Friend of the Devil Cover

emeraldsoul
Thanks for the compliments, they are much appreciated!
 
This is a really small mix...since I played the song for a long time I actually knew all the parts so it went quickly.
 
The drums (which aren't anything like the original) just a simple train beat with a few fills. NY Compression Boosted high and lows EQ through a hard LA2A plugin by T-Racks. I blend the original drum track with the Comp track. I use Superior Drummer and there is some room reverb but it is just for light coloring.
 
Scarbee Bass compressed a bit wit the low end rolled off a bit.
 
I used Indiginus Acoustic Guitar as the main guitar (the one you hear in the intro) I used the stock reverb.
I panned hard left and right two instances of Real Guitar (each a different sounding mono acoustic)
all that bouncing is programmed in with velocity.
 
The lead acoustic is another instance of Indiginus...I threw a little delay on it....
 
The Vocals were sung very tight with a slight bit of BlueVerb and BT Oilcan Echo 
I double tracked the vocal (I usually don't) One was perfectly centered and the other panned 2 o'clock and reduced volume until it sounded ok...
 
I always double track the back up vocals...I pan the lower harmonies in tight like 10 and 2 o'clock and the high harmonies I pad wider but no wider than 8 and 4 o'clock. This fans out the vocals nice and wide but not enough to fight with the guitars.
 
I EQ the vocals with a patch that works with my voice and I put compression on as well.
 
The key is I use Waves Vox Rennaisance to level all the takes...that makes all the vocals sound even. I also try really hard to sing as evenly as possible.
 
I will tighten up some vocals with Melodyne. Lifeless harmonies can be reborn with a little pitch fixing. I also use it to match the lengths of the harmonies if I didn't hold a note long enough or I went too long.
 
You asked about separation...panning obviously has a lot to do with it but also a lot of instruments like acoustic guitars and pianos will fight with the vocals. Also low frequencies will accumulate. I'm not much for EQing but rolling off some low end on a lot of instruments creates a lot of space and breathing room...I also shy away from too much reverb and muddy delay lines...rolling off the low end of a reverb will also clear up a mix....rolling off the high end on a digital delay will clear up some sibilance as well.
 
Well I hope that helps. I forgot to mention that I also try to keep certain element s mono like the bass and the lead vocal. All my vocals are recorded on mono tracks but I send the panned backing vocals to a stereo Sub channel. Mono tightens up a lot of tracks....
 
Hope this helps,
Thanks again!
Mark
 
  
 

I think it's really neat the way you choose songs to cover.  You're keeping alive some of the most iconic songs of our past that may not be familiar to younger viewers.  You've taken this song and made it your own while not destroying the original's flavor.  Your mixes are consistently great and a template for everyone else.  I sure appreciate the suggestions you've given me, lately, and plan on using them very soon.  Carry on, brother!