Hey all!
I have completed an update to our Gang of Five version of "If We Hold On Together". I have tried some new mixing tricks to attempt to improve the sound quality. The previous version didn't have the vocals sitting very nicely with the rest of the music and I have been trying to figure out a way to improve the overall blend.
This is what I came up with to clean up the song a little bit. I think part of the problem is that we all used different microphones in different rooms, but I'm sure it will still be possible to get this to sound good with enough effort! B)
What did I change exactly?
1) I changed the dynamic compression on each of the vocal tracks to match them up more closely with each other, volume-wise.
2) I applied an "Expand Stereo" effect to each of the vocal tracks. This doesn't do anything to the vocal track by itself, since it is a mono recording. What this does do, however, is expand the stereo environment of the reverberation effect, also applied to the vocals. In other words, the vocals now fill up more physical space and seem to resonate more around the music as a whole, instead of from one central location.
3) I fine-tuned some of the volumes and reduced the overall volumes of the vocals, matching them more closely with the music. The goal is to make the vocals and the music sound like they're being played in the same room.
4) I bought some
shiny new headphones for mixing on. These are from the Studio monitoring series by Sony, specifically designed for work like this, so hopefully with the help of these, this new version will sound a bit more cleaned up.
The thing is, music is very subjective. I'm sure some people will prefer the older version because the vocals were more pronounced and up-front. Now, they have been blended in with the rest of the music, creating a more homogenous sound at the sacrifice of the "studio mix" sharpness. This is what this song might sound like being performed on a large stage with the vocal mics set to a moderate level. The old version is more what it would sound like if the vocals were pasted on top of music and tweaked until they were really clear!
I personally prefer the more natural sound of this new version but it's all up to you! B)
Anywho, here's the updated version:
What do you guys think? Any comments are much appreciated! I'm trying to improve my mixing ability.
http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/friendsalways/index.html
