Stuck on a mix

Bash This Recording
#1

This isn’t my song; I agreed to mix it as I thought I could improve upon what the artist had done. Now I’m not so sure!

Its’ an uphill battle. I’m not so keen on the track and the recording quality was not great.
Here is my attempt:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AcTTXvJu6a3abcz906eXmx0LH1hR3O5L/view?usp=sharing

Here is the original:

Have I made any improvement? What more can I do?

I think I’m failing to really make those choruses and crunch guitars jump out, but I’m not sure what to do.
More or less gave up on the drums - they were provided as a stereo track, plus a separate track with some toms and cymbals on.

1 Like
#2

well right away i felt like the vocal needed some boxyness removed. which you did. I feel though that if you put some of the effects back on but eq out low end, high end and 2kish, you could keep that wettness but loose the muffled sound. I think you have improved it but it still has a ways to go. I really like their bass.

#3

@ramshackles If you paste the file into your post it will embed in the site player which makes it a lot easier to access :sunglasses:

#4

I prefer the dry vocals that you have, but your mix is crushed waaaaaay too hard, driving it into that fluttery distortion the whole time.

#5

Thanks for the feedback.
Spoke to the artist and he actually said he preferred his mix… :crazy_face:
So I’m not gonna take it any further - its been a bit of a bore to do.
Hopefully some of the lessons learned I can take across to more…exciting stuff

@bozmillar
I think I’ve been overdoing compression somewhat lately, however, there is intentional distortion on the vocals - could you be hearing that aswell?

#6

Thanks! Its a WAV though and the site doesn’t accept them (I guess they are too big).

#7

No, I can hear the vocal distortion just fine. The drums and bass are pounding some kind of distortion REALLY hard in your mix. There’s tons of low end on your mix that is (in my opinion) way too distorted. Sounds like the Primus Brown Album, only more bass heavy.

#8

Okay… only way to have an opinion for me was to open both songs up, play 10-15 seconds of one and then go to the other and do the same.

Your version is more polished but some favourable dynamics were lost from their master in the process. I do not like the sound on their bass, the pop sounds nasty but on yours it is totally buried but sounds better. I think their version would get a loudness penalty on all distribution services but it’s a little hard for me tell without running it through that program, it is very new to me. The brightness of theirs has some elements of likability although it is all around too bright and, yours, I believe at the beginning of the choruses it has a hint of too muddy almost.

I like the song but I don’t envy you for having to mastering this one. It is the main reason why I haven’t sought online mastering from anyone else. The full project has to be used from time to time to go back to mix when necessary, at least it is what I do on my own material and I ain’t no sound engineer by any stretch of the word.

In conclusion and in my opinion, the logical choice is your version but I’m not certain the band will concur.