Artist Name: RT & The MusicRiders Title: Stuck at Home: Almost Near the End Genre: Rock Rating:
Equipment
AKG 414 XLS mic, Logic Pro, Superior Drummer 3, iZotope Neutron 3, Ozone, RX-7.
Music
“Stuck at Home: Almost Near the End” is a male vocal rock song written by Brad and Steve Rider (The MusicRiders). Steve handled all of the instruments and recording except for the lead guitar, which Brad did remotely. Steve and Tom Warden collaborated on the mixing.
Reviewed By Marty Peters
Steve and company have weighed in with a slightly Latin-tinged rock song here that could use a bit of sonic unveiling to reach its maximum potential. After several listens, it’s apparent that all of the ingredients are present for a really successful track, yet the overall mix is exceedingly linear through our monitors. Let’s sort it out.
Suggestions
Achieving depth in a mix is about balancing factors including frequencies, panning, processing, and perhaps most importantly, placement. The most successful mixes share energy among these various facets. While there are many ways to build a mix, we recommend that Steve and Tom start from the bottom up—the rhythm section. The drum arrangement is predominantly focused around wide-panned tom fills with little to no kick presence. This forces the bass guitar to center the mix. However, the bass also contains a lot of movement, resulting in the rhythm section having an unanchored feel. The additional instruments and vocals are also panned, in some cases right on top of the drums, so voilà〞linear mix. We would suggest that the guys go back to the drawing board and start a remix in mono. Yes, mono. In our opinion, a great tool to master depth of field is good old mono. Starting with the drums and bass, add in each successive sound source straight up through your vocals until your balances are, well, balanced, with plenty of perceived depth. Then engage judiciously applied panning, remembering to retain some energy in the center of the mix.
Summary
A place for everything and everything in its place!
Contact
Steven Rider, [email protected]