Need your opinions on first mix/master

[davebmetal]

Hi Guys/Girls,
Sorry if this is not the folder to post this in, but I was looking for your opinions on my first time mix/master. I am doing a recording only band with some friends. We just finished tracking and doing the first master. My gear is Superior Drummer 2.2, PT10, Line6UX2 Studio, iZotope Ozone5, and Shure SM58.
I like how it sounds in the car. But it seems to lack that "polished" feel. I added EQ and high/low pass filters and did a lot of adjusting. I think the levels are pretty good, but again, it lacks that shine. Any tips? Beware, it's metal. And yes, I know we need to redo the vocals using a spit guard/filter.

https://soundcloud.com/davebmetal/memory-of-failure

[dr_daw]

Dave,

Nice work, HEAVY, but an ok mix for your first go around. It seems a little over compressed which may be what's giving you the feeling that it's lacking shine. What are your intentions with this?

Less is more with this type of music, things can get mashed together if you're not scooping and boosting in the right area. I'd love to hear what it sounds like with NO comp or EQ on the output buss. You know, your pre-mastered mix, or are you doing your mix with the Comp/EQ engaged? That is a bit of a trouble area if you are.

It is generally good practice to NEVER master something you've mixed. Keep at it though, love that heavy riff at the end...but something has squashed the balls out of it.

[davebmetal]

Thank you Dr DAW!

Yes, I have a lot of compression and EQ'ing going on the guitars and bass to keep them from clipping. I didn't realize that I should put my faders down at least 3db when recording. So my tracks are a bit uneven in that respect. I will definitely try getting rid of all compressors on guitars and bass in the pre master. Now, what about vocals? I have the Bomb Factory on my vocals (I did the back up super low growls at the end). I put the Channel Strip and 7band EQ on the other vocals to apply high and low pass filters. It totally makes sense that there is too much compression going on. Thanks again for your feedback and advice!

[davebmetal]

OK, I just remastered. I took off all the compression I had on the guitar tracks. That totally makes sense now considering the effects I used in the UX2 studio had compression already on them. I think I may need to turn up the bass in the master, but I think it is way more clear. You can hear the dynamics and the delay effects much better. So what do you think?

[Emcha_audio]

Alright, nice going there for the first mix. here's what I noticed.

Toms seems distorted at 11 secs.
Snares disappears at 14 sec. What I mean by that is while you hear it in the first 13 secs, they loose all it's energy at 14 secs, Raise them in db or eq them differently to give them a bit of mid low boost for power, or change snare sound completely for a fatter sound if you can.
This next one is a personal preference but I love bass so i personally would have give it a bit more place in the mix to emphasize with the kick and give the mix a bit more humph.
Guits are nice I like them as they are at the moment.
Vox are pretty good also, although, again personal pref in the chorus I'd have added some delay effect to the voice to give it a bit more play in the mix, deph and also a different texture to what of the verses.

All in all though, I like the song, I think it's a very good first mix, you can only improve :)

[davebmetal]

Thanks Manny! I also heard that distortion on the toms but was not sure if it was my monitors being too clear. I am definitely going to experiment with what your suggestions! Thanks again.

[Emcha_audio]

hey Pleasure!

And that's how you'll learn new tricks. Experiment with things, even if you might think.. well that won't work with metal.. try it you never know, it might just bring that "thing" and be like wow!

[RegenerationMix]

Guitars are rocking and up in the mix, the vocals are good and have presence to cut through the mix. The drums and bass are buried and lost pretty much from the get go. The drum tracks when you can hear them sound kickin, but are too much in the background.



Chris

[davebmetal]

Hi Chris. Thanks for your feedback and suggestions. I agree that the drums were a little back in the mix. I also added more bass presence. I re uploaded the track and think it sounds much better. Sounded great in my car.

Guys, I can't thank you enough for the quick tips. They made a world of difference!

New master: https://soundcloud.com/davebmetal/memory-of-failure

[Emcha_audio]

It's better overall, we're still losing a bit of the snare with the vox are on but that's because both are fighting for the same range of frequencies. Have you panned the snare a little so it's not sitting straight at center with the main vox?

Also, this will probably help you in the future the most, but is your room treated?