FytaKyte-Fade

[SonicTramp]

Awesome song! I love it. Great performances from the band. Had fun mixing it. Slow song has its own challenges. Applied some of the techniques collected from here recently. Seems to work ok, to my ears. Thanks for the listen.

[mikej]

Hi,

Yeah, keeping mind the things you've been working on recently, I can hear that this one is definitely heading in the right direction too. Well, to me it seems like you are really putting some good work into the mix balance and compression now. Not sure if you've done this already - a quick tip for side sticks is to put it on a separate track so you can process it separately from the snare. As they are recorded with the same set up as the snare, it's a bit of compromise and they can sometimes sound a bit quiet, distant or lack that extra bit of reverb.

Cheers!

[SonicTramp]

@mikej. I wish I could claim that I did it myself but it wouldn't be true. Ngl, I could never get a mix to sound anything like this without you guy's recent help, Roy/Shul on the balance and you/RustyRuss on the comp. Thanks for pointing out the difference bet aggressive comp and aggressive sound. I was barking up the wrong tree . That happened to me all the time in the past and wasted a lot of my time, not to mention alongside of it a ton of frustration, and I am so happy you guys were there to guide me thru. I will try harder to get the mix to where it should be. Right now I just want everything to sit comfortably so that I can make a sensible assessment of what to do next. I am sure that if you guys catch me going astray you'd reign me back in . Thanks for all the help. I couldn't do it without.

About the side stick: sure, I thought about separate them to make it easier to control, but for some reasons I forgot. It should have been done in the editing process, but I was trying to get things in phase and in the process forgot all about it and only realized it after I post it. I will work on it the next time around.

Thanks a lot, man.

[SonicTramp]

Came back and worked on it more on tightening the bottom end, the rim stick, and the guitars. I wanted the vox to be a little bit darker (perhaps more befitting to the song) but unable to do so and still think it's a little too bright . Any suggestion on that is appreciated. Thanks for the listen.

[Roy]

Quick thoughts on V2.
I like a lot of it.
One issue is that it feels very "aggressive". Everything feels right there and in my face and I wish there was more depth and subtly. I'm impressed that you have everything, instrumentally, so forward and seem to find a space for everything. But I find it hard to focus. I don't feel like I'm listening to a story but a crowd all vying for my attention. You're making space for everything via panning, which is a technique that works, but it feels like everyone is at the front of the stage left, right and center and I don't know who to look at.
My biggest issue is that the vocals seem like an afterthought. The lead vocal comes through but isn't the focus of the song as it should be. Everything else is so big and the lead vocal seems to try to fight for space. And most of the background vocals are buried or nonexistent.

Quick technical issues is that i feel like the bass guitar is taking up a bit too much real estate and the vocal could use some de-essing. Especially in the bridge.

I like that you're using effects more now but they might be a bit much at times. Like on the side stick. Percussive, staccato sounds can be tricky because the effects can be more noticeable. While that's essential in say, Dub, it can be a bit much in a more standard arrangement.

Hopefully I'm making sense,
Cheers.

[SonicTramp]

@Roy. Thanks for the comments. You got me, man . I was just trying to get the instruments to work together so that I can hear everything and didn't pay attention to depth/subtlety as I should. I will, tho, now that you mentioned it. I don't know how to tackle it yet (any suggestions from anyone here is super appreciative), but I think automation and level balance and fx have something to do with it.

Yeah, man, I try to use more fx (mostly reverb) in my mix but still very clumsy in handling it. Every time I put it in it seems to mess my mix up more than it helps, (big, long, seemingly endless sigh). I can never hear the fx until I push it up, tho I heard the pros say that to back it off a bit (how much is "a bit" is still a mystery to me) after I hear it. The problem is when I backed it off I wouldn't be able to hear it anymore, and so the vicious cycle began. I think I need to learn how to listen to it properly.

About the bass. I'll reign it in, but it does sound good in my cans to me . Thanks for the time, bro.

[Roy]

Working backwards...

If the bass works for you I can't argue. I can only go by what I feel on my end. I would say check out some other 'commercial' tracks for reference to see if it's comparable. I'm bad at low end So i could always be wrong. I'm usually bass heavy though I feel like, generally, less is more.

Effects are tricky. I still have issues with them. I'm just pulling this out of nowhere but I'd say consider the effect part of the part and not something too 'out there'. We tend to view effects as something special and they (for the most part) should enhance and/or reinforce a part. Always consider if something helps or distracts.

For the record, I'm never trying to 'get'. My critiques are from an honest place and I sincerely want everyone to be a better mixer. So I can learn and be one myself.

Ta

[SonicTramp]

@Roy. Following you by working backward...

No, I never thought your critiques are insincere/dishonest, far from it actually. You and the guys in here have been helping me to be a better mixer since day one, so no. I said 'you got me' as in I should have caught it myself if I was a better mixer but now I know.

About the fx. Tbh, I can't tell if my fx is helping or distracting. I am sure there's a line where they intersect but right now I can't see them lines. When I strap the verb in, I hear the instruments become sweeter, spacier, but that's about it. It's so hard for me to hear whether I have it too much or not enough. I guess I'll have to learn it just like I do with the EQ and compressor, etc. I am up for it .

Imo, the bass is the single most important, not to mention the hardest to work on, instrument in a mix, a good mix that is. It just helps making the mix beefier and so pleasant to listen to when it's done right. And bc I am never sure I get it right in my mix I rely on folks like you to tell me even when it sounds nice on my end. If my mix doesnt translate on your end I'd prob think it's a fail. I don't mind keeping working on it tho. I want to get it right. And you guys wouldn't let me get away with it anyway so....

Anywayz, I have been trying to learn more about clipping. I think it's the reason why my master bus sometimes jumps to 7-9 dBs tho I don't hear any distortion or a drastic change in volume. The internet says the peak is so fast the ears are incapable to hear it, and the peaks rob the mix of its headroom. They say I need a clipper, which I don't have and have never used one before. Do you use them? Any thoughts on this? Anyone? Is there another way to tame the peak without using a clipper? Thanks in advance.

[novalix]

Hi,
 
i agree with @Roy that your mix has some good qualities. A possible reason for the perception

I don't feel like I'm listening to a story

could be the positioning of the lead guitar.

For me it fulfills a specific role as an emotional narrator in this song. It 's taking over when the singing guy with his semantics shuts off.
It should be center stage, imho. And while it sounds sweet on its own with the drowning reverb on it, it is way too far back.
That is not to say it should be bone dry upfront. It certainly deserves some space and "dreaminess" maybe even more as the lead vocal in the melancholic parts and not totally different but with some variation in the revolting section (solo parts).
Maybe try some pre-delay and automation.

Take my ramblings with a grain of salt. I 'm an amateur.

[SonicTramp]

@novalix. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate the effort.
("Take my ramblings with a grain of salt. I 'm an amateur. ") that makes 2 of us .

I'll work on the mix more with your suggestion in mind. At the level where I am at, right now I am still trying to get everything audible first (freq/level balance) which, according to Roy and a little bit from you, somewhat passable in this mix. There are many things that still confuse me and my hearing and knowledge have yet to come together to help me navigate thru it. I know that and am still trying to get it right, one thing at a time in small manageable bite sizes. I love working on this song bc it's the slowest I have tried so far. Slow song, imo, has a way of revealing any shortcoming on my part as a mixer, for there's no place to hide . I don't mind bc I learn a couple new things to watch out for already. So thanks for lending your ears and the time to critique my mix. It's always better to travel with posted signs showing the right directions.