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Deny Control Mix
#1
Another fun well recorded imo song that was fun to mix.
As always, when i pick a song, i listen to a few bars and if i like it, i download it. I make it a point not to get swayed by an original mix or how to's, as i want to see how it comes out as i hear it. This is what i envisioned and enjoyed it. Great band, great recording.
Hope you enjoy!


.mp3    Deny Control Final.mp3 --  (Download: 8.89 MB)


.mp3    Deny Control Blitz Revise .mp3 --  (Download: 8.89 MB)


Everyone hears it a little different....
House of Bedlam - YouTube
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#2
I understand your approach, but in most cases, the result is so far from the band's identity and vision that it doesn't really make sense. For E.g. we know what kind of sound we want and which elements in this song are important to us. On the other hand, there is always the chance that you will be pleasantly surprised by what the other person has done. So I was kinda afraid and also curious to hear what you'd come up with. I can say this much in advance: I think the mix is good, but ... well, let's explore the but Smile

The Pros:

- Balance is good (with some minor exceptions)
- Guitar solos are in the right spot
- There are some very interesting things going on in the background with the vocals
- Blastbeats sound great
- The Slayer tribute at 1:54 sounds great - good job! Dave Lombardo would be proud =)

The Cons:

- It's an aggressive song, but the main vocals sound/feel somewhat distant from the listener. They should be right in your face which makes total sense when you listen to the text:

Don’t underestimate my will
‘Cause I will never resign
Don’t try to understand my sins
No Way!

Don’t try to seize me down today
‘Cause I will always withstand
Don’t try to fool a broken man
Deny Control!

I think the following picture is a nice visual guide for how the vocals should feel =)

https://images.app.goo.gl/T2VabVsPjjmKCa247

My advice: You can still keep the longer verbs and delays for special moments (like you already did at the end - good stuff!). There is also a lot of great stuff with the vocals going on in the background which I do not completely grasp but should stay in your mix because it makes the song interesting. But the main vocals should sound more intimate, uncomfortable, aggressive.

- The bass solo needs more love. I would remove the bass frequencies from the bass solo track and treat it like a guitar solo, with lots of mids and distortion to cut through the mix

- I would love to hear more of those small bass lines like the one at 1:47. They are still in the mix, but a minimal, short volume bump (+1db?) just for those small moments would bring them into the spotlight, adding another level of detail to the mix. 

- I can't say why, but the mix is not really kicking ass as it could be. Maybe it's the distant vocals, maybe it's the drums? They sound great, but very realistic and "true" and not like a supernatural "over the top" version that you normally hear in this kind of music. Same goes for the bass and the guitars - it's not the monstrous wall of sound I would expect. There ARE moments where guitars and bass hit like a truck, e.g. at 2:44 which is really awesome. But I´m somewhat missing the same feeling at e.g. 0:44, 1:00, 2:14 and 2:29. Basically every time the rhythm guitars play the "chug" part of the verse riff.

Edit: after listening to the mix a few more times, I think it's the snare. Don't get me wrong, the snare sounds great in context with the rest of the drums, but also very "real" and small. After tens of thousands of hours listening and playing this kind of music, my listening habits expect something bigger. Like a superhero version of snare? Maybe adding an overproduced sample with more Ooomph without changing the actual snare will fix the issue?
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#3
Thank you, i appreciate the perspective.
Everyone hears it a little different....
House of Bedlam - YouTube
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#4
I was talking to an ol band mate from back in the day (boards and 4 tracks no DAW's)... i described the song and your feedback on the song mixes here. He said "wow, that sounds just like you".... with our music (yes, compliment), I was a perfectionist with my music and i knew exactly what i wanted to hear. It annoyed the rest of the band quite a bit but i am who i am and i knew what i wanted... he he he
Everyone hears it a little different....
House of Bedlam - YouTube
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#5
What do you expect from a guy in his 40ies who spent the last 7 years writing, recording, rewriting and rerecording the same songs over and over again? Smile 

And I'm not even speaking of the countless "This mix sounds like horsesh*t and I gonna remix the whole album again"-situations plus all the jokes from my bandmates about the fact that we will never release anything because I will never be satisfied with anything Smile On the other hand, I learned a lot about mixing that I would never have done otherwise, which is a good thing. 

Anyway, I try to be objective when it comes to reviews of the mixes of our songs. But in the end you always get the band's perspective from me, and what you do with it is up to you. All I can provide is some insight that you won't get from anyone else Smile
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#6
True dat!
Heres one of mine i keep refining and cant seem to find a complete on...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M8nv4LHg8Y
Everyone hears it a little different....
House of Bedlam - YouTube
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#7
I wish i could quit d**king with things. he he I keep hearing different ideas in my head and by Blitz recommendations i revised a hair. :-P
Everyone hears it a little different....
House of Bedlam - YouTube
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#8
The new mix sounds really juicy and beefy on my Focals! Still think it's too much reverb on the vocals, but that is just my very own personal taste. The reverb in this mix is totally within the acceptable range. I really love the darker, more "brown sound" guitar tone, which reminds me of early Killswitch Engage (one of my favorite bands). If some of you don't know what "brown sound" means, check this article: https://www.roland.co.uk/blog/guitarists-brown-sound/ or this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juA98y_nMv0

Like your song btw., are you still working on it? What synths are you using?
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#9
Thank you much, added little more spice in the vocals (actually turned vocal track 2 into a lofi and blended for all but one spot)... guitar tones the same as my first mix (i did double the tracks with little different mid tone and blended), just emphasized more in the chug spots and bass as you recommended, and a little fatter snare.
Thank you on my song, i'm living with it a bit to see if i can leave it alone he he Wasnt sure about adding vocals or a next step with it.. The beginning and body backing parts is actually Spitfire BBCSO orchestral parts i added. I played all parts and the easy drummer programming.
I tried my hand last year at writing some orchestral music, just remixed it with the BBC library. Trying to add some extra skills in my arsenal. :-)
Heres that one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDV-1XYH_F8

Its hard to find people to collab with now days, i took a long break and this new way (daws/laptop music) is ongoing learning. Wish id had this back in the early days!!!
Everyone hears it a little different....
House of Bedlam - YouTube
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