Amber Skye - Howlin (thelongestyear)

[thelongestyear]

Overall I really like what you've done. The balance fits the direction you've taken the mix. The bottom end combo of kick and bass during the choruses is confident yet controlled so it drives the song but never feels like its about to max out the speakers.

Over time I start to think I took it to a more common 'your typical pop sound' direction which is not that good considering that the song should be more 'not like others' (anyway, that's how I feel now).
The choruses were one of my biggest concerns so I tried to taylor in these kicks and the bass synth.

The vox on occasion sounds a little boxy and a bit strained/constrained - almost like a telephone effect. Nothing necessarily wrong with it - in fact the more I listen to it, the more i like it and it seems to fit the mix.

That's true, I didn't do much to the vox and left it sounding 'telephony' in some places. The only place I hear it being constrained though is the second verse (it has some nasal quality to it).

The other thing maybe worth mentioning is that the stereo image is relatively narrow, especially given the number of tracks on offer, and the opportunity to pan FX returns to create space. It means that the little top-end details of the mix aren't really shining through and it doesn't breath quite as much as it could.

That's true also. But again, I'm not a big fan of wide stereo panning, it sounds unnatural to me at times. So, I would rather narrow the mix and taylor something with EQ in order to avoid 'dissipation'. It's totally a choice.

That said....I think this is a really nice mix. Good job

Thank you so much, HbGuitar, you've confirmed some of my concerns.