need major bashing!

[drscotty14]

hey, im new to this forum i had no idea something like this site existed. i love the site. this song "mix demo" is the first recording i have done since upgrading my gear. i use presonus firestudio with 8 mic inputs. the drums have 2 oktava mk? overheads panned hard L and R d112 in porthole sm58 on beater side. 57 on snare toms have little audix tom mics. guitars are 1 sm57 i recorded each guitar part twice and panned Hard L and R. bass is direct with passive pickups. i know active sounds better. im having trouble fitting the instruments in without sounding cluttered. please give me any advise possible. also i was the musician on all instrumens. im not a true drummer so be aware. thanks!

http://www.myspace.com/scottp

[brandondrury]

Well, first of all, myspace sucks for Bash This Mix, but I'll cover the obvious.

#1 Your drums sound VERY dry, up close, boomy, etc. Basically, it sounded like you only used close mics. I know the Oktavas can really pull the boominess out drums, which is the last thing you want with metal.

I can barely hear any cymbals. The cymbals are a matter of taste. However, the vibe that comes from hearing a kit in a room (with some ambiance) is just not there.

Here's an article, (which is supposed to be funny...so don't take it personally) that will help out tremendously.

The Secret To The Myspace Drum Sound



I'd try scooping out 500Hz (give or take) to give you more of a hi-fi type of thing happening, which is a requirement with metal.

The guitars aren't bad, but have that "too much gain" thing happening. I don't really care what mic you used on the guitars. What amp did you use? I can make a great amp to work with about any mic, but I can't get a crappy amp to work with any mic.

I'm hearing the usual too much fizz thing. Basically, that fizz gets dulled out in a mix when the guitars fight other instruments. You end up with this sound that less focused or something. Myspace seams to make this worse, for some reason.

Your guitars aren't terrible by any means, but I can definitely hear some of this. This is why I still like using old Marshalls and stuff even for metal. I never have to worry about the Boss Metal Zone sound (which I have never heard on a real metal recording anyway) ever getting into my mics.

It sounds like the drummer is hitting the drums about as hard as he would hit is his own penis with a drumstick. If the drummer isn't going to hit the drums, there is nothing you can do. For the hard rock stuff, there is no reason that he shouldn't be desimating his kit. I mean all out doom. If he doesn't break sticks constantly and his hands don't hurt, then you can't get the sound to work.

Most of the issues I'm hearing on your tracks here come from levels. Fire up your favorite cds on your studio monitors and compare. The difference will be staggering in some of the levels, but the kick in the ass will put you on the right track.

Good luck, dude. I'm hearing some good things in these mixes. Just back off the drum close mics, save your money for some kick ass amps (or just back off the gain and fizz if you have good amps already) and check your levels against other cds.

Brandon