Mixcheck please!

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Stevie_M

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I'm working on my first solo album and am in dire need of some reassurance and/or critique. I've listened to my tracks so much now that I'm naturally adapted to them, so I want to try them on some fresh ears. Specifically, I'd like to hear opinions of my tracks based on these two points:

1. How it sounds from an emotional perspective. Barring any technical/production impurities, does the track have soul and balls? Does it move you? Is it unique/interesting? How does it sound from a non-professional layman perspective?

2. How it sounds from a professional/commercial standpoint. Quality of the recording and the mix.

Thanks so much guys!

Moleman Blues


Robot Soul


Moonlight
 
they vary quite a lot volume wise, moleman blues is much louder than the other two, that's the main thing that sticks out. I feel like they all lack dynamics, and are over compressed for my taste, a little less compression or lower ratio and threshold might make them sound more open, dynamic, transient and punchy.
 
Yeah I agree with bytre....too much reverb as well on the guitars and vocals. Pan the main guitar left and right by doing 2 passes. actually as aI'm listening I think the whole drum set has reverb.....I do love the bass. KILLER BASS playing
 
Btyre and Yorgo, thanks for the technical critiques. The variation in volume is simply because I had the master vol fader set differently for each song - completely fixable. The high reverb levels were a stylistic decision. Which tracks did you like the bass from? How do they sound from a lay-listener's perspective?
 
First, I think the songs have potential, I thought the mixes were pretty rough in that, there was middle missing, guitars were not sitting where they could be heard. I didn't have any issues with the verb, but you may want to cut some of the high out.

To get all of the songs to the same level, I usually mix it first and get that part, render it, then take all of the mixed songs and start a project just for final EQ and sound level checking and bring everything to the final level. From a mix session, you will not get the levels consistent.

Good start.
 
Moonlight is the one with excellent bass.
I agree that the songs have potential and the style of the songs is a loose sort of feel. But there's a fine line between loose and sloppy.. I think you just have to tighten things up a bit
 
Haha are you sure you're talking about Moonlight with the great bass? That's actually the acoustic ballad with no bass. Moleman Blues was written around a 4/4 double time beat, which I later decided to make it half time (current version). That probably explains any "looseness" to the track. I want to think Robot Soul is tight and punches hard since, after all, it's a punk rock jam. Am I grossly wrong?
 
Mole sounds a little Ziggy Stardustish but is over compressed or somehow homogeonised into almost a single sound. I like the song.
Robot,
The drums - well snare sound superfake and robotic - deliberate? low volume - sounds very compressed undynamic. the guitars are mainly fiz - have you high passed all the guitars and left the meat out? Bass seems fine. I like the song though.
Moonlight,
I really don't like "babygirl" but that's personal taste. Needs something besdies the solo panning to give it a little more stereo image.This ended up just being an ongoing solo - I missed the vocals.
Overall - there're potatoes & sauce but no meat.
Somehow you've managed to remove the presence and substance of many of the elements. There seems to be a lot of compression but it hasn't produced much punch.
You should try mixing without compression 1st. Then add it where & when the instrument needs it. Compression on the final stereo buss - well reasonably subtle if possible so that there're some dynamics in the track. there're a few comps out there that "glue" the track together withoiut monstering it.
 
Drums sound too fake for the rest of the mix.
Too much verb on the vox...and is somewhat buried.
the lowend is amateurish. Lowend is where a lot of people get scared and cut it way too much. Thats where the balls are lacking...
Now levels is another thing. It seems like you were going for loud. What I was told by a pro, you gotta mix it aggressively. Fuck headroom if you want loud. Mastering won't necessarily do that for you.
As others said about your use of compression, the lack of punch. You gotta slow down the attack.
Otherwise cool songs!
 
Rayc, I appreciate the Ziggy comparison on Moleman! Early 70s junkie rock (Ronson, Richards, Bolan, etc) was the prime inspiration for Mole. I appreciate the specific criticism on the "babygirl" lyric too! There is just a sappiness to it that I love.

I absolutely hear you all with the recurring overcompression critique. The compressed tones are actually a result of my inexperience with crafting "proper" guitar tone when I first started out. I am actually using NO compression on the guitar track busses for all tracks. All my guitarwork was, however, recorded using a compressor at the front of my fx chain. I record with a Boss GT-10.

The guitar tone on Robot is intentionally fizzy because I use a T Wah effect, which is essentially a hi-pass filter. It kind of "roboticizes" the guitar tone and lends itself to a punk sound. Again, it was a stylistic choice I made very early in my recording days. I have just been too stubborn to re-record these tracks, and have actually grown to enjoy the present tones as they are. They've become their own entity and make the songs the way they are. Am I a madman to think these tones are cool sounding?

I actually lied and am in fact using Ozone 5 on all these tracks on the master bus. Ozone is the ONLY source of post-recording compression.

Chickenmaster, what song(s) are your specific critiques for? Thank you all for the responses, and please keep them coming! I want to know how these songs hit on fresh ears!
 
Stevie_M said:
Chickenmaster, what song(s) are your specific critiques for? Thank you all for the responses, and please keep them coming! I want to know how these songs hit on fresh ears!
Click to expand...

All
 
Stevie_M said:
Haha are you sure you're talking about Moonlight with the great bass? That's actually the acoustic ballad with no bass. Moleman Blues was written around a 4/4 double time beat, which I later decided to make it half time (current version). That probably explains any "looseness" to the track. I want to think Robot Soul is tight and punches hard since, after all, it's a punk rock jam. Am I grossly wrong?
Click to expand...

oooops My apologies. Its Robot soul with the great bass.LOL
 
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