A Learning Experience.

[DogpitStudios]

About a year ago I began my first project with people I had never met before, completely set up through myspace. My set up was not a registered business because I was too young and did not own property at the time. I spent a good deal of time setting up mics around the drummers untuned set and used some of my own amps (since theirs sucked) for tracking.

They ended up being short on money so i rushed the final product. I now realize after looking back on it a year later that I made a mistake deleting the original files; I could have re-done the mixes. I do however have a few of the finals. I was wondering if anyone would like to comment about the mistakes made in the final product so that others can use this as a learning example for what not to do in a rock or metal mix.

Let me know.

Ben

[DogpitStudios]

I guess I'll go first,

The drums:

-Not in tune with themselves
-Also not tuned generally to great notes for themselves. Snare should be at least 5 or 6 half steps lower.
-The china which the drummer can't stop hitting is extremely overpowering in the overheads and should be compressed to tone down a bit.
-Bass drum sounds flabby on the 16th note sections kind of like a cardboard box.
-The Hi-Hat which the drummer also likes sounds thin

Guitars:
-A bit too mid range oriented... They hurt my ears to listen to.
-Squeals don't really pop out which they should.
- There is no audible bass in this.

Screamer:

-Often too loud.
-He kind of sucks (except for the growling)

In All:

There is no space! Must be a lot of boosting in EQ and very little cutting... at least it sounds that way.


I'm sure there is more terrible stuff about this so feel free... DONT BE SHY.

Please refrain from getting nasty or swearing.

Ben

[mikromort]

I'm hearing no bottom end

The drums sound small, recording in a small room
The snare is tiny as well as the guitars

The band sounds good individually, but doesn't seem to play well together

Probably good use of reverbs and compression, could have made this sound respectable

[DogpitStudios]

Drums were actually tracked in a 40x30x8.5 with 10 bass traps and 5 mid range absorbers. I believe maybe this had something to do with the low ceilings however. I think the snare sounds tiny because it's tuned too high... Any thoughts on that?

I found the dry mix (just tracked and some panning nothing else) and I will upload that tonight.

The only thing I don't really agree with is the guitar sound. I don't think they sound small in fact I think they are the biggest thing in the song. But to each his own.

Anyone else?

Ben

[tiberius]

The guitars sound a bit distant like the other end of the room from the mike.
Snare could be a bit more massive if you have have a mike on the snare, gate, compression, eq, reverb.
Quite like the screaming but wish that wasn't all he did.
This isn't really my cup of tea.

[DogpitStudios]

Originally Posted by tiberius

The guitars sound a bit distant like the other end of the room from the mike.
Snare could be a bit more massive if you have have a mike on the snare, gate, compression, eq, reverb.
Quite like the screaming but wish that wasn't all he did.
This isn't really my cup of tea.

Not my cup of tea either.

I realize I have a Lamb of God avatar. I have not changed this picture since I joined the forum.

I listen to jazz and rock now mostly...

There was an audix i5 on the snare. I believe I had just bought this mic. Since then I have noticed that a common sweet spot for this mic is almost parallel to the snare head about 1/2" above and away from the snare body(pointed towards the drum head). I believe I placed this mic about 2" out and 1" above directed towards the center of the drum. There is a send to the common reverb bus for every instrument. The guitar bus is compressed accordingly to the rhythm and tempo of the song. I feel the problem is that I EQed them too harshly in possibly their closest undertone (an octave below the root). I heard the note at the time and did not boost it's octave (because it was stronger and I was naive).

It was a 4"x10" cab with some peavy tube amp I can't recall. Not my amp but I was told it was an extremely nice set up.

I put the audix in a sweet spot I found. Maybe 3"-5" away and 2" from the cone

Ben

[irawan gani]

never have been a fan of the typewriter kick drum but this is way too thin.

the drum could have been brought forward a bit especially the bottom end.

[cakewalkgg]

Lamb of god from Denver??
the logo looks familiar and unless I'm mistaken, we've done at least one show together