Mix Critique and Advice - Pop-Punk Original

R

restart

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Hello, this is my first post. I have been learning off and on for a handful of years while mixing songs for my band.

I am looking for some feedback on my mix and master. I feel like I have made many improvements along the way but need fresh ears and minds to help realign my focus. Thanks in advance!

I am shooting for sounds/tones similar to bands like The Story So Far, Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, etc.

Choices r3 mix4.mp3 - Google Drive

Here is the mix with out the my attempt at "mastering"
Choices r3 mix only.mp3 - Google Drive
 
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Here is what the wav form for your song looks like:

2gxg2u1.jpg

Can you not hear the harshness? You murdered your song with a clumsy attempt to "master" it for maximum volume.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I obviously have some bad habits to rid, but I guess that starts with my ears. I am not sure if it's my lack of experience or my hearing.

I updated the post with a just the mix. If you can point out some more things to work on or things to keep, I would really appreciate it.
 
Sounds a lot better. Overall the mix is midrangy and lacks low end. IMO your guitars could come down and bass up. Maybe the kick drum as well. I like the vocals out front where you have them.
 
The non-limited version is better. THe limited version did all kinds of weird things to your levels. I could barely hear the vocal in the limited one.

So the non-limited version...

I still think the guitars are a little loud. They sound pretty good. Just a bit loud.

Backing vocals are a little tough to hear. Bass is too - at least in spots.

Cymbals get a little swirly in spots. The snare is a little on the dull side.
 
Nice to see some pop punk in here. I like the instrumental. I'm hearing distortion in the beginning and also at 0:46 and probably other places. If you posted a WAV file it would help me giving you more accurate feedback. I agree it's lacking bass, and probaly too much mids in the rhythm guitars. I would turn them down a little too.
 
I listened to the unlimited one, where is the bass? The guitars are competing with the vocals quite a bit and the combination gets quite harsh. The 2 short 'quiet' parts sound strange - think of a better way to arrange these parts.
 
I jumped straight to the unmastered one.

It IS very mid-heavy, with some harsh highs thrown in to boot.
The guitars and drums should definitely have some more low end. The bass should be way more audible.

It sounds best when the Brand New-esque harsh vocal comes in because the voice covers more of the spectrum. The main melodic vocal hits a few frequencies that are kind of unpleasant, especially when stacked with the swishy cymbals. You might be able to get away with it if you can fix the instruments tho.
 
Yes it is harsh. Have you looked at a plot spectrum?

I have no advice on how to make it less harsh.

I like what I can hear in terms of what the song is. The vocals sounds good.
 

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I would just start over with the foundation, bass and kick, then add snare, etc... There's a sloppiness to the kick/bass relationship and the groove underneath is mixed in a way that supports the tune. I'd spend maybe 30 mins or so going over just the basic kit pieces along with the bass, getting that to sit nicely. really good song though, deserves a nice mix
 
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