Hi! My band “Armadillo Invasion” just released our first EP which I recorded, mixed and produced. (It is emo/punk) I mainly play guitar but I did sing both songs on the EP. I spent a lot of time from 2023 to now working on my writing, mixing and recording skills and I am no where near where I want to be, but I am still incredibly proud with what we have made. We tried to go for a more DIY punk sound with lots of heavy Midwest emo influences. Some of my biggest influences in song writing and recording are Title fight, Joyce Manor, Prince Daddy and the Hyena, and Glocca Morra. I want to get better at writing lyrics and also at making more complicated song structures, but that is something I know will come with time and practice. For credits to my band, I wrote the guitar parts for both songs as well as the lyrics for Laser pointer. Ben M wrote the drum parts and most of the lyrics on stargazing. Mikenna G wrote the bass parts for both songs as well as some lyrics on Stargazing. Frances D wrote some lyrics on Stargazing but is our rhythm guitarist. We are all really happy with how the full EP turned out and I hope whoever listens enjoys!!
(sorry for the long blurb, anyways any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I want to learn more about mixing and I would love to know what I can do better. Ask any questions as well!)
Congratulations on the EP! I like the energy and the overall feel, the songs are good and fun to listen to.
If you want some mixing nitpicks (which may not be appropriate since the EP is already out) I would say the vocals on Armadillo Invasion and Laser Pointer could come out front a bit more; when the guitars start hitting harder they sound a bit small. I’m a guitar player who is guilty of this all the time. In the choruses especially you might want the vocals to be more prominent to give a little lift.
The only other nitpick I have is the drums on Stargazing sound a bit thin compared to the other two songs. That may be a production choice you made, but to me it lost a bit of the continuity from the previous songs.
Again, overall, great job on the EP. It’s a lot of work, and my comments are only suggestions to consider. Welcome to the forum.
Thank you so much! I agree, the vocals are not as prominent in some parts and it is something I have to be more aware of in my future projects. As for the drums, it may have to do with my varying recording setups for each song. I was experimenting a lot at the time with mic placement and mic choice, but for our next release I plan on making everything as consistent as possible.
Thank you again for listening and for giving feedback, it means a lot, and Im happy you enjoyed!
Hi @Vokzel - and welcome!. I agree with Bob on the vocals comment, but the vibey ambient ‘relaxed’ character of the vocal is very thematically fitting for the song.
Very nice tunes 
Hi Matthew @Vokzel & welcome to IRD! I really enjoyed your music - melodic and powerful with cool hooks. It reminded me a little of Fountains Of Wayne in overall vibe and sound. Congratulations on the release! It’s a TON of work, isn’t it?
I only listened on my cruddy little work speakers, so I can’t give much of a comprehensive critique on the sonic qualities. I know with this style of music, the guitars are meant to be loud and the vocals tend to be a little more subdued in the mix. One way to have both is to have a compressor on the guitar buss which is sidechained to respond to the vocals, so that the guitars “duck” in level a db or so under each vocal phrase.
One thing I noticed is that the timing between the drums and guitars tends to be a bit loose - particularly on the first track - the drums seem like they are “pulling” against the rest of the instruments a bit, and the rhythm section feels a little bit awkward overall. Can I ask: Do you record to a click track?
If so, you may want to investigate editing the drums for tightness before you overdub the other instruments. That can be a bit of a rabbit-hole in itself, but it would make a big difference to tightening up your sound.
Nice work!
listened to Stargazing. Awesome track. It has that ‘long drive’ feeling when you are cruising through and spot a cool little diner in the middle of nowhere (not sure why I got a bit specific there). But thats the kind of imagery it inspired. Nice job! Feels radio ready.
What kind of saturation did you use? It seems to fit that analog radio feel
that is pretty spot on.
waves Vocal Rider does this effectively too iirc