Need Opinions on Quality and Material

[sl33pjul13t]

I will post links to some of the songs from my instrumental album that I wrote and recorded as a soundtrack to a book I'm writing.

There is a load of emotion in this music. I'd like to hear what you guys think of the recording quality, as well as the material.

Links to come,
Dilinger St. Cloud

 

[sl33pjul13t]

Seek Me Not- Dilinger St. Cloud - YouTube

This song is titled "Seek Me Not". This was the second song I recorded for the album. It landed at track 4 on the track listing.

 

[sl33pjul13t]

In the Midst- Dilinger St. Cloud - YouTube

"In The Midst" was one of the last songs to make the album. It landed at track 5.

 

[sl33pjul13t]

Steps With No Prints- Dilinger St. Cloud - YouTube

"Steps With No Prints" has an interesting part near the end where piano plays alongside heavy guitars.

I know the parts, so I can hear it all. Need to know if you guys can hear it all.

 

[c7sus]

I'm listening to your tracks through a Lynx2a > ancient Mackie 1402 mixer with EQ bands set flat i.e. "0" > KRK 10s sub with the low-pass frequency set at 80Hz > Carver PM 120 amp > Klipsch KG2.2's.

When I switch out the sub there is no bass to speak of through the Klipsch's, and the kick drum is reduced to clicks. With the sub engaged it seems like the kick and the bass are fighting for that space. When I listened to the first track the sub was off and I was thinking why doesn't this song have any bass? I hit the footswitch to engage the sub and there it was! And the rest of the kick too!

The heavy guitars are a little too fizzy for my taste. Sounds like the same effect used for all three tunes. Especially the lead guitar tone. It doesn't "sing" and have a natural sounding fade on sustained notes it just kinda fizzes away.

I like the synths. Couldn't tell if they are VSTi's but I assume they are. I also like that you used the available dynamic range for those quieter parts and didn't squish them flat with compression. I think the choice of instruments gets a little repetitive over those 3 tunes. I would try switching that up a bit. All of the mixes are waaaay bass-heavy through my setup with the sub engaged, and totally lacking bass with the sub switched out. Are you using a concrete limiter on the kick drum and bass? Maybe try to EQ some of that click out and back off the limiter(s). Anybody listening to those mixes through computer speakers are just going to hear the click of the kick drum and no bass.

The arrangements are really similar too with the quiet intros leading up to the bombastic stuff. I don't think the kick and the bass need to follow each other that closely all the time during those louder parts. Let the bass do some of that work by itself and try the kick as an accent instead of locking those notes together.

It would help if you describe your setup and your room. Is your mixing room treated in any way?

 

[Chili]

Moved to the MP3 Clinic where it belongs.

 

[c7sus]

Surprised you didn't delete my post while you were at it.

 

[SteveAlton]

Seek me not.......Sticks in your gut kinda ditty.................Soundtrack Music all the way......

Quality is fine...Drums are distant then they are front and center.......Probably go well with one of these modern day Vampire TV shows

 

[sl33pjul13t]

Thanks for the replies, guys!!

As far as my mixing room goes... No, there was no treatment. I took my modest setup to work with me to record this album. It was a 12x12 room with cheap wood paneling, under a tin shed with 2 fluid pumps that ran 24/7!!

There is a lot of low end... I dropped my guitar tuning to A#. The style of music I play when I'm not writing soundtracks to keep me mentally and emotionally connected to the books I write is very tight, and it requires kick and bass to follow each other rather closely.

The tracks posted here are similar in many ways for a certain reason. I wrote them strictly for me to listen to while writing a very emotional book. I needed to feel what I was writing (in words) through the music.

I appreciate every word you guys have given me here!!

Thanks,
Dilinger

P.S. I forgot to mention that I used no limiters at all. I'm not good enough to apply those without totally jacking my mixes up!!