Glen McPhee: 'A Sailor Once More'

[takka360]

Mix 2

[River Sessions]

Awesome work on this one, you're knocking these out of the park.

[takka360]

Cheers bud

[SonicTramp]

I especially like the delay on the vocal, sweet. I think you can open up the mix a bit more for space. I see you shave a bit hi off the drums. Yep, hard to get the hi-mid rich snare from straying. I also think you can give the whistle more reverb/delay to make it more mysterious and perhaps the move will help convey the sadness inherent within its melody. Maybe get the strumming guitar a bit louder? It sounds so nice. I don't think the song minds a bit louder guitar in your mix. Good job. Cheers!

[takka360]

I kept it pretty tight sounding purposely this mix .Cheers for the comments

[Monk]

mix 2:
only auditioned in mono over a smallish consumer box. The mix doesn't translate suggesting some issues you've missed in the stereo domain.

[takka360]

ha ha. It translates fine in mono. you are talking total nonsense here .And just out of interest why leave feedback on my mix alone and no one else's
Do me a favour a don't leave feedback on my mixes in future as i have no interest in anything you have to say .

[SonicTramp]

I agree with Takka360. There's nothing wrong with the mix when I folded to mono.

[takka360]

I certainly wonder what he is all about

[Monk]

Takka360: “Thanks Monk, for taking the time to listen to my mixmaster and for posting your thoughts. I'd be interested to know more about the aspects you feel I might be missing so that I can understand and possibly improve further in both this mix and future ones.”

Monk: “You are more than welcome.  So here's a little bit of information that I hope might be of benefit to you and the community which could be explored......I will elaborate further”

Here is what Monk is about, for those who may be in doubt:

Using eyes only (especially for the benefit of those who lack critical listening skills or have a hearing impairment), a quick grab of the FFT average taken purely at random about 2/3's into the song, shows the spectral imbalances in the mixmaster. Note the lack of bass fundamental below 100Hz (1). Also note the low-mid congestion from the high energy imbalances here between 120 and 350Hz, sometimes referred to as the Misery Range because of it's negative effects on listeners (2). Also note the high amount of energy building up in the honk range between about 500Hz and 1.2kHz.  The upper mids, namely the 1-5kHz zone, is excessively present and therefore unpleasant for those with unimpaired hearing for example, especially if listening at elevated SPL's (3).  This spectral spread wouldn't take the ear's non-linear response into account (Fletcher-Munson 1933).

It can also be seen from the treble, that the cymbals have an excessive reach, pushing hard against the anti aliasing filter at 22kHz. Besides the fact that only your family pooch is ever going to notice this extreme, it is more than possible to hear the highly unpleasant distortion that is non-linear, caused by folding from previous processing. This is why it's harsh and very uncomfortable. The mix hasn't attempted to deal with this, as the FFT illustrates (though not in this grab).

The Goniometer (not shown) also suggests the mixmaster is typically mono sounding, with little to differentiate between the two channels in terms of phase. I'd anticipate a less engaging record presentation due to this. A quick look at the VU in M/S shows an inappropriate energy balance in the sum and difference criteria which points to opportunities back in the mix. This further supports the Goniometer observation. The side, or difference channel to be more accurate, is lacking in energy/effectiveness here.

Due to the long decays/sustains associated with the arrangement and production values/choices, including the vox reverb emu in the mix and aggravated by micro and macro dynamic processes, auditioning in mono reveals the low-mid and sub 100Hz masking effects and build up here which are exacerbated rather than dealt with in the mix via compromised solutions and workarounds owing to the circumstances inherent in the material. Headphone users are unlikely to appreciate this constraint due in part to channel isolation as well as the 180 degree panorama.

The outcome suggests this was mixmastered on headphones, as this is what I would expect typically where a user has unwittingly attempted to equalise the perception from their headphones which all have inherent design constraints which cannot be fixed by software compensation gimmickry as some seem to think. If done on speakers, then it points to some big opportunities in correcting the relationship between the room's interferences and the monitors and even the monitoring position itself, perhaps.