An older song recently tweaked

On headphones, that snare is cutting like a knife (sorry Bryan Adams). Drums seem unbalanced as the kick is inaudible. 12 string/guitar are really prominent. Seems like some freqs could be could be cut to make room for other stuff. I like the vocal bit it's a bit overshadowed. Bass level is good. You could experiment with dropping out the 12 string for effect at some point..
 
The vocals are close to being buried in parts, especially when everything piles in starting around 1:20. I agree that the 12-string/guitars are a bit too much - maybe make some pan moves to leave some room in the middle for the main vocal.
 
Thanks for the replies and observations--I actually lowered the vocal a bit when I remixed it a month ago. The problem with panning the 12 is that Mark was sitting about 2 feet to the right of Andy the drummer, and the guitar mic picked up quite a bit of drum spill. I want the snare to cut through, and the kick, on my monitors (Focal Alpha 80) is definitely there, though, as with the vocal, during the last mix I actually dialed it down, as I felt it was really pounding. I also listen in two cars and of course on an mp3 player with some pretty good Bose earphones. The main thing is the vocal, so I'll likely use automation to bring that up in key spots--there is no automation on the vocal at all right now, which is unusual for me.
 
Guitars are crowding the vocals. The guitars can come WAY down in the mix, they're much too prominent right now. I really can't hear the vocals at all a minute or so into the song. Bass sounds really good, sits nicely with the kick. You just need to rethink the guitars and vocal volume. I'm guessing about 5 db or so off the guitars, maybe more. Plus they are a little harsh/piercing in the upper mids. Really super twangy.
 
Thanks so much for the critique! Actually, I like the guitars being "twangy," though I think you are right about backing them down a bit, and perhaps a reduction in the upper-mids would work. I'm starting to think I can every once in a while I can play bass, though I did some editing to fix a few mistakes, mostly timing. That you as well as the others mentioned the weak vocals tells me that what commonly happens to me (and others, I know) when listening to oneself sing words that we know all too well is happening here. I hear the singing, and think the level is fine because of course I know what I'm singing. This is like another song I played for my ex; in a song I thought had an understandable and good vocal levels, the first thing she mentioned was the vocal--"I can't understand what your saying, and I can't really hear the vocal." It's tough, for me, to really objectively determine a good level for my own vocals. Even if I use automation on this tune, the overall sound level of the vocal will still be a problem. I'll post up a remix soon.
I've been reluctant to put music up here, but that was foolish and I'l be putting a lot more of it up soon enough.
 
When we do mixes wiht our own vocals, we often mix too low (because we know what we're singing) - as I've discovered from posting on this forum and other places.
So, yes, you need to bring the vocals up because the 12-string is burying them a lot. You may like the 12 string sound as it is, but it isn't 'twangy'. it's just over-emphasizing the high frequencies, do a little subtle EQing will give it some body, still leave the 12-string sound, and less interference with the vocal. You might also want to duck the guitar to the vocal, too.
Interesting sound overall.
 
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