"Select", first song off my first album. Any sound advice is appreciated.

A

ajdambro

New member
Going for a heavy sound, any advice on mixing is great.


If the widget doesn't work for some reason, click the link. It plays fine just not on here I guess...

*EDIT 8/16/2013*
New mix uploaded. Added a tube preamp (VST) onto the vocals, and turned down the vocals a bit so it sits in the mix better.

Bass is also panned slightly to the left so it sticks out more. Overall I think it sorta blends better. Debating coming up with a new vocal melody, don't know if I want to though. I like the contrast to be honest. If anything I'm all for another vocal take as the one you hear was originally a scratch I ran with.

TO BE HONEST... this was all just a production demo. I wanted to see if I could achieve the sound I was aiming for, and I have... so vocals could be much better.

Thanks for all your help so far guys. You don't know the impact it actually has.
 
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I loved the energy in the bass and guitar performances.

The vocal performance doesn't match the instrument performances. No energy to it. It's very dry and the instruments are fairly wet. The vocal answer-back is un-intelligible behind all the effects.

The guitar sound is very muffled and muddy. Missing a lot of its higher end - like above 2kHz. Probably too much gain on it too. Their entrance after the bass intro is a little clumsy.

Bass could use a little more low end.

Drums are way back in the mix. Can't really comment on their sound because they're tough to hear.
 
Yeah, I don't know how to mix it so the vocals stand out on top. I added compression, EQ... Maybe I need to boost some high-mid frequencies for some presence? I boosted around 800Hz when EQing. I'll try boosting above 2kHz.

And also, I meant for it to in a sense "explode" once all the instruments came in, so maybe is that why it sounds "clumsy"?
 
I agree with most of Trip's assessment above in terms of the mix.

I absolutely love the bass & guitar sound paired together though. Just the right amount of gain and a great dark, angry & aggressive feel to it.

Overall though, the vocals seem too loud and/or bright and/or dry compared to the instruments. I don't think you have a problem with them not standing out...I actually think they stand out too much. I think the "energy" Trip was referring to was in the performance, although with different processing, I could see these vocals blending in pretty well. An interesting track. Thanks for sharing it.
 
hey, trip's review was pretty accurate. the song's very foo fighterish, vocals just don't fit in man. love the way the instruments take off into a grungy drive, the vocals could blend in more though. I'm no techie so can't suggest how, just a layman feedback.

Thanks!
 
Hey why don't you post a mix with no effects? No EQ, compression, reverb, nothing. Let's hear what the tracks sound like. I think we might be able to make some better recommendations. Just a thought.
 
I have been mixing this song constantly since I posted this, so I'll have a new mix up here soon. Added some distortion to the vocals and lowered the volume so they sit in the mix well, and other stuff.

As to uploading a mix with no effects... I could try that.

Also, I've been mixing on headphones that are kinda bass heavy. So what I'm hearing is what I want to hear but on a flat response system/pair of headphones (what you all may be using) it sounds like crap, everything is starving for some bass. Gonna have to fix that soon and get on a flat response pair of headphones or get studio monitors...
 
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