Dead Inside

[JD01]

This is a mostly new song, based on an earlier one that I managed to fuck up.
Not listened to this own the downstairs stereo or in the car yet, but I'm generally pretty happy with it.

There's a special guest with a very distinctive voice singing harmonies in the chorus... I'm sure you'll guess who it is.
You'll probably guess by the first chorus... you'll definitely guess by the 3rd chorus.

07 - Dead Inside Mix 1.mp3

Its a song about people are that so concerned with how they are perceived that they never actually meaningfully express themselves

High shelf added to the lead vocal

07 - Dead Inside Mix 2 Bright Vocal.mp3

OK, less overdrive on the verse vocal. Possibly a bit louder too

07 - Dead Inside Mix 3.mp3

[Greg_L]

Is the American Jesus riff rip-off intentional?

Sounds pretty good. I'd like a more focused and defined snare sound if it were me. That one's pretty splatty IMO. Vocals sound better than your last mix. I think they could come up a little more but the clarity seems pretty good. They just need a hair more volume in the mix. No idea who the mysterious backup singer is.

[JD01]

Is the American Jesus riff rip-off intentional?

Yeah, of course it is. It sounded even more American Jesus before so I added the harmony to it.

Sounds pretty good. I'd like a more focused and defined snare sound if it were me. That one's pretty splatty IMO. Vocals sound better than your last mix. I think they could come up a little more but the clarity seems pretty good. They just need a hair more volume in the mix. No idea who the mysterious backup singer is.

Yeah, you always say that about my snare sound. I think your snare sounds great in your mixes, but whenever I try and do something similar I don't like it. I don't like a snare that rings like a tom - I like it to be mostly snare with very little donk.

I suppose he's not that high in the mix - I haven't entirely settled on the backups yet, I have other options that are even higher to choose from.

Cheers though - I've listened to this across a few different systems now and I think its one of my better ones.

[Bubba]

Yes, JD, this is really good, for the most part. I agree with Greg on just about all his points. My nit with your vocals (apart from the slight lack of volume) is that they never have any real air or bite in the high frequencies. I don't know whether it's the saturation plugin you're using that's the culprit or just your eq choices, but it sounds a bit like a transistor radio, or like you're using a 35p microphone. Where are the frequencies above 5k?

My first thought was that the mystery singer is Greg, but as the subsequent choruses build I'm pretty sure that just with the sheer number and variety of harmonies that come in and their clever arrangement, it can only be VHS. Nobody else on here would go to that amount of bother.

[JD01]

Yes, JD, this is really good, for the most part. I agree with Greg on just about all his points. My nit with your vocals (apart from the slight lack of volume) is that they never have any real air or bite in the high frequencies. I don't know whether it's the saturation plugin you're using that's the culprit or just your eq choices, but it sounds a bit like a transistor radio, or like you're using a 35p microphone. Where are the frequencies above 5k?

My first thought was that the mystery singer is Greg, but as the subsequent choruses build I'm pretty sure that just with the sheer number and variety of harmonies that come in and their clever arrangement, it can only be VHS. Nobody else on here would go to that amount of bother.

I tend to low pass my vocals cos they grate on my ears. I'm actually using a good mic!

Yeah, it's VHS... and I haven't even used half of what he gave me. Some of what he sent me goes up about another octave! I just haven't tried mixing them all yet.

[Bubba]

I tend to low pass my vocals cos they grate on my ears. I'm actually using a good mic!

Yes, I know that. Don't do it so much. Honestly.

[vomitHatSteve]

I dunno, but that guest on bgvox sounds like a real a-hole!

I'll listen critically when i'm back at my pc with good headphones

[JD01]

OK - I've added a version with a brighter lead vocal. Mix 2 above. Basically just added a high shelf.

[TripleM]

I went straight to mix 2. The vocal tone in this one sounds good.

In fact everything sounds good. The chugging guitars sound real tight.

To me the only thing I'd change is to remove some of the low-lows from the bass. It's a little rumbly, at least in the verses. But that's pretty nit-picky.

[Bubba]

Ok, James, it's getting there. The lead vocal sounds better, but it's still fundamentally lacking air in my opinion. More upper mids and highs. And another couple of dB of volume.

I actually think you're crippling your mixes with an unfounded dissatisfaction with your voice. It's perfectly good for this track, and low-passing them is really not helping. To me, it's a similar thing to the amateurish tendency of swamping a vocal with reverb when you're embarrassed about it instead of finding good techniques that actually make it sound better. Over the last couple of years, you've addressed a couple of the most important ones. You practised. You practised with your tuned vocal and practised again. You have a decent instrument now, for this kind of stuff, so eq it right and bloody well stop trying to hide it.

When the harmonised leads come in at 2:05, get them out there loud and proud - they are the big event at this point, so bump them up. Keep them there until the vocal comes back in.

[Greg_L]

I actually think you're crippling your mixes with an unfounded dissatisfaction with your voice.

I've been telling him this for-fucking-ever, but he don't listen.

[rayc]

COOL. Vocals are coming along well after the tweak.
There's not a lot of difference between kickclick and snare early on.
I know, it's the modern sound of drumming.
I like the lyric.
Bass playing is ace.

[Bubba]

I actually think you're crippling your mixes with an unfounded dissatisfaction with your voice.

I've been telling him this for-fucking-ever, but he don't listen.

Lol. Keep the faith. We are our own biggest stumbling block.

[Lt. Bob]

great song .....listened to both mixes ...... like 'em both ... nice git harmonies ...... good tunage!

[JD01]

I've been telling him this for-fucking-ever, but he don't listen.

Lol. Keep the faith. We are our own biggest stumbling block.

See, I'm hearing that vocal as super-bright and really in the front of the mix now. I could remove a bit more of the low-pass - I'm using the low pass on the RED2 so you can't sculpt it like you can with ReaEQ. I don't think my vocal chain is that complicated anymore.

[JD01]

COOL. Vocals are coming along well after the tweak.
There's not a lot of difference between kickclick and snare early on.
I know, it's the modern sound of drumming.
I like the lyric.
Bass playing is ace.

Cheers, Ray. I know how you feel about kick-click. But I don't think a vintage sounding kick would be heard in a mix like this!

[JD01]

great song .....listened to both mixes ...... like 'em both ... nice git harmonies ...... good tunage!

Thanks, Bob.

[Bubba]

Lol. Keep the faith. We are our own biggest stumbling block.

See, I'm hearing that vocal as super-bright and really in the front of the mix now. I could remove a bit more of the low-pass - I'm using the low pass on the RED2 so you can't sculpt it like you can with ReaEQ. I don't think my vocal chain is that complicated anymore.

Listening on a couple of different systems, I think the vocal IS probably bright enough now. The saturation really accentuates the 2-3k kHz range and makes it quite fizzy to the ear. I still think it's a couple of dB too quiet, though. Honestly.

Everything else sounds really, really good, even given that metal tones aren't really my thing. The guitars sound thick and meaty but still detailed. Your mix makes mine sound a bit narrow and lacking in depth by comparison although I still have a fair way to go with mine.

[JD01]

See, I'm hearing that vocal as super-bright and really in the front of the mix now. I could remove a bit more of the low-pass - I'm using the low pass on the RED2 so you can't sculpt it like you can with ReaEQ. I don't think my vocal chain is that complicated anymore.

Listening on a couple of different systems, I think the vocal IS probably bright enough now. The saturation really accentuates the 2-3k kHz range and makes it quite fizzy to the ear. I still think it's a couple of dB too quiet, though. Honestly.

Everything else sounds really, really good, even given that metal tones aren't really my thing. The guitars sound thick and meaty but still detailed. Your mix makes mine sound a bit narrow and lacking in depth by comparison although I still have a fair way to go with mine.

OK - I'll try and back that off a little bit. See how it sounds.

[JD01]

See, I'm hearing that vocal as super-bright and really in the front of the mix now. I could remove a bit more of the low-pass - I'm using the low pass on the RED2 so you can't sculpt it like you can with ReaEQ. I don't think my vocal chain is that complicated anymore.

Listening on a couple of different systems, I think the vocal IS probably bright enough now. The saturation really accentuates the 2-3k kHz range and makes it quite fizzy to the ear. I still think it's a couple of dB too quiet, though. Honestly.

Everything else sounds really, really good, even given that metal tones aren't really my thing. The guitars sound thick and meaty but still detailed. Your mix makes mine sound a bit narrow and lacking in depth by comparison although I still have a fair way to go with mine.

OK, I've done another little mix with less saturation on the vocal.