A remaster ... thoughts?

RedStone

Member
Here's a song I released last year. I did the mixing and mastering DIY style, but recently came to the conclusion that I shouldn't be mastering my own music (as per the sage advice of every mastering engineer on the planet). Alas, I'm a stubborn fool, so I did it anyway :thumbs up:

The original release
Levity Project - Swallowed - YouTube

And here is a recent Re-master
Levity Project - Swallowed (Remaster) - YouTube

The question is which of the two (if any) should be *the* release?
In the spirit of being as objective as possible, are there issues in the remaster which make it not a good listening experience? I'm talking broad brush strokes sound quality. The mixes are done, and I can't go back to them.

An example is that the first version has a harsh and brittle quality to it, and a sort of low-mid scooped sound which makes the bass boom. So in the remaster, I tried to bring out warmth and punch along with a solid low end that is present but not booming and a smooth top end.

Did I strike a good balance between clarity and punch in the second master?

I'm so attached to these songs, it gets difficult to tell ...
 
Good sound overall IMO... the balances are almost there. The one distracting thing for me are the cymbals (hats/crash) in the choruses. They seem too loud in many spots. Also they seem a bit busy almost in those same spots, almost like a simpler pattern would have worked better. In terms of the mix they do seem to pop out. (Listened to the second one only).
 
Good sound overall IMO... the balances are almost there. The one distracting thing for me are the cymbals (hats/crash) in the choruses. They seem too loud in many spots. Also they seem a bit busy almost in those same spots, almost like a simpler pattern would have worked better. In terms of the mix they do seem to pop out. (Listened to the second one only).

Thanks for the feedback. I do love hats and cymbals ... Perhaps too much haha. I'll see what I can do about their presence. I might be able to edge them out of the side channels a little.
 
The crash on the L that you're riding in spots doesn't really fit. It makes that spot stand out like a sore thumb. I would agree the drums, overall, are pretty busy, but that section with the cymbal ride is the worst of it. Nothing you can't fix or rewrite. Otherwise good song and performances.
 
The second one sounds much better on my system. Smoother and rounder. I came to that conclusion prior to reading your comments. Agree - the first one is indeed more brittle.
 
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