Cowboy Nudes
Song Choice
For my Recording & Mixing project, 'Cowboy Nudes' was chosen by my group and I. The reason for this choice is because my group and I were familiar with the song, all being fans of the band. This song also provided a lot of creative decisions for our remix, in the 'shoegaze' style, which was very important to us as a group. Working on a song that I enjoy personally maintained a positive work ethic on the track, as well as allowing my group and I to learn about how parts of the song were recorded and played.
The reason we chose to remix this song in a 'shoegaze' style is that it provides a challenge while mixing that remains interesting and allows us to learn how to work within a new genre that we weren't as familiar with as others.
The Recording Process
The first thing that my group decided for our project was which studio we would use for our track. The studio picked by us was SSL2, chosen for its versatile and consistent sound. This was important to us as it allowed for us to choose our room to sound not as dry as Audient, and not as reverberated as SSL1.
Microphone Choice
For our drumkit, we used an Audix i-5 for the snare, a spaced pair of Sontronics STC-1's as overheads, and a Lewitt LCT-040 for a hi-hat mic. For the floor tom, we used an Audix D4 and for the rack toms, a pair of close miked Audix D2's.
The set of Audix drum mics were used because they were available in the tech base, as well as we like how they sound. The Sontronics STC-1's were chosen because of their balanced frequency response, which would be good for our full-kit sound.
For all of the guitars, We used a Headrush Pedalboard amp and effects simulator, this is so we could have the maximum amount of control possible for our sounds to allow more room for a good mix. We also used a D.I box, allowing us the option to re-amp the guitars or to have a blend of D.I and Amp Sim to create more interesting sounds for our mix.
For bass, we used a Fender Rumble amp for a clean and balanced tone, as well as a D.I box which allowed us more opportunity to play with our sound and re-amp if necessary.
For vocals, we used an AKG C-414. My group and I picked this mic as a condenser microphone is good for capturing a large range of frequencies required to have an accurate representation of the voice. Furthermore, I think that this microphone sounds really nice and that is important to me.
Microphone Techniques
For the toms, snare, bass drum and hi-hat, we used a close microphone for each only a few inches away from the drum/cymbal. Our overheads we used a spaced pair technique for an accurate representation of the stereo space.
For the guitar, we used a Chapman t-style with minibuckers in the Headrush Pedalboard. With the Amp/FX sim we emulated an off-axis Shure SM57 capturing a Marshall-style amp (with added effects such as distortion/overdrive and compression) because it was a sound that we enjoyed personally that fit the tone of the song. For the rhythm guitars, we recorded double tracks. However, for the
For vocals, we sat our performer roughly 12 inches away from the microphone, set up with a pop filter and a small vocal booth attachment.
For bass, as well as the D.I box, we close-miked the amp on-axis for a clear sound that is filled with low end.
The Mixing Process
For this mix, it was important to stay true to the distorted and wall-of-sound textures of modern Shoegaze, while balancing clarity from each instrument. This was difficult to achieve and required a lot of problem solving in order to execute well.
Listed below are the tracks, their intended sounds, and techniques used to ensure these goals were met.
For more in-depth screenshots of the mixing process, press the button below.
Vocals
For the vocals, inspired by bands like Fleshwater and Slowdive, I wanted the vocals to sit further back in the mix and act almost like another instrument, contrasting with standard mixes for genres such as Pop or Rock.
To achieve this, I first ensured that the vocals were dynamically consistent using a slightly heavy compressor. I then used Fabfilter Pro-Q 2 to remove unnecessary frequencies (below 140Hz) and shape the vocals to increase clarity and remove potential mud in the low mids.
My third vocal track is used in the bridge section (1:14) and outro (2:30) additionally features a heavy EQ that emulates the sound of radio receivers or old phones, this was a creative choice made to sound like the speaker is coming through a large Public Announcement system and have a stand-out part of the song.
I then balanced the vocals to where I liked, with the main two vocals being moderately panned left and right, and the PA vocal in the centre.
Finally, I sent all 3 vocals to an Aux (Auxiliary) track for reverb to create a consistent sound for my vocals.
Drums
The drum sound was inspired mostly by the D.I.Y punk and emo scenes, with a sound like a "bad recording" that is dirty and punchy.
In order to achieve this sound, I added a limiter to my drum bus to boost transients and add more punch to the sound. To fit the D.I.Y sound of shoegaze, I also added the AiR Lo-Fi plugin to reduce the quality of my drum's sound. This plugin also slightly distorted the drum recording, which added further to the dirt of the sound.
Though this mostly worked to help the drums hit through the track, there were still issues with my kick and snare not having as much impact as I had hoped.
To remedy my weak-sounding kick, I adjusted the compressor and flipped the phase of the track which made the kick sound clear and punchy.
Guitars
The intended sound overall for the guitars was to have them act as a wall of sound, also inspired by bands like Fleshwater and They Are Gutting A Body of Water.
For my main rhythm guitars, the constant strumming and hard distortion made it hard for the guitars to have a clear feeling of rhythm, making them act as big walls of noise. To combat them adding mud to the mix, I used an EQ to cut out unnecessary low frequencies as well as boosting high-mids. These guitars were then compressed and sent to the Aux reverb track. I also added the same processing to my low rhythm guitars in the bridge section (1:14)
For my "clean/crunchy" rhythm guitar, I wanted its cleaner sound to define the rhythm and add some extra textures to the instrumental. To allow this guitar to have maximum clarity, I first EQ'd it and then ran it through a limiter to add some punch and dirt to it. Other than these changes, I felt the raw sound of the guitar recording was good and did not need further tweaks.
I wanted my main lead guitar to pierce the mix a little, always having a space in the song either as an added texture or (as heard in the outro) a more standard lead guitar. To achieve this I added an EQ that shapes the sound to make it stand out more. This track was also compressed and sent to the guitar Aux reverb track.
Finally, for the leads on my bridge, I added an EQ to cut out unnecessary low frequencies and sent them to the Guitar Reverb Aux Track.
Bass
For the bass bus, I added an EQ which cut out very low frequencies and boosted a little high-mids, I did this to give room for the kick's bottom end and to add a piercing/hissy sound to the bass.
Though I did not add any extra processing to the D.I bass, for the miked up amp bass I added an overdrive that emulates an Ibanez Tube Screamer because I wanted a distorted bass for the track.