Please check this mix and critique ROCK

[funsongs]

Here's version 4
If you have a chance to listen to this new mix, please let me know if it needs tweaking. THANKS!

Not calling this a 'need'... chalk it up to personal taste: wishing the drums, particularly the snare, were more present and up front; has this been mastered yet? Yep: Andy's got some good ears.

One application I can imagine for this track, with its fast tempo & high energy, is like the You Tube clips I've watched of the big open-ocean racing boats... bombing across rough seas at 100 mph+!!
Something aligning with an extreme-speed sport.

[zacnelson]

Hello! Great job on the track, it can be annoying getting lots of advice but since you asked for it I'll add some contributions - sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled apart limb from limb when I get advice on my songs!

The drums are really well programmed, but I think they sound like they're sitting in the same place as the rest of the mix. I find with rock mixing you need to not be afraid to boost some low mids and mids on the snare, it can help to separate it from the cymbals and the top end of the guitar amps. I often even make an EQ cut in the upper mids (1-2khz) on the snare.

Also the toms need to sit HEAPS deeper EQ-wise in the mix, they should sound like they come from a totally different frequency spectrum altogether when they come in, when you're listening through monitors they should seem like it's a totally different area in the mix which is occupied only when the toms are hit. Boost the lows on the toms, for comparison please listen to Foo Fighters mixes from the last few albums they've done (not their early albums). You also need to pan the toms more.

I consider the tom mixing on Foo Fighters albums to be pretty much the ultimate example.

Your kick seems to already be sitting in the right place.

And just to put my advice into some context, here is a sound cloud link to one of my tracks in a comparable style, just so that you can decide whether or not there is any validity in my comments. I always recommend people listen to the music of whoever is giving them advice, sometimes it can help you to ignore what you are being told!!

https://soundcloud.com/zacnelson/kamikaze

Kind regards,

Zac

[larrymagee]

thanks Zac and FunSongs. I really appreciate your advice. Zac - great job on kamikaze.

I guess it's time to work on the drums. Thanks for the ideas on the snare and Toms. It's good to know that the kick is working.

[zacnelson]

Happy to help Larry, and remember the most important part about listening to advice is having the sense to ignore it as well! So PLEASE feel free to ignore my suggestions, and of course let me know if you do another mix and I'll have another listen.

Sometimes if you follow people's suggestions you can end up with an inferior result, because you may have something that kind-of works already, and then if you tweak it in an area that you don't have as much expertise or experience as the person giving advice, you could end up making it worse!!

I say this because recently I've tried too hard to follow some suggestions I was given on another song, and I ended up going into bad territory and I should have just kept it as I originally wrote it!

[larrymagee]

thanks, Zac. It's good for me to think about the drums, now. When I had the song narrowly panned, I changed the drums to mono because it bugged me that the cymbal crashes sounded like they were coming from the wings of the stage. I'm now listening with the drums in stereo again and I think with the hard panning of the rhythm guitars, the stereo drums will help a lot. There's a lot more breathing room in there and everything's clearer. So that's probably the first tweak. I'll see about some EQ for the snare and toms, too. The snare actually sounds pretty good with the drums in stereo.

[larrymagee]

see the next blog entry.

[larrymagee]

I'm getting close. I've learned so much from all of you that helped with suggestions.

https://soundcloud.com/larrymagee/take-it-back-ver-5

changed mono drums back to stereo. EQ'd the toms for a bigger, bolder sound.

It's due tonight. Any suggestions still welomed.

[zacnelson]

Excellent work Larry, very tastefully done. You have retained all the wonderful character and uniqueness of the original, but with those changes I feel that the elements are sitting better in the mix, they have their own place in the EQ range. Make sure you let us know in a months time if you get a forward!!

[andygabrys]

Excellent work Larry, very tastefully done. You have retained all the wonderful character and uniqueness of the original, but with those changes I feel that the elements are sitting better in the mix, they have their own place in the EQ range. Make sure you let us know in a months time if you get a forward!!

agreed. Good luck Larry! nice work on the swamp stuff BTW.

[johnlewitt]

Larry,

I'm coming late to this post, but I think it is very solid for what it is. The drums and bass are locked in and the lead guitar work serves the song well.

Good luck with it.

John