May 18th Update: I just got three of the twelve premastering mixes completely done through working together with PG Imsen (the coproducer) online. He was sitting in Gothenburg and I was here in the Southern part of Sweden and we fixed things in his Cubase version together. It's great to be able to work this way. An hour or two here an there, and we've been able to update all three so I can finally say that those tracks are completely ready for mastering. YAY! I wrote more in depth about this and life in general on my blog on www.featherheadmedia.com
Unfortunately, I have to pay him on an hourly basis as well. (He's worth it.) Want to help me do this blog and make new music? Why not become a Patreon patron. Here's the link: https://www.patreon.com/elisabethkitzing Thanks!
I love guitars. On the Change My Mind album, I have guitars on all of the tracks. Getting them to sound great is an artform which I am still trying to perfect. Here are some of the things I've learned along the way.
Guitar headaches
If there is one instrument that I haven't really been able to tame yet it is the sound of my guitars while recording. The room isn't acoustically treated yet so I can't use amps on my electric guitar, my acoustic guitar reflects off the walls and using a direct cable to record them has its problems too. I am almost never satisfied with the sound I have in my mixes, no matter how much I fix and trix with my vamps and plugins. I'm getting ever closer to what I hear in my head, but I'm not there. I have found that I can fix some of those issues with what I have available at home, sort of, but I never really get the sound I want. So I took a day to look at what I can still do about it and this chapter is the result. Of course there is much more to be said about this but this is a start. I hope it helps you, too.
The video on the top: addresses the issue of frequencies that should be swept and destroyed and goes through proper compression settings.
EQ: Jason Moss says that there are two areas to watch out for are the lower mids at about 150 to 350 Hz. (especially acoustic guitars). Boominess can be found here. Also around 2 - 4 kHz, the upper mids (often acoustic guitars) , you can often find problems - frequencies that sound harsh and tinny (especially electric guitars). So, sweep around and take 'em down. (Do so in the context of the mix.)
He uses a sweep and destroy setting on an EQ with these values: single band; +18 dB gain; Q = 8; Frequency 10Hz.
Compress carefully: Another thing he mentions here is the importance of applying the compressor correctly. If you attack time is too fast you can lose your punch when fingerpicking acoustic guitars. Most ppl over compress their electric guitars, too. Be careful always.
A great article about recording guitar:
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-acoustic-guitar - Read it if you are aguitarist. It is deep.
Musician on a mission gives you these 7 tips:
1. Never EQ a guitar in solo. Always do it within the context of the mix.
2. Mute unnecessary channels and/or unnecessary parts before you start enhancing anything. You NEVER need, at most, more than two guitars playing the same thing. If you have two. Let one guitar play the lower part and another play the melodic part. This is something I've had to correct in my mixes. I had two acoustic guitars, one left and right, and two electric guitars, one left and one right - ALL playing the same exact chords in the same exact positions. This has made my mixed muddy and cause phase issues as well. It's called growing up.
3. Balance the guitar parts against each other and make sure that they don't distract from the lead vocals AND no too quiet so that they get lost in the mix.
4. Process the group on a mixed bus to save time and CPU unless they need to be treated separately.
Generally you want to use a slower attack time on the guitars unless it is a really aggressive guitarist who is picking too hard.
5. Don't be afraid to cut the high mids and the lows aggressively! He recommends cutting the highs above 10 kHz on an electric guitar. (Anything above 5 kHz you don't really need.) Less high end is experienced by the listener as moving something farther away, i.e. giving the guitars a place further back and respectively moving the vocals forward. (You can even cut the highs on your reverbs to get them to move backwards in the mix).
6. Don't be afraid to boost the upper mids. But if you do, you may have to lay in a cut a bit higher or lower to compensate for the additional dB.
Practice makes perfect: So, I went into the song I was mixing and went through the guitars, one by one to check in context the things mentioned in both videos. I have already done this before (in solo during the prep stage) so it was just a last check to see if I hear anything crazy stuff going on before I say I am done with the mix.
Amp Simulators
Today many people use amp simulators on their tracks. It's easier than setting up a mic and less expensive than all those foot pedals and cables. But it can sound wrong. Deathly wrong. In my effort to find why my guitars sound tiny I watched this. Really good video. Check it out.
Guitar Tips
BTW: a great way to avoid many of the problems with recording guitars is to read this article from ReverbNation before you start:
http://blog.reverbnation.com/2018/05/16/10-things-to-do-before-recording-guitar/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=an-2018-05-16-recording-guitar
After all, getting a great recording from the start is like pulling together great raw ingredients for a chef about to make a great meal. So, take time to make sure that everything is in order before you record. This will make mixing so much easier!
And here are some good warm ups for you as a guitarist
https://www.guitarplayer.com/technique/warm-up-time-11-exercises-that-will-help-you-play-even-better
That's all for today.
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An Indie Musician's Diary VOL. 1
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