Reducing/removing a tambourine from a finished mix?

[davidharrell]

I'm kicking myself over a last-minute mix decision that sounded fine in the studio but now sticks out like a sore thumb -- a busy tambourine part that's just a bit too loud during two sections of a song.

The best fix, of course, would be to remix the song, but that's probably not feasible. So I'm hoping to address it before or during mastering. The tambourine is mostly in the right channel, and we have instrumental and vocal stems, so I can work on just the right instrument channel without affecting the vocals or the left channel instruments.

Some possible fixes:

1. Hope the mastering compression will tone it down somewhat.

2. EQ -- either for the entire mix or for just the right-channel instrumental track.

2. Pulling both the left and right channels toward the center. The part probably wouldn't be as noticeable closer to the center, though that would affect the panning of every other instrument in the mix.

The only other thing I can think of is to use a noise "clean up" program that would allow me to sample the original tambourine part, and then remove it from the mix. (Don't have any experience with those programs, though.)

Any other ideas or suggestions??

Thanks!

[GooberNumber9]

If you're going to be working with an experienced ME for mastering, they will probably know best how to handle it. Personally I wouldn't want to mess with any funky de-noise plug-ins on the entire mix, that sounds like a recipe for really obvious artifacts. Here would be my order of preference:

1) Go back to the mix stage for the one song and just try to pull down the tambourine.
2) Let the Mastering Engineer work some magic.
3) Try to EQ out the most tamb.-loaded frequencies a bit.

Does it stick out too much everywhere but in the studio? Is it possible that it's just emphasized by whatever system you're listening on?

[vxboogie]

Not sure, but a a de-esser might help if zeroed in on the problem frequency.

[JohnDavisNYC]

i'm guessing many ME's would choose to use M/S processing to de-ess or EQ just the sides in a situation like that... so as to not mess with the high end of the vocals, snare, and other mostly mono elements.

but, a remix is usually the best move... or just say you were listening to lots of 60's records where the tambourine is the loudest thing on the record.

john

[davidharrell]

"just say you were listening to lots of 60's records where the tambourine is the loudest thing on the record."

Or 70s! It seems like a lot of early 70s tracks have some percussion element that just seems insanely loud. My three-year-old daughter loves the song "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest and I'm amazed every time I hear it by the prominent tambourine part. So maybe I'm just overthinking it...

Remixing probably isn't an option at this point, but we've got a good ME and I'm hoping he can address the issue.

[@?,*???&?]

If possible, in a separate session, take the 2-track mix and put the tambourine track up against it. Flip phase on the tambourine track.

Likely, if we're talking about creating a new session for it, then why not just remix it...if it's possible though, try the solution above...

[MoreSpaceEcho]

i was just going to suggest the same thing!

[@?,*???&?]

pfffft

LOL

[dsw]

For the record:
JR and MSE just agreed on something.
Bowl me over.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

man, you guys feel that? the universe just shuddered a little bit.

[@?,*???&?]

man, you guys feel that? the universe just shuddered a little bit.

The epicenter has been Mt. Vernon, Indiana for those recent quakes. The last 5.0+ was felt even here in Detroit.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

google images for mt vernon, indiana didn't have much good stuff. this was the best:



that's me, dwlb and jeff on our recent fishing trip. that's jeff on the right.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

another thread hopelessly derailed. welcome to the TOMB davidharrell. sorry.

[dsw]

I'm sorry too.

*hangs head*
*stands in corner*

[MoreSpaceEcho]

but wouldya look at the size of that thing!