Head First - Spheris mix

This is Head First, mixed by the Spheris. Sonically, it really is head and shoulders above what I was able to do with it.

Head First - Spheris mix



For those who'd like to compare, my last attempt at mixing this is here:
Head First- redux

Comments / critiques appreciated...
Thanks

Great song, David!

I agree with Ed about the bass, it's really boomy here on my system in both(!) mixes. My room isn't treated properly, but this seems just too much.

Yes, Jim's mix is more spacious, but in my opinion you did a good job on your own mix as well. Very nice!

werner

Production Notes:

Base tracks submitted at 24/44, batch exported to raw singular from Sonar at 24/44 mono and retracked through custom SSL input channel impulses with the IR-1 to vegas at 24/88.

acoustics M/s split and side channel out of band imaging discarded. Virtually re amped with Waves GTR using Fender Twin, clean and SM-57 Mic models

electrics - same process but using Plex Model and Ribbon Mic modelling, phase inverted to the acoustics where the pans would overlay in order that they not cancel and Waves trans-X'ed with spilts of 630-1278-11900 respectively and ducks and pushes alternated in those three ranges to sharpen them respective to where the acoustics were not acoustically challenging them.

Bass - raw modelled with KSM32 and formant stressed using the Waves Morphoder, Freq isolated to visible range of 32hz to 3107khz and Eq sloped to balance from lower slope to higher slope and X-hum filtered to eliminate harmonic spiking wth a root start point of 57.3hz

Drums - Kick and snare were flatlined - modeled respectively with Shure Beta 52 to accent SPL and SM-57 to bring the snap out in the snare and correct isolation with them being samples

Overheads and toms - subtracted transient differentials and reduced them to mono base, Spiked only the harmonic transients above 3100 and re-inserted to 35 degree spread left to right - modelled with SM-87

Vocals - modelled with SM-58 and SM-7A in Mid side arrays for backing vocals and singl pattern for lead vocals.

Time pitch corrected manually with the Waves sound shifter using a time fraction of 1.00186 - Track time reduced from 05:21 to 05:18 with 21.2 cent pitch upshift

Mix placement to Daves specs from original sonar settings, using constant power and 0DB power pan laws depending on per track basis and original recording relative SPL power.

Re-assembled in Vegas and Frequency split at 131hz with 80th order filtering up/down slope, the < split being reprocessed with a fast compression ratio of 1.7 and summed to dual mono with -6 pan law tempering to move them to 45 degree angles from upper frequency split as it was inserted at 42.2 degree angles

(insert "ancient chinese secret" proprietary processing here)

Mix printed to 24/88

Opened into soundforge and converted to 64-bit float. left and right tracks copied to new files
each file converted to dual mono stereo and M/s subtracted to true mono sum

Mono sums then imaged to 45 degrees opposing respectively with 0 spreads and opposition tilts -/+90 using the S-1 and then resinserted to master to eliminate mix process out of band phase problems or conditions and to strengthen center line imaging and set left/right balance without cross talk referencing on the meters or statistical balistics

Image copied to new track, summed to mono with S-1, level averaged to -24db from original source and resinserted to harden the center channel volumetric and blend the side band elements to cohesion

spikes and volumetric harmonics trimmed with the Waves L-3 using a peak point reference frpm 7025-22khz band and output to .3 peak

volume reducted to -24db and dithered/ bit stopped with the Sony dither plugin, set to 16 bit out with no dither or shaping - to eliminate low level process remnants and then level maximised to -.3 again with the Waves l-3 with 16 bit type 1 dither and nominal noise shaping

Printed to 24 bit 44Khz master raw format track

Ed, I would have liked to get more definition out of mitches bass for this song but what is there is really about as good as it will get and Dave can tell you a lot more than I could about the pains we went through with this particular bass on this particular track. I will say though that of the tracks going to print, this was the earliest staged one and sort of a learning to walk track where this album was concerned. Daves engineering has jumped miles and miles between here and there and what I've seen subsequent does not share the same handicap this one did.

Off the record, I thought about using the same modelling as the kick to bolster it, but the problem would have become an issue of freq space sharing and the spl rise would have been cancelled in them taking on the same properties and having to cut one in deference to the other. This was the best compromise between the evils

It's no secret - I'm conservative about bass levels - but Dave wanted a fuller bottom end as a mandate to the underhills sound. As a producer, I can mandate a particular sound. But Dave and I talked a long time about the importance of the underhills sound as he saw it and I deferred to his wishes on this because it is that important to him.

I found this idea particularly interesting:

Nothing all that interesting to it, it's pretty much a standard practice and been around since the early 70's. It will be covered in the PDF's in more detail later and for a real time preview controllable application of it, pull up the morphoder and only use the carrier and mod channels. Same process but I'm not altogether convinced of it's summing capability since it's not what it was targeted for by design.

Hey Jim.... I am finding the Diamond bundle plugins to come in quite handy these days.

Is there anything that bundle does not handle?

Nice mix Jameson, wow. I really like it. Very polished - very nice sheen.

I Listen to Dave's mix and it's not bad either, but the Jameson mix elevates the song to that "larger than life" status. It's not only that the EQ and dynamics work is more to my liking; it's that the mix has come alive - figuratively speaking. That must be due (in part at least) to the vari-speeding and pitch correction work you did.

Really nice job, Jameson.

Nice song too, Dave.

Regards,

With a few minor bass adjustments, I think this one can be moved to the finished column.

I would agree. The bass was the only thing that needed attention, IMO. Everything else was fine.

Fwiw.... I liked this tune from the first time I heard it. It would have liked to have mixed it. Well.... Maybe.

It strikes me, though, that if the bass were altered, as suggested earlier, there wouldn't be *any* bottom on this track. The kick drum is practically just a spit, as is. Nothing else is carrying the bottom but the bass guitar. Just my observation.

[best Yoda voice I can muster]Oh, young Skywalker.... Much to learn have you.[/best Yoda voice I can muster]

We are talking about getting rid of the boominess of the track and not the low end itself, Mark. They are two different things.

Hey Dave,

Great tune! Love the arrangement and the sound of the guitars.

Excellent job on the mix, Spheris. Thanks for the details.

ORIGINAL: rossipsu1

This is Head First, mixed by the Spheris. Sonically, it really is head and shoulders above what I was able to do with it.

Comments / critiques appreciated...
Thanks

Great tune, I really enjoyed it! The progression sounded familiar from the get go... Green Grass and High Tide?

Thanks,
Toby

very nice-not too much I would do different mix wise and I don't know if I would have been able to get the voice and drums to sound that solid. Definitely mixed by someone who knows their stuff. I did like you mix as well david. It was very good, Dr. Howes does have more sheen and depth though agreed a little too much bass-but it is helping to drive things in this particular mix-maybe a little too much-suggestions below.

I know this one is done but from an arrangement/trackiing point of view I thought I would mention a couple of things.
--the guitar riff on the left is a great hook-my compliments David-more so than the present intro that you have with the acoustics and the clean guitar lead on the right. If the riff that comes in later on the left were the first thing you hear, then I think you would have grabbed 90% of the public. If you like the present intro and have gotten use to it, then I would cut it back a few measures, and then when that cool tubey sounding riff comes in, cut it back 4 measures as well. It will make people be dying to hear it again.
--There is some nice univibed arpeggio guitars in the interims (at 2:37) on the left with just bassand then some paddy organ thing on the left and a lead comes in. This is a nice break but could use some development. I would keep that univibey movement you started going throughout and have the lead have a warmy tubey tome like that main riff. I think those guitars on the left should come up and be in your face. Hard saying here, but the organ is more functional than being a pleasant spectrum filler. I think you might consider hiring out for your keyboard work. You should be able to hear the subtle vibrato. leslie changes and drawbars changing to let the listenenr know that something is happening or is going to happen. Doesn't need to be Jimmy Smith or Jazzy, but it should be full and confident and make slight mood changes.
---at 4:03 it happens again-a very interesting guitar riff on the left and then some different colors come in on the right and then a lead. I would keep the guitar on the left playing throughout. What happens is you start to lose power and the bass player for instance who is playing a great part and should be part of the rhythm section gets too much attention and you start wanting more from him, though what he is playing is excellent-it's just that the foundation is lacking a bit of substance-the listener isn't sure what it is-he just wants something-either that guitar riff on the left playing throughout (my first choice) or a lightly distorted wurlitzer in the center with a overdriven leslie on the left. I actually feel a combination of all 3 would be great, but as is too much is being expected from the bass, drums, and acoustic guitar.

Very nice tune and mix brothers. Nice to be a part of the same team.

Michael