Hello, mix-challenge participants! First of all, I want to thank everyone who took their time and entered the contest.
I was truly flattered to read all the compliments when all of you gave feedback on my song "Big Eyes".
Please keep in mind that, even if I want to be as objective as possible, I can't exclude my subjective preferences when it comes to mixing and the overall result of it, and without a doubt, that influences the perception of the song in general.
That being said, I will proceed and give feedback to the top 15 entries, as it was a condition stated by the contest organizer.
@coiled_ear
Your version has a pretty good balance between the individual tracks. It seems that you've chosen to do a more dry version of the song.
If that was really your intention, then I can't argue with that. Here are some aspects that I've noticed and decided to give feedback on:
1. I would make the lead vocal maximum 1 dB louder.
2. Even though I can't feel it through the entire guitar solo part, at the end of it (around 1:50), there's an obvious lack in the low frequency,
the lowest note being A ("la" for Europeans), which is rooted in 110 hz, so maybe don't cut higher than that.
3. The claps in the interval 1:55–2:12 have a quite noticeable off-tact feeling, creating a disturbance in the rhythmic feel.
4. The back vocals that goes "uuuuuu" at 2:33; I would make a low shelf at 150 hz and decrease it around 4 dB, because it seems to have too much low energy in that area (for my taste).
Also, try and push it back with a not-so-obvious room reverb; it sits way too upfront for a back vocal.
5. I would also consider making the GTR - acoustic solo part in the intro sound more like a lead element. I can't give you any pointers on how to do that.
All I can say is that it sounds somehow "weak" for a lead element.
@tcheck10
Here are the things I would change in your mix:
1. The piano in the intro is a little bit loud. Balance it so the guitar (which is supposed to be the lead part) doesn't have to compete with it.
2. The guitar solo in the middle of the song has a weird sound; it's like it's distorted in not a good way. It may be because of over-compressing.
3. The strings in the last choruses need to be adjusted level-wise, they take up too much space.
4. The back vocals that goes "uuuuuu" at 2:33 are also way too loud for a back vocal.
5. The back vocals in the last chorus (from 2:34) that are overlaying the lead one are barely there. I would think of it like two lead vocal parts that create something close to polyphony.
@Paupeu
1. The GTR - acoustic solo has a sound that I really wouldn't use. It's distorted in not a good way. Try another amp that sounds more smoothly distorted.
2. For the electric guitar solo in the middle of the song, I have the same objective as with GTR - acoustic solo.
Those are the only two objections that I have regarding your mix. In any other aspect, I think it's a pretty good mix.
@Christoph_K
The thing you did with the delay on the lead vocal in the choruses made me question why I did not think of that when I was mixing the song.
Very cool approach, kudos for having musical intuition.
Overall, I really liked your mix, with the exception of:
1. The GTR - acoustic solo, don't like the sound. I don't know what track you used (apm or clean), but it seems to me that it is distorted in not a pleasant way.
Also, I would consider increasing the volume of this track specifically for the intro part, because it's a lead element.
2. The electric guitar solo in the middle of the song, make be a little bit louder and maybe with a little less reverb/room fx on it.
3. The phrase "with me, right here, right now" at 2:30 seems to have a phaser effect that made me think that there could be an overlay of 2 identical tracks.
I won't argue if that was an intentional choice.
@MellowBrowne
My feedback:
1. The GTR - acoustic solo, give it more space, sounds quite dry, it's seems that there's no fx on that track.
2. The sound of the drums in general seems to be raw. And I don't know if that's your preference, but I would look into that for sure.
3. The electric solo guitar in the middle needs more volume. I would make it at the same level as the lead vocal, since it's also a lead element.
Other than that, it's a pretty well balanced mix.
@Tapwater
1. The delay that you chose for the GTR - acoustic solo conflicts with the rest of the harmony when the chord is changing.
Try to cut the low frequencies in the delay (up to 400 Hz or even higher), it should solve the conflict. Also, even though it has a delay, it seems that the guitar
is lacking space. Try adding a neutral reverb, it would not sound as raw after that.
2. I also suggest that you do the same thing with the crash cymbal that hits when the chorus starts, cut the low frequencies.
3. I liked what you did at the last chorus with the "phone eq" filter, it differentiates that part from the lead and back vocals, which is pretty cool. Although,
I would tone down the volume of that specific track by at least 2db.
4. There may be a similar dissonant effect from the long reverb that is on the organ. It creates some muddiness, but I'm not sure which specific instrument it is.
I think that's all. Overall, it's also a quite good mix.
@GeorgeCorg
1. An interesting approach for the GTR - acoustic solo. It gives me a feeling of mystery, which I think is a good musical choice, even though I wouldn't
use that kind of sound myself.
2. There's a midrange reverb on drums, perhaps only on snare, that is not quite genre-appropriate, in my opinion (I'm aware that this is debatable).
It gives me the feeling that it is played in a stadium (or a very big room), when in fact, the song has a much more "in your face" vibe.
3. The overall sound of the vocals in the low choruses seems weird, like there's a flanger/phaser effect or something similar. Try and spread the back vocals
more, maybe that would get rid of the strange sounding. Also, the delayed "bye" in the second verse feels loud to me, 1.5-2db less would be fine.
And one more "also"
, try and automate the amount of vocal reverb for the verses. Less reverb on verses would create a more intimate feeling, plus it will
create a bigger difference between verses and choruses.
4. Not a fan of what you did with the delay on the quiet chorus. If you were my mixing engineer for this song, I would definitely ask you to remove it.
5. The "uuuuu" back vocal close to the end seems quiet (2.33), I would like at least 2db louder for exactly that part.
6. Just like in @tapwater 's mix, I like what you did with the overlapped back vocal in the last chorus, but in your case, I would like it louder, as well, at least 2db.
@Alexvanmixland
1. Make to toms in the intro (the drum fill) to match the rest of the elements. There's a pretty big difference in volome between them.
2. The GTR - acoustic solo part in the intro - make it louder so it will sound more like a lead element.
3. The "uuuuu" back vocal close to the end is almost not there (2.33), make it louder, so that it is perceived as a filling element.
4. The back vocals in the last chorus (from 2:34) that have to overlay the lead one are barely there. I would think of it like two lead vocal parts that create something close to polyphony.
@Dreni
A much more modern approach. I can't say that this is good or bad, but for my taste - I wouldn't go that far with the reverb on the lead vocal (at least on the verses) and the overall compression.
You can really hear that white noise in the first milliseconds of the song and at the end. But then again, it's probably just the analog simulator of some plugins you've used.
1. The GTR - acoustic solo part in the intro - make it louder so it will sound more like a lead element.
2. The electric rhythm guitar has some "spikes" in it, probably just a lot of harmonics in the 2-3k area. Try to tame that with a multiband compressor or just a simple eq.
It also conflicts with the lead vocal in the choruses.
3. The "uuuuu" back vocal close to the end seems quiet (2.33), I would like at least 3-4db louder for exactly that part. The same goes for the overlapped back vocal in the last chorus (2.33),
make it louder, so it would create something close to polyphony.
@Tony Black
One of the reasons I chose your mix is because I liked what you did with the acoustic guitar in the quiet chorus. Although, now that I hear it, I would go even further and automate an eq filter,
so it would start more narrow in the middle range, and passing the half of the quiet chorus, it would start to widen to the point where the next chorus begins. I hope you understand what I'm talking about.
There's also some weird noises in the back, which I think are bass guitar related. Interesting approach, kinda freaky, but still good. Although, I think you may have to compromise
between that and the clarity of the bass guitar.
1. The same goes for your mix as it was stated before you. There's a midrange reverb on drums, perhaps only on snare, that is not quite genre-appropriate, in my opinion (I'm aware that this is debatable).
It gives me a feeling that it is played in a stadium (or a very big room), when in fact, to song has a much more "in your face" vibe.
2. I liked the octaver (if I'm not mistaken) on the GTR - acoustic solo part. It was quite cool, but muddy. Try to clear that out.
3. The lead vocal seems to be a little bit oversaturated in the upper mid range and quiet for my taste.
@ari5to5
1. The same goes for your mix as it was stated before you. There's a midrange reverb on drums, perhaps only on snare, that is not quite genre-appropriate, in my opinion (I'm aware that this is debatable).
It gives me a feeling that it is played on a stadium (or a very big room), when in fact, to song has a much more "in your face" vibe.
2. I'm not quite sure why you chose to pan hard-left the GTR - acoustic solo part in the intro. It's a solo element, so in the stereo world, I think it should be centered.
You can easily automate the track after that, so it would be panned left when the chorus hits.
3. The electric guitar solo in the middle of the song sounds quite loud compared to other lead elements, like for example, the lead vocal.
4. The "uuuuu" back vocal close to the end seems quiet (2.33), I would like at least 3-4db louder for exactly that part. The same goes for the overlapped back vocal in the last chorus (2.33),
make it louder, so it would create something close to polyphony.
@itsmorefuntocompute
I really like the sound of the bass guitar. It's very clear and you can hear the attack of each individual note.
1. I'm not really liking the sound of the drums. Maybe that's a compromise you had to make in order to make the bass sound that good.
I would consider more punch for the kick and more body for the snare. But then again, it's your choice if it comes to compromising with the bass guitar.
2. The sound of the GTR - acoustic solo part seems ok, but I would consider lowering the drive/distortion of the signal. It sounds quite aggressive for my taste.
3. I like the sound effect you created at 1.07, but then again, I would consider decreasing the volume by around 2db. The same goes for the back vocal that creates a 3d interval
for the lead vocal "the smell of your perfume..."), till the end of the second chorus.
4. The "uuuuu" back vocal close to the end is almos not there (2.33), make it louder, so that it is perceived as a filling element.
5. The back vocals in the last chorus (from 2:34) that has to overlay the lead one are barely there. I would think of it like two lead vocal parts that creates something close to polyphony.
@Locrais
1. The sound of the bass guitar is particularly aggressive for this kind of genre. It has way too much "bark" and distortion for my taste.
2. The back vocals in the last chorus (from 2:34): there's too much de-esser on it.
I kinda like that you kept the live feel of the song.
@edwarkmonk
Cool entrance, man. I like the filtered drum fill.
1. I have a problem with a dissonant effect in the chorus between GTR - acoustic solo part and the lead vocal. The last note in the guitar phrases is F#, but after that, the vocal
sings a G and it overlaps. You get a semitone interval. Even if it's an octave apart, it still sounds weird.
2. I would increase the volume of the lead vocal for the low singing, up until the quiet chorus.
3. The claps in the interval 1:55-2:12 have an off-tact feeling, creating a disturbance in the rhythmic feel. I've heard it in another mix, maybe it's my bad and it just needs to be time-aligned.
@DennisBastioni
I like the fact that you didn't over-enhance everything. It's a clean mix, it sounds good, I like it. I have a few pointers for the rhythm electric guitar, though.
The rhythm electric guitar sounds like it was left at the DI stage. Maybe use an amp that will show a more obvious character of that guitar.
I'd like to thank everyone again and wish you luck in the next round. See ya!
