29-07-2017, 06:06 PM (This post was last modified: 04-08-2017, 05:56 PM by Olli H.)
The track count was a bit too much for my old computer. I was afraid that I won’t be able to finnish anything in time, so I decided to concentrate mainly on transitions between different parts of the song. So there may be many small details that should have been given more attention.
I'll try to listen to your mix as soon as possible and give you a constructive feedback. With big session, I usually regroup similar tracks together and bounce them into a stereo file. I remember a session with 131 tracks, and after regrouping, I had 77 tracks. Way much easier for me and my 2011 MacBook Pro
I regroup backing vocals, L/R rhythm guitars, overheads, room tracks, synths... I'm sure you can do the same with Into My Dreams.
Regrouping would have been a good idea. I must try it in next big session. My mixing computer is 2009 Power Mac. i guess I must soon anyway buy me a new one, for the latest OS won’t work in it anymore.
Sonically my reference was The Neal Morse Band. That's why I went after for a cleaner sound with more separation.
For the punch and frequency balance i also checked against CLA’s mix of American idiot that I had taken from the CD. For the same reason i mastered my mix to be a bit too loud. Spotify loudness around -13 LUFS would have been a much better choice, but in competitions one tends to forget the voice of reason.
In general, your mix is quite aggressive with a lot of hi mids. It comes mostly from the guitars and the drum shells. Surprisingly, it suits well for the vocals. They cut really well and sound nice.
Vocals are a bit loud, so they sound a bit disconnect from the rest. I like how you used FX and distortion here and there. It works very well.
I love your kick drum :p Plus it works well with the bass. However, while the kick sound massive, the rest of the kick sound thinner. So you could process the rest of the drum to make them sound more produced, or maybe make the kick more natural ?
These are the main points I can hear right now. Of course, a 17 minutes piece of music needs a lot of automation to make sure every instrument is at its right place at any time, but you're on the good way.
Thanks for the comments. The sound is aggressive with purpose, but maybe it came out a bit too aggressive.
The deadline for the final submission just went by, so I guess just have to leave it the way it is now. Well, actually I wasn't expecting any comments for I missed the first deadline. So thank you for bonus comments. You must have had quite a task to go through all the mixes. I appreciate it.