting some implicit bias from that.  But for me, it's mostly your vibrato.  It has a very "Elvis" feel to it.  Not a bad thing at all.  Your tone leans his way as well, but that's quite alright.

In any case, I still think the vocal performance is great.  I'd actually like to hear something from you that's a bit more rockin'.  You're on a country kick lately...maybe do a Garth tune or something by Brooks & Dunn?

Slight adjustments.  As mentioned, brought up the kick outside mic.  Put some more EQ on the chorus octave guitar part and panned a bit so it would pop out more.  I took the "operatic" chants out of the first pre-chorus part...that's not really a pre-chorus.

Let me know what you guys think.  I think I may call this one "done".  I'm curious how the loudness is, though.  I didn't apply ANY EQ in mastering.  I didn't think it really needed it, but I may be wrong.  All I did was run it through a limiter and that's it.

I can definitely hear the Santana influence.  Nice work.

@garybrun, who would you say are your primary vocal influences?  I'm hearing a few, and I want to see if I'm right or I'm just hearing what I want to hear in them.

Nice vocal performance.  I could use a few more harmonies here and there on certain words/phrases to add emphasis in the verses.

On 7/3/2019 at 8:19 PM, Grem said:

I listened the other day several times Myriad on my Bose HP. Though the second sounds clear, the kick lacks some oomph to it. The first mix has more umph in the kick.

I adjusted it a bit.  Brought the kick outside mic up some in the mix since it had more of the low end extension.  We'll see what that does.  I'll bounce it down a little later.  I also made some adjustment to the chorus guitar that does the octave part.  It didn't pop out like I felt it should.

2 hours ago, Bob Oister said:

Hey, Myriad,

This is another killer good rocker with great instrumental performances and musicianship, and dynamite vocals!👍

I think the new mix is much better.  Fuller and punchier with much more separation and clarity.  The low end has much more body than on the first mix, which really adds to the overall punch.

Your singer sounds a lot like Billy Gibbons from ZZ Topp on this one, which is cool, and I really liked the wah guitar solo, too.

Nice work, and great band, brother!😀

Have a good one,
Bob

Thanks for the feedback, Bob!  Appreciate it!

Posted my latest mix on this!

1 hour ago, Joad said:

it sounds like it stutters at the 1:32 mark. it happens at the same spot on both Master and V3.

It's supposed to do that.  😁