UPDATE: I'm Alive - STAT1STICK [Modern Rock/Nu Metal]

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STAT1STICK

STAT1STICK

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I've been mixing and tweaking for a long while now trying to get the sound I want out of this track. I think I have got it right this time. I must have made over 7 different mixes of this song and this is the one that sounds the best so far. I think it's about as good as it's gonna get. What do you think?
 
Hey! Welcome back.

Your tones are pretty good. Big, meaty guitars etc.

The verse vox seem a bit loud, and there's a weird breathy rumble undertone to them.
In a similar vein, it seems like you've got a ton of compression on this thing. So much so that the chorus actually seems quieter and less energetic with the vox settling back into the mix.

I like the synth pads. Good sound there.
 


There was something that I had been overlooking this whole time... I had limiters on the bass and the drums and it was making the whole song sound harsh. So, I removed them and made some other changes as well. The song sounds more natural and less processed now.
 
Just looking at the waveform, I suspect this will be a better mix!

The rumble is less obvious in the low harmony in the verse.
The chorus still sounds a little quiet and pulled back compared to the rest of the mix though.
 
To my ear all the instruments and vocals have a good tone and it all seems really balanced but the whole mix sounds a little reverby. It feels like I'm listening to it from the next room. I feel like the great guitar tones should cut through a bit more. I'm only starting with mixing but that's my 'listeners' opinion on it.

Have a listen to puddle of mud. I know you're not like that band but in terms of style of vocals and tonally I would say it's similar enough to compare on a mixing front. Their recordings seem a lot more up front.
 
I gave a quick listen to both the updated mix in your first post and the one in post #3. I like the updated one better. Not sure which one is the latest version.

I thought 5 1/2 minutes was a little long for this song when not much changed in arrangement/rhythm/feel/etc.
 
Yep, the chorus def sound less everything than the verse.
The overall mix sound very dense and full but there're few clues to what makes up that heaviness as there are no little bits of other instruments or parts of the arrangement sticking out.
By 3 mins I had a little ear fatigue.
 
I decided to give this one another shot. I wanted to try to redeem myself for the bad drums on the last track I posted (Transmit The Dead). I reworked the drums and came up with a new mix all together. I think the snare may need to come up a bit and there's something not sitting right with the kick. I'm sure there are other problems,too. Maybe you can point them out. Here's the new mix:



Old mix:


Here's the .wav if you are interested. I recommend you listen to this one.

Thanks for listening.
 
Honestly I liked the old one better. The kick is almost none apparent in the new mix, and the cymbals don't have enough power. You might have uncompressed the drums a little much, as that "squash" is what gave them a driving feel, now they feel lighter and less powerful.

The guitar and bass sit alright in the mix, and the vocal is good, but the drums really make it stand out as not as powerful, as they are louder but lack the oompf
 
Sounds good, but the drums don't feel quite right.
Here's something I would suggest if possible:
Lower the volume on overheads slightly. Hi-Hats and crashes sound too loud compared to the rest.
Lower the reverb on the snare.
Apply Parallel Compression to the kick and snare (pre reverb), as it will help them stand out more without disrupting the rest of the mix.

That's just my opinion and I'd love to see what that would sound like. Otherwise, awesome mix!
 
I also like the older drums. It doesn't make any sense to me that a drummer would throw in downbeat accents on a splash.

The was the first thing my ears went to.
 
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