feedback on a new track

[metalhead51105]

hey everyone
some of you guys saw that i posted my first clip in the rigs and tones section and im back now cause the guy we recorded with just got back to me with a new mix. anyway check out the song "breakdown" here: www.myspace.com/monseraught and let me know what everyone thinks. no holds barred pure assholish honesty if necessary even if it means you think it blows and we should re-record. thanks!

 

[18&Life]

Everything is muffled.
To the listener sounds like having cotton in ears !!!

 

[ToneAddictJon]

It's ok, I didn't find it to be muffled, but something doesn't sound right with it.
I think the kicks need to be more cutting and not so boomy, and the bass needs a bit more definition, and the voice needs to fit in the mix a little better, right now its overpowering everything. I think the guitars sound fine though.
If it was me, I'd retrack the vocals, and re-eq the kicks and bass.

 

[phyrexia]

Drums sound fonky.
guitars sound good.
can't hear the bass (laptop)
vocals are too high in the mix. do you have an effect on them?

 

[JamesD]

I agree with most said here. I think that the guitars sound pretty good, I don't like how the drums sound, especially the kick and snare. The bass is hard to even here in the mix at all. The vocals drown everything out. Way too loud, it doesn't really sound mixed at all to be honest.

I am not trying to be rude, because i like the song actually, i just think it needs more time spent with it.

 

[metalhead51105]

hey guys thanks for some of the feedback. good to know someone else felt the way the band did. we just wanted some outside honest opinions. i am the singer and i was definately not happy with the vocal tracks cause the vocals are week and you can just tell i was conjested. truth be told we are a band from cincy but we recorded with some friends from high school who now live in dayton. so its kinda hard to adjust things without us all being there. anyway for those who thought it sounded muffled i completely agree too. how would we tell our "producer/engineer to fix that" cause he's kind of a newbie himself? just re-eqing the mix it self? btw there is a **** ton of compression going on with it and i talked to the dude tonight and he's working on getting the kicks tighter. personally i thought instrumentals should be more in the foreground or the vocals turned down a bit. btw there is just some verb on the vocals as far as i know. anyway if i was to run a checklist of the problems and solutions it would be:
1. retrack / fix vocals
2. re-eq
3. re-mix to bring intrumentals to the foreground
4. fix the kick

anything else?
any advice to give to the engineer himself? it seems that the song it self really isnt the problem aside from the vocals correct? it has more to do with the mixing and producing?

 

[ToneAddictJon]

I think your list is pretty good.
Depending on what he's mixing on (headphones, monitors, etc) he may be hearing a better mix than what ends up on a stereo, so you may want to suggest he listens to the final mix on a cd player/home stereo, and then re-master from that.
I always listen to stuff in the car after the first mastering session, take notes on the little things that stick out, then go back and re-master. because in my headphones/monitors, I up the bass and treble more than needs be, since most stereos have a preset eq with a mid dip and bass/treble boost.

 

[Brewski]

First off, I like the song, so I'm just being constructive. (Crappy laptop speakers here, so take it with a grain of salt.) Pretty much everything said above is applicable. The vocals overriding the rest of the mix is what stands out most to me. Blend your vocals more into the mix, try a little distortion and/or reverb on them, just to see where it goes, if nothing else. A light effect will add more character to your vocals. Don't overdo it, as less is more.

Keep working the drum and bass tracks to change the drum sound and bring up the bass, give it more definition.

I think that your execution was great overall, it's up to the engineer to pull out those qualities.

 

[phyrexia]

In terms of your delivery, on the louder parts I think your vox sound good but the quieter parts (sometimes in the same line) sound weak.

it is good that you can take constructive criticism. I would have cancelled my boogieboard account by now.

 

[metalhead51105]

ha ha ha thanks man lol. i enjoy constructive criticism as long as it seems people aren't trying to be a douche about it. plus i think i have much to learn considering i cant even order a drink in the clubs i've been playing. any advice is good advice as long as its honest. but i know I'm sweet ... :roll: :lol: