Looking for some mix feedback

[BGH]

Hi guys, I'm after some feedback regarding a mix I finished off the other day. I'm pretty happy with it, but it may need a few tweaks.

Recorded in PT10.

It was a bit of an experiment since I used RDK for the drums, Amplitube for guitars, Guitar Rig for vocal effects, and T-Racks for mastering.

Any opinions/feedback whether good or bad would be muchly appreciated.

Its a cover of Goin Out West by Tom Waits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIyoNshMXbw

[drumzalicious]

the lead vocals are buried.

I'm guessing that the drum sound was a creative decision.

Bass doesn't sound defined at all and ends up being muddy.

Guitars sound a little wimpy but that could be how they were recorded and not your mixing.

[BGH]

Thanks for the feedback.

What don't you like about the drum sound?
Can you expand on what you meant by guitars sounding wimpy? I thought they sounded pretty meaty. There actually isn't any bass guitar in this, just guitars.

It is a pretty stylised sound I was going for i.e. big drums, dirty guitars

[Ludia]

Hi BGH,

First off I don't know the original so I'm not influenced by it.
I do have to agree the vocals could be more beafed up as well as the kick drum. At least thats how I like a sound. It's of course all in the ear of the beholder ;-)
I didn't like the panning of the vocals near the end. I would have liked the guitars a bit more into the wider soundfield. The sound of them I like very much though. Regardless of the bass is in or not, something is fighting for some lower end frequencies, you might want to put some freq analyzers on your tracks to see what tracks are sitting in the same spot and use a bit of EQ to pull out a little room for the one or the other. Less is more but making just a little room makes a whole lot of difference to clear out mudd. What I would do also is a little automation on the guitar of the intro to ease down the compression a bit in the intro part.

It is a cool track though, nice atmosphere, I like it.

Like to hear more from you.

Cheers, Luc

[ejwells]

Very cool track, period.
I'd simply say "nicely done."
The problem with asking for mix critiques is that you'll get them.
I personally found it to be an interesting and entertaining listen.
I hope you know how rare "interesting and entertaining" is.
I wanna hear more.
Sort of strikes me as Southern Culture On The Skids meet The White Stripes, a meeting I'd very much like to attend!

[Stig Eliassen]

Originally Posted by BGH

It is a pretty stylised sound I was going for i.e. big drums, dirty guitars

Right, and I think you nailed it. IMO, this genre should sound beefy and dirty. The vocals didn't sound buried to me. The focused and pointy vocal mix made them poke through just enough. Personally, I would've tried to pan the drum ambience tracks towards center a little more, and the guitars a little wider (either with reverb/delay sends or panned the entire track). Mixing is personal - don't take it personally.

Nice!

[BGH]

Thanks for listening guys. The feedback is very helpful, especially concerning the bass frequencies. Thats the sort of thing I was after. I think I'd hit what I like to call 'that point' when mixing where I either needed to knuckle down and get it done, or walk away from it for a week.

So thanks again guys, glad to hear some positive comments about it

[zedhed]

Wow, I really liked that! Cool job dude.

FWIW,my only comment is; I thought the vocal sounded a bit dry (as in the delay tails weren't coming through loud enough) which made the vocals sound a little detached from the rest of the mix.

Having said that, my girlfriend said to tell you she loved it, so there you go, and you know how hard it is for an Aussie to get a compliment from a Kiwi

[BGH]

Cheers Zed,

The vocals are something I was having some issues with.

Thanks for the feedback. Also gaining a compliment from a kiwi tells me I'm doing something right

[Top Jimmy]

On the opening guitar, is the tremolo in time with the tempo? Something about it feels odd. There are moments when my ear wants to hear the loud part of the cycle and it is quiet instead.

I pressed my bare toe against the subwoofer surround here under my desk and the low end is a mush of noise. There's too much crowding down there making a mess of things. There's flat out too much floor tom and I can't tell if there is even a kick, not to mention bass other than the low guitar tremolo thing going on.