Hi all. I’m new to this forum, but have been using Audacity for a few months, initially with my High School students’ podcasts. Lately, I’ve been attempting to achieve a good “mix” of a live recording. We’re talking Death Metal here. A live performance (I’m the drummer) recorded in stereo (but with little separation due to the mic being toward the back of the venue) on a single Rode mic (with video). I obviously don’t have the capability of affecting volume or EQ on individual instruments – just overall. I’m interested in making the audio sound as good as possible, and wouldn’t even be making an attempt if it didn’t already sound pretty good: all 5 instruments are pretty equally audible. Kick drum and snare cut through. Guitar solos are audible.
I’ve doubled the tracks in order to pan them – to create some separation/width. I’ve played with both Equalization and Bass and Treble (the recording needs no extra treble). I’ve played around with compression, and have even added some reverb to one side, in order to try to get a “wider” sound.
In order to get the overall volume I need, the waveforms are super high: top to bottom from start to finish. It’s not loud or bass-y enough otherwise.
Any tips?! Normalize? Tell me straight-up: what are the best ways to make a noisy live recording of a metal band as clear as possible. Thanks!
-Dave B