Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal

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midimix
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2014/05/08 21:19:36 (permalink)

Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal

especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 
 
So you see your ex in a bar - and the person your ex is with is wearing your old shirt???!!!
 
Written by a friend of mine and we recorded/mixed it on Sonar 8.5 professional.  No mastering done as I have no idea how to do any mastering - have to research that.
 
https://soundcloud.com/matsonay/my-old-shirt
 
Thanks
 
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    The Band19
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/08 22:16:33 (permalink)
    "especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal"
     
    Have someone else sing it?

    Sittin downtown in a railway station one toke over the line.
    #2
    teego
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/08 22:41:17 (permalink)
    I think the mix needs some more stereo separation in the instruments, it sounds pretty much mono to me. I think it could use some dynamics, bring one instrument up a bit and take another down to create some change. As for the vocal it is pretty much not doing it for me, kinda monotone , no feeling to it.

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    The Band19
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/08 22:52:52 (permalink)
    More polite? But the same msg. I'm not a banjo player? So I would not attempt a banjo track... I don't play the cello? Ditto. I can play the banjo or cello on the keys? I'm not a drummer, but my music has drums? I use MIDI. The vocals are an instrument we all carry with us? We all can sing, some better, some worse. So again, my recommendation would be to find someone who has talent in this area. It's such a personal component to the song? If it's done too far to the "needs help" portion of the scale? It makes the song basically unlistenable :-( We all have talents? They are all in different areas. Use yours in the areas where they are most appreciated? Again, find a singer to work with (there are many) If your strength is writing? WRITE! etc... But a square peg, plus a round hole, plus a big hammer? Never works out well in the end.
     
    P.s., you're not a singer dude? Don't try, it sounds bad... I'm sure you have other talents. Focus on those.
    post edited by The Band19 - 2014/05/09 00:27:39

    Sittin downtown in a railway station one toke over the line.
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    StreamOfHarmonics
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/09 13:42:16 (permalink)
    Hi midimix. I think the mix is pretty good overall, but as you have it now it all sounds a bit flat clarity wise to my ear, with the instruments maybe not standing out as well as they could.  I'm not very experienced with mixing at all however, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.  I did play around with some EQ'ing on your mix and I think you can probably get the instruments standing out more clearly by adjusting EQ on each instrument track. You could also brighten up the vocals a bit to my ear as well, but that will bring out more sibilance as well, so you may have to experiment a bit to brighten the vocals but to also cut some of the sibilance. There seems to be some very experienced people here, so I am sure some people can offer some specific tips on the EQ'ing to help make your mix sound clearer. I would think it doesn't matter that much whether the vocals are super professional or not in regards to making the overall mix sound clearer and better, especially for the instrument tracks. I am sure people can offer some helpful tips in that regard if they have the time. I personally think the song composition itself is good, and the lyrics are funny. 
     
    Not sure if you have much experience with EQ'ing different types of instrument tracks and vocals, but you can search in Google for search terms like 'mixing EQ frequencies' and 'mixing bass EQ frequencies' to get some good tips and info, for example. Good luck with the mixing, and hopefully you may get a few tips on how you can EQ the different tracks a little better to make it all sound more clear, and to give each instrument track a bit more life in the mix...
     
     
     
     
     
    post edited by StreamOfHarmonics - 2014/05/09 20:28:20

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    Lynn
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/09 15:24:38 (permalink)
    As far as the vocal goes, try recording several versions of it with different moods.  Try changing keys, and maybe you'll find a key that's more expressive for your voice.  Experiment!  Don't be discouraged, and don't give up.

    All the best,
    Lynn

    my songs
    www.soundclick.com/lynnwilson

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    #6
    eko
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/09 17:02:22 (permalink)
    I haven't read the the earlier answers but I'm pretty sure of what they're saying - don't sing my friend.....
    I say on the other side - do sing but with a different style. Right now you excuse your self and bow your head in front of the mic. That is the wrong way - sing beyond the mic so everyone could hear you. That means another voice character than you have produced here. You probably have the voice to sing this an octave higher and sing to the girl not to the mic it would supposedly be ten times better than this version.  Try try try - that's my suggestion the song is all right BTW.
    #7
    teego
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/09 17:06:09 (permalink)
    +1 to what Lynn said. I don't think it is a bad vocal, just needs some feeling and some polish.

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    #8
    midimix
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/09 21:26:19 (permalink)
    Thanks all - appreciate the comments.  Just to clarify - it's not me singing - it's the songwriter.  If it was me singing it would be even WORSE ...LOL.  I just did the piano, organ and arrangement as well as the  recording engineer and did the mixing.  I still have a lot to learn about mixing/EQ
    #9
    StreamOfHarmonics
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/10 17:39:14 (permalink)
    midimix
    ... I just did the piano, organ and arrangement as well as the  recording engineer and did the mixing.  I still have a lot to learn about mixing/EQ



    Your recording and mix seems overall pretty good to me. It may not be right at professional standards yet , but you have to work with what you have available to you, and with what you know. It is the people with less experience who need the most advice and tips, so hopefully some people will drop a few helpful comments by for you on improving the mix itself. I think that possibly with a little bit of EQ'ing and compression here and there your mix will be sounding more polished and clear. Wish I could offer some specific advice, but I don't have enough skills and knowledge to offer mixing advice at this point.  I'd probably just steer you wrong... If you keep working at it, and listening closely to professional recordings in the same genre of music, and do some more reading up on it, your mixes will no doubt start getting better and better... All the best...
     
     

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    #10
    Beagle
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    Re: Feedback please - especially on the mix and anything I could do to the vocal 2014/05/10 20:47:35 (permalink)
    keep working on it!  you've got some good suggestions.

    http://soundcloud.com/beaglesound/sets/featured-songs-1
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