Black out Betty -- Jonas

[Jonasdk]

Here's my attempt on the song.
Took about 2h and started out as a project to test a new plugin: iZotope Alloy 2
Since it didn't take long it might be that I missed some things, so all remarks are welcome .

~Jonas

[Mike Senior]

I like the comparatively dry and upfront vibe, as well as the interesting kind of chorusey texture you've got on the guitars -- sounds a bit retro, but I think I like it! Backing balance is generally pretty solid, I think, with a lovely solid bass/kick presentation.

Two main criticisms to me ear. The first is that the vocals are outgunned by the band, both in terms of level and because they're being masked heavily. As far as level's concerned, maybe reference a few commercial releases, and perhaps try monitoring in mono while doing it so you're not put off by panning separation. In terms of masking, it sounds to me like you've built up the track from the rhythm section, and then added the vocals in at the end. Try putting the vocals in first and see what you come up with. As it is, it sounds like you're fighting with your EQ to make the vocals heard, so they don't come across as very natural-sounding.

The second thing I'd say is that in general I think you're probably over-EQ'ing, and probably doing a little too much EQ for the sake of 'that makes this track good in solo!' and not enough for the sake of 'that makes everything fit better in the mix' -- they're two different reasons for EQ'ing, and they frequently conflict. In this case it seems like 3kHz is a favourite frequency of yours (everyone has at least one!) and you're getting everything tangled in that region -- snare, hat, guitars, vocals.

Hope that's useful in some way!