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Still a work in progress but I'll drop it anyway...
Still just using real basic functions, but getting some flow with it. I know there is waaaayyy more capability in the program than I'll ever use, but I guess better too much than not enough!
SoundCloud - Trax of Mix
Sounds good! I'm listening with Peppa Pig as background noise, so I'll give it another go when the kiddos are asleep but I'm digging it
Cool man. Great Job.
Sounds great!
Professional vocals.
cheers, Mark.
Thanks guys. Appreciate it.
Still tweaking a few things and mostly using it to learn my way around Reaper.
This song is also my bass playing (not) debut!
Hopefully it will at least get the idea across to a real bass player :o.
Hoping to get the trio going again soon with the corona restrictions easing.
Nice Bon Scott-style voice you have there!
Intro levels to backing levels when the vocals come in are a bit different and quite noticeable. 'Where did the guitar go?' stuff. Maybe keep the guitar panned left on the intro as well. You can always add a few extra guitar fills in on the right to keep things balanced. Your solo guitar is centre panned, which with the rhythm on the left, does make the right channel rather lacking in activity. Try having the solo guitar panned left. Unless you are trying to recreate a lifelike choir situation or similar, then hard L, R and C panning is normally a good way to go.
Sounds legit @McCreed you have to be happy with that for a first go mate. I especially love the parts where the guitar catches the vocal hooks. Didn't listen too intently with headphones or anything, but I'm sure there will be plenty more once you keep getting stuck right in and can give you some feedback if you keep being brave enough to throw your work out there and share it with us. Well done mate.
Thanks BD.
I've made a few tweaks and updated the link.
The guitar level in the first 12 bars is the only part that changes there, and it's not so much a volume level change as it's a doubled gtr track with different panning and fx level. I don't hear a significant disparity in level though.Quote:
Intro levels to backing levels when the vocals come in are a bit different and quite noticeable.
Actually it's not. Rhythm guitar panned 30% left, but guitar solos 30% right (plus a slight bump on the left rhythm) with last 12 of last solo panning over 25% left. Vocals are centre panned however.Quote:
Your solo guitar is centre panned, which with the rhythm on the left, does make the right channel rather lacking in activity.
I did sort of hear what you said about the right channel, and have pushed a couple things that way.
Sounds great, I'm listening to it now, as Simon Barden said, I can definitely hear a bit of Bon Scott in the vocals too.
Thanks Doc. I've had people mention the Bon thing before, I don't hear it myself, but I guess I should take it as a compliment.Quote:
Sounds great, I'm listening to it now, as Simon Barden said, I can definitely hear a bit of Bon Scott in the vocals too.
Only listening on my editing headphones which are very flat Sennheisers as I still have no desk so no monitors until next week, not too shabby at all and has a great pub rock feel but I have a few thoughts in the edit that may help tighten it up and make it a bit more solid.
Feel free to ignore all or pick and choose, remember this is all as I hear it and maybe not what you are shooting for.
Pan bass & drums dead centre and tighten the timing, Kick, rhythm guitar and bass are wandering about and mainly behind the beat, through the headphones this is particularly obvious.
The drums and bass could use more punch, achieved with compression and EQ in that order ( ReaComp and ReaEQ ) are more than adequate for the task
Once the timing is tightened I'd look at duplicating the rhythm track and sitting it the same percentage off on the other side, better still an acoustic rhythm.
Use automation to move the pan the solo guitar to centre stage for the solos.
To achieve this highlight the guitar track and then press P ( pan ) this will create another field below the track where you can set beginning and end points to move the pan around.
To automate the guitar volume create a send from the vocal track to the guitar track and send it from Ch 1 & 2 to Aux Ch 3 & 4, then add ReaComp at the end of the VST chain for the guitar and set it's input to Aux and then adjust the compression to taste ( do not tick the auto make up box ), this will duck the guitar when the vocals are happening.
Remember pan gives you width and volume gives you depth as does reverb if used with care.
When I use reverb for effect I use a short pre delay of around 25ms to allow the note to form before the reverb hits, when I use it for depth I use no pre delay.
Another trap when using ReTune and delay ( echo ) make sure the tune time is shorter than the echo, default for ReaTune is 250ms and for slapback delay it's 30ms, Tune should be first in the chain but if the tune time is longer than the delay you'll get delay on the bum note which is interesting.
When I go through this process this is the order I use YMMV
1. tight edit, align the beats ( and vocals if there are harmonies )
2. Solo Drums and apply Comp and EQ to get the sound I'm looking for (could be Charlie Watts or a cardboard box that I want)
3. Solo Bass and apply Comp and EQ, unless the bass player is a pro the volume will wander quite a bit.
4. Rhythm instruments, guitar / keys etc treat as above and pan left and right.
5. Balance these up and these become the nest that the lead parts reside in
6. Add lead instruments one at a time and treat each accordingly to get " the sound "
Vocals are still not yet in the mix.
I normally add a Band Master Buss and send all instruments to it and remove their master send for the individual tracks, pan this master to the centre ( individual panning is preserved )
Balance these tracks and add a bit of Comp and EQ to glue the tracks together and a bit of EQ to brighten the mix.
Now bring the vocals in and treat with plugins to get the desired results.
Now add Comp and EQ to the master Buss and the Master Limiter from the JS bank to bring it up.
I normally add a bit of verb after the EQ to master to give it a bit of a live room sound and sometimes add a Stereo Widener directly after the verb.
EQ on bass and drums should be cut below 40Hz, below that lives mud and also only dogs hear up above about 12KHz so that should be cut as well, even though you won't hear the frequencies they are there and take away digital headroom which will cramp you mix.
Most importantly don't edit and mix above a level that you can't hold a normal conversation over, just makes your ears tired and you won't hear the true sounds.
This post was powered by a couple of Coopers Pale Ales and a glass of red :D
Great track and a decent starting mix. I largely agree with what Dave's suggesting about but I would go about things in a different way. :)
That's what makes the world interesting and the way it should beQuote:
Originally Posted by blinddrew
Thanks Dave & Andrew.
I appreciate your input, however this (and other tracks to come) are only intended as demos, not for any official release.
I only shared it here because I asked about DAW's and you all helped me wade through that and settle on Reaper.
I mentioned earlier that my aspirations to be sound engineer are fairly non-existent. I will certainly take your advice/ideas on board as I'm sure it will make the next one(s) better.
When the time comes, I'll hire a studio and engineer (or I could send you guys the tracks to mix!)
I hope that doesn't come off as ungrateful. My goals are just different.
EDIT:
Dave, just saw your PM - will reply soon. Thanks!
No worries, the mixing process is the easy bit, it's getting the performance right and the editing that takes all the time and potentially costs a fortune.
The beauty of the home studio is you are not time constrained, imagine the cost of having to do 20 takes or punch ins in a 4 minute song, a few flubbed vocal or guitar lines and the clock spins.
Including setup and teardown time you've seen off a minimum of 2 hours of expensive studio time.
Welcome to the loss of life as you knew it :D
The records I've done professionally have always been a set price, but I have done sessions by-the-hour too, and it only adds to the pressure and anxiety.Quote:
The beauty of the home studio is you are not time constrained, imagine the cost of having to do 20 takes or punch ins in a 4 minute song, a few flubbed vocal or guitar lines and the clock spins.
I'm starting another thread with a few songs recorded / mixed & mastered in Reaper using only native Reaper VST & JS plugins so as not to hijack this one.
Once you fall down the recording rabbit hole life as you knew it ends, even when I'm watching TV I now listen to the values used in the recording and put my mind to working out what effects they are using and where everything sits in the soundscape.
If you do find yourself tempted to wander a little further down the rabbit hole i can highly recommend Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior. There's a Recording Secrets as well. Not sure if they're available on your side of the world though.
Yup. Everything sounds different once you start to understand the intricacies of how it's done.Quote:
Originally Posted by dave.king1
And, listening to radio stations and their penchant for excessive over-compression becomes a physically painful experience.
Breaking the first law of the universe and everything " first do no harm "Quote:
Originally Posted by PJSprog
It's available in Australia, but it's also the most expensive Kindle book I have ever seen!Quote:
Originally Posted by blinddrew
I have a sneaking suspicion that I got that as a free PDF download a couple of years ago, still don't have my office/studio set up after the move so can't turn the big machine on to confirm it's that oneQuote:
Originally Posted by jugglindan
For some reason it's listed in Science Direct so I can access the PDF through the work subscription.Quote:
Originally Posted by dave.king1
That's some crazy pricing. It's about £31 for a paperback version (but I think I picked up my copy for about £25 a few years ago).
I don't even do home recording at the moment beyond a single live take into Audacity (but that's only for scrutinising mistakes while learning something), but I grabbed a copy from Science Direct for the benefit of future me.
Finally got my big machine up and running and yes I have Mixing Secrets For A Small Studio on PDF that I downloaded back in 2017
And just downloaded Recording Secrets from, discrib.com