These are very nice tracks, but dang, it was a tough one

[ThomasStevenson]

Hi Krabbe

Thanks for mixing our track ! I have read through your feedback on the track and appreciate that you took the time to offer it. The song was born out of a jam session, hence there is - well - some jam parts in there. I will take the feedback that the second solo indulges a bit I saw someone ask what the guitar player would think about the fadeout - and since that is me, I can say that I didn't mind the fade out. Some of the bass and drum fills in that ending part are favourites for me, but they were still present, so I was harkened to the end of "Backdoor Love Affair" on ZZ Top's first album where they jam out on the fadeout and it is awesome (has to be the original version though !). The other treatment I could think of is to take the first 2 bars of the end solo and then cut to the ending snare fill and end it. Just in my head - haven't tried it ! Anyhow - fadeout was good in my books. As for the track being "undone", I am not sure what to say - probably something for me to learn in that feedback, but it's hard for me to interpret - we are happy with the reference mix, but also liking some of the arrangement ideas people are throwing into their mixes. All good - feedback is a gift.

Some observations I can offer as I listened through:

- verse guitar - a bit high in the balance vs lead vocal. Noticed the high frequency part could be dialed back a bit, as it was a bit aggressive to listen to
- bass guitar low in the balance - was looking for a bit more lows.
- Interesting chorus balance - it grew on me - the original intent was a hard L/R pan of gtrs 1&2 and the high one that you featuring was to help mono compatibility. I didn't mind it, but I also felt there was a lost width opportunity there
- sustain on gtr interlude - lead parts in general - would love to hear some more delay or ear candy on them - complete subjective comment of course !
- creative on verse 2 start - like the drop on the drums - cool !
- middle section - like it -
- BV level vs the lead in verse 3 - found the BVs took the listener's attention

Everyone is approaching the mix in different ways which is cool. The reference mix was my mix - I'm no pro, but directionally it does give an example of the mix vision from the us (https://soundcloud.com/nerve9band/livinglie or somewhere on the Cambridge site). If everyone copied that, I don't think this forum would be as interesting either It may help explain a few of my comments though.

Thanks again

Thomas

[Krabbe]

Hi Krabbe

Thanks for mixing our track !  I have read through your feedback on the track and appreciate that you took the time to offer it.  The song was born out of a jam session, hence there is - well - some jam parts in there.  I will take the feedback that the second solo indulges a bit   I saw someone ask what the guitar player would think about the fadeout - and since that is me, I can say that I didn't mind the fade out.  Some of the bass and drum fills in that ending part are favourites for me, but they were still present, so I was harkened to the end of "Backdoor Love Affair" on ZZ Top's first album where they jam out on the fadeout and it is awesome (has to be the original version though !).  The other treatment I could think of is to take the first 2 bars of the end solo and then cut to the ending snare fill and end it.  Just in my head - haven't tried it !  Anyhow - fadeout was good in my books.  As for the track being "undone", I am not sure what to say - probably something for me to learn in that feedback, but it's hard for me to interpret - we are happy with the reference mix, but also liking some of the arrangement ideas people are throwing into their mixes.  All good - feedback is a gift.

Some observations I can offer as I listened through:

- verse guitar - a bit high in the balance vs lead vocal.  Noticed the high frequency part could be dialed back a bit, as it was a bit aggressive to listen to
- bass guitar low in the balance - was looking for a bit more lows.
- Interesting chorus balance - it grew on me - the original intent was a hard L/R pan of gtrs 1&2 and the high one that you featuring was to help mono compatibility.  I didn't mind it, but I also felt there was a lost width opportunity there
- sustain on gtr interlude - lead parts in general - would love to hear some more delay or ear candy on them - complete subjective comment of course !
- creative on verse 2 start - like the drop on the drums - cool !
- middle section - like it -
- BV level vs the lead in verse 3 - found the BVs took the listener's attention

Everyone is approaching the mix in different ways which is cool.  The reference mix was my mix - I'm no pro, but directionally it does give an example of the mix vision from the us (https://soundcloud.com/nerve9band/livinglie or somewhere on the Cambridge site).  If everyone copied that, I don't think this forum would be as interesting either   It may help explain a few of my comments though.

Thanks again

Thomas

Hi Thomas

Thank you for the tracks, the time and the feedback, all very valuable!

Now, I'm not trying to defined my mix, because it is what it is. However, your feedback spawned some thoughts about why I did this and that. The verse guitar DO feel loud, I thought about that too. I kept it there to maintain the guitar energy, so to say. I tried to dial it back, but ended up finding that it messes up the energy between guitar 1 and 2, the two clean guitars, and I didn't like that. I wanted, more or less, and constant volume when going from guitar 1 to guitar 2, because, in my head, that provides a more au-natural-engergy.

I purposely did not do anyting FX-wise with any of the guitars, because guitarist carry their own effects. To be honest, I really wanted to do something about the lead interlude, because, no offense, I am not a huge fan of that particular guitar sound. I figured that you have chosen this particular sound for a reason, so I ... well, I respected that.

I did pan guitars 3 & 4 hard L/R and then having the 5 dead center, but maybe the 5's a bit too loud, so it drowns out the stereo guitar effect from 3 and 4?

What I mean with the song feeling "undone" has nothing to do with the reference mix. To be honest, I haven't listened to it, because I prefer doing these as bias free as possible. Now, I am speaking stricly in a musical sense. My main appeal is that the vocal seriously needs more support in the chorus, especially when your chorus has the musical nature that it has. If I should be a little harsh, I'd say that this is a song containing two different kind of verses, a bridge and a whole lot of guitarsolo. My point being, I need that particular part to ... rely on, if that makes any sense. In a "classic" chorus, you've got an energy bump as well as plenty of support for the vocal, either/or both in terms of musical and/or vocal arrangements. Here's is nothing to support the melody, and you don't give any musical leads either, since the chorus is a 5-2-4-5, so it's relatively difficult to interpret. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with not going the .... shall we say "radio pleasing way", in terms of both intervals and melodies.

Arrangement-wise there's something about the overall energy that strikes me as ... I did make the "drum drop" to break up, what I felt, was a very monotonous energy feel. Maybe it's the guitars, starting from chorus 1 goint all the way to the bridge, there's nothing but 1/8 strokes on the guitar. There's nothing in between that breaks that energy. I made the "drum drop" because I wanted to try to break up that energy, and since there were not natural rests in the guitar, I made an attempt with the drums instead.

Holy smoke ... that's a lot of words ... well, thank you again for everything. That's both awesome and generous and I-lack-words-for-the-rest. 

Great job and stay healthy!

[Shul]

Really dig your drums... I just think they are a bit loud especially the snare.. other than that this is sounding pretty solid!

[Krabbe]

Really dig your drums... I just think they are a bit loud especially the snare.. other than that this is sounding pretty solid!

Thanks for your time and comments.

The snare is kinda loud. Initially I did lower it with the result that the snare was comming from OH and instead of snare mics. I then tried to lower OH's but then I loss all cymballs, so the compromise was this.