Make this a public link where we can play it without adding it to our dropbox :)

it is a public link

What Chris is saying that you should make it a public link so that we don't need to download it or save it to our own dropbox files in order to hear it.

oh you mean change it to a usercontent link. Done.

Hey! I really like what you're doing here, Pack. You've got some very cool textures interweaving throughout this track that work very, very well.

I'm tossed on the drum track. On one hand I really like the dry and up front mix you have. On the other hand, I'd like to hear a wee bit of ambiance and space added. Nothing huge, no big halls or deep plate sounds, just a hint of space.

My ears tell me that the lead vocal track - and I think I know where you were trying to go - needs a little body, some "weight" frequency-wise. You've got a lot of activity in the mids and hi mids ( it's not at all harsh...it's well done here) but I think it needs a little bit of solidity added to it. I'd also bring it forward in the mix a bit. It sounds as if you've got gain reduction happening, and while I normally don't like to actually hear GR working on vocals, it works in this case because I think it adds to the texture overall.

Consider looking to the frequency range of 160 - 200 or so on the vocal track, to add a little "body" to the vocal. I don't think you need to add much.... just enough to solidify the vocal. You might not even need to bring the vocal forward in gain at that point, the small amount of added gain at that frequency range might accomplish that for you.

The other things I liked were that you gave the instrumentation distinct parts, but that work very well together. You have used flanging/phasing very creatively here, the quick speed on whatever modulator plug you are using adds a great feel and sound to the one guitar. You also have counter-rhythms on the guitars that give a really nice groove, but without walking on each other.

Nicely done.

-donny
:)

Thanks for the very helpful thoughts Donny,

I can add some space to the drums with the room mic. They are pretty much bone dry (good call) The vocal has hi pass so I'll add some 160-200 back good ear. I usually do that to most tracks to make room for the kick and bass/low frequencies.

"the quick speed on whatever modulator plug you are using adds a great feel and sound to the one guitar"
which guitar are you referring to? the one during the verse that follows the vocal line or in the intro?

the chorus really needs the vocal harmonies i'll add those today

here is a new mix with some space on drums and a 2db bump on 150-200ish on vocals.

It's subtle for sure
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I think it's better. Subtle to be sure, but still an improvement. I think I'd still like to hear a bit more ambience on the drums, but that really is a matter of personal taste. Ask 4 engineers what they think and you're likely to get a dead tie for either way. LOL.

But, sometimes you don't need huge changes. Sometimes, small steps are enough to accomplish big things. :)

"which guitar are you referring to? the one during the verse that follows the vocal line or in the intro?"

The guitar I was referring to is the one that comes in with your vocal, underpinning the melodic line. It's a nice touch. It works very well. ;)

thanks so much. Really worthwhile help. I'll play around with some verb on the drum submix bus. Ok cool I wasn't sure about the guitar during verse that follows the vocal line thought it might be kinda redundant. The vocals seem a bit louder now too from eq bump which is good. It's funny when I'm mixing my own stuff I have a tendency to make the lead vocal too low during verses as I don't like my voice. not a problem when mixing other singers then I can make it too high lol.

It's not so much the ambience on the drums that I want to hear. I want to hear the kick drum with some punch. Right now it's nothing more than nondescript and flabby sounding.

I really don't know why, everybody thinks their bass drum is in phase, with the rest of their drum miking? When the bass drum microphone is inside the bass drum, on the backside of the beater skin. This is not in phase, bass drum. This is out of phase, bass drum.

Now if you convert the phase of the bass drum, it'll cause some phase cancellation, amongst the other drum microphones. But this is the proper phase cancellation, that should have happened, in your initial mix. It's amazing what it does for the sound of your drums. It makes the bass drum quite a bit more solid and certainly not flabby sounding. More like CPR with someone beating on your chest. That's what ya want. Not flabby Bass Drum. Which is what it currently is. Nothing than a gate will even help, until you invert the phase on the bass drum.

Think about it. When ya put two microphones on a snare drum. What do you do with the bottom microphone? You invert the phase. That's what.. And the same applies to the bass drum. Because ya only have the one inside. Effectively on the underneath of the skin. Wrong. This will change the entire presentation of your sound. It'll be more apparent. More decisive sounding. And ya might even want to compress and/or gate that bass drum, also? That will improve its consistency and density. It'll make it all the more solid sounding. And that says... authority. Rather than having your bass drum, flapping in the wind. Which it currently sounds like. Like you're using wet bananas? Not sure if they are green or flesh colored? (That could hurt. So don't try that at home kids.)

I'm not the only one that has done this, throughout my career. There are plenty of others who have heard the light. I found out only a year or so, that I had been doing this, that someone else I knew, did this. And his name is George Massenburg. Whom, I knew, 43 years ago. So I guess great minds like great ears, hear alike? So, you also have to get with the program LOL.

I know you'll make good on this good make.
Mx. Remy Ann David

as usual, I'm with Donny on this and like Remys desire for more kick too. But, the whole song is shy in the sub area so changing this now would spoil the songs direction.
You have a good track here.
imho, The snare is wrong for this song . Maybe you could improve it with better processing, maybe tuning it lower, I dunno. Its one of those things where you keep playing with it, trying different samples until you find the right one. The upper mids on the snare are what i don't like about it and how it is so dead and static sounding. I'd rather hear it gone than what its doing for the song. I love your intro and the hpf on the vox. Its perfect.

the snare is my peeve on this. nice work!

ok updated mix:
added more bass to kick, more space on drums, tamed the snare a bit and added back ground harmonies on chorus. finalized keyboard part and added strings

Final mix 1.0
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Ready for mastering?

made a few more changes: strings less wet bass tightened to kick a bit. Done
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