All In My Head [Nu Metal]

[STAT1STICK]

Hey guys! It's been a little while. I haven't felt the urge to make anything new until about two days ago. This one gave me insomnia. But I'm pretty happy with the result. Please give it a listen and let me know if there's anything that needs adjustment. As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you.



Here are the lyrics:

Stuck inside
I try to reach out of my own mind
The more I try
The demon pulls me back inside
The punishment
I struggle to empty out my heart
The frustration
Finding myself at square-one before I even start
And I can't believe that it's not real
I was convinced that I could feel
All my dreams and memories
Nothing but lies, how can this be?
Everything I've said or done
Any time I've cared for anyone
It's all in my head
All the times I'd get away
Always begging me to stay
It's all in my head
It's all in my head
Wake me now
This nightmare's forcing me to sleep
I can't see
This life I had inside of me
There's no pain
Everything's just make-believe
Even you
The love we had was just a dream
And I can't believe that it's not real
I was convinced that I could feel
All my dreams and memories
Nothing but lies, how can this be?
Everything I've said or done
Any time I've cared for anyone
It's all in my head
All the times I'd get away
Always begging me to stay
It's all in my head
It's all in my head
I'm just living day by day
Nothing changes anyway
There's no doors or windows here
I hope some day I'll disappear

 

[Pinky]

I saw the bricked wave form and assumed this would be LOUD, but it's actually not. What's your mastering process? I think a different compressor or preset/settings would benefit the final product and get you that attack this style music demands. Example issue would be the lack of punch from the kick. I can hear it, but hardly feel it. A multichannel compressor would help you to prioritize the lower frequencies and give that kick the amount of presence it needs. [alternatively, you could try bringing the kick up in the mix and see if that helps, but it still wouldn't resolve the squished dynamics effect of the compression being used]

Otherwise the performance and tracking are all solid.

 

[STAT1STICK]

I saw the bricked wave form and assumed this would be LOUD, but it's actually not. What's your mastering process? I think a different compressor or preset/settings would benefit the final product and get you that attack this style music demands. Example issue would be the lack of punch from the kick. I can hear it, but hardly feel it. A multichannel compressor would help you to prioritize the lower frequencies and give that kick the amount of presence it needs. [alternatively, you could try bringing the kick up in the mix and see if that helps, but it still wouldn't resolve the squished dynamics effect of the compression being used]

Otherwise the performance and tracking are all solid.

Well, I start off by making everything sound good on it's own without any kind of dynamics processing, EQ, or compression. Once I've got a good blend, I use a multiband compressor to even out most of the outstanding frequencies. I usually use a preset from the Ozone 5 Dynamics Processor plugin to start. Then I use an equalizer to manually take care of what the dynamics processor didn't get. I use a spectrum analyzer set to average to show me the frequency response. I try to get nice even peaks straight across. Then I use the Ozone 5 Maximizer for compression. I set the threshold to -.1 and I let just about everything through except the loudest peaks. I like to get a nice, even volume all the way through without getting that compression compensation sound/volume dipping. That's pretty much it.

 

[PDP]

Sounds great, not my genre, but you have an excellent production and vocals going on there, great performances, sounds pro!

 

[JimmyS1969]

Sounds really good man. Only things I hear are personal taste issues. The kick does not have the sub moving punch that I like, and the tail on the snare sounds harsh to me. HH and china a bit harsh to me as well. But like I said, that is just my personal opinion. Whatever that is worth.

Great performances and song.

 

[Pinky]

Well, I start off by making everything sound good on it's own without any kind of dynamics processing, EQ, or compression. Once I've got a good blend, I use a multiband compressor to even out most of the outstanding frequencies. I usually use a preset from the Ozone 5 Dynamics Processor plugin to start. Then I use an equalizer to manually take care of what the dynamics processor didn't get. I use a spectrum analyzer set to average to show me the frequency response. I try to get nice even peaks straight across. Then I use the Ozone 5 Maximizer for compression. I set the threshold to -.1 and I let just about everything through except the loudest peaks. I like to get a nice, even volume all the way through without getting that compression compensation sound/volume dipping. That's pretty much it.

Well then based on your description you certainly achieve what you're aiming for. I would bring the kick up more (maybe around 50hz) so it helps drive those beats. If you did that, then applied your strategy, it would probably end up being the result my ears are telling me this should have.

Fwiw, I usually apply different compression strategies pre-mastering for each instrument or set of instruments. What works for drums won't work for a lead guitar, etc. Applying layers of compression in the manner you do may result in what I'm hearing (slight sterility). By no means is this a bad mix, it just doesn't pop the way maybe I think music of this genre should, and from what I can hear - should in your case since it sounds well tracked. Just my $0.02

 

[Guitargodgt]

I don't think the Metal AD pack is doing this song very good. The toms just don't work for me.