Recovering an mp3

[robin m]

I know what the likely answer is to this question, but just in case anyone knows how to work miracles...

Basically I've got a track I made quite a while ago when I knew jack shit about 'proper' production, and after several hard drive swaps the only thing I've got left is a 128 kbps mp3. Has anyone had any success doing any further work on a (very, very badly) mixed down tune like this? Listening back to it I'm very pleased with the arrangement and sounds but I made it back in the day when I was just stabbing in the dark and the only surviving version is this crap quality mixdown.

Should I just resign it to the 'might have been' bin or has anyone got any useful tips for (partially) rescuing it

[rhythmtech]

try using bbe's sonic maxximiser. but use it spareingly!!! it will help put a little bit of a shine back onto the track and then use a peak master on it to bring it up to a level of about -1. a louder track can fool the ears into thinking its a better production. you'll never undo the compression that occured when you rendered it to mp3 but if you only plan on playin it in loud clubs you may well get away with it if you doctor it up a little.

[etnarama]

i think its better the waves L1 or the ultramaximizer (my experience tells me it works better, and it has better controls), before you apply anything check the level's of the track with the inspector(free demo vst) or something like an analyser then just apply the right level, i manage to do a very good polish of a track like yours this way. You can also render the project to cubase at 24bits 96khz and then just take the freqs under 20/12hz just in case its too muddy and then apply the maximizer.

[Jay Pace]

EQ sparingly, and try adding a little reveb - it will bring back some of the frequencies you lost. But at a cost.
Either that or just remake the whole tune using it as a guide. You may find that you make it even better the second time around.

I had a whole computer die on me, and had to do similar once. Its pretty cool - you redo what you did then but using everything that you know now, you might be really suprised and happy with the results you can achieve now.

[robin m]

Cheers for tips people, I'll go and have a play then - nice to know there might be a chance I can salvage it to an extent.

Cheers