How can I make this instrumental piece sound better?

[The Eternal Optimist]

Should the melody be panned? Are there too many competing bits? Looking for feedback. Thanks!

 

[Wookiee]

@The Eternal Optimist How many voices are playing?  It sounds like everything is pilled on top in the centre.

Normally one would spread something out a little but keep the lead in the middle  Are you using loops?

[Keith Wilby]

Personally I'd strip it right back. For example, the strummed guitar muddies the whole mix IMO. One or two timing issues too?

[MichaelJohn]

I agree everything is too much n the center.  Pan rhythm guitar to the right or left some.  That may sound unbalanced, so you need to pan another guitar, same part is ok, on the other side.  It removes it from the center.   Basic panning tips I start with are:

bass- center, no reverb

lead instrument or vocal - center with some reverb ok

drums- kick and snare in center, start with no reverb on the kick.  Toms and cymbals panned left/right

rhythm guitars- panned, some reverb ok

 

 

 

 

 

 

[antler]

This is personal taste, but I think the guitars have a bit too much high end. You could probably roll some off and still have a really nice tone.

It's probably beneficial to do some panning. Keep the lead guitar, bass, kick, and snare drum dead centre. Try panning the rhythm and open guitars to the side to keep the centre clean. If you can double track your open strumming guitars it would be cool to pan one left and one right. If you're using samples, that won't work so well but you can try panning one left, one right, and introducing a small delay between them.

I think the snare needs a bit of EQ. Try scooping some out at ~150Hz, and boosting at around 7k for a bit more snap. If you can, put a bit of parallel compression of the drums (before EQ) to beef them up a bit.

[steve@baselines.com]

I haven't read through all the other comments yet, but I did listen.  I think the parts are alright, but the mix needs some serious love and time.  The song sounds muddy and distant.  When you are mixing, try to listen to it as though it is a whole band on stage in a great room - picture it in your mind - that will help with the panning.  Make moves that will enhance this picture.  I thought that the beat was disguised a little and not driving the song.  I don't know really how better to describe this comment, but the guitar part needs more feeling.  I would try to think about what you want the song to be about and then give the guitar another go with more passion. (not more complication, more feeling).  Hope this helps and you take it the right way!

[FreeEarCandy]

Yeah. I have to agree that everything is right down the middle. But no big deal. Just pan the instrument. Generally people keep the bass and the drums down the center.  Don't be afraid to go wide.  Once you get the hang of panning then you'll get a better idea where to apply EQ .  While most will say there are no rules, and they are right, we all tend to follow a few basic principles when placing instruments. Nevertheless, in the end , if it sounds good to you, well, then it sounds good.  Right now your ears are probably telling you it doesn't sound good. So that's why you posted it here for some advice.  So my advice is to play around with the panning and open the space up in the mix. Have fun and experiment. 

[Mark Morgon-Shaw]

Many mix issues are actually arrangement issues at heart.

Tip 1.  Don't use panning as an excuse to avoid proper arrangement. It's much easier to judge if your parts are masking each other if you listen in mono. Try it and it should be easier to balance everything properly. if you're not sure about best practice to properly arrange a piece there are some decent videos on Youtube that will help you.

Tip 2. If you feel there is a mix issue not sure what it is the mute button is your friend. Try muting things one at a time until the track sounds clearer. It might be a part, or an effect such as the reverb that is causing most of the problems. Once you've identified it then it becomes much easier to tackle.

Tip 3. On these types of track always EQ your reverb returns otherwise it sound like the track is swimming in it and the verb will be masking the low end. Some sort of high pass filter around  200-300hz on the reverb buss should do it. The built in Pro Channel EQ is ideal for this. 

Tip 4. Referencing. It's massivley helpful ( and free ) to use reference tracks to inform your mix decisions. You can use a plugin like Metric AB that makes this easier or you can just import them directly into CBB and route them the main output but being able to go from your mix to a pro mix in the same genre can really help you get closer.

    

[The Eternal Optimist]

Really appreciate all the tips - this is so helpful! I am going to work a lot more on panning and think about whether there is too much in the mix. Need to mess around with EQ more th an I have been.

[The Eternal Optimist]

On 11/18/2022 at 12:04 AM, Wookiee said:

@The Eternal Optimist How many voices are playing?  It sounds like everything is pilled on top in the centre.

Normally one would spread something out a little but keep the lead in the middle  Are you using loops?

Using my own loops. I'll record the verse section and then copy and paste it to the other verse sections, same with the chorus

[Bajan Blue]

Agree with the other comments re the mix - this could be pretty good with a better mix - also if you take it further , i would look at the drums as they sound a bit off to me - what are you using drum wise?

Nigel

 

[The Eternal Optimist]

On 11/30/2022 at 12:55 AM, Bajan Blue said:

Agree with the other comments re the mix - this could be pretty good with a better mix - also if you take it further , i would look at the drums as they sound a bit off to me - what are you using drum wise?

Nigel

 

Hi there, I'm  using an Ashton Rhythm VX electric drum set plugged into an iPad Mini so it basically takes MIDI in and you can choose a selection of drum types. I may not have chosen quite the right ones! I've worked on more pieces since this one to get the panning a bit better 🙂