With a little help of my (metalhead) friends. Mix review.

killthepixelnow

killthepixelnow

Do it right or dont do it
Hey guys, I think I finished mixing all the tracks of our new album. However, I've been working a lot on it and I need a fresh perspective, hope you can help me before I take them to master. Just in case, I haven't applied any kind of maximizer on the master fader so you need to turn the volume up if you think the mix is too quiet.

Basically, I'd like to know if there's too much bass on the songs. Although kick drum is really prominent in this kind of music, I'm doubtful about the kick drum volume. These are my two main concerns.

What do you think about them?





Thanks in advance!
 
I just listened on crappy little speakers and I could hear everything. Sound real good to me. Not my thing so I don't really have a reference but I didn't hear anything I would change. Lots of detail on the kick coming out of my 2" speakers. Played it for my grandson (8 yrs.) and he was stoked. Wants to learn to sing like that.
 
Thanks for the input. I really want to finish the mixes this weekend, I've been working too much on them and I think I could ruin them if I overdo the process. Concerning the voice, it takes a while to get that growl feeling but eventually death metal vocalist learn how to handle it and module their voice through their throats.
 
killthepixelnow said:
I haven't applied any kind of maximizer on the master fader so you need to turn the volume up if you think the mix is too quiet.
Click to expand...

As is probably how you should do these things. If it's a pre-master, a maximizer won't accurately represent your mix.

Anyway, it sounds pretty good on headphones. The bass as an instrument isn't cutting through very coherently, but everything else is clear and discernible.*

* Or at least clear and discernible for death metal. :D
 
VomitHatSteve said:
(...) * Or at least clear and discernible for death metal. :D
Click to expand...

That was funny. You know, some people prefer a bassy and somewhat muddy mix like we were in the 90s. Death metal bands sound nowadays too crispy and robotic for my taste (even old-school legends have migrated toward this trend). So I'm trying my mix to be in the middle: every instrument should be discernible without sounding too mechanic and soulless.

Thanks for the advice, I will try to EQ the bass to cut through the mix.
 
The bass sound is very toppy - it sometimes cuts through but is often lost in all the top end.
How diod you EQ the bass to start with - sounds like a big smile - Ricky type scoop.
Pop some more high mids in for presence or flatten the EQ then pop up 5db narrowly at 3k so that you have bottom end & mids as well as something for definition.
 
Gee, thanks, I remixed the second song with headphones. Bass is more present on the mix, although I'm not sure if it's loo loud. By the way, I have two basses going on: One is a clean version which gives the bottom end (5db narrowly at 3k), and the other is a distorted version of the bass with flat EQ to add some growl and attack. Bass was recorded using a pick, so it's more edgy than the regular fingered bass.

 
I also think the mix sounds rounder and fuller. Since I was using more distorted bass instead of the clean version, I was having a nice growl but not so much low end. I haven't had time to crank up the mix properly to see if something's too prominent. Hopefully I will be able to do that tomorrow.
 
Yeah, the bass is cutting now. Thanks to you all for the positive comments. I'm about to finish the mixing process. Here's (hopefully) the last version before mastering:



I've cranked it and the bass isn't rumbling. I'm happy with the results.
 
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