My first completed song.

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Fairland

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I completed my first home recorded song and mixed it and mastered it. I am just looking for feedback, because it sounds good to me but I don't know if it sounds good to others.

My friends either don't take it seriously because it's ME, or they just don't know the ins and outs of recording and stuff, so they can't give me the feedback I'm looking for.

Fairland. | Free Listening on SoundCloud

I use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Presonus Studio One, an Epiphone SG, A Squier Jazz Bass and ez drummer 2.0. I'd like to record real drums eventually, after my work turns into playing with a band. Due to lack of time, (this track took roughly two weeks to record) I am unable to play with other people Haha.

The music is punk rock, and the song is about being attacked by a group of moose. It was suggested to me to work on a song that you already know when starting out, so it's a "cover" of a song my previous band played years ago.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to get some good critiques and advice!

-Matt

EDIT! I have remixed the track, and here is the link to it:

Fairland. | Free Listening on SoundCloud

In this mix, I have:

- cut the guitars a bit
- boosted the low end
- got rid of the "solo" after the choruses and in the outro
- reworked the backup vocals, especially in the chorus.

Sweet!

EDIT 2!!

Fairland. | Free Listening on SoundCloud

In this remix, I:

- Cut guitars a little bit more, EQ'd them so they don't compete with bass.

- EQ'd bass to distinguish it from guitars

- EQ'd chorus backup vocals to distinguish them from main vocals

- EQ'd drumkit to give the bass drum a bit more pop.

FINAL EDIT!

Fairland. | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Last mix! I dropped the vocals by roughly 2 dB, and eq'd the bass a little more to make it stand out a little less.
 
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That's a good song. Tight, catchy, excellint vocals. The mix feels mid-heavy. The guitars are pretty killer but I'd turn them down just a tiny bit. Bring up the bass guitar and the vocal.
 
Robus: thanks for the input! I kept thinking my early mixes were too bassy, so I guess an outside opinion matters! Thanks so much for the compliments.
 
That is a pretty punk song! Good mix, good performance. On my system more bottom would have helped push/power this a bit more, below 1K boost. See what others say, but that would be my only nit.

Really good recording.
 
DM60- thanks for the positive remarks! You're not the first to recommend boosting the low end. I'll give it a try and post it here when I get to it!

I am currently mixing/mastering with headphones. I know, I know. Hahah. It makes judging the low end difficult, but a pair of monitors is in my near future!
 
I love songs like this. Unique and abstract!

Unfortunately the guitars are too high, I can't make out a lot of definition from the drums when you've got everything going on. I'd bring them down a bit.

The guitars sound great, punchy and tight.

I was wondering about the backing vocals that are present in places, and whether they're a bit low but it could just be that they're being drowned out by the guitars a bit. Keep it in mind when you bring them down, see if they are audible enough.
 
I have issues with determining if backup vocals are too quiet or too loud. The first time I mixed the song they seems too loud, and I didn't want to cause crowding with the parts that have double tracked vocals. I'll try boosting the volume of them, and cutting the guitars a little.

So far, I have gathered:

- boost the low end a bit
- cut the guitars a bit
- boost the backup vocals a bit

I really appreciate the input!
 
Post your next mix so we can hear what you do with it.
 
+1 on cutting the guits a little. I also wonder if the gating on them might be too extreme? The stops sound unnaturally cut off. It's not quite as bad as midi guitars usually get, but it's pretty pronounced (especially in verse 2)

There's also this weird whine throughout the track. Like a sine wave at 493 (B). It's especially pronounced during the outro.

Otherwise, this is a really solid mix tho. Really good work.
 
VomitHatSteve: after the choruses and during the outro, I have a little guitar part with bends playing. Is that what you hear? I was going for a weird off setting sound to be a little creepy.
 
Fairland said:
VomitHatSteve: after the choruses and during the outro, I have a little guitar part with bends playing. Is that what you hear? I was going for a weird off setting sound to be a little creepy.
Click to expand...
Maybe? I'm not hearing a lot of bend. It really sounds like a straight sine wave. Is the note you're playing a B?
 
I often hate recordings I hear - I was never a punk fan, but I have to say I really like this, and the vocals and guitars sound right to me. Sure, I'd love to hear the bass guitar, but it does work - and that's the main thing!
 
I don't listen to this genre much so I am definitely not an expert in what is supposed to sound like. From a punk novice viewpoint I think it sounds pretty good. The vocals sound like they are sung well enough....the chorus part where the BG vocals come in left and right sound unnatural though. Maybe too much effect on them. The guitars have a really good tone...reminds me of Greenday. They overtake the mix though and the rest of the instruments seem to tak get lost. Bring them down some until you can hear everything clearly. On the opposite of that, the drums in the intro sound really good, but once everything kicks in, they get lost, which I think is all because of the guitars overpowering them. I came from a hard rock background and love loud guitars, but professional mixes usually don't have the guitars as loud as you would think. Just bring them down and see what you can come up with.
 
It sounds like a complete remixing is needed! Haha. I'll work on it a little more and I'll Re-upload so everyone can hear it.

What is the best etiquette in these forums? A completely new post, or just another message in this one?
 
You can edit your first post to include the new mix. Most people leave the previous mixes up so people can compare.
 
Fairland. | Free Listening on SoundCloud

I have uploaded the remix. The changes I made are:

- Cut guitars a bit
- Boosted the low end
- Got rid of the "solo" after choruses and during the outro
- Reworked the backup vocals, especially in the choruses.

Looking forward to hearing input!
 
Getting better...
1)I think the guitars need to come down another notch in my opinion.
2) the bass is fighting with the guitar frequencies and lends itself to being indistinguishable. I really only hear it clearly when the guitars are not playing. PLay around with the EQ on bass and guitar so they have their own separate range. On top of that the bass seems muffled and muddy. Roll off the sub frequencies(below around 80hz) and try to bring out the mid freq with the eq to give it some definition.
3) On the chorus, it is better however I did notice that the parts that come in left and right sound almost exactly just like the main vocal. If punk doesn't really do harmonies, you really need to make them distinct from the lead vox. Roll off the low end heavily(start around 800hz and move up to taste). Use a high-pass filter.

4) your doing real good man, I hope it doesn't sound like I dislike what your doing. The more you play around and learn about frequencies the better you will get at it. Good job man
 
No, it's not coming off as dislike at all! The most difficult thing to learn for me has been the frequency stuff!

I thought that (in punk rock, anyway) the bass was supposed to kind of blend into the guitars for a more full sound, but I see what you're saying about making it a distinguishing part of the song.

I seem to be on the right track, and I noticed that you can hear the drums a lot more in the second mix. I'll look into the bass drum sound and see if I can get it to come out more!

Thanks for the input, it's very helpful.
 
Another remix!

Fairland. | Free Listening on SoundCloud

In this remix, I:

- Cut guitars a little bit more, EQ'd them so they don't compete with bass.

- EQ'd bass to distinguish it from guitars

- EQ'd chorus backup vocals to distinguish them from main vocals

- EQ'd drumkit to give the bass drum a bit more pop.

I can tell the overall sound is a lot better, especially the drums and bassline! Let me know your thoughts!
 
Getting there. I can hear bass now and the kick. Sounding fuller as well.

Not sure if more bass is needed or not. Maybe vocals could come down just a little. These comments are getting more into personal taste territory.
 
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