Hey Shul, this mix sounds very good to me...wow, this is an epic, isn't it? Quite a long song by today's standards!.. More like suite... almost..
Well they seem to be working quite well, because overall, I think you've done a great job here. The mix translates really well on my system.
The frequency spectrum seems quite balanced and full from low to high. The internal balances in the mix work really well. Personally, I can't really pick up any big build-ups or striking deficiencies in specific frequency areas.
The one thing that stood out to me as perhaps needing attention is the kick drum. I haven't checked the mix on a smaller system, but I suspect it may get lost on smaller speakers, particularly in the denser parts of the song. The sound you have works well in that sparse middle section of the song where the drums are more exposed, but in the denser sections, I can't really hear any "point" or attack on the kick.
In fact, I would venture to say that in the denser sections, the kick might benefit from a completely different treatment, as it has a fairly prominent 100-150hz (somewhere around there) element that tends to make it sound "bulky", and builds up with the bass in a bit of an unattractive way.
But mainly, just a little more high end "slap" from the kick in the heavier sections would be my suggestion.
Personal taste: I found the vocals might benefit from a little more obvious ambient treatment. At times, they sound just a tad too up front and separate from the music for this style of song.
Ok, here's the thing: Raw physical hearing prowess has very little to do with the art of mixing. If it did, all the best mix engineers would be under 20 years of age, when one's hearing is at it's peak sensitivity.
That is clearly not the case. Many, if not most of the current top mixing and mastering engineers have at least 20, 30, sometimes even 40 years on you, Shul!
As the son of an Audiologist, I became aware many years ago that age-related hearing loss is an inevitable fact of life that no one can avoid, no matter how much they protect their hearing.
Now, I'm definitely not suggesting being cavalier with the precious gift of hearing... My point is (and again this was made clear to me by my Dad's work experience) that your brain trumps your raw hearing ability every time. The brain has an amazing ability to adjust and compensate for age-related hearing loss, and that is why the famous dudes who are in their 50s-70s are still able to crank out amazingly musical mixes.
Of course, there is a point where profound deafness creeps in, but I'm betting that is a long way off for you.
Be sensible with protecting your hearing now to stave off any further damage. However, I'd venture to say that allowing doubts raised about your physical hearing ability and/or your monitoring to cause you to succumb to a crisis of confidence is far more damaging to your mixing ability than any slight hearing loss.
Keep working on your craft, learn your monitoring, and upgrade only when you can afford it and when it is the only option left to improve your mixes.
Nice work!
Quote:I'm currently using a different pair of headphones
Well they seem to be working quite well, because overall, I think you've done a great job here. The mix translates really well on my system.
The frequency spectrum seems quite balanced and full from low to high. The internal balances in the mix work really well. Personally, I can't really pick up any big build-ups or striking deficiencies in specific frequency areas.
The one thing that stood out to me as perhaps needing attention is the kick drum. I haven't checked the mix on a smaller system, but I suspect it may get lost on smaller speakers, particularly in the denser parts of the song. The sound you have works well in that sparse middle section of the song where the drums are more exposed, but in the denser sections, I can't really hear any "point" or attack on the kick.
In fact, I would venture to say that in the denser sections, the kick might benefit from a completely different treatment, as it has a fairly prominent 100-150hz (somewhere around there) element that tends to make it sound "bulky", and builds up with the bass in a bit of an unattractive way.
But mainly, just a little more high end "slap" from the kick in the heavier sections would be my suggestion.
Personal taste: I found the vocals might benefit from a little more obvious ambient treatment. At times, they sound just a tad too up front and separate from the music for this style of song.
Quote:Last but not least.. i'm 30 years old.. i'm noticing my right ear is loosing low end reference on the music.
Ok, here's the thing: Raw physical hearing prowess has very little to do with the art of mixing. If it did, all the best mix engineers would be under 20 years of age, when one's hearing is at it's peak sensitivity.
That is clearly not the case. Many, if not most of the current top mixing and mastering engineers have at least 20, 30, sometimes even 40 years on you, Shul!
As the son of an Audiologist, I became aware many years ago that age-related hearing loss is an inevitable fact of life that no one can avoid, no matter how much they protect their hearing.
Now, I'm definitely not suggesting being cavalier with the precious gift of hearing... My point is (and again this was made clear to me by my Dad's work experience) that your brain trumps your raw hearing ability every time. The brain has an amazing ability to adjust and compensate for age-related hearing loss, and that is why the famous dudes who are in their 50s-70s are still able to crank out amazingly musical mixes.
Of course, there is a point where profound deafness creeps in, but I'm betting that is a long way off for you.
Be sensible with protecting your hearing now to stave off any further damage. However, I'd venture to say that allowing doubts raised about your physical hearing ability and/or your monitoring to cause you to succumb to a crisis of confidence is far more damaging to your mixing ability than any slight hearing loss.
Keep working on your craft, learn your monitoring, and upgrade only when you can afford it and when it is the only option left to improve your mixes.
Nice work!
All 10 FytaKyte Multi-Tracks available for you to mix with purchase of Album here: https://fytakyte.bandcamp.com/releases