Home › Forums › James Dupre – Country/Americana ‘Another Love Song’ › Another Love Song – Tedd Scofield mix

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Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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  • SausageHeadSausageHead
    Participant
    January 18, 2024 at 1:54 pm
    Post count: 19
    #18536

    Hey, just wanted to give some feedback as you requested. :)
    Overall pretty nice mix, couple of things that popped out in my ear. First of, did you use stereo widening plugins heavily? The mix sounds a bit hollow and phasey, espesially in the middle. There is a nice big bottom end, bright sparkling highs, but like a chunk out of in the middle. The body of the snare and vocal looks like missing.

    mikel146mikel146
    Participant
    January 18, 2024 at 2:41 pm
    Post count: 10
    #18539

    I agree with SausageHead, there are phasing issues with drums and vocals. If you check you mix in mono you can hear the phasing issues a bit more.

    Tedd ScofieldTedd Scofield
    Participant
    January 18, 2024 at 6:13 pm
    Post count: 9
    #18566

    Hey @SausageHead, @mikel146, thank you very much for taking the time to listen and provide feedback here!

    I really appreciate it

    I did feel like I was fighting phase on the vocals from the start. Sounds like I have a ways to go there yet.

    Was it just the lead vocal sounding phasey or the background vocals too? Or just all the mids in general? Was there anything specific that jumped out at you that screamed phase problem – e.g. interplay between vocals and drums – or was it more of a general thing your ears just spotted right off the bat?

    To answer the question about stereo widening, yes I did use a stereo widening plugin. I also had a couple of stereo bus effects that were unlinked – dual mono. They were pumping a LOT harder when I just now checked than when I initially set them up! Live and learn :)

    If I may, would you mind sharing what your monitoring setup is like? Mine is very NOT ideal – i.e. inexpensive monitors, untreated room, you get the picture

    Thank you so much again for this feedback. It is super helpful. (I am still pretty new at mixing like this and have been enjoying this process quite a bit thus far)

    – Tedd

    mikel146mikel146
    Participant
    January 18, 2024 at 6:33 pm
    Post count: 10
    #18568

    Hey Tedd, Having the ideal monitoring setup is always a difficult task. I have inexpensive monitors (JBL LSR305) as well in an untreated room (at least for now, working on it). However, I do use Sonarworks and have calibrated my monitors. I’m able to get consistent mixes (even with headphones) and also able to mix much quicker since using Sonarworks. Definitely worth the investment.

    -Mike

    Leonardo Brum Diasleobrum
    Participant
    January 18, 2024 at 6:44 pm
    Post count: 67
    #18570

    Hey Tedd! SausageHead is spot on. To me, it’s sounding like if you’d take a multi mono plugin and inverted the phase in one of the sides. It seems like we’re only listening to the side information of your mix.

    Too many stereo widening plugins are not very healthy for your mix. Try to eliminate those and focus on creating the stereo image with frequency balance and front-to-back placement. I’d suggest you watching “The Art of Mixing”, on YouTube. It’s a pretty old video but it’s amazing!

    To answer your question, my monitoring system is a pair of Yamaha NS10’s + a vintage AKG240. Also I always make sure to check my mixes on my cheap gym headphones. I don’t have a professional treated room either. The panels and treatment I have, I built on my own but it seems to work. That’s why I check my mixes on many systems.

    Since you mentioned you’re pretty new to mixing, I’d suggest keeping it simple. Don’t overcomplicate things such as parallel compression/ parallel eq, stereo widening, mid/side processing. You probably still have to understand the basics. I’ve been mixing since 2018 and I can tell you that you can go a LONG way by just using the faders.

    I also uploaded my mix here on the forum. If you have time, please take a listen and let me know what you think! Keep it up, man!

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by Leonardo Brum Diasleobrum.
    Tedd ScofieldTedd Scofield
    Participant
    January 18, 2024 at 6:48 pm
    Post count: 9
    #18573

    Sonarworks SoundID? Do you have their measurement microphone too?

    Sounds like I have another skill to work on, aligning/calibrating my monitors. I have a pair of JBL 306p MkII’s with the LSR310S sub. I also have a pair of Equator D5 and did a fair amount of mono monitoring on those. Just not enough apparently lol :) that and i am learning what to listen for. i imagine i will be learning that for a loooong time to come! (it’s good to have things to look forward to)

    Tedd ScofieldTedd Scofield
    Participant
    January 18, 2024 at 6:53 pm
    Post count: 9
    #18575

    @leobrum

    “It seems like we’re only listening to the side information”

    thank you! that articulates what i feel like i was hearing out of the lead vocals from the start. just didn’t know to describe it with words

    and i most definitely over-complicated this mix with too much of everything haha. you’re right, simplify simplify simplify

    (gonna go listen to your mix now : )

    SausageHeadSausageHead
    Participant
    January 18, 2024 at 11:38 pm
    Post count: 19
    #18597

    I have great news with a relative downside. The good news is your monitor system and room treatment doesn’t matter that much, so you don’t have to spend a fortune on this. Now the relative downside is that it all comes down to your skills and ears. So if you (not you per se, but a mixing enginner :D) suck you can’t buy yourself better with better monitors.

    Get to know your current monitor system, listen tons of music on them, remember how it sounds and then you can mix pretty much everything near perfectly.
    One of the best and sought after mixer Zakk Cervini mixed a lot of songs with his Airpods during covid and it was still awesome.
    I usually mix with my cheap (yet surprisingly good) Superlux headphones, cuz I just know how they sound. And true, check your mix in many different systems. I’ve had the opportunity to mix a song in one of the best studio in my homecountry and the result was worse than at home with my hp haha. I just didn’t know these speakers.
    Maybe this helps and saves you some money. :)

    Tedd ScofieldTedd Scofield
    Participant
    January 28, 2024 at 2:06 am
    Post count: 9
    #19566

    @SausageHead thanks for confirming that advice. it has been one of the few consistent pieces of advice regarding your speakers and mixing the entire time i have been having fun mixing music and learning.

    I enjoyed this thread so much i went ahead and did another mix based in part on the discussion in this thread. Plus i just wanted to try some things i only notice after i send things in lol! i am sure we all know that feeling

    anyway, i hope you enjoy and once again any/all feedback is very much welcome:

    – Tedd

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