Fragile Kites

  • Thread starter Thread starter MadHatterTCM
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MadHatterTCM

Eternally Striving


This is a more poppy song from an EP I've been working on.
Critique the mix. Overall it's a bit squashed, that's because I don't know what I'm doing with mastering. I'm just doing the engineering/mixing and then sending it off to a professional studio for mastering.

Listen, and critique please.

Thanks
 
WOW!! I'm new to this forum, but I just have to say WOW!! I love this tune, and the sound you've acheaved. You say you want critical comments? I don't know if I'm qualified to be critical. First let me say what I love the most. The acoustic gutar just makes this song. The bass, and it's tone are wonderful. The electic guitar is sweet and not over the top. The hum of the keys just glues it all together.

I've just listened to it for the 5th time, and there are still some lyrics I just can't make out. The vocals just need to be a little more out front. The harmonies are right on! The "get up, get up" could come down just a hair. (May not need to if the main line is brought up just a little.) The drums sound great! Maybe it's just me, but I would like to hear a little more kick. I'm not sure if I like the snare. It just doesn't seem snappy enough. The arpageated guitar line needs to come down just a little to ballance with the chorded electric line.

These are just my thoughts. I am no proffessional. I am lookng forward to reading the remarks of the pros. Is this a full band effort, or piece meal?
 
oh yeah!

:eek:

Dude, this sounds great. Very nice overall sound. Yep... I really really really like it. I would buy it, prolly.

Nits
1. The lead vocal isn't intelligible enough. It's a little buried in the mix. On top of this, the singer has a style where he doesn't enunciate very clearly. Nothing at all wrong with this style... it's certainly very popular today, and very very musical sounding, but the vocal could stand to be brought out a bit.
2. From a production standpoint, the sustaining synth parts bug me at times. I think they could be pulled out during the quieter parts. Also, they are very mono sounding... meaning they are panned dead center. This adds to the vocal problem, me thinks... it makes it hard to concentrate on the vocal, because it shares the same sonic space. I might pull it out during the verses, and when it comes back in, maybe add a stereo chorus to it to get it out of the center, and open that space up a bit more for the vocal.
These are just suggested tweaks to a great sounding song; I dig this mucho!

~Shawn
 
Plenty of wide panning to get an image but that synth is a bit too up the middle.
I like the semi buried lyrics - effort to find diamonds eh?
I'm listening on h/phones & would be worried about the bass booming on a stereo maybe roll off a little of its bottom end. Also it could use a little tweak to give it some definition - a small peak at 3khz on the bass track would work wonders.
Really nice song with plenty of dynamics the lead tone sounds a bit U2 but the playing style is a million miles away which is good.
Good work - follow eyema's suggestions!
 
I don't have anything to add in the picking nits department that hasn't already been said. A really great effort, excellent songwriting! This one is very radio friendly. Nice Job.
 
Great tune!

My only beef is that I don't really like how the drums sound (not the playing). They seem so flat and lacking tone and body. But maybe it's appropriate for the music style.
 
Nice! Very well done. Great sounding recording.

The snare is the only thing that bothers me. I'd say it's too compressed--it's all snap with virtually no 'after-ring'.

Acoustic guit sounds gorgeous.

Vocals are great.

I'm also curious to find out if this is a band, or a recording project, or what-not.
 
I think the main complaint was the snare. If so I'll go back into the project when I go do my second mix. I usually mix it close as possible and come back to it a couple days later and make the final tweaks.

It's possible that the snares compression is due to sloppy quick mastering done by me. in the original mix I don't remember the snare sounding that compressed, but I don't do mastering, and maybe the place that is doing that part will do better. But thanks for the advice on the snare, I'll make sure that it has a little more character than it currently has.

eyema and rayc mentioned the synth. I agree it's a little too out there. I can't pull it completely out during the verses etc, just because it gets really dry sounding with out it. Maybe some panning or a different effect that's in stereo. I actually think it's a stereo effect, but maybe it's just too out there.

And the kick definitely isn't out enough now that let's rock mentioned it. And i agree the "while you can" could probably be more up front..

I'm not sure if I want to pull the vocals up too much more than they are. Maybe I can eq it a little to stand out a bit, but I like the song to be musical as much as I do for the vocals.

And to answer the questions about the band itself. Yes, it's a band I'm in. I sing, play piano and acoustic live. In the studio I did the vocals, drums, and piano. There's a guitarist who did all of the parts on the cd, and we just got a new drummer for live shows.
www.myspace.com/wearechasingghosts

Any more comments you have, would be appreciated.
 
The drum intro to the song is weird. I don't get it.

Nice arrangement and delivery, the mix sounds pretty good on my V8s.

Drums are too processed. I'm thinking this is triggered or programmed. Either way, I think the drums need some work.
 
Thanks, it was mainly due to the overall compression that was on the whole mix. It seemed to make the drums weak in all of my mixes. (this is why it's being professionally mastered instead of me trying to do that crap). : )

thanks for the input and compliments.
 
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