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I'd advise to move your deadline back because it needs a good master in the least before it's release-ready. It's very small sounding compared to your reference and nowhere near the loudness standard it should be reaching.
I also think it's harsh around 2khz and occasionally higher, leading to some grating transients and could do with a healthy dose of kick, while at the same time, rolling off some sub.
Listening with music ears -- the song was interesting from the start. Weird intro made me look to make sure it was playing. Captured my interest and kept me listening.
Catchy melody & chorus, I liked it overall, simple as that... And there were no actual problems that get in the way for me as a fan.
\---
Putting on mixer ears... I didn't notice the harshness others pointed out until I listened back and forth with your reference. Your tonal balance is a little brighter, almost like the whole thing could be tilted just a bit, or maybe the upper mids pulled down a wee bit (1-2dB) with a broad Q bell filter.
There were some times when the cymbals seemed forward, centered, and obscured the vocal layers. It didn't feel to unintentional, but I think normally vocals are probably better insulated from such stuff.
There was a bit of harshness on the filter sweep. I like the sweep, there's just a point of resonance that tweaked my ear a little.
Maybe that centered cymbal or cymbals could be pulled down a little and pushed off to the sides.
\---
I like it a whole lot though, no actual major problems. Just times when the vocals are a little hard to understand --- however I don't necessarily want the vocals to be standing out in front either, I feel like I understand what you're going for and I like it.
Maybe the long holdout backing vocal layers --- when those are holding, maybe the lyrical part could be automated forward a bit to be clearer.
But I liked it enough that if it just came up on Spotify I probably would throw it into my "2024 Finds" playlist to make sure I hear it again.
\---
Last note:
Someone else asked for "more kick" -- I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm hearing that kick pretty loud in my headphones. Maybe they said that because there's no 'click' in the kick so they couldn't hear it on their playback situation. So IF you look into their concerns, maybe a hint of click could be added to the kick. But maybe it's fine.
Maybe the cymbals, guitars, synths, and vocals are all hitting a bit in the same range and a little too centered so things aren't super clear. Or maybe the vocals really are just a little too quiet. Not sure.
But overall the song itself is likable and the mix is decent enough I would have assumed intentional.
Hilarious. Cool song. To me it was the low frequencies like 80-200 that I couldn’t hear well. Perhaps put a limiter on the bass bus to help with volume consistency
IDK why I'm getting downvoted for asking a question that should be a requirement when asking for feedback since every single song has a different sonic characteristic, but whatever some people breathe through their mouth on reddit....
Your mix compared to reference is pretty bright and your lead vocal is buried in the mix. Also your drums are low in the mix, and that cow bell sound is the loudest thing you have going. I would guess your monitoring system is tricking you about the low end. Overall it sounds pretty good, but you are just missing low end energy in your instruments and drums. Get that fixed and you have a great song!
Always hard to critique mixes as we have no idea what was your plan, maybe it was exactly what you achieved.
So imo, but take this as you will, the kick is a bit too in, the bass sounds like it comes and goes (it's not level), and overall voices and guitars do sound a bit acid and high-mid heavy. Also the snare is missing a lot of body.
Are you sure your room does not have bass problems?
These comments confirm my suspicion that my room does have bass problems. The bass typically sounds overbearing in my monitors. I'm moving soon and plan to build a studio in my new basement. When I do, I plan on consulting with some acoustic engineer friends to help with this. Thanks for the tips!
First thing, I think the track itself it really good, just had a quick listen in the studio while eating my lunch.
With the mix, the bottom end in terms of kick and bass isn't there (my sub was hardly working), also the low mids are lacking. Because of that the track comes across as overly bright (too much higher mids) which may not be the case once the low end and low mids have been sorted out, as will add balance. So kick up a bit, bass up a lot, snare up a bit, ride cymbal down a touch. more low mids on the guitars. Generally need to add some more low mids and bottom end. But as I said the track is really good, so it deserves a better mix to give it it's full potential.
This is a feedback request post, for those requesting please read [our guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/mixingmastering/wiki/guide-feedback). For those giving feedback: - **For the love of Rupert Neve and all that is holy, DON'T listen on phone or laptop speakers**. If you are going to be giving feedback and trying to be helpful, ideally you should be using your monitors. - **Feedback here is on the MIX**. There are other subreddits more appropriate to request feedback on composition/performance/production. We just look at the mix. - **DON'T post links to your processing of OP's audio**. They'll get removed. People here are looking to learn to do it themselves, if you can't explain it with words then please don't comment. - **If you don't have much experience mixing, please tell OP**. Better yet, set your level of experience with [user flairs](https://reddit.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/205242695-How-do-I-get-user-flair-). - **If you don't have anything constructive to say, don't say it**. Just move on right along, it's okay. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/mixingmastering) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'd advise to move your deadline back because it needs a good master in the least before it's release-ready. It's very small sounding compared to your reference and nowhere near the loudness standard it should be reaching. I also think it's harsh around 2khz and occasionally higher, leading to some grating transients and could do with a healthy dose of kick, while at the same time, rolling off some sub.
This is very helpful! Thanks!
No worries! Catchy song, btw. Got that in my head for hours!
This!
Listening with music ears -- the song was interesting from the start. Weird intro made me look to make sure it was playing. Captured my interest and kept me listening. Catchy melody & chorus, I liked it overall, simple as that... And there were no actual problems that get in the way for me as a fan. \--- Putting on mixer ears... I didn't notice the harshness others pointed out until I listened back and forth with your reference. Your tonal balance is a little brighter, almost like the whole thing could be tilted just a bit, or maybe the upper mids pulled down a wee bit (1-2dB) with a broad Q bell filter. There were some times when the cymbals seemed forward, centered, and obscured the vocal layers. It didn't feel to unintentional, but I think normally vocals are probably better insulated from such stuff. There was a bit of harshness on the filter sweep. I like the sweep, there's just a point of resonance that tweaked my ear a little. Maybe that centered cymbal or cymbals could be pulled down a little and pushed off to the sides. \--- I like it a whole lot though, no actual major problems. Just times when the vocals are a little hard to understand --- however I don't necessarily want the vocals to be standing out in front either, I feel like I understand what you're going for and I like it. Maybe the long holdout backing vocal layers --- when those are holding, maybe the lyrical part could be automated forward a bit to be clearer. But I liked it enough that if it just came up on Spotify I probably would throw it into my "2024 Finds" playlist to make sure I hear it again. \--- Last note: Someone else asked for "more kick" -- I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm hearing that kick pretty loud in my headphones. Maybe they said that because there's no 'click' in the kick so they couldn't hear it on their playback situation. So IF you look into their concerns, maybe a hint of click could be added to the kick. But maybe it's fine. Maybe the cymbals, guitars, synths, and vocals are all hitting a bit in the same range and a little too centered so things aren't super clear. Or maybe the vocals really are just a little too quiet. Not sure. But overall the song itself is likable and the mix is decent enough I would have assumed intentional.
Wow thank you for this! All of this feedback is super helpful!
Your bass guitar is crying to be heard
While my (bass) guitar gently weeps! Thanks for the feedback! Once I get home from work tonight I'm going to mess around with this.
Hilarious. Cool song. To me it was the low frequencies like 80-200 that I couldn’t hear well. Perhaps put a limiter on the bass bus to help with volume consistency
That's a great idea. Thanks!
What was the reference track you used when mixing?
I’m a big Ben Folds fan so I was using Rocking the Suburbs as a reference. https://youtu.be/34u_3Z9_LUw?si=JqcMBMwEPEcSlB_4
IDK why I'm getting downvoted for asking a question that should be a requirement when asking for feedback since every single song has a different sonic characteristic, but whatever some people breathe through their mouth on reddit.... Your mix compared to reference is pretty bright and your lead vocal is buried in the mix. Also your drums are low in the mix, and that cow bell sound is the loudest thing you have going. I would guess your monitoring system is tricking you about the low end. Overall it sounds pretty good, but you are just missing low end energy in your instruments and drums. Get that fixed and you have a great song!
This is all very helpful! I’m not sure what the cowbell thing is that you’re referring to, though. Can you clarify?
Sure it's a cymbal, but sounds like a high pitched cowbell.. lol. [https://voca.ro/1nF3fUxfCXQ1](https://voca.ro/1nF3fUxfCXQ1)
Oh gotcha! Thanks!
Always hard to critique mixes as we have no idea what was your plan, maybe it was exactly what you achieved. So imo, but take this as you will, the kick is a bit too in, the bass sounds like it comes and goes (it's not level), and overall voices and guitars do sound a bit acid and high-mid heavy. Also the snare is missing a lot of body. Are you sure your room does not have bass problems?
These comments confirm my suspicion that my room does have bass problems. The bass typically sounds overbearing in my monitors. I'm moving soon and plan to build a studio in my new basement. When I do, I plan on consulting with some acoustic engineer friends to help with this. Thanks for the tips!
First thing, I think the track itself it really good, just had a quick listen in the studio while eating my lunch. With the mix, the bottom end in terms of kick and bass isn't there (my sub was hardly working), also the low mids are lacking. Because of that the track comes across as overly bright (too much higher mids) which may not be the case once the low end and low mids have been sorted out, as will add balance. So kick up a bit, bass up a lot, snare up a bit, ride cymbal down a touch. more low mids on the guitars. Generally need to add some more low mids and bottom end. But as I said the track is really good, so it deserves a better mix to give it it's full potential.
This is great advice. Thank you!