My first attempt... with aid of Killer Home Recording!

[dannydesmond]

Hi all,

I submitted a rubbish attempt at the metal wars competition, bought the new book and thought i would have a go at slaying the recording beast!

If you can, could you tell me whats wrong, whats right and anything i may need to do to make it a lot better. I feel its overall sound is a bit weak maybe, not as hard hitting as cds.

Oh note this is not a song and i just tried two quick riffs and stuck them back to back!

I used my 30watt amp and boss pedal and a sm57 in this position bout 2.5 inches away.

Cheers

and love the site!!!

[Danny Danzi]

I don't know Danny, it didn't sound weak to me. I thought that was a pretty good recording to be honest. See, some of this stuff is really subjective and you have to follow your heart really. 5 of us can say 5 different things, but you have to see if it's the same stuff you hear, know what I mean?

Like for example, I'll give you my take on how I would have done this. Keep in mind, before I say a word here, it's completely my subjective opinion and to be honest, I think what you have achieved is fine and perfectly audible. The rest is pretty much just an opinion.

The mix is clean to me. I don't hear anything that sticks out to me as "wrong". However, the guitar tone to my ears seems a little harsh in the high end frequencies. I'd experiment and drop a little 6-10k out of that tone or re-record it and leave your mic where it is and turn is outwards a bit from the cone of the speaker. It looks like you have the mic shooting directly in between the cone and the edge of the speaker which is usually a nice sweet spot. If the sound is a bit harsh, just turn it to the right a little as moving further away from the cone or angling it will do away with some of the brittleness I'm hearing.

That said, there are people that want a little extra "Zing" in their guitar tone. It doesn't sound bad and like I said, it's completely acceptable....but for my personal taste, it just bites a bit too hard.

Next would be the bass guitar. From what I can tell here, it seems your eq curve is pretty solid. However, I think I'd raise the bass about +1 to +2dB so we can hear it a little more. It's there, it's audible, it's not rumbly which means you've eq'd it properly, but it could just come up a bit to my ears.

Drum sounds were really well done too. Is that a high hat or a china going on? Whatever that is sounds a bit strange to me like it could maybe be eq'd a bit differently or maybe use another cymbal sound if this is a sample kit. Kinda sounds like a broken cymbal or a low end starter kit crash or china. Again, everything above is completely subjective here. I'd be pretty happy with a mix like that and I think you did VERY well man.

What do you mean by not hitting as hard as cd's? Not loud enough or you want more punch? If you want more punch, that's all in the compressors you use on your kick, snare, guitars and bass guitar. That's where the punch will come from with the right compressors used on the right instruments with proper ratio, attack and release time.

To make it louder, you could either master it with some mastering software or add a good compressor to your master output bus, set the ratio for 2:1 or 4:1, attack time anywhere from 3ms to 10ms, release at auto if available or experiment with a good release time until you are satisified with the effects of how the compressor is reacting, set your threshold to where you reduce anywhere from -2dB to -4dB depending on what you're looking for and adjust your output to taste without any clipping artifacts and keep it from hitting 0dB. Keep in mind, this form of compression is what we call slight mastering compression which is usually a compressor placed into the mix AFTER an EQ on the entire mix or what some guys call "gluing the 2-bus". This form of compression keeps all your little peaks and valleys created using the eq, in check and if no master eq has been used, it just keeps the mix nice and tight to where you can gain a few dB's of volume.

To really crank the heck out of it, you can really jack up the threshold to where you are reducing more than -4dB and then jump on the output as loud as you can go without clipping. You'll gain quite a bit of output this way, so be careful. You don't want your mix to be pumping and breathing due to too much compression. As of now you have preserved your dynamics at a good level...when you start compressing the entire mix as an entity, you have to be careful you don't squash it for the sake of making it loud.

Well done on this, I hope you find my information helpful. Keep up the good work man!

[PeterSimonRussell]

Sounds good to me, but should it be posted on the unfinished ideas section?

[zap1789]

sounds pretty good to me also... I'd bring up that cymbal a little tho, and EQ it a tad, as per what Danny suggested.

Certainly doesn't sound bad tho.

[dmmi]

This is a really good sound.....I like the guitar EQ beacuse it's different than all the other stuff, but clear and no fizz. I'd leave it EQ and all.

I find the bass at a perfect level for this style, it's quite loud, and I think more would take away from my next point.....

I don't know if you have everytthing maxed on your mixer section.....but I'de raise the drums...if that means lowering the guitars, then make sure you move the guitar AND bass equally to bring out the drums more.

Look at KHR's tips on mixing and the volume fader.....the sound you have right now is PERFECT for the start of that punchy line you want to throw in the listeners face.....but then automate the volume back to bring out the drums.

Any....just my $0.02

[dannydesmond]

You guys are so helpful! Cheers people!

I have noticed it should be in the other section now but didnt when i posted.

When i said as loud or as hard hitting as a cd i meant that it doesnt feel as punchy, loud or as space filling. Mixes on cds seem to be larger and fill more room when listened to on headphones and stuff. Not too sure how to make it less thin on head phones without making it super bassy on other speakers.

I will take on all your great advice and maybe try to make a song i think.

Oh as well, my guitars often sound unique to people because I have really bad hearing haha! I have a mid range hearing defficiency so some times i add too much mid or too much of something...

Cheers

[dannydesmond]

Fuck me Danzi your music on that link is sick! Where was that recorded and mixed??!

[Danny Danzi]

Thanks Danny! Some of it was recorded in my studio by me alone, others were recorded at a place called DSR. Some of it mastered by me, others mastered by Wayne Davis or Bob Katz.

Do me a favor if you get a second Danny? You mentioned in one of your posts that you were looking for that "larger" sound. I posted up a little Dream Theater test in the "Bash this recording" part of the site. Their version, and then my take on it. Let me know if that may be the "larger" type sound you might be after. If so, I can probably point you in the direction on how to do it or at least come close. Looking forward to hearing more of your posts.

[brandondrury]

The sound isn't bad, but it reminds me of production you would hear on the Clerks Soundtrack. It's very 1993 sounding. Much of that is the bass sound. It's not nearly as gritty as I'd like.

You may have encountered that part of the book (God knows where it is) where I talk about how the Boston bass sound made the guitars sound meaner.

Also, what I'm hearing is a dramatic distinction between bass and guitar. Some guys want that mega separation. There are times when it is a great thing. I think it can come off sounding just a hair too "polite" which is exactly the opposite of what you are looking for probably. The solution is to get them to fight a little more tonally so you end up with one thick cohesive tone....if that is your bag.

Brandon

[dannydesmond]

Ah, see thats what i think i mean... ok need to revise that bass section haha.

Danzi, cant find that mix, either because im blind or thick. If you make a link I would be grateful!

Cheers