redworks wars here running for the trees

[redworks]

i think i nailed it with this mix; no i didn't, yes it did, .... so the war has raged so i post and run for the trees. Actually as per usual i am delighted to hear what you think. never done anything like this but learned a lot in the process and hope to learn some more.

[Pativit Studios]

Hi

Good mix, sounds pretty expensive but: in the chorus, I think a better separation of the vocals from the music might be beneficial, it may be achieved by just cleaning up more mids - low mids there, reducing highs (or not adding them), its hard to focus on the vocals there. The crashes, the hi-hat - less the the violins all of them stay in the vocal way. Too many highs on everything I think. I also find it a bit too linear, no contrasts among the different parts of the song, I don't hear any automation etc., too much ambiance on the kick for me, but that might be your personal taste.

Best

[drummer67]

Nice work redworks. The only things that come to mind is I think the moog could come down maybe 2-3 db and maybe more click to the kick, Too me it sounds a bit boomy. Other than that kick ass man

[redworks]

Hi

Good mix, sounds pretty expensive but: in the chorus, I think a better separation of the vocals from the music might be beneficial, it may be achieved by just cleaning up more mids - low mids there, reducing highs (or not adding them), its hard to focus on the vocals there. The crashes, the hi-hat - less the the violins all of them stay in the vocal way. Too many highs on everything I think. I also find it a bit too linear, no contrasts among the different parts of the song, I don't hear any automation etc., too much ambiance on the kick for me, but that might be your personal taste.

Best

you hit the nail on the head i think. i pulled a little out of the hi-hat and the cello but should have gone more. did not add any highs but should have taken a little more out but i liked the drive that they give the chorus. that was the battle raging in my head and i figured i would see what people say. thanks for your feedback.

[redworks]

Nice work redworks. The only things that come to mind is I think the moog could come down maybe 2-3 db and maybe more click to the kick, Too me it sounds a bit boomy. Other than that kick ass man

which moog i have a hi end attack and a low sustained. i did take a little out but wanted to keep a pretty big low end. but really i am guessing at levels so thanks for the feedback.

[drummer67]

which moog i have a hi end attack and a low sustained. i did take a little out but wanted to keep a pretty big low end. but really i am guessing at levels so thanks for the feedback.

It would be the low sustained, Too me it's just a bit too much. Not down by much, maybe 2-3 db. Other than what i said about the kick above I really like your mix man.

[danmanisa]

You gotta love the "just did the best mix ever" syndrome once you finish...... I feel the same way about mine this month.
To your mix. I really like the creative elements taken here, yet there is an exception. I am really not a fan of the ping pong submarine percussion track (period, not just your mix). I really appreciate how you have taken it and played around with it to make it far less annoying. That said, I would be muting it more than you have here. It is present in every section and does my head in! If nothing else, to me, the "so cold" section is asking for it to go away. The fact that it is there poking me all the way through.... enough about that you get the gist!
Asides from that ONE instrument , this is a really clear mix. Kick has a really nice rumble to it. It almost sounds like the low end comes in a touch after the attack, delayed more than normal. What is that? Is it reverb, or treatment on the room mics? Vocals have clearly been worked on and sound nice and airy. I must say, the high vocal sounds great in particular. As you have it significantly leading the way, it has stood out too much in other mixes, but sits nicely atop in yours. Personally, I prefer a little more thickness in the lower vocals, especially in the choruses, but yours still sound very good nonetheless.

The synths are balanced very very well. You can hear them against the vocals, they have ambiance but not too distant. I am not too sure about the synth solo section being as empty as it is, but that could be more because I am not used to hearing it like that.

Overall, there is no way I can penalize you a whole star for that painfully annoying blippy percussion track (nuke it I say, nuke it), so looking past that....5 from me. Really good work Red, yes you nailed it!

[redworks]

You gotta love the "just did the best mix ever" syndrome once you finish...... I feel the same way about mine this month.
To your mix. I really like the creative elements taken here, yet there is an exception. I am really not a fan of the ping pong submarine percussion track (period, not just your mix). I really appreciate how you have taken it and played around with it to make it far less annoying. That said, I would be muting it more than you have here. It is present in every section and does my head in! If nothing else, to me, the "so cold" section is asking for it to go away. The fact that it is there poking me all the way through.... enough about that you get the gist!
Asides from that ONE instrument , this is a really clear mix. Kick has a really nice rumble to it. It almost sounds like the low end comes in a touch after the attack, delayed more than normal. What is that? Is it reverb, or treatment on the room mics? Vocals have clearly been worked on and sound nice and airy. I must say, the high vocal sounds great in particular. As you have it significantly leading the way, it has stood out too much in other mixes, but sits nicely atop in yours. Personally, I prefer a little more thickness in the lower vocals, especially in the choruses, but yours still sound very good nonetheless.

The synths are balanced very very well. You can hear them against the vocals, they have ambiance but not too distant. I am not too sure about the synth solo section being as empty as it is, but that could be more because I am not used to hearing it like that.

Overall, there is no way I can penalize you a whole star for that painfully annoying blippy percussion track (nuke it I say, nuke it), so looking past that....5 from me. Really good work Red, yes you nailed it!

you know it is one of those things. At first i didn't really notice it, then as things started to get cleaned up i noticed it so i did some work with it to help it hide a little more. Then near the end of the mixing it start to stand out a little more again but i think by that time i was mostly used to it so i thought ah well lets give it a shot. now that you have mentioned it i am 100% sure i should have nuked it for a good chunk of the song. Thanks for the feedback.

[wireman957]

Red! By far the nicest mix I've heard from you! You've obviously been putting in some hours this month - good job!

Very few things jump out at me - mostly that cowbell-type percussion. The delay on it was fine at first but got a bit monotonous as the song progressed. there are times when the cymbals seem just a little loud, but it's not by much and that's pretty nit-picky. The Moog bass gets a tad boomy in areas (checked it in my phones to make sure it wasn't my room).

I think you did a great job on the vocals tonally and, IMO, they sit right where they need to in the mix. I dug the way you "underdubbed" everything during the solo - that's one way to defeat any tuning issues on the lead synth. Good job there, and it actually makes for more power when stuff comes back in. Drums sound great to me - Any "boominess" in the kick sounds to me like the gated sine wave that I'm sure Brando incorporated and I think it works for this song just fine.

Overall, an excellent mix, man! Keep it up!

[redworks]

Red! By far the nicest mix I've heard from you! You've obviously been putting in some hours this month - good job!

Very few things jump out at me - mostly that cowbell-type percussion. The delay on it was fine at first but got a bit monotonous as the song progressed. there are times when the cymbals seem just a little loud, but it's not by much and that's pretty nit-picky. The Moog bass gets a tad boomy in areas (checked it in my phones to make sure it wasn't my room).

I think you did a great job on the vocals tonally and, IMO, they sit right where they need to in the mix. I dug the way you "underdubbed" everything during the solo - that's one way to defeat any tuning issues on the lead synth. Good job there, and it actually makes for more power when stuff comes back in. Drums sound great to me - Any "boominess" in the kick sounds to me like the gated sine wave that I'm sure Brando incorporated and I think it works for this song just fine.

Overall, an excellent mix, man! Keep it up!

thanks jeff. I am really glad that you felt that power when everything came back in after the solo. I made that bass really thick and heavy for parts. i wanted to see how far i could go so it seems that i pushed it a little far. thanks for the feedback.

[kakeux]

Hi,

Really solide dude! (oh I'm speaking like a US citizen )

I think you definitely nailed it in terms of how it should sound.

The only black point is the fact that the verse/chorus difference is not enough accentuated. Both sound good, but maybe less punchy verses would have helped the choruses to explode a bit more.

In the last chorus, the high vocals sound slightly out of tune. This is a bit distracting in your solid mix.

Good work with some "producer" flaws. Well, they are quite small in fact

[redworks]

Hi,

Really solide dude! (oh I'm speaking like a US citizen )

I think you definitely nailed it in terms of how it should sound.

The only black point is the fact that the verse/chorus difference is not enough accentuated. Both sound good, but maybe less punchy verses would have helped the choruses to explode a bit more.

In the last chorus, the high vocals sound slightly out of tune. This is a bit distracting in your solid mix.

Good work with some "producer" flaws. Well, they are quite small in fact

hey dude thanks for that solid feedback. I will have to listen to those vocals again now and see what i missed on those because i did tune it all the way through the song. I am wondering how would you suggest accentuating the difference? Would you pull back on the drums, the synths or the vocals or a combination of those? I did obviously do some but thought that there was not a need to for too great of a difference, or at least that is the excuse i made because i didn't know which element would make the most difference and still sound good so i figured i would leave it and see what you the mixers have to say. Thanks again.

[kakeux]

Well, lowering a tad the kick during verses could already help to make it sound a bit less punchy. As we haf two different kicks, a bigger difference in EQ might help too, ex: the verse kick could carry less lows.

Sonetimes I use automation on the master bus to drop the level of the verse artificially if I don't want to touch the soûnd I got. Just 1 or 2 dB. It's not always simple to make it sound smooth tough.

For the vocals, it's just when it hit the higher notes.

[IMF OnSite Recording]

*I am listening for a second and third time but now I'm actually on my monitors instead of my HD280 pro's. This is only fair to everyone that I listen again and with my standard listening environment. I am also toggling in and out my outboard stereo EQ that is finely tuned for listening for pleasure which I use to keep my lows and highs in check when mixing*

I like the intro, and the snare has a real nice tone. The drums are well done. Vocals are sitting well in the mix as well, but seem thin in the chorus when everything comes in together, possibly less high passing and push then forward a bit more in the center. something as simple as the center dial on a mid\side plug could do this. Great job on the foundation!

The mix seems a bit mid shy IMO.

I think the reverb may have beenslightly overdone in the synth lead area..I would say ROLL off some highs on that verb. Alot of stuff seems to drop out in that lead part and the mix loses its power. Also when the choruses kick in, I was expecting the instruments to come forward slightly more. The drums,bass,and vocals are well audible, but the bass lacks some lows. I am only really using the high end as a guide for me to find the bass lower down in the spectrum.

THe ms2000 lead synth in the choruses are quite buzzy and could use some low passing at the source, then they would probably have to go up a bit more after that was done.

The bubbly sound effect on the misc drums are neat, but they start to become monotonous after a minute or so. I keep hearing bubble sounds in the left speaker and its throwing my focus off a bit from the other elements.

Overall, things are pretty clear. The main thing I notice is bringing forward the elements of the chorus without much conflict. Good job man

[Magnolius]

Nice spacious mix! I really like the opening and first verse. When the chorus comes in the mix feels a bit on the thin side. The naked synth solo was an interesting idea, I like it but I don't know if I feel it works all the way through the solo it's just a little too long without any harmonic backing IMO. I like what you have done to the percussion track That bubbly sound is definitively more fun than the original track. Having said that I think some variation or muting would have been a good idea, it becomes slightly tiring and monotonous after a while. Over all many things I like in this mix, just wished the choruses was a little more full sounding.

[Chromaphonic]

Nice mix! I like the sound of the drums, felt the bass could come up a bit in the chorus like maybe .5 or 1 db. the lead synth was a bit low as well. I like what you did with the vocals, in terms of letting them carry the song. The solo could come down or maybe not be so wide.

[Ableton_Love]

lmao..love the description. I think you definitely did some nailing with this. It's exciting, full frequency, and punchy. Very important IMO.

The effected "boing" track could probably stand to come down in a few parts, but it's nothing that's going to condemn the mix. Some cool transitions to keep the listeners interest.
I miss hearing the virus in the chorus, to me it seems just a touch empty without it.

The bridge is killerrrrr. Very cool direction to take it.

[redworks]

lmao..love the description. I think you definitely did some nailing with this. It's exciting, full frequency, and punchy. Very important IMO.

The effected "boing" track could probably stand to come down in a few parts, but it's nothing that's going to condemn the mix. Some cool transitions to keep the listeners interest.
I miss hearing the virus in the chorus, to me it seems just a touch empty without it.

The bridge is killerrrrr. Very cool direction to take it.

thanks. I am glad someone liked that bridge. I was going both ways with that virus in the chorus so you very well could be right on that.

[Jjsodarock]

Hey Red,
> Staggering amount of clearity. Very Good use of the stereo field. I heard this song a couple of times so I feel like I know each track (all the pieces) that are making up the whole. You have used them very well. I don't know how to explain this well...
High end = 1k to 20k perfect!!!... Mid range =500hz to 1k very good, starting to lose a little fullness.... Low end = the rest 500 hz and down good, Power has droped off to much. I'm useing M-Audio Cx5's in a temporary room that is basically dead from 1k
and up. I mean really dead. Other than the low end, I really think your mix has all the eliments needed for the radio or the dance floor. Very well done, Jojo

[redworks]

Hey Red,
> Staggering amount of clearity. Very Good use of the stereo field. I heard this song a couple of times so I feel like I know each track (all the pieces) that are making up the whole. You have used them very well. I don't know how to explain this well...
High end = 1k to 20k perfect!!!... Mid range =500hz to 1k very good, starting to lose a little fullness.... Low end = the rest 500 hz and down good, Power has droped off to much. I'm useing M-Audio Cx5's in a temporary room that is basically dead from 1k
and up. I mean really dead. Other than the low end, I really think your mix has all the eliments needed for the radio or the dance floor. Very well done, Jojo

thanks for the feedback. What do you think i could have done to get that power into the low end? Do you think it would be enough to push up the faders of the bass and the kick a touch or is it a little more than that? Thanks again.

[ncls]

Nice work I must say. Not too much, not too extreme, simple and efficient to me.

I could add that I agree with Magnolius about the solo, the beginning sound nice and add a bit of surprise but it lacked of movements after that
I also agree IMF OnSite Recording about the misc. perc effect, just the same, it lacked of movements at the end.
I also noticed that your bass sound works pretty well with sustained notes but it disappears with shorter notes.
In the first chorus, I felt that low end came only from the kick drum

By the way, really nothing to worry about.

[redworks]

Nice work I must say. Not too much, not too extreme, simple and efficient to me.

I also noticed that your bass sound works pretty well with sustained notes but it disappears with shorter notes.
In the first chorus, I felt that low end came only from the kick drum

that is a good catch i did not like the way it was feeling so i had two bass tracks and mixed them in varying amounts. More of the sustained bass in the verses where it needed it and less in the choruses were the bass was more about movement. i probably could have put a little more of the low sustained in the choruses.
thanks for the feedback.

[ncls]

so i had two bass tracks and mixed them in varying amounts. More of the sustained bass in the verses where it needed it and less in the choruses were the bass was more about movement.

Oh, nice trick, I didn't think about it. One another idea I got was to go to the opposite: get a thin bass with only the attack to get the feeling of low end without competing with the kick.
I had that example in mind (beginning in at 0:32):

[lucccien]

Hey man, cool mix. I think the very high frequencies in your mix overall are a bit too loud and potentially fatiguing, and even a tad harsh during the choruses. Beyond that I like your treatment, width, and balance. Really dig the underdubbing near the end! I can hear you working throughout the mix. Overall a great mix!

[jerze]

Hey redworks nice mix
A little brighter than some of your other mixes but soundsssss good. Already some good talk about the bass in
verse and chorus nice under dubbing.

I didn’t see any other posts about the backups maybe it’s just me
But I think what holds this mix back some is the tuning issues on the backups in the choruses. They are very prominent which
I liked, but wish you could of tuned them or used one of the other tracks. just thought you did such a great job on the vocal
tone and clarity.(If you have time would like to know how you did them).nice job