Swamp Blues - how is the mix?

[Monkey Allen]

Thanks for any advice you can give for this mix:

Swamp Blues by The Fish Tanks | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Cheers

 

[Anonymous User]

Sounds pretty good. It's a narrow mix. Drums sound somewhat dry, muted. Nice playing and singing. I like the change up at 139. Cool lyrics.

 

[Monkey Allen]

So you think there should be more pushing of bits around in the stereo space to widen it? And the drums need to be crisper? More bright?

 

[mjbphotos]

Are there any cymbals? If so, I don't hear them - sounds like a shaker on the right, not a hi-hat. Think the drums are plenty wide enough, but could use a little reverb.

 

[VomitHatSteve]

I think that's a hat, mjb. Kind of a weird sounding one, but I like it. (There is a tamborine, tho) Plus, I heard at least a few crashes.

This is awfully clean for a song called "swamp" anything!
It's not all that bluesy either, but I think that's to it's credit.

There's a little bit of timing mismatch between the vox in the down bridge (around 1:48ish)

Otherwise, i don't really have any nits.

 

[Anonymous User]

So you think there should be more pushing of bits around in the stereo space to widen it? And the drums need to be crisper? More bright?

Not necessarily. Just an observation.

 

[Monkey Allen]

Geez, I've heard a lot that my mixes are clean of late. I've been very conservative in the use of fx and plugins in general. I'm only using really small amounts of eq, compression etc. I think I need to beef things up a bit.

There should be cymbals in there. I think I eq'd them out thinking that they were too bright.

I'm having all sorts of mixing trouble. Certainly not good at it.

 

[Bulls Hit]

Mix sounds pretty good on headphones. Only thing that really stuck out to me were the handclaps in the middle are too forward. Vocal is at the right level. Guitars sound good, nice tone

 

[Nola]

Mix overall sounds okay -- the low end could use a little work to carve out better.

This isn't mix related, but at times the l/r guitar sounded a little out of time and a few of the lead bends seemed a little off pitch.

 

[YellowDwarf]

Like the song, dude. I really love swamp songs! = creedence ...!

Vox can come forward with envelopes when they get quiet at the end of a held note
Love the story ...
Great lead guitar sound throughout!
Terrific snare sound.

Great playing = nothing much to pick apart except that the mix is a touch dry, but that's a personal choice.

Thanks for sharing this! Like to hear that one live.
Timbo

 

[Monkey Allen]

Thanks a lot.

You don't reckon the vocals are too forward? When I listen on a laptop speaker or phone it sounds like the band is small and the vocals are out in front by a ways.

 

[YellowDwarf]

I just meant that you can edit the vocals so that where they get quiet at the end of a held note you can use an envelope to raise the volume.

Tim

 

[Big Thier]

I like the sound of that snare. But it needs more reverb.

 

[Monkey Allen]

The snare or the whole thing?