J
jndietz
The Way It Moves
Hey ya'll. Been a while since I posted here. I'm trying to get a bit better at mixing rock/metal. All of my mixes sound flat/lifeless to me. What can I improve?
G
Gonny
Member
That sounded quite good to my ears. My only comments regard space/reverb. Given how "in your face" the guitars are (essentially no reverb), the vocals seem to be coming from a different place with too much reverb. This is especially evident when the vox come in with just the guitar at the beginning - the contrast between the guitar's lack of space (appropriate to the genre, if you ask me) and the reverb on the vocal seems a bit disorienting to me. Maybe back off on the vocal reverb or add a touch to the guitars (the latter might help with your "lifeless" concerns IMO. On another note, I've never been a fan of the clickety click bass drum sound in much metal, but it works well for the most part in the context of the guitar riffage. However, during the instrumental where the bass drum features some flourishes that are not playing along to a guitar part, the bass drum kind of sticks out and sounds "extra clickety" if that makes sense? Maybe beef up the body of the bass drum and/or add a little reverb to it in just that section?
These are minor points, and I like the low end throb (which seems well mixed and controlled to me), especially in the break. Someday I hope to learn how to control and mix the low end.
These are minor points, and I like the low end throb (which seems well mixed and controlled to me), especially in the break. Someday I hope to learn how to control and mix the low end.
Doug H
I'll be there
Vocal track isn't really nestled in the mix somehow. The rest sounds great.
Flyguitarfish
Active member
(I listened and developed my own thoughts before reading the other comments)
1) Cool song; well developed/organized. Super tight guitar riffage, nice! You a Tool fan? I like older Tool and this is right up that alley to me.
2) Agree with the comments 100% The vocals are performed well (a few pitch issues you may or may not decide to address). But they are missing the punch that the rest of the instruments have. Just a few ideas: More compression (I love the “rock my vocals” all buttons in setting on the CLA-1176 compressor for this), a little widening (I love SoundToys MicroShift Vocal clarity setting, plus a little stereo delay blended in maybe 160 msec in L ear and 190 msec in R ear), and more presence (I love sound toys Decapitator blended in, then see if it needs more air in the EQ after that…followed by a de-esser). A lot of times a second smoother compressor goes well after all of that. It sounds like a lot but it will make the vocals jump out without sounding like they have a lot of effects on them I promise! It’s all about getting the wet/dry blend right.
4) Add some backup vocals at least in the chorus. Vocal double and/or harmonies. Hard pan the harmonies. Can blend them in subtilely but will sound huge.
3) That synth sound before the final chorus sounds awesome but is stagnant. Maybe use some automation to make that swell and become more aggressive right before the last chorus. Would sound awesome!
Which plugins do you have available?
Just my thoughts! Really enjoyed the song!
1) Cool song; well developed/organized. Super tight guitar riffage, nice! You a Tool fan? I like older Tool and this is right up that alley to me.
2) Agree with the comments 100% The vocals are performed well (a few pitch issues you may or may not decide to address). But they are missing the punch that the rest of the instruments have. Just a few ideas: More compression (I love the “rock my vocals” all buttons in setting on the CLA-1176 compressor for this), a little widening (I love SoundToys MicroShift Vocal clarity setting, plus a little stereo delay blended in maybe 160 msec in L ear and 190 msec in R ear), and more presence (I love sound toys Decapitator blended in, then see if it needs more air in the EQ after that…followed by a de-esser). A lot of times a second smoother compressor goes well after all of that. It sounds like a lot but it will make the vocals jump out without sounding like they have a lot of effects on them I promise! It’s all about getting the wet/dry blend right.
4) Add some backup vocals at least in the chorus. Vocal double and/or harmonies. Hard pan the harmonies. Can blend them in subtilely but will sound huge.
3) That synth sound before the final chorus sounds awesome but is stagnant. Maybe use some automation to make that swell and become more aggressive right before the last chorus. Would sound awesome!
Which plugins do you have available?
Just my thoughts! Really enjoyed the song!
HumanPlanet
_R*A*F_
The most immediate problem you have with the mix is the balance is off.
Relative to the vocal the guitars are too loud, the drums too quite, the bass is there-ish.
Stemmed out and levels adjusted a bit gets you this which is closer to where I'd want it:
and it's a bit narrow:
There's more but better balance would be a good start.
One big tip, use reference tracks. I know a lot of people on this forum don't agree but they're wrong and I'm right, so there...
Relative to the vocal the guitars are too loud, the drums too quite, the bass is there-ish.
Stemmed out and levels adjusted a bit gets you this which is closer to where I'd want it:
and it's a bit narrow:
There's more but better balance would be a good start.
One big tip, use reference tracks. I know a lot of people on this forum don't agree but they're wrong and I'm right, so there...
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J
jndietz
The Way It Moves
Thanks - vocals definitely are not my strong suit. I think the guitars maybe are a bit too loud in general? I listened to another mix someone did above and everything does seem a bit more balanced there. I am wondering if I can get more "life" out of my tracks by just doing a bit more production and less focus on mixing. I'm not sure how to get my mixes "wider" and more aggressive - not sure where production/mixing start or stop in that regard?
Appreciate the time ya'll took to listen and provide feedback. I'll see what I can do from here!
J
jndietz
The Way It Moves
Definitely a Tool fan. Probably is my top three favorite bands to listen to. I listened to 10,000 Days a ton when that record came out, and still do to this day. I got more into modern metal a few years ago (periphery, polyphia, intervals, august burns red) and really loved the engineering/production on those albums. I'll never get to that skill level but it's something I'm trying to aspire to! I can't play like those guys either so I have to keep my songs quite a bit more simple
I think I might have overdone it on the vocal reverb and guitar loudness. If I turn off the reverb and turn down the guitar on my existing mix, it already sounds a lot better. HumanPlanet posted up a mix and the drums in general pop a bit more so I probably still need to work on just drum balance.
The song definitely needs a bit more production - I meant to record a lead guitar at the beginning, never got around to it. The vocals need some layers and that synth needs something "more" as you said. Appreciate the feedback. As far as plugins go - I'm just using stuff that comes bundled with FL Studio and a few other free VSTs (UA 1176 clones, tape saturation like ferricTDS, some others).
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jndietz
The Way It Moves
Good stuff - I do try to reference Alter Bridge/Tremonti when mixing, specifically If Not For You. I liked the second one you posted up - the balance is definitely a lot better there.
Slouching Raymond
Well-known member
I thought that too.
There ought to be a few lead guitar solos in there to string it out to 6 mins plus.
Other than that it was ok.
PorterhouseMusic
Well-known member
Other than the previous critiques which I generally agree with - yeah that sounds really good. You're definitely on the right track - so to speak.
K
K-dub
Well-known member
I think everything is a bit shouty - and by that, it's ALL yelling at the top of its meters. It's fatiguing to listen to for too long. Pull back on the limiter. Forsake a little detail for relief. Unlike others, the balance, itself, is not that bad. But with everything all pressed up tight against the limiting glass, there's no depth to the sound. It's all left/right in your face. Back off the limiter to where you can hear "around" the instruments more. You want to hear their edges in a 3D sense. You've got everything 2D and competing for the same mid-frequency loudness against each other.
It's "smushed sounding". Let it breath more so that depth is restored while retaining the clarity you seek.
It's "smushed sounding". Let it breath more so that depth is restored while retaining the clarity you seek.
stratmonkee
Active member
Totally got the tool Vibe on the guitar, drum tightness. I love your guitar tone on this I think it sounds great. I think the drums could come up just a little in this mix. I like the vocals, and agree with the previous post that may be some background vocals harmonies would make certain parts pop more. I enjoyed the listen
albie
New member
Not my kind of music. Nirvana is as close as I get to this. I think a nice rumble in the background is needed. Like a slow explosion is going off and your notes are shrapnel. How would you find that? I dunno. I use Fruity Loops.
