Random-order blind listens. Overall, a lot of fun. And I learned, which is the point. My goals with this mix were 1) getting good vocal sounds and 2) trying to find balance. I appreciate the feedback from everyone. These are my uneducated observations, and as always, your mileage may vary.
1. J Hall
Great beginning. Good acoustic tone. Vocal a bit low-key for me - give me more. Drums are a bit heavy - I didn't hear this as a rock song. I like the shimmer in the electric guitar lines. This is balanced and full, if a bit bottom-heavy. I dig the Coldplay bridge piano thing. Luscious harmonies. More vocal, less thump. Close, though. I like.
2. Greg Dixon
Nice balanced feel. "Rock song" bottom again, but well done. The drums in particular seem to plod, just in context to the rest of the song, not because of anything the mix engineer did. Piano is front and center on the bridge portion. Drives the tail end of the song nicely. I wanted less drums through the end.
3. Antman
Nice acoustic tone. Drums don't overpower, but the tamborine isn't there either. Electric guitar a bit loud. More piano, please. Messy ending.
4. slash5969
This one is quieter than most have been so far. It fits - it's that delicate thing again. Vocals are up-front but not overpowering or drenched in effect. No drums...this is mine. I like it. I'll be quiet now.
5. Chris Ilett
Another mix that starts out very nice and then gets the "rock song" treatment when the bass and drums come in. Crisp vocal and not buried, very out-front - I like that. I really missed the AG counter part @ 2:20. Beatbox is overpowering, and the mix becomes ponderous at that point. Missed the "lushness" of all those harmony parts.
6. ATOR
Bright start here. Rock song feel when drums come in. Oh my! - electric guitar IS out of a rock song! Different take, but interesting after hearing this tune a few hundred times over the last week. There's a lot to like in this mix, but it's a little off-putting by virtue of how different it is. The delay on the EG line is perfect! Piano front and center at bridge - very nice - has a certain Coldplay vibe to it here. Someone else used the harmonies more than once - cool idea! A+ for originality - I would NEVER have come up with this mix for this song.
7. Teleric
Another well-balanced beginning with rock-song bottom-end. Vocal out front and crisp. Organ a bit powerful through the verses. Piano strong in the bridge, and I like that. Clave a bit hot, as is bass drum. This mix works, although again I miss the "gentleness" that I heard in the song.
8. Daniel Farris
Beautiful intro. Bass is a bit hot. Drums aren't, which is nice for a change. Good vocal tone. This mix actually became one of my favorites once I turned the bass down a few notches. Nice balanced feel through the verses. I missed the piano through the bridge, and I felt just a tad cheated by the fade.
9. SingSing
Here we go. Delicate intro. Bass doesn't overpower and drums are a support instrument, as they should be in this song. The overamped electric seems a bit out of place. Nice "eerieness" from the organ through the verses. Crisp vocals. I would have liked the piano through the bridge instead of the electric guitar. I like the harmony repeated. Rather abrupt end. This one was really close, I think.
10. Osumosan
Nice beginning - mellow, as it should be. Is this mine? No - there are the drums, and they're a bit heavy. Did everyone really hear this tune as a rock song, or are we just pre-disposed to mix drums that "thump"? Otherwise, these are nice sounds here. I like the vocal. Beatbox portion seems a bit too loud. I would have cut the last 5 or 6 seconds off of the end of the tune.
11. Greg Thompson
Can you say "reverb"? It sort of works, after I adjust to it. Acoustic is a bit loud. Nice balanced bottom without overpowering the mix. This mix sounds louder than most of the others I've heard so far. creative use of the organ track. Piano is out-front through the bridge - I dig that Coldplay feel every time someone gets it right. I wanted a mellower ending - perhaps fade out the bottom sooner?
12. martthie 08
This mix is HOT. Thick in midrange, but somehow thin feeling overall. Acoustic is predominant. Everything seems to be fighting for space here, and the end result is sort of claustrophobic.
13. Rankus
I like this intro. I'd think it was mine if mine hadn't already played. Mellow and delicate. Drums are unobtrusive. Sparse instrumentation here, on purpose I assume. I like the concept, since I heard this as a 180-degree off-center tune myself. It's not a rock song, and no one would mistake this mix for a rock song. It's a bit barren and ragged through the bridge portion, however. I would have loved to hear that piano shine through. The acoustic becomes almost annoying towards the end - it really needed some relief. The kick drum at the end felt out of place. Great concept for the song, but you lost me somewhere around the bridge.
14. Huds
Another one that sounds like mine at first - mellow and gentle-feeling. I like how the drums sort of "ease" in. Acoustic is a bit loud, but I like the overall feel. Bass is anemic, but it works in this song. Turn that acoustic down a bit, and we've got a first-half winner. The predominant kick drum at the bridge would work better if it didn't lag behind the beat so much. Clave is MIA - on purpose, I suppose? I sort of miss it, after hearing it there a few hundred times. Acoustic still too loud, even through the Coldplay piano section. The distorted beatbox didn't work for me, and neither does the fade. Another one that's close, I think.
15. MGAudio
Bright and shiny. Vocal feels loud, as does kick drum. If Bob Dylan covered a Cars tune, I imagine it would sound something like this. Bottom is light even though kick is loud. This one just feels out of sorts to me.
16. dconstruction
Vocals very wet - from the bottom of a well. More rocksong bottom - bass is ponderous. Almost a salsa feel to the bridge. Coldplay piano - you know I like it. Clave is distracting, like a cricket in the house at night. I just didn't hear this tune this heavy.
17. Strummer
Harmony start - cool effect, but a bit out of place when everything falls away to that stark beginning. I want more lead vocal and less plodding drums. Anemic bass. Too much kick. I like the panning at the bridge, and the bass shows up, too. Piano a bit muted for the full-on Coldplay effect. Where's the organ? The harmony again at the very end is sort of tedious - I was ready for the end before it ever came.
18. Fiasco
Nice, delicate start. I lose the clarity on the vocal once the drums and bass come in. Nice electric tone - I wish I had worked a bit more on it in my mix. I like the organ there in the verses. Not enough piano - missed the Coldplay shiver. Harmony a bit subdued - give me more, please. Interesting return of the electric. Unusual end, but it held my attention.
19. The Dan
Very nice acoustic sound. Vocal a bit bland by comparison. Too much dirge drums for me. Good electric tone - why didn't I do that? Guitars sound really good in this mix, but the bottom end doesn't groove me. Too much acoustic through the Coldplay portion of the bridge. Lush harmonies - I like. Vocals get lost after the bridge. More vocal, less acoustic and drums, throw in a little 'verb, and we're there.
20. imdrecordings
Great start. Good vocal tone. Bass resonates a bit - more compression, please. I like the organ through the verses. Coldplay is in da house! I dig that etheral vibe! Harmonies a tad soft, but I like the piano line out. I like the way it sort of petered-out at the end - would have been even better if the bass/kick drum disappeared sooner.
21. firefly
Oh yeah! Nice beginning here. AG tone is spot-on. Vocals are crisp and up front. Bass fills out the bottom on entrance without overpowering. Nice drum presence without beating me over the head with them. Balanced and full. Too much acoustic and not enough piano at the Coldplay point. Where's the shaker? Overall, one of my favorites so far.
22. southboundloco
My quaalude kicked in. Or your head fell in your soup. Or both. Ouch.
23. maxim
Different start. The electric makes an early appearance. Ponderous bottom. Rocksong-itis. Premature harmonies, but they work for me. This is ponderous but it doesn't plod like many of them have. Full-out Coldplay, with elephant phartz to boot! See me grinnin' over here? I'm not so certain that this mix really works, but it's certainly refreshingly different after hearing this song the conventional way a few hundred times.
24. M Carter
Another balanced beginning. Good AG tone. Vocal crisp and a bit wet. Hello bass! Too much, and it's a pity, because everything else here is spot-on. I like the organ in the verse. Nice tone to the electric. More piano, please. Less bass. Harmonies are lush and full, and you know I like the repeat. Perfect ending, with the organ getting that last sustaining note.
25. mdifazio
Doubled guitar almost works, but it's more of a distraction than an addition in the end. If something draws your attention away from the center of the song, then it shouldn't be there. The organ is a bit heavy. Bass is MIA. Nice tone in the guitars. More piano, please - we missed the Coldplay shiver. Where's the lushness in the harmony? Nice ending.