another rough mix

[woodman]

here's the latest effort from the Stragglers project ... we got stalled because my mixing mentor had to go to Nashville for a week to make real money. i'm not so thrilled with it, and i bet some of you can understand why!

but it's yet another track wrestled to the ground — after we get all the tunes roughed out, we'll revisit each one for fine-tuning, and this one needs quite a bit. give a listen and tell me what you think!
Let Me Go Home Whiskey

[StuH]

Its got my foot tapping.
Love the vocal tracks. Love the lead siging, lots of vocal character.
All the instruments have real nice definition but the drums sound a bit too distant in the mix, reverbish on toms during rolls, and could use a little more punch.

[Tele-writer]

just curious, what type of compressor are you using on the bass guitar?

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Tele-writer

just curious, what type of compressor are you using on the bass guitar?

my partner uses a lot of outboard hardware as plug-ins in Nuendo (comp, Dolbys, Pultec) ... the comp's from the late '70s/early '80s but i can't recall the brand. i'll find out and let you know.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by StuH

Its got my foot tapping.
Love the vocal tracks. Love the lead siging, lots of vocal character.
All the instruments have real nice definition but the drums sound a bit too distant in the mix, reverbish on toms during rolls, and could use a little more punch.

yeah, after many listens on many systems, i agree on the drums, particularly the snare and toms ... no real pop to the snare, and gotta tame those toms. i feel like the piano is buried and wasn't happy with the panning soundstage. we'll get another tune roughed out early this week and i'll learn from these flaws. thanx!

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Tele-writer

just curious, what type of compressor are you using on the bass guitar?

it's a Manley tube compressor.

[StuH]

How did you track the drums Woodman?

[woodman]

the drums were tracked a while back at a Charlotte-area studio called the Sound Farm. snare, kick, hat, 2 OH, 3 toms. in retrospect, i felt like the engineer compensated for less-than-ideal mike placement with gates and EQ. we're in the process of trying to tame the toms without heroic measures ... going in tomorrow to fine-tune the drums.

[StuH]

Originally Posted by woodman

the drums were tracked a while back at a Charlotte-area studio called the Sound Farm. snare, kick, hat, 2 OH, 3 toms. in retrospect, i felt like the engineer compensated for less-than-ideal mike placement with gates and EQ. we're in the process of trying to tame the toms without heroic measures ... going in tomorrow to fine-tune the drums.

That is so cool.
Do you find that when you are in a studio that the money guys are willing to show you some of the ropes and teach you techniques that end up being usefull in your own studio?

[fendorst]

Terrific lead vocal and backup, beautiful tone and touch on the guitar breaks, and the drummer is so right in the pocket it's unbelievable. The thwack of the snare leads the song forward for three and a half minutes, and the bass player nails it down tight. Beautiful performance the whole way around, tremendous feeling exhibited by all concerned.

Compressors? Gates? Mic placement? I didn't hear them. I heard beautiful soulful tones of the instruments, the deft touch of a group of players who clearly know what the hell they're doing, and a whole lotta swing. Great job, it's a pleasure to listen to.

I know a boatload of technology goes into making a recording sound unaffected, but this is a great example of keeping the technology out of the way to let the musicality and feeling of the players shine through.

Whether or not the drum mics were in the "right" place for recording, that snare beat and the rhythmic groove are in the right place for sure.

Thanks for sharing.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by StuH

That is so cool.
Do you find that when you are in a studio that the money guys are willing to show you some of the ropes and teach you techniques that end up being usefull in your own studio?

definitely — the guy i'm working on this mix with now, who pulls in $600 a day on his occasional trips to Nashville, has been like a college prof ... although many of the techniques he shows me are over my head (and way beyond my home studio), just knowing they exist gives me something to shoot for.

i was a tape die-hard, and the pro's i've worked with since the turn of the century have all helped me make up for lost time in the digital realm!