Alternative Metal Mix

RockWithMark

RockWithMark

New member
Hey guys,

I made a new mix, I was wondering what you guys think of it.
It's in the style of Breaking Benjamin, RED kind of stuff...

It's an intro only, but going to work on this as a full song!

https://soundcloud.com/until-the-aftermath/full-mix

Rhythm guitar is quadtracked (100%LR+80%LR)
2 tracks of Bass guitar (1 clean, 1 dirty)
2 tracks of Lead guitar (65%LR

Drums are Superior Drummer with EZX Metal Machine add-on.

Gear used:

- Ibanez RG721 tuned to Drop A# with Duncan Distortion for rhythm guitars
- Ibanez SR1205 bass guitar (vintage 1995)
- Mayones Setius GTM6 with Duncan JB with A8 modification for lead guitars


Please feel free to comment and give me some feedback for any improvements.

Kind regards,

Mark
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

There's a really nice weight in the bass and the lead sound is airy, well done!

I'd try to get some life and attack to the drums, room reverb is always quite handy ;) (and a tasty amount of comp, haha)

For the full mix are you going to make the rhythm guitar wall larger/wider? They could be raised up a notch :)

All in all, I like it alot!
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

Yeah the only thing I'd do is (like P.A.F. said) add some slight reverb to the drums.

Otherwise it's really, really good.
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

Wow thank you both, that means a lot to me! I've been spending years of gathering information and trying to mix my own music, I'm really glad that I'm finally getting the hang of this!

You have no idea how you helped me out with this, because now I know it translates well to other systems!

P.A.F. Do you have any tips on making the rhythm guitars sound larger/wider? Stereo Imager perhaps? Because I already panned it 100% L+R and 80% L+R :P

Kind regards,

Mark
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

RockWithMark said:
Wow thank you both, that means a lot to me! I've been spending years of gathering information and trying to mix my own music, I'm really glad that I'm finally getting the hang of this!

You have no idea how you helped me out with this, because now I know it translates well to other systems!

P.A.F. Do you have any tips on making the rhythm guitars sound larger/wider? Stereo Imager perhaps? Because I already panned it 100% L+R and 80% L+R :P




Kind regards,

Mark
Click to expand...

Well, this is just my own mixing without bass or vox but it's already smart EQd to the point that vocals and bass are easy to throw in.



The key is to leave breathing space to every instrument. Remember also to use as little gain as possible so that the guitar sound has good low end and headroom to it. In this recording there are too 4 guitar tracks, 2 left & 2 right panned quite similar to yours.

Your mix isn't bad at all and it has potential. Just tweak it more. Remember I'm no professional and these are just my opinions :) For example comp the snare more and give it a fast & wide reverb behind it. Cut the bass from 50hz and put a little notch to the 200hz so that it doesn't interrupt the snare. The bass is easier to control if you make 2 bass tracks: the other one is the clean signal and you only control the bottom end from there. The other is for the distortion and you should cut everything except mids from that track and put a ****load of distortion there. That makes the bass crunchier and it will sound huge.

Just my few cents :)
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

P.A.Foholic said:
Well, this is just my own mixing without bass or vox but it's already smart EQd to the point that vocals and bass are easy to throw in.



The key is to leave breathing space to every instrument. Remember also to use as little gain as possible so that the guitar sound has good low end and headroom to it. In this recording there are too 4 guitar tracks, 2 left & 2 right panned quite similar to yours.

Your mix isn't bad at all and it has potential. Just tweak it more. Remember I'm no professional and these are just my opinions :) For example comp the snare more and give it a fast & wide reverb behind it. Cut the bass from 50hz and put a little notch to the 200hz so that it doesn't interrupt the snare. The bass is easier to control if you make 2 bass tracks: the other one is the clean signal and you only control the bottom end from there. The other is for the distortion and you should cut everything except mids from that track and put a ****load of distortion there. That makes the bass crunchier and it will sound huge.

Just my few cents :)
Click to expand...

Wow, nice mix man, very clear, thick and raunchy guitar tone! What kind of amp/amp sim did you use for the guitars? They sound great :)
I can really imagine it with a thick growling bass underneath!

I already split my bass in two tracks, one clean and one dirty, but thank you for the tip, I just need to finetune it some more :) Should I lowpass the distorted bass track as well? So I only get that midrange crunch?
I'm planning on mixing again tonight, as I stripped every instrument of it's effects and amp sims, and kind of balanced it using the faders and pans only.

Thanks for the tips P.A.F. have a nice day!

Kind regards,

Mark
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

Yeah, take ALL the highs of from the bass and low cut it somewhere near 200-250hz. Adjust the high end to taste. It's just that when you add much grind to the bass the high end tends to get very ice pick-ey. You should cut it quite a lot :)

No problem, I'll follow your progress!

Have a nice day too,

Aleksi
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

P.A.Foholic said:
Yeah, take ALL the highs of from the bass and low cut it somewhere near 200-250hz. Adjust the high end to taste. It's just that when you add much grind to the bass the high end tends to get very ice pick-ey. You should cut it quite a lot :)

No problem, I'll follow your progress!

Have a nice day too,

Aleksi
Click to expand...

Damn, you have to cut it that far back huh? :) I had my LPF at 3000 hz haha! Thanks for pointing it out.

I will post the progress later this week, as I want to take the time for it, and ofcourse write more.

Kind regards,

Mark
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

Näyttökuva 2013-12-02 kohteessa 16.08.09.jpg

I usually start from something like this. Then of course you have to after-EQ things but just for the reference :)
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

P.A.Foholic said:
View attachment 48629

I usually start from something like this. Then of course you have to after-EQ things but just for the reference :)
Click to expand...
Thanks for showing me :) What bass guitar settings would you recommend for an Alternative Metal (think Breaking Benjamin etc.) type bass tone? I have Ampeg SVX, a big part of the bass tone of that band comes from an Ampeg as well, but I just can't seem to quite get it. I also have TSE B.O.D on my dirty track right now, as well.

Ít's not like it's my favourite band or so, but their production is just so insanely good, everything is really nicely balanced and blends in well, I like their tone a lot :P

I suspect it's the classic bass boost, mid-scoop, treble boost trick, a bit like the EQ of the guitars. Guitar settings for this style I go with: Bass: 6, Mid: 2-4, Treble: 8, Presence: 6-7ish.

Maybe you can chime in? :)

Thanks again!
 
Re: Alternative Metal Mix

RockWithMark said:
Thanks for showing me :) What bass guitar settings would you recommend for an Alternative Metal (think Breaking Benjamin etc.) type bass tone? I have Ampeg SVX, a big part of the bass tone of that band comes from an Ampeg as well, but I just can't seem to quite get it. I also have TSE B.O.D on my dirty track right now, as well.

Ít's not like it's my favourite band or so, but their production is just so insanely good, everything is really nicely balanced and blends in well, I like their tone a lot :P

I suspect it's the classic bass boost, mid-scoop, treble boost trick, a bit like the EQ of the guitars. Guitar settings for this style I go with: Bass: 6, Mid: 2-4, Treble: 8, Presence: 6-7ish.

Maybe you can chime in? :)

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Well, it depends so much on how your bass sounds. IMHO the best way to find a good bass sound is to plug your bass straight to interface without plug-ins and work your sound wit the active eq on bass (if you have active electronics ofc). When you find punchy & massive sound, record the song without plug-ins. Then do the above eq trick and apply plug-ins. Last but not least, find the sweet spots and give them a boost, remove harsh frequencies or boxyness. For the distorted channel I usually go with some guitar plug-in like Revalver's Peavey 6505 or some super gainy preset from EZMix.

Result: awesome bass tone
 
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