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I posted this to the showcase for general songwriting feedback but I would like critical feedback on mixing this for live performance and I know you don't all frequent the Users Showcase. I wrote this for an elementary school choir and it will be performed in the gym. There are links to two tracks, one with vocals and one without. The vox are mine and recorded to see how the lyrics play out. My daughter will be recording a version later that the school kids can better identify with. Saying Goodbye with lyrics Saying Goodbye backing tracks
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I am listening though a headset and the mix sounds fine to me. I do hear something that does not seem quite right with the drum track from the .24 to .50 or so then again at 1.26 to 1.39 or so. I may be nit picking but if I were singing this song that would "drive me" nuts, but keep in mind I have been told by some that it would not be a very "long drive".
Regardless it sounds like a fun song and I am sure the kids will have a big time singing it.
Nice Work,
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If it's being played over a typical school PA system, it's almost assuredly going to be mono. I would mix it to mono and take a listen. I have concern about the piano tracks being panned so wide.
I would also take some of the low end out of the main rhythm guitar track. Try high pass filtering it at 400 Hz or so.
-Scott
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It sounds very good to me. Maybe I would try to get a fatter sound in the snare drum and wouldn't pan the piano so wide, but this is a matter of taste: your mix sounds clear, deep and rich, and every instrument has its space on it to my ears.
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Thanks for the input all.
@Danny: I can't hear what your hearing with the drums. Then again, I'm the one who mixed it and if I had heard a problem would have attempted to fix it. I will have a closer look at the groove.
@Scott & Cerio: I wanted the piano's wide, but if it's bothersome too listen to, it's too much. I will narrow them a bit.
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Rob: I don't think Scott is saying that the pianos are too wide, it is just that you are using stereo to separate them. What do they sound like in mono? Can you still pick them apart in a mono mix? Because most people sitting in the audience aren't wearing headphone, they won't hear the stereo mix -- it will be somewhere between stereo and mono (probably more mono). Most of the songs I listen to (that I like -- like Counting Crows for example) use a lot of wide separation, so there is nothing inherently wrong with that.
The drum "hiccups" at 31/32 and there is low drum (?) rumble sound at 22/23.
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Quote:
Rob: I don't think Scott is saying that the pianos are too wide, it is just that you are using stereo to separate them. What do they sound like in mono? Can you still pick them apart in a mono mix? Because most people sitting in the audience aren't wearing headphone, they won't hear the stereo mix -- it will be somewhere between stereo and mono (probably more mono). Most of the songs I listen to (that I like -- like Counting Crows for example) use a lot of wide separation, so there is nothing inherently wrong with that.
Exactly - you asked for critical advice and gave information about where it would be played. My comments are particular to how the song will likely be played back (on a crummy school PA system) and how the audience will hear it.
I pan things wide all the time, but not for PA system playback purposes.
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I set my mixer to mono and your backing track sounded fine to my ears. I think you'll be fine except bass might be a problem in the gym. You have a lot of really low bass frequencies in the mix and using something to dump them out steeply from about 60 down would be a good cautionary measure. If you're working with RB, try using the 10 band eg and pulling the 31 slider all the way down. Experiment with using more than one instance. You probably won't hear much difference in your monitors, but it should help when you play it at the gym.
I'm in agreement with the others that it's a good sounding backing track. On a personal preference note, I would change the drum track in places to get rid of the stutter sounding pattern, but that's just me (and DannyC lol).
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Quote:
Exactly - you asked for critical advice and gave information about where it would be played. My comments are particular to how the song will likely be played back (on a crummy school PA system) and how the audience will hear it.
I pan things wide all the time, but not for PA system playback purposes.
Gotcha! The PA is stereo, but the acoustics (for lack of a better word) render it to a defacto mono. A mono mix would be appropriate.
That's the kind of advice I was hoping for.
@Scott & Jim: Thanks for the advice to roll the low end down a bit.
@Jim & Danny: I'm still working at trying to find the problem with the drums, I'm just not hearing it.
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You did a great job with the snare drum! Maybe I would try a little bit of reverb on it, just to see if it works.
Overal, it sound much better to me.
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+1 @Cerio.
I'm thinking you all are going to have fun. Let us know how it goes.
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Cerio, I was avoiding reverb in the mix because of the "venue" this will be played in: an elementary school gym. An overabundance of natural reverb there.
If I ever record the song, I'll definitely play with some reverbs.
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