Justin Schaffer Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 (edited) Hi all, Appreciative of the constructive feedback given on my last post a few months back, I wanted to share my next Cakewalk mix for thoughts and feedback. This one hasn't been sent to the distributor yet so I can still make small tweaks if anyone finds anything that seems out of whack! Go easy on the lyrics/vocals/guitar playing as it's my 15 y/o daughter's work But I take responsibility for the Spitfire Labs drums (which I loved the sound of - i think that will be my go to drum VST!) and other mix effects and choices. My biggest struggle on this one (as has been my usual struggle) is getting the tack and bus EQ's right so it sounds ok on various speakers around the house and in the car. Also keeping the 808/bass/kick low end in check. I'm pretty happy with how it sounds now, and of course maybe someone in a better room with better speakers may think otherwise or hear an obnoxious frequency. Here's the *CORRECTED* private link on SoundCloud: Time Kills Mix 11 --Justin UPDATED 9/2/22: Newer version (see comments below): Time Kills Mix 13a Edited September 2, 2022 by Justin Schaffer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bajan Blue Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 Hi Justin - the link says track cannot be found? Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Schaffer Posted August 19, 2022 Author Share Posted August 19, 2022 Time Kills ahhh!! don’t know why that link didn’t work but thanks for letting me know.. this one should work: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookiee Posted August 19, 2022 Share Posted August 19, 2022 @Justin Schaffer You have to use the insert link gadget above look like a chain link. I edited your post to insert the link that way for you. Mix is not to bad, regarding EQ just remember to use no more than needed and cut rather than boost. As for 808's compression is your friend, parallel or New York compression even more so. even more so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 (edited) On 8/17/2022 at 12:15 PM, Justin Schaffer said: Go easy on the lyrics/vocals/guitar playing as it's my 15 y/o daughter She did just fine, not crits here. A suggestion tho, if she's "thin skinned"; this ain't the business to pursue... On 8/17/2022 at 12:15 PM, Justin Schaffer said: biggest struggle is getting the track and bus EQ's right so it sounds ok on various speakers Sounds good on the DT 990's here. 👍 👏 t one more suggestion, edit the first link to include the proper link. Pretty sure many have "clicked" and moved on... Edited August 23, 2022 by DeeringAmps 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antler Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 Hi Justin The vocals are good. The overall mix feels a little strange to me though - the vocals come out shining, and the I can hear the highs of the hats, but all the other instruments sound like a lowpass was applied to them. Try some parallel compression on the drums, as Wookiee mentioned. Also try putting a tiny bit of EQ on the snares at around 7k to help them shine a bit. For the kick, you probably want to hear the attack rather than the thud - try cutting a little at around 400Hz, and raising a little at around 5k. Feel free to ignore if that's not the sound you want though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Schaffer Posted August 24, 2022 Author Share Posted August 24, 2022 5 hours ago, antler said: The vocals are good. The overall mix feels a little strange to me though - the vocals come out shining, and the I can hear the highs of the hats, but all the other instruments sound like a lowpass was applied to them. Try some parallel compression on the drums, as Wookiee mentioned. Also try putting a tiny bit of EQ on the snares at around 7k to help them shine a bit. For the kick, you probably want to hear the attack rather than the thud - try cutting a little at around 400Hz, and raising a little at around 5k. Feel free to ignore if that's not the sound you want though. Antler, Thanks for the feedback! I agree, when I play it on various speakers around the house/car, it sounds off somehow...like its missing something. I've checked all my EQ's on the tracks, and for the most part I'm only taking a little off the bottom of some tracks, and a little off the top of others, so there aren't really any crazy EQ curves drastically changing the sound of the guitars, or synths (bass, drums, and 808). I was even boosting the upper-mids on the guitars along with Fresh Air to bring up the clarity, but it still sounded dull. I did notice the ProChannel 76 compressors I had on each of the 3 guitar tracks (1 is the lead guitar through the amp simulator going up the middle and the other two are alternate takes of raw acoustic guitar panned hard L and R respectively) were really altering the natural tone of that Martin... so I replaced it with another compressor and I think that helped bring back the clarity. I also made the EQ tweaks you suggested above too the bass and snare which I think helped.. I'll bounce it and see how it sounds tomorrow before uploading this fixed version. Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dream Art Scientists Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 Very cool song and really like the singing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Morgon-Shaw Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 (edited) It's actually a very decent song and your daughter is blessed with a really nice singing voice. I like it. Production is letting it down somewhat though, it needs a better arrangement, tighter playing and a better mix IMHO - I don't think the chorus effect on the guitar is helping, it makes it sound a bit dated but the song and singing style is modern so it's a bit of a clash of era's which can work well if done right but not so much here I feel. Much better than anything I could have managed at 15 though - the only way to get better is doing it more and practicing , there's obviously talent there that can be honed & polished over time. In regard to getting your mix to sound right on different speakers ( mix translation ) - the trick is to mix it on decent monitors in a treated room so you're only hearing what comes out the speakers and not room reflections etc which will cause you to make incorrect compensatory EQ moves that will then make the mix sound unbalanced on different speakers in a different room. Otherwise it's difficult for even the best mixers. Edited August 30, 2022 by Mark Morgon-Shaw 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hill62 Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Great vocals! Enjoyed the embedded emotion as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Schaffer Posted September 2, 2022 Author Share Posted September 2, 2022 Thanks all for listening and the feedback! I've tweaked EQ's, gave the song a little more "body", gave the snare a little more high-end bite, tweaked the delay and reverb levels, and slapped the still-free Brainworx bx_Masterdesk Classic on the Master Bus in place of the basic limiter I was using. If you care to hear the newer version, which is less thin and more punch, here's the SoundCloud link: Time Kills - Mix 13a Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bajan Blue Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 HI Justin Only just got to listen to this latest mix - I think your Daughter has a fabulous voice and she will only get better I am sure!! Have to agree with Mark re the effect on the Guitar - really don't think that is doing you any favours. If it were me, I would shorten the track, ending it around or just after the break at 3.10 - however I like that drum change up at 3.45 so would want to keep that - but as I said, personal preference only, your track so 100% your choice.😃 Really enjoyed this Very cool Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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