Fran

Archive Manic Mix-Off (Finished)
#1

This was a lot fun to mix this music. GREAT BAND.

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#2

Hello, in my opinion the kick is way too loud and has too muck attack without enough low end. I would drop it down in level and put more 60-85 hz in. The rest of drums do sound very lively.

#3

Nice tone on the guitars, interesting treatment of the vocals, and it seems like it would be a pretty good balance of all elements except. 1. the KICK is loud and in the second verse the backing vocals are too loud. It seems like you maybe didnā€™t run those through the master bus or something like that and it i making it hard to really hear what is going on with the rest of the mix. Thanks for sharing and I hope that you can figure out what happened.

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#4

To me it sounds like the there is too much verb on the mix but the kick. It truly sounds like you used a sample to fill out the kick and it got routed incorrectly.
I like the vocal processing maybe just a bit less.

Good luck

#5

Love what you did with the vocals also. Besides that, @redworks said it all.
Good luck!

#6

Yeah, the kick sounds separate from the rest of the mix, and is way out in front while everything else in the mix seems way in the background (vocals midway-ish).

Interesting effect on the vocals. Canā€™t tell if itā€™s chorus, flanger, phase or delay ā€¦ or a combination of those. I think itā€™s a bit too much, though it does sound kind of cool.

Snare reverb is pretty long throw. That also is a cool effect, except at this tempo your reverb tail is still going while the song moves on.

Did you use the official mix as a ā€˜referenceā€™? Reference tracks/songs can really help you see where youā€™re at in terms of mixing levels on tracks, panning, effects, loudness, etc.

#7

To me it there are some problems with the drums:

  • The kick is very close. Is that a sample without any reverb?
  • The rest of the kit very far. Too much reverb for my taste.

The main vocal sounds too far for my taste. Also it is shifted to the right?
The backing vocal has too much reverb for my taste.

You have used the untreated vocals. Why? They are pretty out of tune at timesā€¦

I think the over all balance can be improved as well.

Good luck!

#8

Ok, agree with those guys.
You should only concentrate on the balance, the balance and the balance.
The kick is dry and really upfront, the rest is far and lost in the verb.
The modulation effect on the vocals is ok but you should maybe lower it.
Everything is allowed, creativity can make everything possible, but the balance
is the important stuff.
Peace
David

#9

Agree @BengtS

Kick sounds sweet but stands out loud because of the way you mixed this. Being a sample can be delicate sometimes due to the fact that it may or may not balance out with the rest of the drums.

The verb is a little high (in volume) on the over all mix but stands out mostly between the kick/snare because of this. Generally you donā€™t put verb on lower freq instuments but sometimes you must make some exeptions (in veeery small proportions). Think of the drums being an instrument as a whole and remember, itā€™s in the same room. That should help out a little when it comes to samples.

#10

I think that you have a bunch of FANTASTIC elements happening here, but you didnā€™t spend enough time honing in on the balance of the group as a whole. Iā€™ve always thought that the secret to a good mix is a strong foundation in setting levels and panning.

Aside from that, I do think that the effect on the lead vocal should be either toned down a bit, or reserved for a few select moments throughout the song to create momentum. Iā€™m really digging the sound you created, it just isnā€™t sitting right with me. :upside_down:

These are simply my thoughts on the matter, hopefully you can take something from them. Good work!

Cheers. :beers:

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#11

:beerbang:

#12

I think all that could be said has been said. It sounds to me like you have a good command of using the available tools to manipulate audio. Now itā€™s simply down to manipulating it in a way that enhances the productionā€¦

Sometimes, itā€™s easy to get carried away with the fun of processing audio, while losing touch somewhat with the goal of achieving a mix that will really draw an audience in an make them want to listen to the trackā€¦

It sounds like that might have been what happened hereā€¦ If so, one thing I would suggest is to try some mix referencing as a way of ā€œresetting/re-calibratingā€ your hearing to ensure you stay on track.

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#13

Hi @fran, this is a very inventive mix, and I can see what you were going for, thereā€™s a vision in there thatā€™s worth bringing to light.
The main thing I would suggest working on here is that all the instruments, except the kick have a very wide stereo field probably due to the reverb,
What happens when you put something in mono, like the kick is that it tends to take the spotlight, and the kick isnā€™t really an instrument you would normally higlight in the mix, thatā€™s usually reserved for vocals and guitar leads. so you could try one of two things, make the kick stereo by adding reverb like all the others instruments and notice how the mix will immediatily feel more cohesive, like everything is in the same room.
Now, you can try keeping those guitars nice and wide like this as well as the room drums, maybe even the overheads and bring everything else into the midle. Once you do this youā€™ll find that every instrument hits harder and the mix will be more cohesive as well

Thanks for letting us listen!

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