Hello everybody! I’ve been lurking for a while reading, learning and enjoying the forum – (I posted a link to some stuff I did a while ago and learnt a lot from the feedback - thank you )

So today was amazing - here’s a track I put together - composition to finish - in just a few hours! and I love it!

So please let me know – how’s the mix sound to your trained ears?

P.S. I accidently posted this a few minutes ago to Our Music and yes I now see that that is invite only – how I missed that I don’t know (I was pumped about the track and no it wasnt the red wine

but yeh any constructive feedback is most welcome, anything you think will help the way I'm mixing,

Thanks….

 

Last edited: Mar 30, 2021

Nice and mellow! Enjoyable listen. Thanks!
I can't really comment on the mix of an instrumental without kit drums. I think it is the most subjective thing.
Sounds alright though.

 

I listened to some of your other stuff and what strikes me immediately is that you know who you are as a guitarist. You express yourself with your instrument and that's rare around here.

 

WOW thanks guys - that means a lot. I got so happy and excited when I tried a couple of new things to get the finish I was after - and OH MAN did it come alive...! Crazy how happy composing and mixing makes me - when it works....

I'll post a link when I've finished a few more.

Thanks again

 

I'd love to know what gear you're using and what is your recording process?

 

First of all my kuddo's for sharing.
I'm listening on a laptop and since mixes sound different on every system it could be a reason why:
- The picking riff sounds too loud in comparison to what is/or becomes the melody.
- The guitar sounds don't differ too much from each other (although there is more distortion on the lead) and since the melody is around the same octave as the picking the sounds get sometimes lost in each other. Most of all in the beginning where the lead has less volume.
- Don't know whether you played it to a metronome/click-track but (as a drummer) I hear some timing issues. Makes it organic though so no worries.
- In terms of structure: Verse and Chorus are not distinctively different from each other. I've listened a view times although there are differences it sounds too much the same (IMO).
- There is a sound in the background that is either a synth or the trails of reverb you are using. Maybe less reverb and a
clear synth underneath to give the melody and picking something to rest on. If it is a synth you are using I would make it a different sound to clear room for the guitars. Or use whole notes on a bass to give it that "Basement"

Just my 2 cents...

 

As a keyboard player, lol, I too can hear the "timing issues" and it sounds natural.
It was played to a click. We have timed delay going on!

 

Thanks for the feedback – well my happiness with this track was short lived. I played it on a phone and a kindle and it sounded like bag of cr*p.

The thing is the track sound pretty good on my little speakers (and I know them really well), speakers on stereo or on mono, headphones and headphones on mono (Mono being the mono button in Reaper), but on smaller true mono speakers all the nuance is lost and that, I guess, is the key to this track - The interplay between the different parts –you know all floating – like dust in the air in an empty bar.

So it totally sucks that I’ve lost this track to rubbish mixing…..Damn that is a real kick in the wotsits !

On a phone everything that Ed-Jachimowicz said –

yep you are totally right and its even worse than that. The timing sounds off, there’s no direction, I can’t hear anything musical! – it’s a mess.

And yes Smoove-Grooves it was played to a click - in Reaper.

The synth thing is a Neural DSP Cory Wong setting with the wash wet setting turned to 9 o’clock-ish. I don’t own a keyboard so I tend to use that or things like it that I can play though my guitar. And I honestly thought I had the levels and mix sorted (again back to the mix sounding atrocious on small speakers)

The structure –well again sounds kind of floaty and hypnotic on anything but small speaker but on small speakers or mono… yeh a big squidy no form mess

So now I have to figure out just how to get these issues sorted. I’ll try to find a few reference tracks – yep I totally forgot about that..!!!!

 

Last edited: Mar 29, 2021

I use a laptop, a choice of two guitars and Reaper. the laptop has a Focusrite Solo and an old Denon HiFi amp with Bose little cube speakers and a sub woofer - the amp and Speakers I've been using since around 2003ish. For the guitar I do own 5pedals and a little Palmer Eins head thingy, but to be honest I can get better tone and easy recording with the software.

My recording process is – I tend to start with a basic structure, get that down, then maybe add drums, then maybe bass, then maybe re-record the first track so it sits better with the drums and, you know build from there. Things tend to evolve as I go, sometimes I need to be more disciplined, it depends how many track I think I need / want to add I’ve learnt that lesson! With some stuff I have to be right on the beat with the rhytm, no twiddly bits! but with the track I put up yesterday it was kind spare of the moment kind of thing but everything was play it once done and it seemed to come together. And that’s rare for me. Recording often turns into a bit of a grind – fun but still a bit of a grind to get everything just right.

So last night I recorded a little basic picking pattern then I thought lets add some floaty stuff, then the highlights and melody on the next track then added some more highlights, pan and mix on the way. Finish and then play through a tweak as the final mix. And that explains the problems. I rushed to render….

Not sure if this rambling nonsense answers your question. Hopefully it does

and to everyone - thanks for all the feedback I'm learning all the time - thank you

 

Last edited: Mar 29, 2021

Not lost! Perhaps still in progress then!

 

Yep - I just put FabFilter Pro Q3 on the Master track and selected the "Phone" setting and BANG yep the problem seems to be I'm relying on frequencies that just arent there with small speakers.

So I'm lost with this one. I mean really lost I don't know where to start even... Any ideas?

 

Your track is nice, but could fly if you added something to it. i like the chorus melody, but it is too similar to it's surrounding.
it's light and airy but meditative.

 

Thanks droplet - a little meditative and light and airy was what I was after - If I were to add something to it what would you suggest?

 

Last edited: Mar 29, 2021

It would be strange to think of a drummer who doesn't play to the click for some jobs.
But I suggest you were subconsciously picking up on the click!
Otherwise the timing issues would not have been so noticeable. To a drummer! lol.
I could tell it was played to a strict metronome regardless of those natural timings.
Particularly obvious if you focus on the rhythm guitar track, strangely enough!
So really, I still believe you 'heard' the click.

 

HA Haaaa I think I've cracked it.

I think this sounds a little better but MORE IMPORTANTLY much better on small speakers - having said that I have only checked it on a phone and I think I've heard this track way too much in the last 24hrs - so I may be way of - let me know if this sounds better..... (the original is still up as well)





next time I'll pay more attention to composition and contrasts... Thanks for the top tips and please let me know if this is an improvement.

 

Last edited: Mar 30, 2021