Some heavy rock

[timthetortoise]

I just mixed this song from my band. Using a consumer stereo so I'm having trouble getting a decent mix out of it, but whatevs. Drummer on here is no longer our drummer, we got a better/heavier one who can keep a constant tempo.
http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?fid=5398
Input on the song/mix would be appreciated!

Here's the new mix:
http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?fid=5399

 

[Dogman]

I think it sounds pretty good...nice changeup at the start. Good buildup. The mix is pretty good...there is some buidup of lows at times, so maybe you will need to clear some space out there, so that teh lows come through a bit cleaner. Hard to make out individual instruments at times. Most of teh tones seem pretty good, and playing is very cool. I really like the changeups.

 

[Nicole_Rose]

it sounds like one of the guitars is slightly out of tune at one point.

but it's a good tune. well done.

 

[SnakeDog5050]

This goes real well while watching Dogman's avatar for some reason
Yeah definitely a heavy and powerful sound. Clean parts sound real good. A moody synth at those points would even sound cool too.
On my system sounds like the bass rumbles too much here and there. You can fix that by EQ cutting it below 40Hz or somewhere near that.
I agree with Dogman about a little more EQ separation between the guitars too.
Everything else sounds good to my ears, especially like the slow parts and the ending is real intense! Good work

 

[bigbubba]

Cool tune. Really nice ending indeed.

Very nice guitar tones. The bass is a little rumbly but I could forgive it and just leave it.

The clean parts do sound very neat.

The mix sounds good to me. I'd be curious as to how the heavier guitars were played, using power chords (2 note or 3 note) or using more 4th chords or 3rd chords or other variants of heavy chords. 'Coz it sounds power chords but they still have a lot of melody going. Could be just the double with a lead that I'm hearing or something. Maybe I'm just rambling.

 

[timthetortoise]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I always seem to have one problem or another with bass levels/freqs and usually it's that it's not audible enough. With this I'm just trying to get a rich and heavy mix out of it. I will try the 40 Hz cut and hopefully it will clean that rumble up a little bit. On instruments meshing, some of that is intentional, as live we basically create a wall of sound. However, it may be detrimental to the mix so I'll try to fix that up. Yeah, my guitar on the clean part was a little bit out of tune because I'd just slapped 13-56 strings and tuned to B on a guitar intonated for standard E. Not the best idea . We try to stray away from the usual power chords but of course they find their way in from time to time. Mostly we will find the root we want and construct a minor or highly diminished chord out of it and try it up and down the neck to see what will have the richest effect with the melody. We will hopefully be trying out a couple keyboardists within the next few weeks and hopefully also adding a third guitarist to the mix too.
Holy crap that's a huge paragraph. Anyway, thank you for listening, I appreciate the input a lot and am always looking for more!

 

[rayc]

You do need to define the bass a little more. Keep the rumble if you like but a boost (here I go again) at 3khz will make it a little more apparent, like in the quiet bits it stands out well just when it's helterskelter it gets lost.
I really like the 3.23 quiet yest distorted bit.

 

[timthetortoise]

The bass was recorded direct in and I'm using Amplitube to try and get a bit better quality out of it. It isn't working too well! But I posted a second mix up. Did it on headphones so it's probably got a long way to go, but toned down the bass and actually beefed up a few things. I'll probably hear it in the morning and realize it's worse than the original but maybe not!

Edit:
Just decided to try out some lyrics I found that work with the theme of this song (basically, the ocean is a metaphor for drug addiction). Very new to this vocal style (Cult of Luna/ISIS-esque stuff), so criticism on that would be awesome.

http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?fid=5406 (the filesize and bitrate are reduced a bit, thankfully)

Here are the lyrics.
Oceans
We were standing on the cliffs
Sky orange, clouds gray
Tides forming, sweeping memories to bay
So definite, a malformation of perception
So definite, a trust in the perceived
We were floating on the cliffs
Sky full of holes
Tides red, carrying beasts of fire
This beast takes hold

(Somewhere you'll find a place of your own)

Oceans bury everthing
Time, calling out
Too far in
Oceans drown

 

[rayc]

Musically the mix is really an improvement. the vocals, however, are another thing. I can't really comment constructively as I don't get the style.
The melody seems OK & the lyrics are fine - your phrasing's not too bad either.
Could you possibly record an extra track with you singing in a middle register & post that?
I think the style of the vocal is a disservice to the song sorry.
Don't take my comments to heart though as I'm just not into that style of singing - & to dig a deeper hole for myself I don't manage to hear rap terribly well either.
Good mix development of a really good piece of music.

 

[timthetortoise]

Eh, this is why we have been straying away from vocals. It can be the defining factor that turns off 1 in 5 people to your music. I think I'll leave it without for now.