Thread: Your opinion on the mix (vocals) would be appreciated

I like what you are doing here but to be very honest, its really lacking dynamics and a stereo spread. Maybe this is the sound you are looking for? But to me, its extremely lifeless. You have a John Lennon vibe going on here which we all know that is a good thing so kudo's and keep growing that, I think it will serve you well.

I bet if you did this again with a band and real drums, it would sound so much better. The key to programming drums "well" is to make them dynamic ( unless you are doing club mix's). Your snare is so boring. When the chorus kicks in, I expected it to really explode with energy, but nothing changed... it just kept going at the same dullness.

The bass is not happening either.

Sorry to be so negative but you can do much better with practice. You have an interesting song, unfortunately, the mixing isn't there yet.

Originally Posted by bigtree

I like what you are doing here but to be very honest, its really lacking dynamics and a stereo spread. Maybe this is the sound you are looking for? But to me, its extremely lifeless. You have a John Lennon vibe going on here which we all know that is a good thing so kudo's and keep growing that, I think it will serve you well.

I bet if you did this again with a band and real drums, it would sound so much better. The key to programming drums "well" is to make them dynamic ( unless you are doing club mix's). Your snare is so boring. When the chorus kicks in, I expected it to really explode with energy, but nothing changed... it just kept going at the same dullness.

The bass is not happening either.

Sorry to be so negative but you can do much better with practice. You have an interesting song, unfortunately, the mixing isn't there yet.

Thanks very much for your reply, very thoughtful, and very helpful to me. Learned a lot from this!

I've listened to your track and I can say that you're better than I do in mixing. But it's a bit dragging. Maybe because of the dynamics.

Hi,

I think you have got a pretty good song there. The lyrics are good, and the music is fitting.

Some comments on the vocals:
1) I think the vocal performance could benefit from some tuning - some timing and slight pitching errors in there. Maybe it was intentional, but I would personally want a better performance. Or use Melodyne to tweak it a little.

2) I also think the backing vocals may be a little too loud in the song.

3) I think your compression settings may need tweaking. What settings did you use and how much gain reduction are you getting? Sounds like you've got a very low threshold and low ratio, but I can't be sure because the Soundcloud transcoding screw the dynamics of the file quite a bit. It may also be a too slow attack. Personally, I'd use a high threshold and high ratio to keep out excessive loud peaks, but retain the general dynamics in the vocal performance. A lower threshold can also be used if a soft knee is applied.

Comments for the rest of the mix:
1) I think you need a bass player in the song. Cut the lows from the guitars, and use a bass player. The bass of the guitar can never replicate the way a real bass instrument interacts with the vocals.

2) And I agree with the other posters, the drums sound way too bland. If you're using a computer for the sequencing, try to get your hands on sounds from a realistic kit, and humanize the velocities of the hits. Also play around with the timing a tiny wee bit for more added realism.

Will there be a new version? Can't wait to hear an improved mix

There are too many vocals, too much low frequency, more refined effects required on vocals
Mixing and Mastering see "editing"---> "Product Description"