Odd Times

[JD01]

In that case try sticking New York Drum Buss on your drum Buss. It's the one I use.

I dont use a buss, I just plop a plug on each track. But I'll try out that preset.

I do things the not right way, but I guess I am getting ok results

Just make a folder, pop all your drums in it. Ease of whatever compressors you have on your individual tracks and try popping NY Drum Buss on the folder. It might be shite, but worth a go.

[WhiskeyJack]

the not right way,

There is no such thing dude. Your stuff is a testament to that, Obviously.

We all just follow guidelines and work them into a workflow that works for us. You personally get great sounding mixes regardless of the methods you employ as we learned here today! As we learn new tricks our personal rules change and grow.

If how you do it now works, awesome. you win.

[liv_rong]

There is no such thing dude. Your stuff is a testament to that, Obviously.

We all just follow guidelines and work them into a workflow that works for us. You personally get great sounding mixes regardless of the methods you employ as we learned here today! As we learn new tricks our personal rules change and grow.

If how you do it now works, awesome. you win.

Cool! Thanks dude! I have really took the "get a good sound at the source" thing and ran with it, that's why my stuff turns out ok, I guess. It doesnt have that pro gloss to it, but I think it sounds ok.

I should learn more mixing stuff though now that I can get decent sounding recordings. But, I am comfortable, and I hate change. I usually move in small steps when it comes to this stuff. So, eventually I'll get better. I already think i have over the past few years.

I am not going to lie though, I am proud of what I can do with what limited knowledge and training I have. Plus, except for you guys, I dont know many who do it all themselves. Even the ones I know who I play with IRL and record with only do a little recording and generally dont write, play, record/produce songs. I take pride in recording real instruments with microphones and playing parts to songs myself. Its almost becoming an old school craft like woodworking or some shit.

Anyways, I appreciate everyone listening and providing feedback. Besides ya'l, not too many others do. I try to participate by listening to your songs too, I just dont have any constructive advice to add because I dont know what I am doing myself! So I hope no one ever takes it personally that I dont have much to say when you post except that I like the song or provide generic level feedback.

[Greg_L]

I think this is pretty good. The drums get a little loose in spots, but whatever. It's tidy playing.

The guitars sound great. But really this thing is all about the drums. I think you need to get more life out of them. You're playing all fancy and snazzy but they sound kind of dull overall. The ghost notes show up very well, but the harder snare hits are kind of blah. No body, no resonance. Maybe you tuned it that way. The snare seems pretty dead when you whack it. It could be the miking spot, or it might be that Blockfish. It's an okay simple compressor, but it might not be doing you any favors if you're just using presets. You gotta actually tweak a snare compressor to get the right balance of body and attack. I don't know. I'd like more snare body...some tone out of it. The kick and toms too. More punch, more body. What you have is a good capture and a good starting point. Now just rub it till it squirts.

[rayc]

I don't know why/how I missed this. Cool but some more snare snap'd be cool.
A little boost in that sweet spot.

[vomitHatSteve]

The ghost notes show up very well, but the harder snare hits are kind of blah. No body, no resonance. Maybe you tuned it that way. The snare seems pretty dead when you whack it.

It might also be that 8:1 compressor on the overheads. That's a lot of compression!

[Greg_L]

It might also be that 8:1 compressor on the overheads. That's a lot of compression!

Ha true, but usually the cymbals go totally wongo with that much compression before it starts to hurt the snare. That's my experience anyway. I think the snare close mic should be doing a lot of the lifting on stuff like this.

[liv_rong]

Thanks much for the responses so far!

I changed some things a little. These clips are just for the main offending section mentioned, not the whole song.

For the snare main snare track I turned the compression down, slowed the response and turned on the low cut filter.

For the overheads I turned the compression to 6:1.

The clips are named appropriately enough for you to figure out what they are.


Guide me, oh wise ones.

[rayc]

Drums mixed & drums dry certainly have more snare.

[vomitHatSteve]

What are you using to get rid of the ringing on the kick drum? Is that affecting anything else?

[liv_rong]

What are you using to get rid of the ringing on the kick drum? Is that affecting anything else?

Nothing. Just got a compressor on that.

[WhiskeyJack]

What are you using to get rid of the ringing on the kick drum? Is that affecting anything else?

Nothing. Just got a compressor on that.

I had no idea compressing could clean a sound like that. Well done dude.

One thing i am starting to pick up on now is that the snare is lacking snare? Like it doesn't really have a "CRACK" to it, rather just a dry tight "POCK" sound. If i recall i think this may be by your design though? I seem to remember you had a thread either here or at the last place we all hung our hat about mic placement to get your snare to sound like this? Maybe? if you like it and happy with it (i think you are) whatever but i am kind of hearing what some other have mentioned.

[JD01]

Have you got a hi-pass on the overheads? Try one both before and after your compression so the lows don't get brought up too much by the compression to cause all of that pumping.

[liv_rong]

I had no idea compressing could clean a sound like that. Well done dude.

One thing i am starting to pick up on now is that the snare is lacking snare? Like it doesn't really have a "CRACK" to it, rather just a dry tight "POCK" sound. If i recall i think this may be by your design though? I seem to remember you had a thread either here or at the last place we all hung our hat about mic placement to get your snare to sound like this? Maybe? if you like it and happy with it (i think you are) whatever but i am kind of hearing what some other have mentioned.

We have discussed it before. I kind of, maybe am happy with the sound sometimes. I definitely like more of a tight sound, because it accentuates the little accents and ghost rolls and shit I use often. But on the main snare hits I am not completely happy with it. I have never been able to find the balance I am looking for.

On this, and many of my songs over the past year or more, I have been copying the snare track, cutting the lows and boosting some mids and then adding reverb to it and then mixing it with the regular snare. Sounds crazy, but that's where I am at now. See below attachments of a different song section to see what I mean.

Have you got a hi-pass on the overheads? Try one both before and after your compression so the lows don't get brought up too much by the compression to cause all of that pumping.

According to the plugin there is high pass at 54 Hz. Not sure what that means lol. I know wha a high pass is, just not units of measurement. I will play around with it a bit

[Greg_L]

How old are the heads and wires on that snare drum?

[vomitHatSteve]

On this, and many of my songs over the past year or more, I have been copying the snare track, cutting the lows and boosting some mids and then adding reverb to it and then mixing it with the regular snare. Sounds crazy, but that's where I am at now. See below attachments of a different song section to see what I mean.

I feel like that's not an unreasonable chain. Tho in your sample of it, I'm surprised by how much snare and how little tail you got

According to the plugin there is high pass at 54 Hz. Not sure what that means lol. I know wha a high pass is, just not units of measurement. I will play around with it a bit

54 Hz is well into the sub-bass area. Anything much below 65 (C2) is mostly going to be texture anyway.

[liv_rong]

How old are the heads and wires on that snare drum?

The wires are maybe 3 years, the heads a little more than a year.

[Greg_L]

The wires are maybe 3 years, the heads a little more than a year.

I think it might be time to change all that.

[liv_rong]

Ok, this is probably the last of this. Some panning and level changes throughout, and again the Ozone pulgin on the master.

[TripleM]

Overall it sounds very good. I noticed the compressor thing at 3:23. The mix starts pumping after that.

The use of reverb on this was very tasteful.