Okay...so I went out of town for a couple days and let this sit. But I did throw it on a disc to listen to in my car while I drove for hours (no I didn't listen to this for hours, I just drove for hours). Besides the specific comments from you guys, I noticed that the whole think was too drum and bass heavy--it was killing me in my car. (I need to adjust my monitor setup in my studio, as that's proving to be a common problem with my mixes).
Anyway, here's a tweaked mix. The guits are retracked--less gain, more articulation. The drums aren't retracked, but they are adjusted in many ways. The snare is no longer tighter than a gnat's ass (though it might still be as snug as a virgin's...well, you get the point). Also, the kick should sound better (you were right about that verb Murdersgalore).
I have yet to take this to the car to compare, but now of course, it feels guitar heavy to me. I'd love it if some of you guys could crank it up on your systems and tell me if that's the case, or if it's more balanced. And for the love of Pete, I hope it's no longer heavy on the right side--please tell me if it still is and I'll make a Dr. appointment.
Again, thanks for the all the input. I'm writing for a major project (no, this isn't part of it; this is just some noodling) and I really wanna nail the drum sound before I start recording.
One more thing--this mix is a bit longer, and without vox or a lead, it can seem a bit redundant. If you get bored, jump ahead and sample it--there are different sections in terms of dynamics. I was trying to cover a couple bases.
Thanks,
WS
