Metalcore... I guess

[flhctroll]

Hey guys,
Here is a new mix for bashing. The band is Faded Embrace out of Freeport, IL. It was a super rushed mix/master, but the band claims to be happy. It was sent to replication without them ever hearing the final. Oh well. Let me know any issues. I dont think "metalcore" is used anymore as a title. Once they get a title its not cool anymore

http://amproductions.info/audio/counter/click.php?id=13

Later,
Brad
AngryMan Productions

[DogpitStudios]

Disclaimer: This mix is being listened to on the crappiest pair of headphones that could exist. They don't have a brand, and were found in my basement stored away somewhere that I haven't been able to find since.

Bass drum sticks out nicely in the mix, though I'm not a fan of the the sound. The click of the bass drum sounds a bit unnatural when compared to some God Forbid listened to on the same headphones. I'm not sure if you are adding EQ to it, but sounds a bit like a frequency is being overdone up high that doesn't need to be when the natural tone is giving it the push it needs. It just makes it sound a bit like a wet rag to me as an exaggeration. The snare is not popping out in the mix to me at all. Usually in a mix like this I want that snare to kick my ass. Of course In this case I'd go for a snare sound with a beefier or lower attack and more a lower and fatter wip (if my lingo can be followed here). Both cases may have been a case of an untuned kit. I do like the guitar sounds, but they get a bit washed away for my tastes. I don't believe this a cause of over compression, but it could be. There is just something about the whole mix of the guitars that makes it sound a lot less like a real band, and more overdone with I'm not sure what. The guitars could actually use a bit more of an aggressive side, though a lot of this has to do with tracking them. I also don't think the guitars are loud enough in the mix personally. Bass sounds good to me although it's level is about the same to the guitars if not more and thats a matter of taste. I would like to hear it come down as the guitars come up, but its all taste here. Vocals sound pretty good to me although they could use some EQ or just volume to bring them out a little more. My main points here are that a style like this calls for the mix to kick my ass, and everything feels a bit held back to me. I do feel like something in there is a bit too over compressed to the point where the mix you could say "sits too well". I just listen to a song like this and say why aren't those guitars screaming "FUCK YOU!"

The tune is very good, and the musicians' performance seems almost flawless. The mix is actually very good, so don't take my comments personally. I just feel that if I baby a good mix then it will never get better. I never trust my own opinions though, so I don't expect you too either. I hope that helped.

Good luck!

Ben

[brandondrury]

The overall mix is nice, big, and wide.? ?The vibe is there, but there are a few engineering type of issues.

I don't like the snare.? I have a feeling it was the tuning.? I've certainly had my share of this.? I'd try to get that thing thinner sounding if it was my recording.? It just sounds sort of dull and boring.? ? On the snare, you may want to try a gated reverb set to be very bright and turn the real one down a tad.? Of course, that's another option.? Just turn the damn snare top mic down a little.? That helps a lot.? I can tell you are using a lot of the close mic.? If you can, upload a mix with the snare mic down -10dB.? This may do more good than you think. More than likely, you are going to need some parallel compression on that snare and just fuck it all to hell. If you are not sure what this is, just ask.

The kick is weird to me too.? This also sounds like tuning, but it should be fixable with EQ.? I'm hearing a lot of "thud".? I'd suck out everything in between 200-500Hz for sure.? Maybe more.? The attack sounds a little lower in pitch than I like.? I'd give it some more 10K.? In this genre, you usually don't have to worry abou being too clicky.

The guitars were very close.? I thought they were just a tad fizzy.? This is monstrous misconception with really heavy shit.? Modern metal guitars are brutal but they are a lot darker that most of us realize.? It took me a while to get this concept too.? I'd knock down 5-10k with a wide parametric maybe 1 dB....maybe 1.5dB.? Nothing too drastic.? I have to admit that I've been using my Royer R121 a lot on guitars lately and doesn't have any fizz and so I'm not used to hearing the fizzy tone.?

The vocals sound a tad dull too.? My gut tells me to use a mega mega small reverb just to make it sound more exciting....not necesssarily brighter.? I'd probably put a distortion plugin in front of that reverb to get a little more harmonic content in there.? Reverb may not be the answer.? A short delay may do the same thing.


I'm being pretty damn picky with this mix.? You are not far off.? The vibe is there and that's the hardest part.? Take my opinions with a grain of salt.? Overall, you did a great job!

Brandon