13-02-2019, 08:43 AM
(11-02-2019, 07:54 PM)Mike Senior Wrote: Hi willjohnson! Had a listen to the 'Rough 04' version, and you've got a cool new intro idea there, which does a good job of highlighting the appeal of the congas, although I do wonder whether lengthening the intro overall as you've done might be counterproductive in terms of the 'mainstream single' mix brief, because it means the singer only arrives after 20 seconds, and the first chorus only arrives at 1:20. Some other thoughts:
- The rhythm guitar (and piano) off-beats are very strident in the balance, and distract from the lead vocal and solo guitar interjections, both of which are more musically interesting. The brightness of the rhythm-guitar tone also emphasises the smaller beat subdivisions, making the groove feel a little sluggish.
- The kick feels a bit flabby and indistinct, and could probably do with a bit more midrange energy so that its rhythmic punctuations cut through the mix.
- The overall mix tonality could do with less energy in the 2-3kHz zone, based on my impression of the references.
- Some of the hi-hat transients and Mid-section ride stick noises are rather fierce, and get fatiguing at higher volumes.
- Pretty decent vocal balancing, although I think you could probably improve lyric transmission with a bit more micro-level automation of the swallowed syllables and some of the consonant-vowel transitions.
- The arrangement of the first and second verses is pretty much identical, which is encouraging the listener's attention to wander before they reach the chorus.
- The whistles seem a bit underbalanced during the outro, for such a characterful part.
Hope some of those suggestions are useful -- and I look forward to hearing your final submission version.
Thanks for the feedback Mike. Really appreciate you taking a listen to the mix and giving me some feedback. Hopefully I'll be able to address these points and a few other bits in time for the deadline!