Album Tunes, First Tracks, Need Help...

[Nola]

Thanks for bumping this b/c I forgot to comment.

Black Mirrors -- Relationship of bass, guitars, drums, and vocals is all spot on. I'm not hearing any harshness in any of it. The cymbals are a little swishy. I feel like there is less bass than past mixes, and personally, I like that...opens up the mix.

Last one in the Room -- Sounds noticeably louder than Black Mirrors. The guitars are harsher (different sim?) and louder/more upfront in the mix. It's okay on its own, but if putting them back to back on an album the volume has to be adjusted at some point. The drums sound more upfront and louder as well. So, this is more a "mastering" stage problem, but I'd personally address it in the mix.

The Sun Lies -- The volume sounds closer to Black Mirrors, maybe somewhere in between. Again, just thinking of these as a complete album. The bass is more boomy on this track and the drums further back (they're closer to the drums in Black Mirrors than Last one in the Room). The vocal has a nasal quality in this song that isn't in the others as well, so maybe try to notch that out.

Maybe this has all been covered b/c I haven't read the entire thread, but that's what I hear. Hope it helps. This is exactly why making an album is hard...getting all the tones, volumes, etc to mesh is hard.

 

[andrushkiwt]

This is exactly why making an album is hard...getting all the tones, volumes, etc to mesh is hard.

Not as worried about the tones matching, but yeah, I'll get the volumes to match better later on. I'm sure I can squeeze a db or so out of whatever needs it, or take out one or two if necessary. I'll check into why the drums seems more up front on one of the songs. They are almost all mixed the same, at least with the same plugins. EQ might be different, since I use a couple different snares and cymbals, but compression-wise they should be very similar.

 

[RFR]

Not having the same volume throughout a record isn't a law.
Just as a song can be dynamic, so can a record.
Volume and the song order can set a mood.

Getting them to flow into each other is key.

One of my all time 'perfect' records is Tom Petty's Wildflowers.
It starts out quiet, builds and drops back down in volumes. It's certainly not the same volume throughout as evidenced by the meters.
It's subtle, but creates a mood.

It's one of the few records I can listen to on a loop. When the last song is done it flows right into the opening track


I know it's not the same genre, but for me, it's an example of the way a record should be done. The writing, arranging, recording, mixing and mastering is just flawless.

Just food for thought.

 

[easlern]

Sorry it took me so long the get to this one Taras, I listened to Last One in the Room.

Sounds real good to me. The toms are a little boomy on my system. In the bridge the vocal sounds a little bit like it's fighting with the guitars. I might try a little cut on them around 1k and sweep it around, see if it opens up. It's subtle, not a big deal. The verse and chorus vocals sound great. The breakdown at the end is a really cool touch.