https://www.dropbox.com/s/5kakzjemzq8os ... 2.wav?dl=0
This is long, please let me know if this is too much…I’m under the impression that the more detail the better here.
Beautiful song, and voice. Really wanted to highlight her vocals, and make sure that everything sounded polished and modern enough to fit into the pop category…but retain some of the organic feel of the track. My goal was to make it sound natural by enhanced.
I wanted to try out some Acustica Audio stuff…so I downloaded a demo of Gold (one of their Neve bundles) and had some fun. Also wanted to experiment with some Kush audio plugins, as I haven’t used them too much in a while. Most tracks got touched with this stuff, as well as other things.
I started off just balancing everything as best I could before I did any processing…tried to figure out all the parts and what they should be doing. This all may seem like a lot, but in a case like this I’m really using plugins for specific tasks, and I feel that when mixing tracks that were recorded through cleanish sounding gear, it can take multiple color pieces to really get it sitting well, and sounding like a record.
Here goes:
Drums: (AA Gold, PA Bx Subsynth, Crave EQ, Kush Omega TWK, SKnote Marconi, Slate VMR, EQ3 7, PA Bx SSL E, TL Space)
The bass drum got some Gold treatment, followed by the sub synth just to add a bit of bottom. I also used the Crave EQ for a small notch around 105hz into the Omega TWK transformer and Marconi (Sknote 1073) just to add more bottom.
Both snare mics were bussed to a snare aux, where I had Gold shaping it, then into Omega TWK and Marconi for more EQ.
Toms got bussed to a tom aux, and I just used the Gold plugins to shape them a bit.
Hi hat got the Digi EQ 1 band, followed by Crave EQ just for a bit of clean up.
OH’s were bussed to an aux…with Gold, the Slate DeEsser (to tame the harsh hi sizzle going on)…into Digi EQ 7 and topped off with the Omega TWK transformer.
Everything except the Hi hat was sent to a parallel crush bus with the Slate Distressor and “Hollywood” transformer on, mixed in slightly.
All Drums went to my drum master where I ended up putting on the SSL E channel, and boosted just 1.3 db at 50hz. Then the whole drum mix was sent a a bit to a “Drum Plate” setting I have with a Lexi 480 convolution package, within my TL Space plugin.
Orch Perc: (AA Gold, UAD Fairchild 670, PA Bx Subsynth, Kush Omega N, Sknote Marconi)
The sub synth is just adding a very little bit in the bottom to really give it some nice fatness when it hits. I used the Omega N this time for a thicker rounder sound. Marconi at the end boosting a bit more of that big bottom.
Bass: (AA Gold, Soundtoys Decapitator, Crave EQ, Kush Novatron)
I started off shaping the bass with the Gold channel strip, then fed it into Decapitator to add just a little bit of dirt to help it sit and pop in the mix. The crave EQ is just doing a small notch at 164hz…then I needed to tame the top end for some string noise and buzzing that was going on up there. I automated the EQ to pop in a filter in the top end and cut some of that noise whenever it became audible in the song. After all this, I still felt the bass was lacking…so I played around with compression and settled on the Novatron, which really helped make it bounce and pump in the right way for me.
Acoustics: (AA Gold, Kush Pusher, Kush Omega Transformers A/TWK/458a, LoFi, Kramer Tape, Waves F6, Kush Electra, Scheps 1073, UAD Real Verb, TL Space)
I did not use the Line acoustics, just the mics. Ac 1 and 2 are mostly hard left and right, except in the beginning I panned them slightly left of center for the little intro stuff. I thought it was distracting having them fly all over the place bouncing between the speakers in the intro. These two got the Gold channel strip for shaping the sound, then a bit of Pusher to help bring out different frequencies in each. Ac 1 got the Omega 458a transformer, Ac 2 got the Omega TWK, then both got some LoFi, using only the Saturation knob, set a bit differently b/c I felt that they were still a bit clicky. The solo guitar got the Gold treatment as well, then some Kramer tape mainly for a little bit of the echo, the Waves F6 to knock down some of the harshness. After all this I used the Electra to bring out the midrange of the solo guitar so it would pop out of the track more…into the Omega transformer and Lofi to help give it some vibe/warmth.
For the VI instrument Acoustics, I started with delaying one side a bit to add more width. From there I used a combination of the Scheps 1073 and AA Gold to shape the sound of it and add some character. Topped it off with Pusher to help bring out the “chuck” sound in parts.
Ac 1 had no reverb, Ac 2 went to a little bit of the Real Verb room, the solo got Real Verb room and a bit of the Plate which was an Echo plate in TL Space, and the VI inst Ac got some room.
Piano: (AA Gold, Sonimus Burnley 73, Crave EQ, Omega TWK, Waves F6, LoFi, UAD Real Verb, TL Space)
Started again with the Gold plugins to give character and shape it. Felt it needed more, so added the Burnley 73 on top taking out some 700, and added 220hz…also driving it a bit more for flavor. The Crave EQ is taking out a small notch at 4184 hz that annoyed me. Then into the Omega TWK for more color and to help it sound more real. I felt it was sitting ok, but was sounding thin in parts…so Waves F6 is controlling the midrange a bit more and boosting a little 270hz…then into LoFi with the saturation at one click (0.1) to take off just a bit of the pokey stuff.
It got a bit of room verb, and the echo plate.
Strings: (AA Gold, Softube Tape, Sonimus Burnley 73, Crave EQ, Kush Omega TWK/458a, Waves F6, LoFi, Alex Hilton A1 Stereo widener, UAD API 2500, Slate Verbsuite, UAD Lexi 224)
I treated the individual tracks a bit with the Gold plugins, just to shape them up. Also added some Softube tape to them and some widening using the A1. The violins got more treatment with the API 2500, I guess I felt they needed some control and color. Then into the Omega 458 to help take off the bite.
All strings then went to a String aux, with some Crave EQ on it giving it a little more fullness, cleaning up the bottom and notching some upper frequencies in spots. Finally the whole string bus went into the Omega TWK to again add color and take off the digital sound. This bus sent a bit to a Hall verb using the Verbsuite M7 setting, and then the 224 Hall setting for even more Lusciousness.
Lead Vocal: (AA Gold, Eiosis DeEsser, Kush AR-1, Crave EQ, Waves F6, Waves Q4, Sound Toys Radiator, PA Bx Digital v2, Waves MV2, TL Space, UAD Lexi 224, Sound Toys Micro Shift, Slate Repeater, UAD EP-34)
Geez that sounds like a lot! But again, everything is doing subtle things. I started shaping the vocal with the Gold channel strip, giving it some character and Neve love. This vocal was pretty sibilant, so then straight to the deEsser. I tried lots of compressors, and really liked with that Kush AR-1 did, so used it next. From there, the Crave EQ is adding fullness at 116hz, and a few notches in the mid range and up top where things were annoying me. The top end needed work so that it was bright enough for a pop track, but not too sibilant ripping my head off. Next, the F6 is doing some dynamic EQ in the low mids and the top, just controlling them more.
Then, the Q4 has two really severe but narrow cuts, with -15db at 3462 and -17db at 8354…taking out some annoying stuff. Again, super narrow cuts. Then into another Eiosis deEsser. Next, I put Radiator on to add a bit ore color, and boosted the low eq, and attenuated the top just a bit. Trying to warm it up some. Next, I still was fighting sibilance, so I tried different deEssers and landed on the bx digital v2 eq…only using the deEsser section.
FINALLY, I topped it off with the Mv2 from waves, which really helps a vocal pop out of a track
For effects, there is a bit of plate using the TL Space echo plate, some hall from the UAD 224, then a doubler using Microshift that pops in on the chorus’s only…a short 1/8 note delay using Repeater, and then a vibey delay that I used as more of a throw…this was the UAD EP-34.
BGV: (AA Gold, Eiosis DeEsser, Kush Omega TWK, UAD Real Verb, TL Space)
Started with the Gold plugins, then just a bit of deEssing and into the Omega TWK plugin for character. They sent to a bit of room verb and plate.
MIX BUS: (AA Gold, Slate VMR, PA Bx Digital v2, Softube Tape, UAD EQP-1A)
I was using the Gold compressor set to their 2254 model, into Slate VMR using VCC set to the SSL E channel, then into the Slate API EQ to shape the mix. I don’t typically use this on mix bus, but thought it sounded great here. The bx digital is very slightly widening (108%), then some mid side EQ to brighten the sides a tiny bit, and add punch in the mid channel. Softube tape is next just to help the track gel and somehow it made it more clear…then at the very end I decided it need a bit more smiley curve…so added the EQP-1A (Pultec) from UAD adding a little 20hz and 16khz…and ever so slightly attenuating the 20khz band. I was trying to get it to sound more “analog” or vibey.
More info:
Everything, except the drums, also went to a pair of UAD AE 1176’s set to dual mono, b/c I felt the whole track was lacking a bit of energy. This helped to make it bounce more and give it some spark.
Another thing I typically do, is have my vocals side chaining the music bus with a Waves F6…so that when singing it ducks a little around 1-3khz out of the music. I do this with the bass guitar, so that when bass is playing, all instruments except bass and drums of course, duck a little in the low end. This all just helps the track move, and clean up naturally. To do this all drums and bass go to a bus called bottom, then all other instruments end up in a Music bus, with lead vocals going straight to the mix bus.
That’s it…hope that isn’t too long and awful to read.
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