Mix and Vocal test [Industrial Rock/Metal]

STAT1STICK

STAT1STICK

Active member
I like to experiment with different techniques when it comes to mixing and mastering. And sometimes, I like to try different things with my vocals. So, here's a clip of the most recent song I've been working on. I thought I'd get some advice on the mix early on so that I can make changes easily without having to redo everything.

I'm also curious about the vocal. I know vocal technique isn't something that's normally discussed around here but I thought I'd give it a shot. Please let me know what you think. I haven't recorded a vocal for the chorus yet. I'm still trying to figure that part out.

I'll provide a complete rough track that has all of the music so you can hear the direction of the song as well as a shorter clip that has some vocals in it. Thanks for your help! Merry Christmas and happy New Year!



 
Dude. This is a badass song... and for this to be early in development makes me freakin' excited to see the end product. Vocals are awesome in my opinion.

Like... acb.jpg good.

TheLurker
 
1st of all, killer tune. Love the guitar tone and thumping bass. The drums are right there as well. The synth in the begining is chilling.

Now the vocals sound like they are competing for space with the guitars.

I like the vocal delivery and lyric content.

This is going to be a great song. Congradulations.
 
Thank you for the great feedback, guys! I truly appreciate it. I did poke around some with your thoughts in mind and here's what I did:

I made some adjustments to the EQ on the guitars to let the vocal through a bit more. I reworked the compression and limiter of the mix to make it loud but not smashed to bits. I also changed the snare drum itself to fit the song better. I brought up two guitar tracks in the chorus so they could have more presence in the mix. Still trying to figure out a vocal for the chorus.

 
Right up my alley style wise. Truly great song....sounds like NIN meets Crash Test Dummies. If I had only one critique I was say that the kick sticks way out in the slower parts like its a little bright maybe too much "snap"? GREAT GREAT job though!
 
The rattlesnake synth part just before 2:00 is intimidating. Nice touch. Second time it comes in, it's RS only, is that on purpose?
Incredible tune!
 
Bruthish said:
Right up my alley style wise. Truly great song....sounds like NIN meets Crash Test Dummies. If I had only one critique I was say that the kick sticks way out in the slower parts like its a little bright maybe too much "snap"? GREAT GREAT job though!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! I'll work on that kick drum to make it match the tone of that part.

BroKen_H said:
The rattlesnake synth part just before 2:00 is intimidating. Nice touch. Second time it comes in, it's RS only, is that on purpose?
Incredible tune!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment. But, unfortunately is not on purpose. I'm planning on adding vocals there but I'm not quite ready for that yet.

The synth sound itself was an experiment with a sound from Absynth 5 along with a tremelo component from Guitar Rig.

I was only using the Absynth sound in the very early stages of the song but I had an impulse to change it up a bit and started messing up with different modulation effects to see what could elevate that section to give it a "don't fuck with me" vibe.

I went with the tremelo because I felt that it had a subtle way of leading you into the really aggressive chorus.

I ended up using a couple of tremelo effects on some of other parts in the song at different speeds. The Guitar Rig one on a guitar track in the verse and the SoundToys PanMan on the whispered vocals in the pre-chorus. One is obvious and the other is almost hidden. It's almost not even there. But it is there.
 
Here's an update! I finally figured out the vocals for the chorus and I recorded them this morning. I changed the kick in the verse to reduce the high end slap which is still present in the pre-chorus and chorus. I had to adjust the levels of the guitars and synth in the chorus so they would play nice with the vocals. I also scooped the chorus guitar at 3000 hz by 3 db at 1Q. Here's what I have so far:

 
Although it's not my style of music, this is wonderful. You should def try to market this when you get it where you want it.
BTW, used to be neighbors. I'm originally from the Lewiston (Idaho) area till about 9 years ago.

Still love that rattlesnake effect. Adds to the angry feel of the song. Just a suggestion: How about using a boiling tea kettle (whistle) for the last note instead of the synth pad? Let it ring out for 1-1 1/2 seconds and then cut (no fade).
 
This is a great piece of work. To me the mix is very over-bright, but everything is so well done I assume that that's how you want it. Nice one. :)
 
Very cool track. The progression from mix to mix is very cool to listen to. I like how you removed the click/slap from the kick in the mellower sections. That stood out for me because it was a slight bit off sounding in the first version, but overall, you have a very good production and mix here. Great ear and great style.

Love the way the song changes in intensity. This is really a great example of talent and craft.

Fan here.
 
BroKen_H said:
Although it's not my style of music, this is wonderful. You should def try to market this when you get it where you want it.
BTW, used to be neighbors. I'm originally from the Lewiston (Idaho) area till about 9 years ago.

Still love that rattlesnake effect. Adds to the angry feel of the song. Just a suggestion: How about using a boiling tea kettle (whistle) for the last note instead of the synth pad? Let it ring out for 1-1 1/2 seconds and then cut (no fade).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion! I decided to go with it and see what happened. It was a good idea. I finished up the vocals this morning and here's the finished song. I made some other tweaks here and there and I have to say that I'm very happy with this mix and master. In the beginning of the song, I was recording while I was using my vaporizer on one of the vocal tracks (hence the exhale) so I left that part in just to have a non-musical sound in the mix to throw you off a bit. Hear for yourself:



Thanks for all of your feedback and suggestions! You guys are always helpful and I always appreciate it! :thumbs up:
 
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