https://www.dropbox.com/s/aeonz014iom8m ... g.wav?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fh0a6ug38neoq ... g.mp3?dl=0
My first attempt here, hope I fit all the parameters. Here's my session notes:
Civil War Mix Notes:
I sub grouped all of the instruments that I wanted directly working together.
Ex: Drums, E Bow, Strings, Acoustics, Resonator/E.Gtr, BVs, etc. Each sub group has some element of compression all sent to a Mix buss. 2 buss is loaded with an SSL Comp with a late attack and a release that is timed with the Kick hitting around -3dB. Kramer Tape adds some depth and grit.
With the drums, I doubled the kick drum and treated each one for a different bass frequency using RBass and a Pultec. 60hz focus on one, and 80hz on the other. Both are gated for a nice punch. I didn’t like the low, loose, muddy kick in the demo, so I made sure mine was defined and punchy. Kicks are muted on the intro. The “kick far” I tuned down a step and a half to be a pitch which was more appropriate for the key of the song. It’s panned just off center L and accentuated at 250hz. The top snare is gated and an SSL EQ is generously coloring it’s sound along with an additional EQ cutting a good amount of 400hz. SN bottom is also an SSL EQ. There is a comp/eq/reverb send that is muted and opened on the third beat of each snare hit. It adds a more aggressive hit along with a subtle reverb tail. I find that if you leave an open reverb on any drum it mucks up the mix. So this only opens and closes to fill that space. No muck. Floor tom is muted until the final hit. Big and bold, it is panned hard Right. I used the mid/side Rooms as Hard L/R stereo pair. The mid, I delayed 25ms to add space. Both are compressed at about -4. The Drum Sub group has an SSL Comp with the slowest attack and fastest release with a 4/1 ration tickling the drums. EQ adds some upper register, a very small amount of TrueVerb and a Bx-Solo adding a pinch of stereo.
Shaker sounded great. I compressed it a bit and found a slightly left side placement inside the drum sound.
Ebow is there as a pad. Fader move in the instrumental section gives it some more voice. Modest compression on the sub group, no EQ no FX.
Strings are pretty useful in the track. Since there’s no bass, I’m relying on the “low string” for the low end of the track. It has an RBass accentuating 150hz, a C4 hanging onto the low end and a limiter to keep it right where I want it the whole time. Hi String is panned hard R.
GTRS: The acoustics are panned mostly left, I added some harmonic saturation, Eq in the upper register and a modest amount of compression. Same thing with the Resonator. The e. gtr has a bump at 250hz and a side chain compressor that ducks 4-6 db when the vocal is active. That way, I could keep it nice and hot in the middle of the mix but it still gets out of the way of the vocal. The Electric and Resonator are grouped and panned towards the right side. There is a ping pong delay on one of the resonator tracks that is gated to only pick up the accented hits and is in true stereo. It has a wide pan which gives a wonderful sense of space between left and right. And because it only opens on certain notes, it’s subtle and doesn’t muck up the mix. Resonator fader moves on transitions and in the instrumental.
With the Lead vocal, I mean, it was recorded with two incredible mics, I used them both, the 251 as my center with LA-2A, some EQ to overall brighten and add tone. There is a pinch of Hall reverb on there, almost none, but just enough. The U47 I panned off center R with a tape echo and an LA-2A. It’s sitting under the 251 in volume. So subtle, you wouldn’t notice it unless I muted it. No tuning.
The BVs are panned and exist mostly on the left side. I rode the fader to make sure their tails really came through. The breathy stuff, weird, love it, used it, heavily. This is the one place where I really let the reverb be noticeable. I find that reverb just destroys a mix. So I save it for one or two things.
Any mid/side was dealt with phase, delay, panning or doubling.
But anyways