My first mix with GGD - Releasing songs you're not fully happy with?

[Atte]

Here's my latest mix. I'm not fully happy with the mix but I just wanted to move on. What do you guys think of that kind of a mindset? I'm not sure whether I should work on a mix until it's amazing or rather make more mixes. At least this is the approach I took this time.

The drums are GGD, guitars and bass AX8.

Feel free to let me know what you guys think.
(ignore the abysmal video editing)

 

[Descent]

I think a short answer would be case in point: Metallica "AJFA"

Crappy mix creates a whole generation of copycats.
I don't think I need to say more.

Finish the tune, move on, at the end of the day having more material is definitely what is more important as long as the songs are good, who cares if the bass is -1db lower than it needs to be, or whatever?

 

[Atte]

I think a short answer would be case in point: Metallica "AJFA"

Crappy mix creates a whole generation of copycats.
I don't think I need to say more.

Finish the tune, move on, at the end of the day having more material is definitely what is more important as long as the songs are good, who cares if the bass is -1db lower than it needs to be, or whatever?

That's a huge case in point.

 

[KailM]

If you're not feeling it, then it's time to move on or at least table the project for a while. I have to be inspired to work on something...in order to work on something. Sometimes you just have to step away from a project or song and come back to it with fresh ears.

Case in point, I've done about 10 original songs in the last four years. I've been learning the ins and outs of recording, mixing, and mastering and where I'm at today is amazing compared to the knowledge I had when I started. I also started doing vocals and that has led me to revisit most of my old tracks that were all instrumentals. After adding vocals and applying what I've learned about recording to my old songs, it has refreshed my motivation to complete them.

 

[NickLAudio]

Tones don't sound bad. Sounds to me like you recorded one take of rhythm guitar, copied it to a new track, and panned one L and one R. Essentially creating one loud center driven guitar. Which, if you have a lead panned down the center, is fighting with the rhythm, kick drum, snare, etc...

Try recording your rhythm guitar on one track. Pan that track 100% Left. Then make a new track and *re-record* the rhythm again. Pan that track 100% Right. This is called double tracking. Will give your guitar a nice wide larger than life sound. This will also make space for kick, snare, toms, gtr lead, etc.. to shine through while still being level with everything else. If I'm wrong in thinking how you recorded it, never mind my comment and just keep practicing man!

I noticed you have some stereo synths going on in the background. Pan those 100% L and R if they aren't already. Trick to giving those some space with out breaking out the scalpel and surgical EQ cutting is pan your L and R rhythm guitar to say...90-95% L and R, basically leaving some stereo width on the outside for the synth's "air". Also, if they aren't a driving force in the song, you could highpass them relatively high that way you aren't stealing any hard hitting frequencies from other instruments.

 

[Atte]

Thanks, cool tips on the synths! I'll give them a try. On the guitars, I did record both sides separately. I wonder why it sounds like it, could it be that I EQ'd them together in the same bus?

 

[NickLAudio]

Thanks, cool tips on the synths! I'll give them a try. On the guitars, I did record both sides separately. I wonder why it sounds like it, could it be that I EQ'd them together in the same bus?

If your sends to that guitar bus are messing up the panning on the individual tracks, the bus could very well be the culprit. You want your sends to be "pre-fader" but also "post-pan". That way the panning is retained along the send and the stereo bus only sees signal on the Left channel from the track panned Left and same with Right.

I do sorta hear the double track now, you sure nailed the second take. Barely discernible between the two. And full disclosure I'm at work on headphones that are laughable for "critical listening" and too lazy to open the equipment closet for a pair of good ones. I just know all too well that feeling of mixing frustration and tried to help a bro out.

Good trick to turn into a habit is to alternate mixing at low and normal volumes. Get your mix sounding ok at a normal volume and then turn down your speakers. Is every track still sounding level and evenly mixed? Chances are, something will pop out and seem way too loud. Find a happy medium of track levels between low and normal listening volumes and the mix will translate very well.

 

[Atte]

If your sends to that guitar bus are messing up the panning on the individual tracks, the bus could very well be the culprit. You want your sends to be "pre-fader" but also "post-pan". That way the panning is retained along the send and the stereo bus only sees signal on the Left channel from the track panned Left and same with Right.

I do sorta hear the double track now, you sure nailed the second take. Barely discernible between the two. And full disclosure I'm at work on headphones that are laughable for "critical listening" and too lazy to open the equipment closet for a pair of good ones. I just know all too well that feeling of mixing frustration and tried to help a bro out.

Good trick to turn into a habit is to alternate mixing at low and normal volumes. Get your mix sounding ok at a normal volume and then turn down your speakers. Is every track still sounding level and evenly mixed? Chances are, something will pop out and seem way too loud. Find a happy medium of track levels between low and normal listening volumes and the mix will translate very well.

Why should the sends be pre-fader? I always have them post fader. Sounds interesting.

 

[NickLAudio]

Why should the sends be pre-fader? I always have them post fader. Sounds interesting.

That is really dependent on your end goal with the signal. I typically always put sends pre fader for the fact that I want any plugins on my buss processing a full, non-attenuated signal. Say you have a compressor on your buss. You send a guitar to it post fader. You set up your compressor so the guitars are hitting it perfectly. Now you want to lower your guitars in the mix so you do, but now not as much signal is going to the compressor making it affect the sound. Sending it pre makes sure the buss is always seeing a constant signal regardless of fader position.

Now on the other hand post is good for, say...a reverb on a snare or something. As the track volume/fader is lowered, so is the amount of signal sent and amount of reverb applied.

 

[Atte]

Now I get it. I have it post fader only because I level both guitars if I use different sounds,so probably shouldn't worry about it.