Grateful Dead Music Forum

Band debate on mixing recordings ...

When I listen to the Dead, I'm really into hearing the interplay between the rhythm, lead, keys and bass, particularly during the jams, and I think all the instruments should be pretty equal in the mix aside from the panning. It never seemed to me like you would be hearing Garcia's guitar way out front if you listened over headphones. I'm referencing, like, 1973-74 in my mind here.

Tell me who's too loud or too soft in this brief snippet from the end of Eyes of the World from Friday. I'm getting differing opinions from everyone ... this one thinks he's way too loud, this one says he can't hear himself.



http://www.playingdead.net/eyessnip.mp3

playingdead wrote:Band debate on mixing recordings ...

When I listen to the Dead, I'm really into hearing the interplay between the rhythm, lead, keys and bass, particularly during the jams, and I think all the instruments should be pretty equal in the mix aside from the panning. It never seemed to me like you would be hearing Garcia's guitar way out front if you listened over headphones. I'm referencing, like, 1973-74 in my mind here.

Tell me who's too loud or too soft in this brief snippet from the end of Eyes of the World from Friday. I'm getting differing opinions from everyone ... this one thinks he's way too loud, this one says he can't hear himself.



http://www.playingdead.net/eyessnip.mp3

I thought it sounded pretty good for a practice tape ....
Bass and keys on the loud side ...
Bob could be a bit louder ...
Jerry sounds good ...
Sounded like the Dead ...

Hey man
Any chance you have any tapes of your band with out the Jerry guitar ?
For jam along purposes ?
Peace

I'm sure this won't help...because I listened and right away thought that I couldn't really hear the keys...and the bass was coming through, but it could have been bumped just a bit...then I read the first response and it said bass and keys "too loud". What the hell do I know. The interplay between the rhythm guitar and the lead sounds "just exactly perfect" to my ears. That section of music is quite a daunting task. You guys are all very talented.

To my ears it sounds dead freakin' on. Your playing is getting better and better.

LOL

I can't hear the damn kick drums, that's all I know. I could've sworn they were nice and loud earlier in the show.

It's not a practice tape, it's a live performance. And I suppose I could make a 15-track mix, minus my lead guitar, especially since it went direct ... wait, that's heresy!

How about turning up/eq'ing the snare for more thwack + maybe getting the hi hat up front more (Billy) IMO.
Your Axes sound right on as does the Bass and Keys. You guys are smokin'!

Snare thwack = http://www.archive.org/details/gd74-06- ... sbeok.shnf

EXCELLENT PLAYING!!!!


Sounds like an late 80s GD mix IMO. With LOTS of Brent & Jerry and only Bobby here and there.

IMO, I'd up Bobby a smidge and put him on level with the keys. Up the kick drum and maybe play with the bass volume and leave him down in the groove and then up him a bit an the accents. But that's just my idea of how to get it to more 73-74.

Or maybe bring down Jerry and the keys a smidge. Actually I'd do that first.

Where's Healy when you need him?

We're limited to 16 channels, so we can't mic the high hats separately. In fact, our sound guy has been experimenting with the 9 channels we have available for drums, and on this night, only had a floor tom mic and overhead over the left drummer, three tom mics on the right drummer, kicks and snares on both. We need, like, three more channels. Or another 16-channel board to daisy chain with mine.

Yea at the very least bring up the snare and kicks so you get those much needed low freq's in there. You can def tell it's missing the low end of the drums to make the mix perfect IMO

Vic,

Even though I am coming at you as a bass player, I could stand to have the lead a little louder. I am also with you on the kick being louder, and I think the keys could come down just a bit. On a personal taste side, do you always pan the rhythm guitar and the keys to dead (pun intended) left and right? 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock would bring them together in the spread and have them wash over each other a bit. The drums are always tough to get right, as I said, bass player point of view.

Lembic

http://www.myspace.com/violinriver

Vic,
more Rythme guitar, not a ton, just a smidge, a peck, like you're kissing your sister. That and the snare's could have a little more snap. But that could be player related.

I listened to the whole set you posted at RD.org and thought it sounded great. Like a real in your face '74 mix.

~MJH
Ps. SOS on my AXefx envelope filter, how about a possible sysex file? I'm dying and I know i'm missing something simple. I love it/I hate it.

I think the levels are good - normally I can't hear "bobby", but in this one I can. Only suggestion would be to give the drums some more punch and depth. They sound a bit thin.

Thought it sounded great overall. Maybe rhythm a little low early, but that may be his playing level for that section. As for punching up the drums, how about getting each their own (or, maybe a shared) sub-mixer? You could pipe any number of combinations of different parts of the kits to different channels on the PreSonus... and they could either control their own mixes or the soundguy could do it at the board.

Thanks, you all. Constant work in progress.

If I can get the damn MIDI Yamaha interface working again on my Mac Pro, I'll get you the Qtron preset I did, Mike. But those settings I sent you were the ones I dialed in, as heard here ...

http://playingdead.net/082109estimated.mp3

More Kick... peak that thing PFL... notch 'er from 360 to 3600. make sure the kick peaks above the basses transients if possible.

More snare, just a smidge more... say +3db. Put the snare PFL slightly below the kick, the level the fader so that it's below the kick.

More drums in general... we know they sit in the back of the stage... but get them a bit up front in the mix.

Cymbals sound fine...

Bass is nice and full... and Big sounding!

Rhythm guitar fits in nicely... if you want to hear a lot of the Bobby, go listen to Ratdog!

last but not least... I GOTTA HAVE MORE COWBELL!!!!