Rate my Mix

[Old_Ben]

Just been using the mix library and posted up a new mix, can anyone offer any feedback on the balance, imaging or anything else?
[url="http://discussion.cambridge-mt.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=98"]http://discussion.ca...play.php?fid=98[/url]

Edited April 17, 2015 by Old_Ben

[Dad3353]

Good evening, Ben...

Give me a day or so to listen closely; I'll be back shortly.
Meanwhile, would you care to elaborate slightly on how you approached this (which DAW..? FX..? References..? Anything else...).

[Old_Ben]

Hello, It's a punk song, very raw. Used reaper and I personally try to not add to much to the music and let itself do the talking, unless there is something very boring going on or everything was done via DI.

Simple pans left and right guitar,
EQ to take out a lot of rubbish noise.
I use reaper primarily at the moment, all the stock plug ins except for the gcomp compressor, which I find very good at taming unwanted peaks.
I resampled the snare & kick drum using addictive drums 2 as there was so much background noise.
I always forget to pick a reference song or 2 to judge everything by. Probably my main downfall at the moment!
As the style & playing was rough and ready didn't want to over polish the music, so kept some of the timing slip ups. (or because I'm lazy)

[ironside1966]

I have had a quick listen.
Things I like:
Balance is quite good but maybe less kick.
Things I would change:
The overall sound seems quite thin and far away, I feel a track like that wants to be more in your face but that could be because your monitors are far too colored or it might have just been recorded that way but well done

[Dad3353]

Ben...

Back again, and I've given it a good listen now. Disclaimer, from the outset: this is far from my favourite 'genre', and well outside of my 'comfort zone'. Your mix is fine, within the constraints of the original source material (silk purses, anyone..? ). I was not overwhelmed with the drums, despite your having re-sampled them (not helped by the playing, of course..!); they seemed a bit 'buried'. Similarly, the bass lacked 'sparkle' and presence for me; a bit 'thuddy'. Not much one can do with 2 guitars playing in unison, so panning 'em is about the limit, but that's a matter of composition and arrangement, really. The vocals are fine.
Altogether, no black marks, a couple of details which boil down to taste, more than anything, and a result which respects the 'garage' feel of the genre. Good stuff; if the congratulations of an old duffer like me mean anything, I'd say: 'Well done, lad..."
Just for fun, and as a comparison, I did a mix myself from the same stems, which you can find here...
[url="http://discussion.cambridge-mt.com/showthread.php?tid=10573"]'Etc' mix ...[/url]
I use exclusively Reaper, and have commented so as to give some indication of my approach. As stated, not my 'cam', but it was fun. Feel free to comment too, of course; please remember, however, that this is a family forum, and that expletives must be moderate.
Hope this helps.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Dad3353

[Lozz196]

I like it Ben, coming from the punk genre myself I think you`ve pretty much nailed it. The only slight criticism would be that the vocals are very piercing so I might look at reducing that aspect maybe (no ideas how, compression/reverb/delay maybe), but other than that a very nice old-school punk sound. I find that with a lot of punk nowadays the sounds and production are too modern, taking away the real essence of punk, which was its rawness. I reckon you`ve got that rawness pretty much sorted there.

[Old_Ben]

Thanks for the feedback guys, It's always helpful to have a second third or fourth set of ears and opinions on these things!

Doug;
The only thing I found with your mix was the drop out with the gating on the drums was quite present and took away from the flow of the drums I feel! But the automation of the guitars was something I overlooked and should have done in mine, and would have added to the 'in your face' aspect.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Old_Ben' timestamp='1429396356' post='2751128']
Thanks for the feedback guys, It's always helpful to have a second third or fourth set of ears and opinions on these things!

Doug;
The only thing I found with your mix was the drop out with the gating on the drums was quite present and took away from the flow of the drums I feel! But the automation of the guitars was something I overlooked and should have done in mine, and would have added to the 'in your face' aspect.
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