How do i get that IN YOUR FACE sound.

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:34 pm

As Remy said, mixing in stereo would certainly help you take your mixes beyond the 1st dimension. Also, if you want your guitars to have more presence in the mix, don't suck so much midrange from them. Mids can be friendly. The phasing is really hollowing out your mix, especially since it's in mono. Do you know what phasing is? Some people don't, everyone should. You can compress the shit out of your guitar, but it won't bring back the sounds you cancelled out before they had a chance to meet your hard disk.

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:11 pm

When you're setting your input gain set it to just below the clipping, then try to record everything seperatly if you can. THEN pan things out (depending on how you're miking drums pan cymbals left and right, toms mid left,midright, snare and kick in the center) then take your two rhythm guitar tracks pan those right and left (100/-100), bass in the center, and then you have much more control over your levels and a in your face sound, but that in your face sound takes time to come, you have to be patient and don't expect it to sound in your face while you're tracking, that comes later on in the process when you're mixing

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:06 am

Whoever suggested programmed or looped drums for in your face sound hasn't had success recording live drums. You can't get more in your face than with live drums. They move air and push diaphrams. You hae to go after purity and clearity. Remy is right. Less is best unless your talking breasts (hey that may be a lyric someday when the 80's come back in) Anyway, look at the manual for your mics and get familiar with the pickup pattern of the microphone. This will prevent positioning errors such as cross cancelling. Cross cancelling is like taking the wind out of your sails. Tune great, perform great and capture the purity and clearity of the drums.
Tommy

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:39 am

No u don't compress the mics, u get what's called "unity gain" where the level is just below clippage. Anyway use the faders on your program to turn up your volume. Don't be afraid of those! That's half the key to getting the in your face sound. Mic closer to your amps, all compression does is even out the overall level: it brings soft sounds up, and loud sounds down just about (though that'sm ore like a limiter). Anyway like i said use thefaders on your program after you've recorded to bring your guitars out of the mix, and use some eq damnit!

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:07 pm

A couple of thoughts.

1. Sounds like there is alot of space between the mic and the cabinet of the guitar amps. As was earlier stated record guitar track 1, hard pan to the left, record guitar track 1 again (physically replay it on another track in unison with the 1st take) and hard pan that track to right. That will fatten up your guitar riff and make it sound more "in your face." Try losing any reverb and mixing the 2 tracks to remain at the same volume so it really sounds like one big guitar.

2. Drums sound like you used 1 or 2 mics to pick up the set and they sound far away. Try close micing snare and bass drum (watch for clipping) then use 2 overheads for the sound of the entire kit. If you have the mics to do it, mic all drums up and run a pair of overheads. Pan the overheads to taste to give the kit a more realistic spacial representation (I ussually pan overheads around 30%). In most cases I can think of, the bass and snare should run down the center of your mix.

3. DONT GIVE UP. You will keep working at it and eventually each mix will sound better than the last. That really should be everyone's goal. I think Outkast said that "you're only as good as your last song." I think that is true in recording as well. Keep trying to improve. There is no such thing as the perfect mix (but the Beatles got pretty freakin close!)

Peace.

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 5:28 am

xX5thQuarterXx wrote:

Right now when i record through my Firpod into cubecase, it sounds like i just threw up a couple room mic's and thats it. How do i get that sound when it actually sounds like the instruments are IN your speakers.....Im talking about every and any rock song.....the instruments do have reveb but they dont sound like there 30 feet away....and way to fix this? Im almost positive its in a way how i position the mics with the shape of my room. (or so im guessing)

So far several good posts suggesting issues to consider for getting miked instrument tracks.

Taking your query seriously for getting "in your face" sound quality suggest considering HRTF (dummy head) 2-channel stereo-surround mic positioned in ONE place in your room, recording each instrument track as 'stage blocked' stereo within that room. Louder instruments may be placed more distant and off to one side, while softer instruments might be closer, even positioned behind the stationary positioned HRTF mic. Later in post all stereo tracks are mixed mostly 'one-to-one' after adding effects to create a mix down copy.

Explanation of this technique at www.sonicstudios.com/multitrk.htm

Recorded examples HRTF sessions at www.sonicstudios.com/mp3_2slp.htm

Listen especially to Dale Inskeep's acoustic guitar sessions where he plays 2 or more different instruments and does the suggested stereo track mix down so everything melds to sound simultaneous with great sounding room acoustics.

Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:29 pm

Nice compression, and nice reverb processing thats all i can say lol. thats what makes it sound in ur face as in a live setting reverb and compression come naturally.

Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:52 pm

I can't believe no one has mentioned EQing the guitars. Do some cutting at the lower end and boost some at the mid to high end which is kind of what the "presence" knob is for on your amp. I don't know what frequencies are good starting points for electric guitar. Look at an eq website.

I think that could make a difference.

Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:27 pm

I would not recommend verbs for in your face sound.

First off, if you want the whole thing to be in your face, that is mixing and mastering. As someone else suggested, keep instruments in their place f band wise.

If you are going off of what you hear on the radio and on modern rock CDs, they majority of that is hard compression/limiting. The RMS is increased to a constant, all dynamics are eliminated.

Sound, tonally, like if you want big huge vocals, there mic and preamps that are for that. You would not want to use this on everything, but usually to highlight vocals or a solo instrument.

What you are gonna find, without the best of the best rooms, gear, and quality compression, etc, it is practically impossible to capture that huge commercial sound.

Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:41 am

I was at one time having some problem with the kick drum sound. Then my assistant was adjusting while I was moving the mics and we got "the sound"

During mixdown I noticed that "the sound" was the mic clipping.

Now the mic always clips the converter when I record that sound.

If it sounds right it is right.

peace
PHil

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