So does "Mangled" refer to the actual mix?
It would seem that the drums where recorded with low end preamps which would explain the lack of openness to their sounds. Also, the mics where obviously too close.
Overall the mix sounded cluttered and flat. Sonically speaking, the whole range was filled in, but it seemed that this was done at the expense of clarity. All the tracks seemed to lose their "space" in the mix.
It would appear that a lot of the impact that the song needs is lost due to the fact that the musicianship is not very tight. In many places the drum fills where rushed. The guitar playing also sounded a little to stiff. Of course due to the lack of any real tone on the guitar tracks it was probably hard to perform it and have any idea how it fits in the song.
Was the vocal mic in a cardboard box while recording???
Cymbals seemed to dominate, as well as had a very harse quality to them. Proper mic placement can improve this as well as assuring that the overheads are running though quality wire and preamps. Overhead mics easily pick up more diverse information sonically than any other mic will. The best signal path possible should be dedicated to this. Of course a very moot point if you are using cheesy preamps like mackie or alesis.
The bass seemed like it would have benefitted from having better mid range information on the track. It sounded bloated and kind of artificial. Of course you may have intended this to sound that way. Who knows.
Thinning out alot of the tracks, better mics and preamps, some better limiting while going to tape (obviously to fill in the metering because it is digital), and better better sense of production would benefit this cut a lot.
On a scale of 1-10 compared to big boy stuff, I would give this a weak 4.
If this helpful???
Ed