Hi guys,
I know everyone on here has different ways to mix, so I wanted to start off a thread to get different opinions on my new project. I write folk style music with mainly just finger style acoustic guitar, vocals and some tracks include some La Session Strings cello and some tracks have harmonica.
 
I use Sonar X1, I have all the Waves plug ins, Mercury bundle. I have watched quite a few tutorials on mixing acoustic guitars and vocals, and I wanted to get users ideas here on what they use.
 
With my current set up, I like to keep it quite simple, with two acoustic guitar tracks, panned hard left and hard right, using the same recording of 1 acoustic guitar. I route the acoustic tracks to one reverb bus, that I also use for vocals.
I also have the vocal track sent to a delay bus and the one reverb bus.
 
Now, here are some of my questions I'd like to share for you helpful guys.
 
1. Should I use the same reverb bus for acoustic guitar and vocals, as I've heard that using the same reverb, you get the mix sounding like it's all in the same room.
 
2. Which reverb plug ins does everyone like to use, I currently have Lexicon reverb plug in too.
 
3. Which plug ins and chains does everyone like to use.
 
Any other tips would be great. I also want to ask you all about using too much/too little compression on acoustic guitars as I want to keep my acoustic tracks very dynamic as it's folk style, and I don't use many instruments, so therefore there is a lot of space in my mixes.
 
Thanks in advance for all your help!
 
Tones..

I mix pairs acoustic musicians often because they are small and fun to mix.
 
I usually use the same reverb on both vocals and guitars. I have played with lots of different Verbs... Right now, I have Perfect Space, Sonitus, Blue Cat and Breverb full. I like them all on different days. I usually like Reverb applied lightly enough that the artists aren't sure it's there until I hit stop and they hear the tails.
 
I like CA-2A compressors on the vocals and on the more melodic guitarist I can put a hint of Tube Saturation.
 
Primarily, I try to keep it simple. I usually pull some of the mids out of the guitars during the vocals so the vocalist doesn't compete so hard with the guitars for the same range (depends where the guitars and vocals are of course).
 
It can help to start mixing EVERYTHING panned Center (turn stereo interleave off on the main bus). That way you can EQ so you can hear everything. Then spread it out after you're done EQing.
 
And record a lot and mix a lot. That helps. :-)
 
I remember one of the people I mix for was like... that September 2011 Mix is still my favorite and I laughed. I don't really stamp out mixes with a particular format. Every one is new.

Hi gswitz,
 
Thanks for the input. I like what you've written here, it's very similar to what I've been doing. I also like to keep it simple with EQing mainly on the tracks.
 
I find one aspect interesting here that you've stated. When you say you like to pull some of the mids out of the guitars during the vocals, do you mean that you automate the EQ so that you drop the mids only when the vocals are active in the track?
 
Thank you again for your input.
 
Tones..

Yep. That's exactly what I mean. I replace mids for the guitars during instrumentals where the guitar mids are not competing for space with the vocals. Sometimes for heavy vocal tracks I skip it... or if one guitarist is primarily rhythm, I duck the mids for that guitar and don't automate them back in letting it fill the space of bass/rhythm and symbols (high end) leaving more room in the middle for melody around the vocal range. I can duck a Piezo acoustic guitar pickup 12 dB pretty casually in the mid range.
 
Be aware that automation of the PC EQ is not as tight as volume automation in my experience. You can't duck a click to a millisecond. You have to give it more time to adjust. It does work though and can easily change over seconds.

Ok buddy, thanks again for your insight!
 
Tones..

For playing with it... try setting the volume for the rhythm guitar a little too loud on the vocal (cover it up a bit)... then dial back the mids until you can hear the vocal nicely. You should end up with a warmer fuller mix than if you just suppress the volume of the rhythm below the vocal.

Another nice tip, thanks again!

I'm doing this style right now too. Goods tips thanks.
My favorite trick right now is using V-Vocal for harmonies on a cloned track.
It keeps it very tight.
I notice it helps if you nudge the harmony a bit late.

Welcome to the thread Glenn, thanks for your input!

Anyone else with tips on how they mix?