28-01-2019, 01:03 PM
Hi hcld001! Although you officially missed the deadline for mix critiques, I actually finished up a little ahead of schedule so I've still been able to sort out some feedback for you before the submission deadline:
Hope that helps, and thanks for getting involved!
- You kick and snare both feel very low in level compared with the hi-hat and side-stick. That loses you a lot of rhythmic momentum, especially in the Choruses, Reintro, Outro, and the various drum fills. The snare is very mono-incompatible too, which is rarely a good idea for mainstream styles.
- Overall the low end of the mix could afford to have more sub-80Hz energy, comparing it with the references. The 2-4Hz range is also rather prominent, which makes it a fatiguing listen at higher playback volumes.
- Your solo guitar timbres are very thin and piercing, and distract from the vocal.
- That drop to the whistle before Chorus 1 is very dramatic and really demanded my attention, which is great from a mainstream production perspective. However, the way you return the other sounds to the mix afterwards feels a little messy, somehow, and less effective.
- The vocal's low frequencies are still rather inconsistent (eg. at the start of Verse 3), and the singer could also probably do with a little de-essing, especially with such a bright high-hat in the mix.
- The ride-cymbal stick noise is quite abrasive during the Mid-section.
- The bass guitar could use more midrange energy to allow its important melodic and rhythmic contributions to translate better onto small speakers.
Hope that helps, and thanks for getting involved!