OmegaMetroid93 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Hey everyone. I recently got into a music-making mood and I decided to give one of my favourite Suikoden tracks a shot. Now, I've got some issues I need to work out, but I'm sort of stumped on what to do, so I thought I'd ask here for help. My main problem is I don't think the violin and guitar fits into the mix at all. They sound out of place, and I'm honestly not sure how to fix that. I'm still not very good at mixing, so there's that Some advice on that front would be much appreciated! (And yes, I know that you can hear me fiddle with the guitar before I start playing. I caught that, and will remove it as soon as I sit down with it next time) Here is the link: Other than that specific issue, any general tips and opinions are always welcome. Thanks in advance for any replies I get! It's always fun to hear back from people. Take care, guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorito Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 Having done a remix of this same track that also includes guitar and violins and stuff for an (not yet (ever?)) to be released album, I hope I can give some feedback. I'm no mix expert either, btw All in all it sounds pretty good already and sets the right atmosphere. So arrangement-wise I think you're good. With regards to the performance some things stood out to me: - the piano has a _lot_ of sustain, so much that it makes things a bit muddy - the first violin part is pretty low and raspy, hissy even. - the guitar has some buzzy notes that would benefit from a re-recording. Also on the notes that you pick harder you might want to slightly EQ the highs a bit to make it blend in better Maybe work a bit more on spacing (early reflections and reverb tails) to blend in the guitar and violin a bit more. I listened on headphones, but these recordings seemed to be pretty dry and therefore in-your-face. Adding some tasteful reverb to them should already help. Due to all the piano sustain (which makes it sound like a hall reverb) it seems like the piano is all the way in the back of a hall. But overall it was enjoyable to listen to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaMetroid93 Posted August 24, 2016 Author Share Posted August 24, 2016 Thanks a lot for the feedback! I really needed it. - I do use a lot of sustain when playing. I have a hard time making it sound good without it, for some reason. This has to do with my piano playing more than anything else, so.. Are you saying it'd be better to record entirely without sustain and add reverb to make up for it? I thought sustain was easier to control, which is why I'm doing it so much. - Yeah, that's my problem too. I don't really know how to fix it. The thing is, I'm using an electric violin. That may be a bad idea. Maybe I should just buckle up and buy a microphone for my acoustic violin? If you've recorded like that before, do you have any suggestions for good violin microphones? Oh, and the guitar is lined, if that matters for anything. - Duly noted. I'll re-record the guitar. 15 hours ago, Jorito said: Maybe work a bit more on spacing (early reflections and reverb tails) to blend in the guitar and violin a bit more. I honestly have no idea what early reflections and reverb tails are. I'll look it up on my own, but if there's something you wanna add or point out specifically, please do that. Oh, and I already added reverb to the violin and guitar, but I'll try messing around with that a bit more. Thanks a ton for the great advice. Now I have things to be mindful of when mixing, which is nice. I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorito Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 Here's some tutorials about using reverb to create depth. There's more on Youtube for sure, but at least it gets you started and explains a few things About the piano sustain, well... I'm no piano expert (and no great player) but maybe just try a recording with less sustain, throw it in the mix and see what you like best? Wrt the violin / microphones I have no personal experience but I know that a violinist I collaborated with used a Shure SM57. Not sure if that's the best mic, but it is what he used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nikanoru Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 This is a very pretty track. There is a beauty in its simplicity which I admire; I actually think the sustain lends a certain lamenting tone to the song overall. To Jorito's point, however, it is HEAVILY sustained, and the lack of reverb does limit the depth. Totally agree with him on this. IMO, the similarities between the sound of the 1st guitar part and violin solo (2nd part) begs the question: do you need to use different instruments for both parts? I think the live violin as the melody suits the piece better - and a guitar playing the rhythm part may sound better than the low violin part - but that is my opinion and totally subjective. Guitar is buzzy in places and not compressed, but Jorito got that too. I like the sound of the electric and I don't think that is an issue. That being said, all the acoustic violinists I know run an external pickup; however, if you want to record by mic, a regular instrument mic should do the trick. I don't have any models to recommend, though ... maybe another contributor could recommend something? All the above are my opinions, nothing more. I really enjoyed listening to this anyway, and I'm looking forward to the next version! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaMetroid93 Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 So I went back to this and added some more reverb to the violin and guitar tracks, lowered the volume slightly on the piano and also re-recorded the guitar track. I did try to re-record the piano with less sustain, but I was never happy with how it ended up. It always ended up sounding very empty and it kinda messed with my playing. Therefore, I lowered the volume, hoping that it might make the muddiness not stand out as much. I don't know if it worked out well, but I don't think it sounds horrible at least. I'm much more of a fan of how the violin sounds now. It's much less brazen and in your face than it was before, and it doesn't sound like someone's standing right in front of the microphone and playing. I still don't have the subtleties of reverb down, and I very well may have overdone it on that front. lol I'll keep working on that, but tell me what you think. Here's the updated version. Thanks for the advice as always! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nikanoru Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I have to say, with the new adjustments, it definitely sound like the piano stayed where it was and rest of the band moved to the back of the auditorium. I think more reverb on the piano will solve this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaMetroid93 Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 Yeah, you're right. I'll definitely do that. I was worried it might get too much if I did that, but I should've tried at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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