help! what more do i need?

[Aaron L]

so this song is really fun but for the first time (for an amateur) i have no idea whats going wrong, it just doesnt sound the way i want it too.

[Nahuelelito]

Hola! Tene cuidado con la guitarra acústica 2 que esta la pista adelantada con respecto a las demás. Fijate si podes hacer un panorama mas amplio de las cosas (En mi mezcla por ejemplo lleve los coros a full L y full R, lo mismo con el piano y la guitarra acústica 1) Después creo que esta todo bien! Particularmente yo no toque mucho la ecualización de los instrumentos porque me gusta mucho el sonido natural de las cosas. Si lo retocas quiero escucharlo!!!

[juanjose1967]

Yes, I agree with Nauelelito. The first thing you should do is check the accoustic guitar because it's not aligned with the other tracks and that's why it sounds funny.

Check that out first, and then let us know the result.

By the way, do you speak Spanish?

[Aaron L]

I do not, yet google translate got the idea across, obviously not perfectly but I got it generally. Ill take a look at it and see what I can do with what you both said. I listen to a lot of other mixes of this song and it has a lot more power to it, part of the reason I chose this song. I don't seem to be making it very powerful, any ideas with that?

[juanjose1967]

I'm new to mixing as well, but I've noticed that I've been doing a big progress in these months. So I'm giving you my advice:

Forget about making a great mix from the beginning. This takes time and sooner or later, both you and I will make it if we persist. Just concentrate on small goals. For instance, my first goal was to make all the instruments sound "decent" without interphering one with the other. So try to control kick and bass together, and also guitars and pianos... these two groups tend to mud the mix or even to hide the other group instrument.

I think that so far, I've reached that goal. Now I'm working on my reverbs and delays; as well as how to make drums sound more powerful. When I think I'm done with that, then I will set some other goal for myself. But I have to prove it to myself that I can do it and I will need to mix a few songs until I'm fully aware that that is under control.

So far my technique has been working alright. Go little by little and you'll get far... it's just like if you told Michael Phelps to win a swimming race when he started having swimming lessons :-)

[Aaron L]

yeah that makes sense, ill start setting some goals. so far ive seen progress just from mixing consistently.

[Aaron L]

I made a few adjustments and after a day of not doing anything with it i found a few other mistakes.

[Nahuelelito]

I made a few adjustments and after a day of not doing anything with it i found a few other mistakes.

Ahí va mucho mejor!!! Te felicito!