My first mix - The Doppler Shift - Atrophy (Cambridge MT)

[CPFC1985]

Hi all

Looking for some feedback on my first ever mix! It's a track taken from the Cambridge MT site.

It's mixed on Sonar X3 Producer. I have no previous music production experience (except reading a couple of books!) so this was a case of playing with things like EQ, compressions, panning etc. and if I liked what I was hearing it stayed, no science behind anything here.

Open to constructive feedback, what is good, what is bad, what is downright terrible! Always looking to learn.

https://soundcloud.com/damien_kelly/atrophy-dak

Thanks guys and gals!

 

[rayc]

The vocal sounds "small" rather than distant.
I think I know what you were aiming for but it needs tweaking.
I don't like the clicky bass drum - I'd prefer more thump.
There seems to be a tom panned very wide - it feel weird over there.
Not a bad start - your premise of what sounds good to you is good too.

 

[Kirby777]

I agree with rayc's comments, so I won't repeat them. The mix is good, but why not go for great? First of all, I found the lead vocal was way too quiet, so I had a hard time even evaluating the mix because this problem was so distracting. It's like when the cook puts way too much salt in the soup, and then asks you, "Is there enough Oregano?" I dunno, all I can taste is salt.

The stereo width was too tame for my taste - maybe spread things out panning-wise, esp. the guitars. I would suggest you get much more aggressive in mixing this song - it's dull, it doesn't pop. There's very little contrast between the verse and chorus - look at the waveform, it doesn't change in size. Maybe throw in a few more surprises, like breakdowns or a sudden stop... something, anything except letting the song from just rolling along. Use automation to add contrast and dynamics. For example, maybe make the final words very loud to end the song more dramatically. Err on the side of non-caution! Hope that helps.

 

[CPFC1985]

The vocal sounds "small" rather than distant.
I think I know what you were aiming for but it needs tweaking.
I don't like the clicky bass drum - I'd prefer more thump.
There seems to be a tom panned very wide - it feel weird over there.
Not a bad start - your premise of what sounds good to you is good too.

I agree with rayc's comments, so I won't repeat them. The mix is good, but why not go for great? First of all, I found the lead vocal was way too quiet, so I had a hard time even evaluating the mix because this problem was so distracting. It's like when the cook puts way too much salt in the soup, and then asks you, "Is there enough Oregano?" I dunno, all I can taste is salt.

The stereo width was too tame for my taste - maybe spread things out panning-wise, esp. the guitars. I would suggest you get much more aggressive in mixing this song - it's dull, it doesn't pop. There's very little contrast between the verse and chorus - look at the waveform, it doesn't change in size. Maybe throw in a few more surprises, like breakdowns or a sudden stop... something, anything except letting the song from just rolling along. Use automation to add contrast and dynamics. For example, maybe make the final words very loud to end the song more dramatically. Err on the side of non-caution! Hope that helps.

Thanks for the feedbac guys, it really is appreciated! As I said, first attempt so this gives me something to work on.

I'm not at my PC at the moment, but from memory the Toms were panned right 9, 11 and 14 (floor tom), makes sense to bring them in a bit. In terms of structure, dropping in a couple of breaks or changes will be difficult as it's not my track, but will use some automation to add some variety.

Looking forward to giving this another bash!! Thanks again