Oh Lord My Ears!!

[Grape]

I promised a friend I'd record at his studio an entire EP.

He just finished mastering a demo for this dude:
http://www.myspace.com/andrewneedaname

I kind of don't want to be an asshole and tell him that he over equalized it, as well as giving it too much FX..

Should I take the roughs from his house (because he has better equipment than I do), and mix them myself (because I'm a better mixer)?

<3 Grape

[dkerwood]

I have to think that the auto-tune HAS to be a desired effect... it's so blatant that I can't imagine it to be anything but.

Everything else... well... lackluster. There's only so much you can do with an acoustic guitar and some weird synth-y sounds. It sounded scary on my laptop speakers, but with headphones on, it just sounded... boring.

[Waffleness]

I agree with the above poster about the auto tune. Its so prominent in all its.. glory... it must be a desired effect.

If I mixed it, I would bring up the acoustic guitar a bit, keep the vocals as they are, and add a bass VSTi, or find a friend to record a bass riff.

It needs something low to keep it rolling along.

[rayc]

The reverb he's added has accentuated or created sibilance, the autotune isn't right for the song - it is so clumsy it cripples the tune.
The effect on the shaker or tambourine is OTT and you do need a bass.
take the tracks and mix it your self OR sit with him and do a collaborative remix.
But nix the autotune and add the bass.

[JonPaulP]

Yeah, the mix sounds a little weird, a little muddy. The autotune sort of sounds alright.

[blue2blue]

Originally Posted by Grape

I promised a friend I'd record at his studio an entire EP.

He just finished mastering a demo for this dude:
[...]

I kind of don't want to be an asshole and tell him that he over equalized it, as well as giving it too much FX..

Should I take the roughs from his house (because he has better equipment than I do), and mix them myself (because I'm a better mixer)?

<3 Grape

Oh my.

You were not exaggerating.

Clearly the AT-abuse is on purpose but that is hardly reassuring. (However, since your pal apparently only mastered the track, we can presume that's not necessarily an issue.)

The tonal balance on this track is totally skewed. My off-the-top-of-my-head guess would be bad monitors and room but it may go farther -- if the guy doesn't know his mixes turn out this bad, he's got problems too big for you to solve with loving friendship over an EP project.

I'll be blunt. I would nix the project for now. Because it seems like it would just be a frustrating waste of time and someone's feelings would likely get hurt besides.

[Greg_L]

wow that's awful.

[Grape]

I mean the whole thing sounded mudded down coming out of one frequency.

There really is no low end.. and... blehh

I'll probably end up doing everything myself at his place. He happens to have much better equipment than I, but lacks a bit of experience and skill is all.

Thanks all
<3