Feedback on my mix please......

J

JeffreyC

New member
Hi all,

First time posting a song here and would really appreciate some feedback....mp3 and 16 bit wav below. Thanks :)

[MP3]http://www.spinningaroundthesun.com/Music/Radiant%20Replica/Memory's%20Cage%20Master.mp3[/MP3]

http://www.spinningaroundthesun.com/Music/Radiant%20Replica/Memory's%20Cage%20Master.mp3

http://www.spinningaroundthesun.com/Music/Radiant%20Replica/Memory's%20Cage%20Master.wav

UPDATED MIX:

[MP3]http://www.spinningaroundthesun.com/Music/Radiant%20Replica/Memory's%20Cage%20Master2.mp3[/MP3]

http://www.spinningaroundthesun.com/Music/Radiant%20Replica/Memory's%20Cage%20Master2.wav
 
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People like it when you put the mp3 tags on it so that you can listen to it within the forum, for future reference.

Pretty good noise floor noticable on the right side of the track at the beginning (when the piano comes in), not obscene, but noticable.

My personal preference would be for you to not pan the instruments so hard (piano etc), as in mostly left instead of 100% left etc, just makes for a more natural sound imho.

A pleasant mix, nothing jumps out at me too much, the vocals could be a bit fuller, maybe try doubling it by resinging or however you please. Also a few pitchy/vocally weak spots in the song, but not bad overall.
 
People like it when you put the mp3 tags on it so that you can listen to it within the forum, for future reference.

Pretty good noise floor noticable on the right side of the track at the beginning (when the piano comes in), not obscene, but noticable.

My personal preference would be for you to not pan the instruments so hard (piano etc), as in mostly left instead of 100% left etc, just makes for a more natural sound imho.

A pleasant mix, nothing jumps out at me too much, the vocals could be a bit fuller, maybe try doubling it by resinging or however you please. Also a few pitchy/vocally weak spots in the song, but not bad overall.
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Ok, didn't realize that was an option - done.

Yeah, I have noticed that noise, just not sure where it came from. I recorded the piano direct from my KB (maybe my signal was too low - just recently started leaving much more headroom as I was tracking all wrong before - used to be a 4 track tape guy, lol)

Yeah, the piano and acoustic are panned about 70%.....I initially had that lower, but sounded a bit muddy that way to me. I agree with you though - prefer not to pan so hard, good point. Yep, my vocal is certainly not pitch perfect, but I prefer not to "fix" that. : )
 
yeah I get the panning...theres not much happening in the middle of the track for the intro...they sound fine to me when its all up and running...maybe automate them a little at the beginning??

I think the piano needed pulled down a notch and the guitar seemed too far left....I liked the vocals, I like that style, maybe just a tad indecipherable...but over all this is solid, nice song, nice arrangement and only a few tweaks to get the mix shining imho

good job :)
 
Like the vocal sound (i.e. reverb and tone - good singing), a bit pitchy at times but overall pretty good sound.

synth is a little bit distracting during vocal parts possibly because the reverb already sets the vox back a bit.

good mix overall.
 
Sounds pretty good, I'd lower the verb on the vox just a hair and bring up the volume to make them a little clearer, other wise it has a cool spacey feel that works well. A few adjustments here and there as suggested will make it better, overall nice work, enjoyed the listen!
 
Thanks a million! I really appreciate the constructive feedback as well as the compliments :) I drive myself crazy sometimes over analyzing the mix, tones, sounds, but I do think it's important to really listen and
try my best to get as close as possible to what I think sounds great (sound in my head) and what works for the song. So, I understand when many of you say a mix is never done, just one you don't work on anymore, LOL.
 
Enjoyed the song. The two things that stuck out to me the most that I would change have already been mentioned. Piano too loud and too much reverb on the vocals. Post up a revision when you're done, I'd like to hear it.
 
Thx again for all the great advice....I've adjusted panning, reduced the Piano vol a bit, and reduced the verb on the vocals. I think it sounds better!!
Panning for the acoustic and piano was about 75% and now it's at 25%. For the vocals, I only brought the fader down on the effected vocals
about 1 db or so and it seems enough to me. I was really going for a spacey vocal sound as it really fits the abstract dreamy nature of the song/lyrics.
I won't go into a lot of detail, but some of the words were partially inspired by Dali's Persistence of Memory. Thanks again and let me know what you all think
about mix2.
 
Hi, just listened to mix2 and enjoyed the song. Good melody and a nice atmosphere.

I think you're battling the same demons as me though - not enough low end to the mix in general or to the kick. The drums also fall a little too far back in the mix when song builds up to a crescendo, so I'd maybe vary their volume accordingly - not so that it's noticeable, but so that they keep their place in the song.

The only other nit I picked up is with the sound sample just before the "I was drawn into sin" line - I was really interested when I heard it, but then it stopped very abruptly, like the wav the sample from was snipped and then never reappeared! I'd personally have liked to hear it integrated into the song a little more - either that sample itself extended or establishing a pattern whereby it appears again. Siorry, not sure if I'm explaining myself very well!!
 
I like it. I think there is too much reverb on the vocal. Piano is a nice touch. I like the chord progression in this song very much. Incidental ambient noises are great.
 
Hi, just listened to mix2 and enjoyed the song. Good melody and a nice atmosphere.

I think you're battling the same demons as me though - not enough low end to the mix in general or to the kick. The drums also fall a little too far back in the mix when song builds up to a crescendo, so I'd maybe vary their volume accordingly - not so that it's noticeable, but so that they keep their place in the song.

The only other nit I picked up is with the sound sample just before the "I was drawn into sin" line - I was really interested when I heard it, but then it stopped very abruptly, like the wav the sample from was snipped and then never reappeared! I'd personally have liked to hear it integrated into the song a little more - either that sample itself extended or establishing a pattern whereby it appears again. Siorry, not sure if I'm explaining myself very well!!
Click to expand...

Thx....yeah, I can hear how there might be more low end, but I did try that and found it too dominating as the piano is really a dark more low end tone - I was kind of going for that sound though with the bass and drums more back in the mix....maybe I'll try to just nudge them up a bit and see how that sounds.

"Lines drawn in the sand" is the line, LOL So yeah, some of the words are not perfectly clear, but listening with headphones I can hear them all clearly. Yep, I can also hear how the sample might have been integrated elsewhere and maybe in multiple places - I thought of that, but chose to have it just appear once simply for unpredictability factor and it fits with the meaning of the song.
 
I like it. I think there is too much reverb on the vocal. Piano is a nice touch. I like the chord progression in this song very much. Incidental ambient noises are great.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Did you listen to mix2? Less reverb on the vocal in that mix.
 
The wide panning didn't bother me. I thought things worked well.

Lot's of little doo-hickeys going on to keep up listener interest. Nice job with that.

I'm hearing lots of pitchiness and bobbled notes. Words at the end of phrases tend to get lost in the mix.

I thought the snare sample was a little on the wimpy side. Needed more low-end energy.
 
mix two is better.

The only reason for you to not retrack the vocals would be if you just dont like singing. If you are not wanting to "fix" any of the pitch stuff, sing it again, unless you dont like singing...m ;)

I personally would rather employ a subtle "fix" here and there and be done with it :D
 
lastdays
mix two is better.

The only reason for you to not retrack the vocals would be if you just dont like singing. If you are not wanting to "fix" any of the pitch stuff, sing it again, unless you dont like singing...m

I personally would rather employ a subtle "fix" here and there and be done with it
Click to expand...

Yeah, maybe I will do another take or 2 on the vocal. I've thought about it, but I'm a fan of many pitchy singers - Dylan, Young, Wayne Coyne, Roger Waters, etc, so it doesn't bother me that much. It's more important to me that the voice sounds authentic/honest and not some over processed pop/american idol type voice, lol. I suppose I could give it another shot and possibly do a bit better....then again maybe not, LOL. :o
 
JeffreyC said:
Thx....yeah, I can hear how there might be more low end, but I did try that and found it too dominating as the piano is really a dark more low end tone - I was kind of going for that sound though with the bass and drums more back in the mix....maybe I'll try to just nudge them up a bit and see how that sounds.

"Lines drawn in the sand" is the line, LOL So yeah, some of the words are not perfectly clear, but listening with headphones I can hear them all clearly. Yep, I can also hear how the sample might have been integrated elsewhere and maybe in multiple places - I thought of that, but chose to have it just appear once simply for unpredictability factor and it fits with the meaning of the song.
Click to expand...

Well, don't be surprised if you ever listen to one of my efforts and see 'I was drawn into sin' cropping up there - I quite like the line ;)

I think you can hear the words clearly because you know what they are. I don't think they're that clear, but I don't think it's necessarily a problem either. I've listened to the last Arcade Fire record a fair bit and enjoy it a lot, but I still can't tell what most of the words are.
 
Well, don't be surprised if you ever listen to one of my efforts and see 'I was drawn into sin' cropping up there - I quite like the line

I think you can hear the words clearly because you know what they are. I don't think they're that clear, but I don't think it's necessarily a problem either. I've listened to the last Arcade Fire record a fair bit and enjoy it a lot, but I still can't tell what most of the words are.
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LOL, it's your line! :D

Hmmm, so question for you guys on the vocal. I think I've decided that I'm not going to track it again as I need to move on to other songs, but is there anything I can do to make the words a little more clear with the existing track? Maybe some eq or comp adjustments on the vocal? I'm starting to wonder if my mic is a good fit for my voice or not - I feel at times I'm struggling with it. I'm running a Peluso 2247LE into A-designs Pacifica pre into Fireface 800.
 
I listened to the 2nd version. I think the reverb can stay where it's at on the vox. Works well for this type of song. Wouldn't mind hearing a little more low end, but it's okay where it is.

Yeah, the vocals are a bit pitchy and while it's nice to have a natural singer who doesn't quite hit the notes exactly, it works for some styles of music and not for others. You can do moderate pitch correction without taking away authenticity or honesty. In fact, if done properly, you would never know a vocal track was pitch corrected. Keep in mind, the Kanye West's of the world obtain their horrible signature sound by abusing autotune, it doesn't have to be that way. :D
 
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