Nice tracks and a fun song to mix!
Nicely recorded and more than enough happening in the song so it was easy to focus on mixing instead of fixing. I focused mainly on vocals and drums, and tried to create some dynamic between the song parts with automation (pan, level, effects). I wanted a create some old school hip-hop/funk feel, but still having the feel off a modern mix.
I started with gain staging and setting a initial mix with levels and pan, and then made some mixbus decisions (so that I was mixing into it):
On the
mixbus I have a little glue compression. I started using two compressors in series lately, barely moving the needles: shadow hill and API 2500 on this song, not much compression but adds some colour, there is a EQP-1A for colour, slate saturation and some EQ scooping out some mid freq and trying to get a touch better separation by removing low (under 100) from the sides to concentrate the low end.
There is a parallel compression mixbus track feed into to mixbus for added punch (Fabfilter-C)
There is some level automation on most tracks (also some minor level adjustments on the Mixbus) and there is also some panning automation on break and verses (a narrower mix on verses). Effects are also automated on most tracks if it is used.
Both
vocals have the same chain: Neve 1073 - Pro-Q3 (Low pass)- Pro-Ds - Fairchild 670, EQP-1A (For some body) - Maag EQ4 (for top) - RVox - Soothe2 - LVOG - Fabfilter Saturn 2 (The kings microphones is also on, but only in the break)
Both Vocals are sent to a EMT140 plate, a Lexicon 480 verb, a parallel compressor (1176), a 1/16 delay (echoboy), valhalla Shimmer, a CLA epic Throw, a Morphoder track (whisper) and a Crunch track (Devil-Loc). Not all at once; especially the shimmer and throw are automated just to be there in transitions and gaps.
Guitars are very simple, EQ for low pass and deducting some 300Hz, a parallel compression (1176) and Fabfilter Timeless automated for transitions and end. Valhalla Reverb on both.
The Solo guitar goes via a Neve 1073, VMS (eq and compression) and a Fairchild 670 (Ocean Way). Compression to even it out a little, but the 670 also for color.
Keys has a low cut and a massive Passive eq for adding a nice top.
Organ has a low cut and some eq to make it mix in well.
Brass Low cut, Massive Passive EQ ond some added top with Maag EQ4. Sent to a valhalla reverb and shimmer
Bass has a EQ to remove middle and make room for kick, a sansamp for some drive and top, RBass compressor, Soothe and lastly Spiff for top.
Drums Bus has a EQ for adding some top and making room for bass, and a Echoboy for effects in the end (not using bypass but instead mix level automation, so there is a little bit on the whole track, it was a mistake initially but it gives it some color nad i wanted to leave it in). It is feed into a lexicon 224 room verb.
Kick has Dverb, a EQ to find top and bottom and scoop out mids, a MH thump for some added low end and a decapitator.
Snare has a API VLC adding bottom and top, removing some 240Hz, Spiff for some top and a decapitator. It is then sent to a lustrous plate that is heavily modified. Reverb time is set to fit between beats, and a lot of top and bottom snare sound are EQed in and mid and low end subtracted.
The
overheads have EQ on it with focus on cutting lows (low cut under 100) adding top, snare and toms to the mix using the OH EQ.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tkdcl3gytqobs ... 1.wav?dl=0
44.1KHz, 24Bit
Lufs 18,5 (int)
Peak -2,2