I mentioned some time ago that a friend and I were working on writing / mixing & producing a J-pop song (Japanese / Euro Pop) for the Japanese market! It has taken me ages, mainly due to buying & renovating a house / my job / having a girlfriend / and being Irish (a lot of drinking). As a result I have put in only around 1 hour every week to this project.
Anyway, this is my first attempt at a DAW recording (or any for that matter, bar a Tascam 4-track 10 years ago!) so please let me know if I..
a) can mix
b) can't mix and never will be able to do so
c) can sort of mix and might be able to mix one day
Any suggestions to the mix / song / mastering / mp3 encoding?
I have a very temporary website up at the moment, with the sole purpose of downloading the mp3 (2.3Mb), so please take 10 mins to d/load and listen to Mukai at the following address:
http://www.angelfire.com/home/loungefoot/id17.htm
Simply click on the Mukai MP3 link to d/load!
Thanks for your thoughts,
Simon :)
Comments
IMHO, as a first attempt, I give you better than a "c". I can ag
IMHO, as a first attempt, I give you better than a "c".
I can agree with Ang's overall critique, plus have a few other observations.
Not that I'm familiar with Japanese dance music, but I would have definately made it "'thump" a lot more, loosing the tambourine, and favoring a more heavy, continuous rhythm. Stronger, fatter synth sounds are definately needed. Definately, a little more aggression would be in order to coax people to the dance floor.
All in all, I'd say you were on the right track (no pun intended) in surrounding the vocalist's voice with appropriate instrumentation, however a little added "oomph" would only serve to make her sound better, and would not detract from her beautiful voice. In fact, her voice is so naturally wonderful, that you may be able to get away with just a llittle compression and an automated light echo here and there. Leaving vocals as bare as possible lets them stand out front more in a stronger mix.
Great job...definate potential. The high point and surprise to me was how well you got the MP3 to sound. Keep it up...
Guys, Thanks alot for your comments. I feel the same about the
Guys,
Thanks alot for your comments. I feel the same about the lack of thump and lack of grab in the song. Im gonna go back and try to implement a few of the suggestions you both made. Ill upload the new mix soon and let you know.
thanks a million for your help,
Simon :)
BTW, this sort of music ain't really my BAG! - just a bit of a marketing exercise long shot!
Not bad at all for first time out of the box! I'll give you a c)
Not bad at all for first time out of the box!
I'll give you a c).
General observations:
You've taken care to preserve the sound of each instrument pretty well, and the mix sounds fairly clean, but not what I consider "inspiring". Didn't make me wanna jump up and dance. The kick & snr need to "punch" a lot more. The hi hats are on the loud side, and the vocals a bit low for pop. The different instruments don't sound like they're part of the same song, if that makes any sense.
The funky wah type sound could have been used more aggressively. I probably would have focused on getting that sound to wrap around your head in 3D and drag you forcibly into the mix.
When you're mixing, stop every now and then to listen to other songs in the same genre, and see how your perspective compares. Not that you should try to sound like other people, but compare how much each mix makes you feel. If your mix doesn't inspire as much emotion, it's not gonna compete.
Hope that helps. Keep rockin! :)