hey, thanks in advance for even clicking this post. also sorry in advance for my complete lack of knowledge in this field, i'm unfortunately completely new to this (tired of hearing that yet?).
i just bought a BOSS BR-1600CD, and have recorded a song (i'll break the tracks down for you below). it sounds awesome through the Samson CH700 headphones i use (i can't afford monitor speakers), and everyone who has heard it says it sounds great and want a copy on CD, but when i burn it to a CD, the guitar sounds incredibly harsh, and doesn't seem to have any bottom-end to it (too high, even though tuned in Eb). it just sounds... i'm not sure how to put this articulately... but... the guitars sound like they're played on a different stereo than the bass and drums. sorry that's so damned vague. the lead guitar and rythm guitar, while in perfect time with each other, sound somewhat disconnected, maybe a panning issue.
if anyone can help with these problems, i would be forever grateful. i've got a lot of music that wants to come out, and it just kills the mood when it sounds great on my studio, but terrible on CD.
the tracks are broken down like this:
# Name (pan, EQ high, EQ mid, EQ low)
1.) Guitar Intro (center) this one sounds fine. lots of reverb and chorus.
2.) Lead Guitar (46L, +4dB, -12dB, +10dB)
3.) Rythm Guitar (46R, +3dB, -12dB, +20dB)
4.) Bass (center) this is fine too.
15/16 (stereo).) Drums (center) these are fine.
if you can see a problem please let me know. anything helps.
thank you again.
Comments
Music_Junky wrote: does it sound harsh when you listen to your c
Music_Junky wrote: does it sound harsh when you listen to your cd with your Samson headphones?
i just checked it out (running headphones connected to computer with computer's equalizer turned off), and it still sounds great through the headphones. the problem is most noticeable in cars, and true surround stereo systems.
thanks.
Music_Junky wrote: Monitoring on headphones only is very hard an
Music_Junky wrote: Monitoring on headphones only is very hard and i do not recommend it
would it help to listen to the song i recorded both by listening to it through the headphones, and by hooking the studio up to the surround sound system?
are there really any good ways of monitoring, shy of actually buying monitor speakers? if so, do you know any cheap speakers that are actually below the $400's?
The most important part of monitoring on any system is using ref
The most important part of monitoring on any system is using reference songs (songs you like and know by heart). Find out how they sound compared to yours.
It's always a good idea to listen to your mixes on multiple speakers, so yes hook your studio to your surround system and compare how it sounds to your reference.
Do a search on the site on this topic there is endless knowledge here.
I have not been doing this for a long time but most of the things I know I learned on this site. There are so many talented people spending time on this site helping people like you and me and I am so thankful for it.
Well, lets see... hmmm, all lows and no mids on the gtrs eh? And
Well, lets see...
hmmm, all lows and no mids on the gtrs eh? And it still has no bottom end?
I would try starting there. Something is wrong there. You shouldn't need such radical EQ.
Unless of course the gtr's aren't being mic'd properly, in which case it's - can open... worms everywhere.
Yeah, and lots and lots of listening on different systems as already suggested.
You might want to do some experimental mixes of just the gtrs.
- Do 3 or 4 mixes of just about 30 secs of the song- gtr's only.
- First with no eq, then try a just a little less mid and a little more bottom. etc.
- Listen listen listen (on different systems) and take notes.
- keep tweeking until you get it.
enjoy.
As a general rule, if you're having to tweak the EQ in mixing mo
As a general rule, if you're having to tweak the EQ in mixing more than a few dB in either direction, the tracks weren't recorded properly in the first place. Such radical EQing (+3dB, -12dB, +20dB... wow!) is bound to create some very unnatural sounding tracks.
Step 1: Plug guitar into amp.
Step 2: Get the tone you want FROM THE AMP
Step 3: Work with mic-placement until the sound coming from the amp is the sound coming from your studio monitors.
If you get it right from the source, you may not need ANY EQ in mixing.
Finally, if you're not already doing this, start flat and EQ your guitars with the whole band in the mix. Don't bother boosting in the low end where the bass instruments are already living (ie: if you're adding 80hz to the kick and 100hz to the bass, boosting in this range for the guitars will probably just muddy things up). Instead, look for freq. ranges where the bass and drums arn't very present (ie: midrange!) and fit the guitars in there.
does it sound harsh when you listen to your cd with your Samson
does it sound harsh when you listen to your cd with your Samson headphones?