PDA

View Full Version : My First Reaper Mix | "Jagatron" - Instrumental / Post-rock


alvinseah
02-09-2012, 11:46 PM
Hi guys,

I'm new to the whole recording / mixing art form and just want to share my first attempt at Reaper. Not even sure about the correct workflow and most things I've tinkered with (Comp, EQ, Limiter, etc.) as I've just used my intuition to get along. I know there's a lot of room for improvements and would love to hear it from you guys so that I can get my learning curve on the right track.

Both electric guitar and vdrums were recorded via direct line-in @ MacBook Pro (do I need to get an interface / external soundcard?) Amplitube was used to process the clean signal from the guitar.

All comments and criticism appreciated.

Link to song: http://soundcloud.com/alvinseah/jagatron

jopatius
02-11-2012, 07:10 AM
A very nice, tasteful, moody instrumental here. Good job with the guitars! If this really is your fist attempt, you have a promising future!

When the drums came in, they were very "back" in the mix. It gave a bit of a "surrealistic" effect, as if you were saying "here are the drums, although there really shouldn't be any drums here" which is OK if that is what you wanted to say.

alvinseah
02-11-2012, 08:47 AM
Hey thanks! Honestly I wasn't expecting any feedback.

Actually I'm not sure if I consciously wanted to the drums to be "back" in the mix. It could be a result of inexperienced mixing or just pure naive intuition without being influenced by styles or rules set by "industry standards". But that's the beauty of creating music. There are no rules in creativity, only boundaries. The contradiction in me is that how do I break the rules when I don't know much of the rules to begin with?

For instance, the guitar used in this track had really old (over a year) rusted strings. I've read that the tone and sustain would be pretty dead. So I've decided to put on a new set of strings and recorded another song. What I've discovered is that yes the new strings sounds bright and full of life but it is also very "twangy". I find myself liking the sound of dead strings much better. It's like using old, used and scratched camera lenses to get that visual aesthetics which brand new equipment doesn't give you. Does this make sense?

Anyway, here's the link to the second song for comparison:
http://soundcloud.com/alvinseah/arvasong



A very nice, tasteful, moody instrumental here. Good job with the guitars! If this really is your fist attempt, you have a promising future!

When the drums came in, they were very "back" in the mix. It gave a bit of a "surrealistic" effect, as if you were saying "here are the drums, although there really shouldn't be any drums here" which is OK if that is what you wanted to say.

Lake
02-13-2012, 03:43 PM
Just caught your Jagatron mix - Nice theme and sweet sounds... Reminds me of some place I've been before...

Keep up the good work amigo!

voodoojuiced
02-13-2012, 03:57 PM
I like your vibe, man.