Intonation Issues with Stringed Instruments

[Lagrange]

This is a f**king PLUGIN website for a godamn start, so it makes sense that most people are into audio technology! You pricks.

markanini: And never ever try to lighten the mood in a thread or ppl will go all yosimady sam on yo ass ..

[Amberience]

Exactly.

[uvacom]

Ronin is cool on the mandolin, just see if you can turn down that resonance to about 1/2 of where it's at now. It will make the mandolin easier to mix and it will sound more natural. You might even mix in a little more of the dry signal, I think that would improve the stereo image, the envelope follow effect sounds a little out of place coming so far from the right, but I think it would be just right for a dry mando sound.

The only thing I'd say it really needs is a sick 808 beat and a supersaw lead.

[bobby yarrow]

Removing the ronin effect will definitely make the problem go away. I wasn't listening for other problems, like wrong notes . . . I have no idea what notes you intended to play, and I only listened to about 5 seconds before it was obvious that you had something in your mix you either didn't know about or didn't mention.

Don't be puzzled. This is extremely simple. Don't let the noisefloor of this thread distract you from the obvious cause of your problem.

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And dude... please drop the accusational tone, maybe its the way I'm reading it, but it sounds like you're subtley trying to call us all stupid c**ts.

Well yeah it pisses me off when people that only listend to a only few seconds of the track claim to know the problem and call any other suggestions, which makes it mine in this case, noise.

I listened to the whole song, cause I liked it. The PROBLEM was obvious after 5 seconds. I don't know why you'd then ask about what mic he used, and whether the melodic progression was bothering him. If that's not more static than signal, I don't know what is . . .

I frankly still can't tell if this thread is a parody. I'm giving the original poster the benefit of the doubt.

[Lunch Money]

markanini: I gave exactly the response that the thread needed. I identified (correctly, I believe) the problem, as did several other people.

It's condescending of you to assume that because people didn't focus on the same "problem" (not a problem to my ears) as you that they're just technophiles and not "proper" musicians. Many of us are both. You're not so mighty a musician that you can judge people as "blind" for identifying a different problem. Nobody is.

And I listened to the whole track. Not just 5 seconds. As I'm sure others did.

Of all the judgmental condescending set of assumptions....

Greg

[Trevor Jackson]

Thanks for your comments, folks. I'm continuing to work with this mix with the insights you provided and will ask again for your thoughts on the final product with vox and electric guitar and keys.

T

[Foxglove]

Why not just make things simple and make another post without the Ronin effect. Then the war can rage on...

By the way, I really like the tune, but there is something fugly going on, but I'm having a problem catching exactly what it is...other than the "F" on the guit that's somewhat uncalled for.

[Trevor Jackson]

Okay, I'll post something later - sans Ronin. I'm at school now.

Cheers.

Why not just make things simple and make another post without the Ronin effect. Then the war can rage on...

By the way, I really like the tune, but there is something fugly going on, but I'm having a problem catching exactly what it is...other than the "F" on the guit that's somewhat uncalled for.

[egarrard]

Worse yet is the guitar playing a wrong note on the second minor chord in the chorus.

Try using a harmonizer effect on the mandolin. the varying pitch will tend to hide the discrepancy in his playing. Be light-handed with it though. His playing sounds fairly normal.

The bass sounds slightly flat to me. That may be what you're hearing.

(As an aside, lose that reverb off the vocal. It's horrid! A slight slap delay would have worked better. Oh, snare on one side of the stereo field and the sidestick on the other side is just wrong.)

[MotorMind]

I have a song with LOTS of different stringed instruments - bass, acoustic guitar, two electric guitars and a mandolin. None of the instruments have any inherent intonation issues and I tuned them all carefully before recording them but in the preliminary mixdown -- well, they sound like an amateur demo of a band that can't quite get in tune. They're not OUT of tune...just not in the pocket, so to speak.

It's impossible to get 100% accurate intonation on fretted stringed instruments. For bass and guitars you can get the Buzz Feiten system or fanned frets to alleviate the problem somewhat. Proper intonation can also vary between cultures and their respective instruments.

The only way to get better intonation is by going fretless, but that option is usually only valid for bass.

[bobby yarrow]

How do you know if a doublebass player is out of tune?

See if the bow is moving.

[MotorMind]

Removing the effect on the mandolin will not make the "intonation" problem go away. I think it should be obvious for even a non musician that the only problem was a few wrong notes on the guitar.

Plus the bass is tuned a little flat.