I put 2 songs in my music website: “That Great Day” is the song on top, and “Really True Too” is the next song down. Please tell me how you like the music, and how it can be improved, and I can return the favor if you wish (leave me a link). Here is my link:
Hi there. Great sound. sounded a little James Bondish at the start and then it went more friendly. Like your singer. I don’t know much about this type of a song. Love all the sounds going round and the guitar processing. You know I am not a mixologist, just a cheerleader when I here something good. The keys in one spot made me think of the song jump. Still the non singing parts sound very movie driven.
The snare drum sounds start out good for most of the first two bars, then gets ‘splatty’ in places as the hits get a bit louder, maybe try to reduce the ‘dynamic range’ of the hits overall to the ‘intro level’ so it isn’t as ‘scattergun’.
The kick also starts out nicely, but disappears into the mix in the chorus, when in this type of music it might be ‘almost even’ with the snare in level. You may have to thin out the original kick sound (only) when the music gets really dense, to keep it present, but still not totally dominating the low end.
And vocals sound a little over effected and eq’d a touch aggressively to get over the splatty snares.
feaker,
Thank you for the review, I appreciate it! That is me singing. I reviewed your latest music.
vtr,
Thank you for your critique! Compression has helped, though sometimes I have trouble with the drums vanishing in my recordings without turning up the drums super-loud. I will now see if I can find your music…I have not seen any recent threads you have started. If you have music you want me to review, leave me a link.
I love what you are going for but there are some things that i think would clean it up a bit.
I really like the vocal delivery with the sort of smeared delay. That said, it is making the vocals really washy and smeared. I am aware that it is a deliberate effect but it makes the whole mix quite messy. I would suggest using a side chained compressor (or Boz’s Big Beautiful Door or Imperial Delay) to have it so the delay/reverb is pulled back a little while you sing and comes forward when you stop. This would mean the delay is still there but not as prominent as to smother the vocals completely.
My only other criticism that I feel needs to be addressed is the guitar/bass relationship in the mix. The guitar feels very much up front, making the drums and bass feel a little small. The rhtyhm section (kick and bass) feel like they have no real guts to them. The top end of the bass is there and very clear, sitting well, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of low end in the kick thump or bass notes.
I think the fact that there seems to be one rhythm guitar only that is fighting the bass and vocals for that centre spot.
I’ve listened twice now and I really like the song. The issues I had first off are not as bad now (which is why we can’t hear anything that needs changing after 4,637 listens of our own songs!), but they still are there to my ear.
I said it before but that vocal delivery in the verse is great and I would not lose that delay effect as it works well with the rising vocal, I’d just alter the way it comes through.
It could be the rock guy in me, but I’d want the guitar panned hard L or R and another guitar, playing something similar on the opposite side to open up the middle for the vox and bass.
Good stuff.
I enjoy your effected vocals, @aaron_aardvark. To me it’s a cornerstone of rock, even if it’s overdone.
Each of your songs is surprisingly different, even though I’d cluster them all within a fairly narrow style of rock with a very 80-90s vibe. You go from Oingo Boingo to Talking Heads with Rick Wakeman sitting in and some serious electric lead guitar. It gives the music a prog rock vibe that challenges the new wave pop drum machine synthiness.