The synths sounded really out of place and cheesy. The guitar in the intro is a bit too fast. A few notes are hitting before the beat.
The guitar sound isn't heavy enough. They sound thin and have no low end power that heavy metal needs. Was it an amp sim?
The drums sound incredibly tight. I suspect some kind of drum machine?
Yeah I'm definitely going to sort that out, composition-wise I like the intro, so I'm keeping it in, but I will definitely play about with the sounds and see if I can get a much more natural sounding one. Good spot, I'll definitely go back and re-record that one!
Yeah it's actually Revalver 4, however it's the EQ that's the problem here, I've cut a little too much off and boosted a little too high up, so I've moved that down to cutting below 100Hz and boosting at 150Hz and it sounds better already.
Yeah the drums are a mix of Superior Drummer and Addictive Drums. I do find it hard to get them sounding realistic, any ideas how to get a more real sound out of them? Seeing as it's so tight, should I increase the level of the room mics to try and make it a bit "looser"?
Hi GendoPose,
As you say, distortion works a lot like compression, and too much of either can squeeze the life out of a sound.
If you are new to mixing try getting a collection of guitar sounds you like, and then try replicating them on your system.
I don't think the song needs a Piano and would be better if the 30sec intro was discarded.
I commend your thrifty views on production (free VSTi's (love em)) and would recommend Reaper as the best bang for your buck (if not best) DAW.
I've added a touch of compression after sorting the EQ out, and it does bring it to life just that bit more without squeezing it too much.
Well that's a composition point, but I respect your opinion, not everyone is going to like every part of it!
Hah yeah, although I did just pay a bit for Revalver, I'm extremely impressed with it so far! I already use Reaper, I used to use Pro Tools on a Mac, but could never get on with it, not flexible enough for me (albeit it was an older version).