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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    Snap said:

    Cheers Clarky. Glad you checked Unkle out, I think he's very diverse and interesting. New album was released only on Friday, pretty good.

    I keep meaning to study reference tracks, so will follow your guidelines. Maybe I will start with ripping one of the tracks off War Stories and see how I go. I've got the VST stuff to do it too.

    As usual, I haven't got the time!!

    tbh, I've no real method to it, and little idea. I tend to fumble along. That's fine when the mix is simple, but yeah, once it gets cluttered, I start to struggle really, trying to de gunge it. Technical term there....

    here's a tip [I do this]
    rather than send all tracks and sub-groups / aux's to the master output
    send them to a 'pre-master' out and send that to the master..
    put your master bus eq / compressor / litter on the pre-master rather than the master..
    add a track as a reference [a song you want to emulate mix wise.. 
    send that to your master bus [so it does not go through your mastering tools..

    then you can compare your mix [thru our master bus] against the reference [which is clean]
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256

    cool, will do. Nice! Like that. I think my first reference track will be Came Back Haunted, NIN.

    Mate, listen to the production on this, it's wonderful. The production on the whole album, Hesitation Marks, is IMO superb. It sounds so good. Big, wide, clear, precise, you name it.

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    Snap said:

    cool, will do. Nice! Like that. I think my first reference track will be Came Back Haunted, NIN.

    Mate, listen to the production on this, it's wonderful. The production on the whole album, Hesitation Marks, is IMO superb. It sounds so good. Big, wide, clear, precise, you name it.

    this was the piece I used for reference for quite some time..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja-cxkbug8w
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256
    yes, I can see why, that has a rather large sound for sure! Nice.
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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    Snap said:
    yes, I can see why, that has a rather large sound for sure! Nice.
    trying to get even close to that is really really difficult.. lol..
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256
    edited April 2019

    Ok, this track is a cover of a brilliant NIN track, and I did it with my daughter who did the piano and helped with the arrangement. Its got some guitar in it, but is mainly synths/pianos. Was great doing this track together, enjoyed it a lot. I think the mix has some work to do though.

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    Snap said:

    Ok, this track is a cover of a brilliant NIN track, and I did it with my daughter who did the piano and helped with the arrangement. Its got some guitar in it, but is mainly synths/pianos. Was great doing this track together, enjoyed it a lot. I think the mix has some work to do though.

    propper moody track...
    production wise I think it's one of your best so far.. has much better clarity..

    a point to note is key..
    the very last chord chord of the piece is a C major triad and over that you play a minor 3rd [Eb].
    that's not working too well..  a few times earlier in the piece the of Eb turns up over the C chord..
    it sounds like the progression is C, Eb, Bb, F
    if you look at only the roots it'll make you think the key is Cm
    however... all of those chords are major triads so you have to be think again about how you handle them
    my ear is telling me:
    C = C mixolydian [it's major and also contains the minor 7th which shows up un the Bb and Eb chords]
    the remaining chords all sit well with C Dorian [which the Eb, Bb and F chords fit with nicely]
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256

    Cheers Clarky.

    Put some time into the production. Lots of EQ work and positioning too. My youngest wanted the bass drum to be powerful so needed to get some space in the mix for that. Lots of high passing on other parts to free that up. Also used more busses to route groups of tracks into them, and apply a set chain of FX on the lot. It's all obvious stuff I suppose, but makes total sense. Only obvious when you've been shown the way though.

    I wanted that minor lilt at the very end to give it a bit of melancholy at the end of the song. Its supposed to be a sad song. Looking at what you said, maybe I should have taken the major note out of the last C chord?

    Spent a lot of time working with the chord structures, but changed to the triads for this, yes.

    My PC was glitching a fair bit in this, had to fanny around a lot. Also not helped by the fact that the USB socket on my interface is jiggered, and if the interface gets knocked, even slightly, it disconnects. I can see a substantial kit replacement coming......

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    Snap said:

    Cheers Clarky.

    Put some time into the production. Lots of EQ work and positioning too. My youngest wanted the bass drum to be powerful so needed to get some space in the mix for that. Lots of high passing on other parts to free that up. Also used more busses to route groups of tracks into them, and apply a set chain of FX on the lot. It's all obvious stuff I suppose, but makes total sense. Only obvious when you've been shown the way though.

    I wanted that minor lilt at the very end to give it a bit of melancholy at the end of the song. Its supposed to be a sad song. Looking at what you said, maybe I should have taken the major note out of the last C chord?

    Spent a lot of time working with the chord structures, but changed to the triads for this, yes.

    My PC was glitching a fair bit in this, had to fanny around a lot. Also not helped by the fact that the USB socket on my interface is jiggered, and if the interface gets knocked, even slightly, it disconnects. I can see a substantial kit replacement coming......

    if the intention is to have the min and maj 3rds clashing, then that's fine as it is a deliberate decision to go for that kind of dissonance..
    you know that an alternative for the C chord could have been C5 [power chord].. so you can go any way you like..

    your EQ work and placement of parts really shows...
    makes a big difference don't it
    it's all about giving everything space.. a little home of it's own in the freq spectrum
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256
    edited May 2019

    thanks matey.

    Another thing I am starting to use more is panning. Even if it's just a little, making sure instruments have their own place in the space.

    Something I've started work on here, only an hour's work here, so an idea at moment, tried a few ideas for space and mix

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    Snap said:

    thanks matey.

    Another thing I am starting to use more is panning. Even if it's just a little, making sure instruments have their own place in the space.

    Something I've started work on here, only an hour's work here, so an idea at moment, tried a few ideas for space and mix

    this is a really interesting piece... love it..

    production wise it's really clear and uncluttered..
    you're getting better at this
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256

    cheers @clarky yeah, I think I want to kick on and get more done on this track. The final mix needs some more bottom end yet. I like the result of putting the drums through a bit crusher, I've been trying to get a sound like this for ages, so bit of a result.

    Just got to think of what the next section needs really. A change of mood, pace? Maybe a section stripped back, maybe with a simple guitar/bass bit, then kick back up into a big finish. Hmm>??

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    Snap said:

    cheers @clarky yeah, I think I want to kick on and get more done on this track. The final mix needs some more bottom end yet. I like the result of putting the drums through a bit crusher, I've been trying to get a sound like this for ages, so bit of a result.

    Just got to think of what the next section needs really. A change of mood, pace? Maybe a section stripped back, maybe with a simple guitar/bass bit, then kick back up into a big finish. Hmm>??

    try bit crushing the drums in parallel [using an aux channel] rather than on the drums channel strip itself..
    then you have more control.. you can also EQ the bit crush by keeping the lows and low mids clean, but frying up the hi mids and highs for example

    stripping back / breakdown / softer contrasting material is a great way to bleed energy out of a piece so that you can set about rebuilding it for the final climax
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256
    :# sound.
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256

    Finished this one, and added a couple of extra sections to it, whilst aiming to keep the same vibe. Let me know thoughts! Cheers


    Why Snake Pass? NO idea other than it's one of my favourite roads ever.

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    edited May 2019
    Snap said:

    Finished this one, and added a couple of extra sections to it, whilst aiming to keep the same vibe. Let me know thoughts! Cheers


    Why Snake Pass? NO idea other than it's one of my favourite roads ever.

    very nice... I like this one.. it has a nice shape to it too..
    notice the clarity and power that is there that previous pieces missed because they contained too much of too much..
    your best so far
    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256
    cheers @Clarky nice one.
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256

    this thread could do with a boot up. So, I went back to this track, redid the vocals and put some more effort into improving the mix. Piano put in by my daughter, all 15 years old.

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  • ClarkyClarky Frets: 3261
    Snap said:

    this thread could do with a boot up. So, I went back to this track, redid the vocals and put some more effort into improving the mix. Piano put in by my daughter, all 15 years old.

    I really like it.. it has a really cool strangeness about it..

    play every note as if it were your first
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  • SnapSnap Frets: 6256
    @clarky hi mate, how's it going? The New year will see a full home studio clear out and reset. Getting a new PC, streamlining and tidying my kit and set up. Looking forward to it, and not looking forward to it at the same time!
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