After the differences in volume and metering are accounted for…when you bring everything down to the same level, I liked Mix 1 better because I felt like it had more glue and it breathes. It has space.
Hey…listen. I’ll tell you something I’m learning about myself from these last few months of getting trashed, fried, kicked to the curb, then rehired. I’m finding I tend to favor mixes with less processing and place an extremely high value on clarity over energy and power.
Also, I think its really important for you to keep in mind that my background is NOT in this genre. Remember that I’m a classical pianist who’s primary income as a professional engineer is in orchestral and church music.