Hi people,
sooo, I'm sorry for having you waiting! Various reasons led to time issues.
Regarding this challenge: I first want to make clear, that I'm not a professional! That means that all my judging is based on a lot of feel and taste and what I think what is good. It could also be, that I would think completely different things 2 months from now. But I am trying to judge as fair as possible!
There were a lot of mixes! What I now did is that I'm gonna name the 10 people who will be taking part in mix round 2. Also they are gonna get little reviews on what I liked or disliked to get some changes rolling for the next round (-> IF NEEDED).
For all who didn't make it to the next round, send me a private message if you are interested about what I think of your mixes. I will than take my time to write reviews for them as well and if you want to: discuss your mix. Obviously for all germans, you can than write in german
I also speak a fairly distant dutch for if there are any dutch people around here.
The participants for the next round are:
Photonic
bjputnam
ThomasBerg
Al B.
Michael B
BBBLLLPPPSSS
3ee
eccentric
Jerze
monjeco
Reviews:
Photonic
Good drum sound: punchy and well balanced. Maybe falls back a little too much when the bigger guitars fall in. The take a lot of space away from the drums. The guitars sound very good too (EQ-wise), I really like the sharpness, but they take a lot of space. The vocals are very nice: sharp, airy, upfront. They also lose some space as soon as the guitars fall in, but are blending nicely with the backings, which makes that sound very natural. Bass is also very balanced. Mix has a good amount of low-end. Also the mix has a sound and a red line throughout the song itself.
bjputnam
Good overal balance and mix. Good snare. Maybe try to get the kick a little more round. Now the kick is tiny bit harsh and ‚clicky‘? Maybe there is a better way to make it sit in the mix. The leadvocals could have a touch less de-essing. Other than that I personally would try to find a different reverb/delay for all the vocals. Not sure but sometimes I think I hear a bit DI-signal through the guitars which makes them clearer, but also a little ugly and nasal. Also the bass could be more aggressive.
ThomasBerg
Snare gate hearable. I do like the punch, but it’s maybe a touch too much. Maybe try to mix the original snare (no gate/no comp) into the mix (parallel). Kick sounds very basketbally; maybe try to change the balance of the kick mics. I like that the mix is really in your face. Try to de-ess the delay on the leadvocals or cut highs. I like the use of effects that you use in different parts and still the mix sounds as one unit.
Al B.
The mix is well balanced regarding loudness and spectrum. The vocals are upfront and heavily compressed. They sit on top of the mix. Actually what I wanted. But maybe it’s a little too compressed and a little to different from the rest. It’s very well understandable and all, but not really in the mix. Maybe try to find another way of treating the vocals to get them in there better.
I think the kick could need a touch more low end. Also in the kick there is something ugly around (i guess) 800-900hz. Could be an EQ problem or the balance of the different kick mics.
Michael B
This mix starts very wide (guitars). This is probably because of the fairly sharp guitars. They sound good but they push the vocals away, because they drag the attention too much. Also the guitars lose this sharpness in the chorus when they get heavier.
The snare could have a touch more body.
The leadvocals need a different treatment. They are very wet and the reverb is not fitting very well. They are very de-essed but still miss a lot of presence. They are also sounding a bit nasal and generally far away in the mix.
I like the drums, but here is the snare also a touch too thin, especially in context with the more boomy kick.
The backing vocals could be a little more compressed / tamed. They are also a touch too wet maybe.
BBBLLLPPPSSS
This mix is actually a little less poppy. It has kind of a garage feel to it. The overall balance is nice and the use of effects is also tasty. Maybe you could try to get the vocals a little less mid-rangy so they get a little more present. Maybe try to use some saturation (gently!) here and there to emphasize the garage feel, but keep an I on the amount of mid freqs you have in the mix.
3ee
The kick maybe needs more attack/presence. The snare is sitting in there well, but the kick is a little off in the mix. Maybe try to get rid of some low mids in the lower backing vocals. I like the special effects you used on guitars and the longer effects on the vocals. Maybe try to get these longer delays a little more in time (seems like they are off beat sometimes). Also maybe try to get them dirtier -> for example saturation on the delay itself, but other ideas are welcome.
eccentric
Your mix has a good own sound to it that follows one idea. The issues that I hear are in the guitars. The guitars that come in in the pre chorus bring a lot of muddy mids with it. Than the guitars in the chorus have more low mids. The frequentie balance of the song changes nearly every new song part. And that because of the guitars. Try to even them out as good as possible. That will probably lead to more changes you will possibly have to make in the rest of the instruments as soon as you change the guitars. So try to keep how the vocals and the rest is sitting in the mix when you adjust the guitars.
Jerze
There is something weird happening with the kick and the toms. Some kind of saturation artifacts. I actually gotta say, that I really like it. Maybe you can try to get this more present in the verses and bridge and a little less in the other parts of the song. Also try to get the snare a sound that matches the kick and the toms. I like what you did to the rim click in the Bridge. That leaves a lot of space for the developement.
I also like the use of saturation on the vocals but I would try to get rid of sooome of the sharper frequencies and try to get it more upfront. Maybe try a different way of saturating it. Such as different saturators, different signal chain, maybe parrallel?
monjeco
The vocals are very warm. This warmth is nice, but it leads to a lack of presence and air. Especially when the harder guitars and/or the backings kick in. The toms have a lot of attack and presence but they sound very clicky. That makes them sound very different from the rest of the kit. Maybe make them a touch rounder and/or the rest sharper. The snare could get a little different tratment. Maybe you can gain some attack and presence in the mix, but try not to lose the way it fits in the mix.
I hope what I sent is understandable. If there are any problems/questions, feel free to ask. I try my best to judge good, but judging is really hard in my opinion!
fajebru
