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2 new mixes - please give me some feedback


Santuzzo

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Hi,

I am working on mixing my first EP and these are two of the songs that are going to be on it.

How is the mix on these? I also used Ozone on this for maximization. How is the level?
Did I push the maximizer too hard?

How can I improve the mix / master?

Any kind of constructive criticism is very much appreciated.

https://soundcloud.com/larsbauer/metal-11-2-5

and

https://soundcloud.com/larsbauer/metal-1-2-11

Thanks,
Lars

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Just a quick run-through on my {censored}ty headphones at work, but I'll try to remember to listen on the monitors at home at some point.


I don't hear any weird artifacting, so you may be alright on maximization. There's two things that strike me as ever so slightly off, but they may both be taste rather than actual problems.


1. There's not much air in the mix. That's to say, it sounds very present and up-front, yet every instrument feels a little separate from the overall mix. Like it's not a coherent whole.

2. There's not much low-end. This could be intentional, and I tend to like extremely low-end heavy mixes so I may be biased the opposite of you in that regard. It would be nice to hear the bass a little more though.


Overall it sounds good. It's not fatiguing in any way, and I could definitely listen to it for long periods without wanting to turn it off due to mixing/mastering errors.

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Just a quick run-through on my {censored}ty headphones at work, but I'll try to remember to listen on the monitors at home at some point.


I don't hear any weird artifacting, so you may be alright on maximization. There's two things that strike me as ever so slightly off, but they may both be taste rather than actual problems.


1. There's not much air in the mix. That's to say, it sounds very present and up-front, yet every instrument feels a little separate from the overall mix. Like it's not a coherent whole.

2. There's not much low-end. This could be intentional, and I tend to like extremely low-end heavy mixes so I may be biased the opposite of you in that regard. It would be nice to hear the bass a little more though.


Overall it sounds good. It's not fatiguing in any way, and I could definitely listen to it for long periods without wanting to turn it off due to mixing/mastering errors.

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Quote Originally Posted by nightflameauto

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Just a quick run-through on my {censored}ty headphones at work, but I'll try to remember to listen on the monitors at home at some point.


I don't hear any weird artifacting, so you may be alright on maximization. There's two things that strike me as ever so slightly off, but they may both be taste rather than actual problems.


1. There's not much air in the mix. That's to say, it sounds very present and up-front, yet every instrument feels a little separate from the overall mix. Like it's not a coherent whole.

2. There's not much low-end. This could be intentional, and I tend to like extremely low-end heavy mixes so I may be biased the opposite of you in that regard. It would be nice to hear the bass a little more though.


Overall it sounds good. It's not fatiguing in any way, and I could definitely listen to it for long periods without wanting to turn it off due to mixing/mastering errors.

 

Thanks a lot! thumb.gif


I was a bit worried about over-maximization, since I think I do hear some sort of distortion on the cymbals, and I thought that might be a result of the maximizer? idn_smilie.gif

I compared my mix to a Chimp Spanner song (I love this guy's music) and in his mix everything sounded somewhat clearer, but then again, the guy is a genius in my book (with regard to playing, songwriting and production), so expecting to get my mixes to a similar quality as his might be a bit unrealistic on my side.


By 'not much air' in the mix, do you mean high frequencies?

I did roll off some highs very slightly on the mastering EQ in Ozone, maybe a bad move.


I sent the rhythm guitars, bass and drums to a reverb bus to add some wet-ness trying to get them gel together. Would a compressor on the master bus also help getting a more cohesive sound?


About the low-end: what would be the best way to get some more low-end back into the mix? Should I simply turn up the bass in volume a bit or add some low end on the mastering EQ?


 

Quote Originally Posted by Filter500

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Bring the level down on the guitars just a bit and I think you'll add more depth with less of a mid presence. After that, maybe add just a tiny bit of low and top end to the mix, and you'll be good to go.

 

Thanks, man! thumb.gif


Is it all guitars (also leads) I should turn down a bit or just the rhythm guitars?


Same question here, would I take off the mid-presence with the mastering EQ? And the low and top end, would I best do that in the mastering EQ as well?



Is there anything else that sounds off to you guys? Not only with regard to the mix but also playing/tracking?

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Quote Originally Posted by nightflameauto

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Just a quick run-through on my {censored}ty headphones at work, but I'll try to remember to listen on the monitors at home at some point.


I don't hear any weird artifacting, so you may be alright on maximization. There's two things that strike me as ever so slightly off, but they may both be taste rather than actual problems.


1. There's not much air in the mix. That's to say, it sounds very present and up-front, yet every instrument feels a little separate from the overall mix. Like it's not a coherent whole.

2. There's not much low-end. This could be intentional, and I tend to like extremely low-end heavy mixes so I may be biased the opposite of you in that regard. It would be nice to hear the bass a little more though.


Overall it sounds good. It's not fatiguing in any way, and I could definitely listen to it for long periods without wanting to turn it off due to mixing/mastering errors.

 

Thanks a lot! thumb.gif


I was a bit worried about over-maximization, since I think I do hear some sort of distortion on the cymbals, and I thought that might be a result of the maximizer? idn_smilie.gif

I compared my mix to a Chimp Spanner song (I love this guy's music) and in his mix everything sounded somewhat clearer, but then again, the guy is a genius in my book (with regard to playing, songwriting and production), so expecting to get my mixes to a similar quality as his might be a bit unrealistic on my side.


By 'not much air' in the mix, do you mean high frequencies?

I did roll off some highs very slightly on the mastering EQ in Ozone, maybe a bad move.


I sent the rhythm guitars, bass and drums to a reverb bus to add some wet-ness trying to get them gel together. Would a compressor on the master bus also help getting a more cohesive sound?


About the low-end: what would be the best way to get some more low-end back into the mix? Should I simply turn up the bass in volume a bit or add some low end on the mastering EQ?


 

Quote Originally Posted by Filter500

View Post

Bring the level down on the guitars just a bit and I think you'll add more depth with less of a mid presence. After that, maybe add just a tiny bit of low and top end to the mix, and you'll be good to go.

 

Thanks, man! thumb.gif


Is it all guitars (also leads) I should turn down a bit or just the rhythm guitars?


Same question here, would I take off the mid-presence with the mastering EQ? And the low and top end, would I best do that in the mastering EQ as well?



Is there anything else that sounds off to you guys? Not only with regard to the mix but also playing/tracking?

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Quote Originally Posted by Santuzzo

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By 'not much air' in the mix, do you mean high frequencies?

I did roll off some highs very slightly on the mastering EQ in Ozone, maybe a bad move.

 

I think you've actually got an OK level of highend if not a touch more than necessary. I'm thinking more in terms of atmosphere. It just appears to be very, very dry and in-your-face. That's not a horrible thing, but can be a bit disconcerting as our ears expect to hear a certain roomy quality to music.


 

I sent the rhythm guitars, bass and drums to a reverb bus to add some wet-ness trying to get them gel together. Would a compressor on the master bus also help getting a more cohesive sound?


About the low-end: what would be the best way to get some more low-end back into the mix? Should I simply turn up the bass in volume a bit or add some low end on the mastering EQ?

 

Getting low end into the mix is a tough one as it's sometimes counterintuitive. I know one of the things I do is pull low end out of the guitars, or sometimes just low mids and it opens up room for the bass and kick in the vital "thick" area (200-400 or so hz). That with a bit of an EQ push on the bass in the same area can sometimes thicken the entire mix really quickly. But it's a tough call because it will make guitars on their own sound thinner at the same time it makes the full mix sound fuller. The lovely balancing act of mixing.


I use a mild compression in the mastering process, but in all honesty maximizing is essentially a really hard compressor so in essence you're already doing this at some point. I'm a weirdo though in that I run mild compression to smooth things a touch, reverb, then another compressor (with different settings/type of compression) to bring levels up. I'm still just figuring out how it all works though, so don't just take my word for it. Others here probably have a much firmer grasp of how to handle it than I do.

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Quote Originally Posted by Santuzzo

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By 'not much air' in the mix, do you mean high frequencies?

I did roll off some highs very slightly on the mastering EQ in Ozone, maybe a bad move.

 

I think you've actually got an OK level of highend if not a touch more than necessary. I'm thinking more in terms of atmosphere. It just appears to be very, very dry and in-your-face. That's not a horrible thing, but can be a bit disconcerting as our ears expect to hear a certain roomy quality to music.


 

I sent the rhythm guitars, bass and drums to a reverb bus to add some wet-ness trying to get them gel together. Would a compressor on the master bus also help getting a more cohesive sound?


About the low-end: what would be the best way to get some more low-end back into the mix? Should I simply turn up the bass in volume a bit or add some low end on the mastering EQ?

 

Getting low end into the mix is a tough one as it's sometimes counterintuitive. I know one of the things I do is pull low end out of the guitars, or sometimes just low mids and it opens up room for the bass and kick in the vital "thick" area (200-400 or so hz). That with a bit of an EQ push on the bass in the same area can sometimes thicken the entire mix really quickly. But it's a tough call because it will make guitars on their own sound thinner at the same time it makes the full mix sound fuller. The lovely balancing act of mixing.


I use a mild compression in the mastering process, but in all honesty maximizing is essentially a really hard compressor so in essence you're already doing this at some point. I'm a weirdo though in that I run mild compression to smooth things a touch, reverb, then another compressor (with different settings/type of compression) to bring levels up. I'm still just figuring out how it all works though, so don't just take my word for it. Others here probably have a much firmer grasp of how to handle it than I do.

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Quote Originally Posted by Santuzzo

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Thanks, man! thumb.gif


Is it all guitars (also leads) I should turn down a bit or just the rhythm guitars?


Same question here, would I take off the mid-presence with the mastering EQ? And the low and top end, would I best do that in the mastering EQ as well?



Is there anything else that sounds off to you guys? Not only with regard to the mix but also playing/tracking?

 

All guitars, especially leads, should come down a bit. The mid content is mostly pushed by those guitars, so dropping the level a little should reduce the mid emphasis in the mix and add some space. I would use a touch of EQ at the mastering stage for the top and bottom end. None of the stuff I'm suggesting is complicated, so I think you should take it that way and just make these few simple tweaks without overthinking it. The playing/tracking is great. The HC site has made replying a pain.
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Quote Originally Posted by Santuzzo

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Thanks, man! thumb.gif


Is it all guitars (also leads) I should turn down a bit or just the rhythm guitars?


Same question here, would I take off the mid-presence with the mastering EQ? And the low and top end, would I best do that in the mastering EQ as well?



Is there anything else that sounds off to you guys? Not only with regard to the mix but also playing/tracking?

 

All guitars, especially leads, should come down a bit. The mid content is mostly pushed by those guitars, so dropping the level a little should reduce the mid emphasis in the mix and add some space. I would use a touch of EQ at the mastering stage for the top and bottom end. None of the stuff I'm suggesting is complicated, so I think you should take it that way and just make these few simple tweaks without overthinking it. The playing/tracking is great. The HC site has made replying a pain.
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Quote Originally Posted by nightflameauto

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Just a quick run-through on my {censored}ty headphones at work, but I'll try to remember to listen on the monitors at home at some point.


I don't hear any weird artifacting, so you may be alright on maximization. There's two things that strike me as ever so slightly off, but they may both be taste rather than actual problems.


1. There's not much air in the mix. That's to say, it sounds very present and up-front, yet every instrument feels a little separate from the overall mix. Like it's not a coherent whole.

2. There's not much low-end. This could be intentional, and I tend to like extremely low-end heavy mixes so I may be biased the opposite of you in that regard. It would be nice to hear the bass a little more though.


Overall it sounds good. It's not fatiguing in any way, and I could definitely listen to it for long periods without wanting to turn it off due to mixing/mastering errors.

 

 

Quote Originally Posted by nightflameauto

View Post

I think you've actually got an OK level of highend if not a touch more than necessary. I'm thinking more in terms of atmosphere. It just appears to be very, very dry and in-your-face. That's not a horrible thing, but can be a bit disconcerting as our ears expect to hear a certain roomy quality to music.




Getting low end into the mix is a tough one as it's sometimes counterintuitive. I know one of the things I do is pull low end out of the guitars, or sometimes just low mids and it opens up room for the bass and kick in the vital "thick" area (200-400 or so hz). That with a bit of an EQ push on the bass in the same area can sometimes thicken the entire mix really quickly. But it's a tough call because it will make guitars on their own sound thinner at the same time it makes the full mix sound fuller. The lovely balancing act of mixing.


I use a mild compression in the mastering process, but in all honesty maximizing is essentially a really hard compressor so in essence you're already doing this at some point. I'm a weirdo though in that I run mild compression to smooth things a touch, reverb, then another compressor (with different settings/type of compression) to bring levels up. I'm still just figuring out how it all works though, so don't just take my word for it. Others here probably have a much firmer grasp of how to handle it than I do.

 

Thanks!


To add some atmosphere or room-quality, I just add some reverb on the master bu or some of the mastering reverb in Ozone? Or would it be better to maybe set up another reverb bus and send each track through it?

I think I applied some mastering reverb in Ozone, but I went very light on it.

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Quote Originally Posted by nightflameauto

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Just a quick run-through on my {censored}ty headphones at work, but I'll try to remember to listen on the monitors at home at some point.


I don't hear any weird artifacting, so you may be alright on maximization. There's two things that strike me as ever so slightly off, but they may both be taste rather than actual problems.


1. There's not much air in the mix. That's to say, it sounds very present and up-front, yet every instrument feels a little separate from the overall mix. Like it's not a coherent whole.

2. There's not much low-end. This could be intentional, and I tend to like extremely low-end heavy mixes so I may be biased the opposite of you in that regard. It would be nice to hear the bass a little more though.


Overall it sounds good. It's not fatiguing in any way, and I could definitely listen to it for long periods without wanting to turn it off due to mixing/mastering errors.

 

 

Quote Originally Posted by nightflameauto

View Post

I think you've actually got an OK level of highend if not a touch more than necessary. I'm thinking more in terms of atmosphere. It just appears to be very, very dry and in-your-face. That's not a horrible thing, but can be a bit disconcerting as our ears expect to hear a certain roomy quality to music.




Getting low end into the mix is a tough one as it's sometimes counterintuitive. I know one of the things I do is pull low end out of the guitars, or sometimes just low mids and it opens up room for the bass and kick in the vital "thick" area (200-400 or so hz). That with a bit of an EQ push on the bass in the same area can sometimes thicken the entire mix really quickly. But it's a tough call because it will make guitars on their own sound thinner at the same time it makes the full mix sound fuller. The lovely balancing act of mixing.


I use a mild compression in the mastering process, but in all honesty maximizing is essentially a really hard compressor so in essence you're already doing this at some point. I'm a weirdo though in that I run mild compression to smooth things a touch, reverb, then another compressor (with different settings/type of compression) to bring levels up. I'm still just figuring out how it all works though, so don't just take my word for it. Others here probably have a much firmer grasp of how to handle it than I do.

 

Thanks!


To add some atmosphere or room-quality, I just add some reverb on the master bu or some of the mastering reverb in Ozone? Or would it be better to maybe set up another reverb bus and send each track through it?

I think I applied some mastering reverb in Ozone, but I went very light on it.

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Quote Originally Posted by Filter500

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All guitars, especially leads, should come down a bit. The mid content is mostly pushed by those guitars, so dropping the level a little should reduce the mid emphasis in the mix and add some space. I would use a touch of EQ at the mastering stage for the top and bottom end. None of the stuff I'm suggesting is complicated, so I think you should take it that way and just make these few simple tweaks without overthinking it. The playing/tracking is great. The HC site has made replying a pain.

 

Thank you!


I am always having problems with the guitar levels. I used to have them too soft in a mix and now I probably gone the other extreme.


Right now I am listening to all 5 tracks/mixes for my EP, and I find it very hard to get the levels somewhat coherent, so that on all tracks the balance between the drums/bass/guitars/synth is about the same.....

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Quote Originally Posted by Filter500

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All guitars, especially leads, should come down a bit. The mid content is mostly pushed by those guitars, so dropping the level a little should reduce the mid emphasis in the mix and add some space. I would use a touch of EQ at the mastering stage for the top and bottom end. None of the stuff I'm suggesting is complicated, so I think you should take it that way and just make these few simple tweaks without overthinking it. The playing/tracking is great. The HC site has made replying a pain.

 

Thank you!


I am always having problems with the guitar levels. I used to have them too soft in a mix and now I probably gone the other extreme.


Right now I am listening to all 5 tracks/mixes for my EP, and I find it very hard to get the levels somewhat coherent, so that on all tracks the balance between the drums/bass/guitars/synth is about the same.....

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Quote Originally Posted by Santuzzo

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Thanks!


To add some atmosphere or room-quality, I just add some reverb on the master bu or some of the mastering reverb in Ozone? Or would it be better to maybe set up another reverb bus and send each track through it?

I think I applied some mastering reverb in Ozone, but I went very light on it.

 

Reading what Filter500 said above, I'd say try what's suggested there first. It may just be the slightly strident mids that's sucking the atmosphere out of the mix. Mids tend to come across louder to the human ear, and could be covering up what's already there in the rest of the mix making it sound like the guitars aren't a part of it.


Reverb is such a tricky thing to balance I wouldn't want to make too strong a suggestion until I hear it on the monitors at home and not just on my crappy headphones.

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Quote Originally Posted by Santuzzo

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Thanks!


To add some atmosphere or room-quality, I just add some reverb on the master bu or some of the mastering reverb in Ozone? Or would it be better to maybe set up another reverb bus and send each track through it?

I think I applied some mastering reverb in Ozone, but I went very light on it.

 

Reading what Filter500 said above, I'd say try what's suggested there first. It may just be the slightly strident mids that's sucking the atmosphere out of the mix. Mids tend to come across louder to the human ear, and could be covering up what's already there in the rest of the mix making it sound like the guitars aren't a part of it.


Reverb is such a tricky thing to balance I wouldn't want to make too strong a suggestion until I hear it on the monitors at home and not just on my crappy headphones.

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Quote Originally Posted by nightflameauto

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Reading what Filter500 said above, I'd say try what's suggested there first. It may just be the slightly strident mids that's sucking the atmosphere out of the mix. Mids tend to come across louder to the human ear, and could be covering up what's already there in the rest of the mix making it sound like the guitars aren't a part of it.


Reverb is such a tricky thing to balance I wouldn't want to make too strong a suggestion until I hear it on the monitors at home and not just on my crappy headphones.

 

Yeah, I will put some more work into it. Today I did not get to do much, but hopefully during the weekend I will find some time to try improving this! thumb.gif
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Quote Originally Posted by nightflameauto

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Reading what Filter500 said above, I'd say try what's suggested there first. It may just be the slightly strident mids that's sucking the atmosphere out of the mix. Mids tend to come across louder to the human ear, and could be covering up what's already there in the rest of the mix making it sound like the guitars aren't a part of it.


Reverb is such a tricky thing to balance I wouldn't want to make too strong a suggestion until I hear it on the monitors at home and not just on my crappy headphones.

 

Yeah, I will put some more work into it. Today I did not get to do much, but hopefully during the weekend I will find some time to try improving this! thumb.gif
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Hi Santuzzo! Hope all is well with you. We've chatted before about recording, so I wanted to chime in.


You should be very proud of your work and progress! Both the playing and production of those songs are outstanding. You've really come a long way. Asking for and taking advice, and all the work you've done.... has really pushed your work into pro quality.


It does sound like the guitars are up just a little. When you back them off...just a tiny little bit! I bet it will make a big difference for ya. On my speakers (cheap Altecs w/ sub) it has a nice high and low balance.


I really can't offer too much more advice. Other than keep doing what you're doing! I think now you've got it good enough (better than good enough) that you can concentrate on making songs! Tons and tons of songs. icon_lol.gif

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Hi Santuzzo! Hope all is well with you. We've chatted before about recording, so I wanted to chime in.


You should be very proud of your work and progress! Both the playing and production of those songs are outstanding. You've really come a long way. Asking for and taking advice, and all the work you've done.... has really pushed your work into pro quality.


It does sound like the guitars are up just a little. When you back them off...just a tiny little bit! I bet it will make a big difference for ya. On my speakers (cheap Altecs w/ sub) it has a nice high and low balance.


I really can't offer too much more advice. Other than keep doing what you're doing! I think now you've got it good enough (better than good enough) that you can concentrate on making songs! Tons and tons of songs. icon_lol.gif

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Quote Originally Posted by Stevetemp

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Hi Santuzzo! Hope all is well with you. We've chatted before about recording, so I wanted to chime in.


You should be very proud of your work and progress! Both the playing and production of those songs are outstanding. You've really come a long way. Asking for and taking advice, and all the work you've done.... has really pushed your work into pro quality.


It does sound like the guitars are up just a little. When you back them off...just a tiny little bit! I bet it will make a big difference for ya. On my speakers (cheap Altecs w/ sub) it has a nice high and low balance.


I really can't offer too much more advice. Other than keep doing what you're doing! I think now you've got it good enough (better than good enough) that you can concentrate on making songs! Tons and tons of songs. icon_lol.gif

 

Hey man!



Thank you very much for your kind words. thumb.gif

All the feedback from you guys on the forum has been very, very helpful!

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Quote Originally Posted by Stevetemp

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Hi Santuzzo! Hope all is well with you. We've chatted before about recording, so I wanted to chime in.


You should be very proud of your work and progress! Both the playing and production of those songs are outstanding. You've really come a long way. Asking for and taking advice, and all the work you've done.... has really pushed your work into pro quality.


It does sound like the guitars are up just a little. When you back them off...just a tiny little bit! I bet it will make a big difference for ya. On my speakers (cheap Altecs w/ sub) it has a nice high and low balance.


I really can't offer too much more advice. Other than keep doing what you're doing! I think now you've got it good enough (better than good enough) that you can concentrate on making songs! Tons and tons of songs. icon_lol.gif

 

Hey man!



Thank you very much for your kind words. thumb.gif

All the feedback from you guys on the forum has been very, very helpful!

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