* Long-winded post warning!! *
My observations on the various mixes. You'll notice I captured avg rms for each submission too. For those patient enough to wade through my ramblings, there's a general question (and comment on the avg rms deal) to everyone at the end...
Listening on my K240 cans, so I won't comment much on low-end unless there's something that sticks out in the ol' headphones.
Finally, before getting into the comments, these are my opinions only. I could be (and some cases probably am) completely off mark, but hey - this is how we all get better, right?
Chrisilett
Reverb seems too predominant at beginning. BGV sitting too far up front (maybe diff eq?). Don't like the kick treatment after the do-ya break. Snare seems too hot. Treatment on the ending could be a genre violation
Avg RMS: -19.70/-19.28
Maxim
Diversion from orig performance cool. LV leveling audible in spots. BGV's draw attention, I personally eq BGV's different so they stay background (and in many cases mask pitch issues) Don't like the underwater guitar fill during last verse - borderline genre violation
Avg RMS: -16.09/-15.70
Antman
Guitars seem too hot. Are you primarily a guitarist? I am, and I find it shows in a lot of the stuff I do. I usually get a mix to where I like it and then drop the guitars down a bit. Snare reverb catches my attention - maybe should be shorter to avoid the 80's thing?
Avg RMS: -16.01/-15.66
carefulcollapse
I like the breathy sound on the lead vocal. Overall mix sounds really "processed"? Seems a bit harsh in the 3k-4k range. Not a fan of the abrupt ending in this case.
Avg RMS: -13.18/-13.10
DevinK
In first few seconds I thought I accidentally opened Incubus' Megalomaniac. Too much flexing of editing/looping/FX chops on this one. Very well done, but this one gets a genre violation.
Avg RMS: -21.04/-20.77
grantrichard
Kick catches my ear right out of the gate - to me sounds more like something done in a metal tune. Borderline genre violation. Do I hear compressor pumping everything during the chorus?
Avg RMS: -14.51/-14.62
My mix
I shoulda shoulda shoulda split up the lead vocal track to help manage the levels. In retrospect, AG could be backed off and perhaps a nice reverb would've worked better than the duplicated/delayed/panned treatment. Also could've placed the bass guitar better. Giving myself a borderline genre violation for throwing the tacky flanger on a piece of the solo, maybe even the doubling/panning too...
Avg RMS: -17.23/-17.31
mdifazio
Vocal seems too hot and the effect is too much - almost a combing thing. Guitar treatment gets this one close to a genre violation - is that flanging/phasing?
Avg RMS: -20.33/-20.88
MGA
Vocals sound a little thin. Is there a comp on that drum buss? Almost sounds drum machine-ish. Upfront guitars - another guitarist? Maybe back off the reverb a bit on the first and last set of do-ya's
Avg RMS: -14.65/-14.72
MGT
Drums could be more "open" - seem overly compressed/cymbals too dominant. Guitars seem too harsh to me.
Avg RMS: -14.55/-14.62
MSE
Kick sounds tubby, maybe a touch more bottom snare too... I like dropping the drums/bass out in spots, but in some places sounds uneven coming back in.
Avg RMS: -16.66/-16.11
patrikt
Too much guitar (another guitar player?) in the heavier parts. Hey... where'd the solo go?
Avg RMS: -11.77/-12.68 Loudness war violation
podgorny
I hear a low/low-mid build-up, but that may be due to how squashed this one seems. Loudness war violation - I'd really like to hear this one without the 2 buss squash
Avg RMS: -10.20/-11.31
ATOR
I'm not sold on the snare sound/treatment. I'm also not a big fan of real wide BGV's, but it seems to work in this mix. Do I hear pumping in the last chorus? Borderline loudness war violation? Big reverb - maybe too big?
Avg RMS: -12.47/-12.49
DBallenger
Really "round" bass. OK, who moved the vocals. Hey - where'd that guitar go? oh there it is. Problems importing this one?
Avg RMS: -16.41/-17.18
ElDuderino
A fellow NJ mixer
Lots of guitar - another guitarist? maybe even back the snare off a bit. I like ending with the do-ya's - this one's dry, there was another that had a heavy 'verb. I think I'd like something in between...
RMS: -12.78/12.99
Osumosan
Didn't someone else mention string noise on the bass? Definitely hear that... low end doesn't sound "right" - not good/bad/too much too little, just doesn't seem right - almost like a loudness curve of some sort. I'm not a fan of the buzzy guitar treatment at the beginning.
Avg RMS: -15.82/-15.72
slash5969
Over-compressed drums. sounds like the guitars are clipping. Heavy chorus on lead vocal could be a genre violation.
Avg RMS: -15.47/-15.71
spoon
Snare could be a bit tighter - perhaps back off the bottom mic a bit. Kick feels muffled. Reverb on the lead vocal seems a bit big.
Avg RMS: -14.52/-13.54
sstillwell
Kick seems tubby, snare sounds a bit overcompressed - needs more attack. Lots of growl on the bass, not sure if that works here. Reverb seems too heavy on the lead vox. BGV's sound too present to me. Is that a heavy chorus effect on the solo?
Avg RMS: -15.21/-14.94
Teleric
seems like too much cymbal. Kicks sounds "boxy" on my cans...
Avg RMS: -18.44/-18.79
YZ
I like the intro without drums, but might like it even more without the bass. Speaking of bass, it does seem a bit "floppy", which I think someone else mentioned.
Avg RMS: -16.30/-16.30
JasonThompson
OK, we all know about the vox - putting that aside... Agree with another who said too much low-lows on the kick, may work in with another genre but not here IMHO (not enough for a genre violation). I think the LV could be more present (seems to get lost up to / in to the last chorus) in some places, and the BGV less present in places too.
Avg RMS: -17.86/-16.15
Loudsongsinc
Other than the kick, pretty good. Seems like the bass guitar fades back in the first chorus - was that intentional?
RMS: -16.03/-16.24
GT
Add me to the list of those not into the re-amped guitar. Vocals seem all over. I like the delay that comes in on the vox, but to me seems too up-front... maybe move it back a little bit.
RMS: -14.29/-14.26
jdier
Cymbals too present for my taste... I guess this is the final that was duplicated? I do like the mix, but don't like the loudness wars violation
Avg RMS: -11.38/-11.29
JNickel
I'm on board with the intro/drums boxiness. Bass seems to take over the chorus. Where's that nice little clean solo guitar between verses? It seems like this starts out with everything except overheads panned center and then it spreads out?
RMS: -12.78/-13.03
Rankus
Kick has more of a hard rock / metal sound for me - minor genre violaton
Good level balance, but the hard-panned BGV's distract my easily distracted mind.
RMS: -19.17/-20.12
General performace issues:
If I was tracking this band, there's some stuff I would ask for a "do-over" on... the bass, some of the background vocals have pitch issues etc. I would probably suggest the band double the BGV parts so crazies like me don't try to fake it with duplicated tracks and delay on the mix.
OK... what's this "genre violation" thing this Huds knucklehead is talking about...
After seeing the tags on jdier's mp3 and doing a little google, I came up with this for the band:
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The newest release from R. Mutt is a bit of a departure from the funk- and metal-flavored recordings of the 90's. For Heptane the band returns to it's Rock and Roll roots pulling influences from artists the band covered in the late 80's like the Dead, The Band, Rolling Stones. Pop influences like Cheap Trick and the Kinks can be heard as well.
What most will hear on the first listen is a gritty American Rock and Roll sound that could fit as well in classic rock sections as in alt.country bins.
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If you saw this description BEFORE you started mixing, would you have changed what you did? I certainly would. I may have contradicted myself in the reverb department somewhere, since it was a staple of 80's, but these days things tend to be a bit drier so a more current sound would fit. Perhaps this calls for both genre violations AND FX violations?
Maybe for future IMP's we could get "the band/artist is looking for a [insert known artist / genre here] sound"????
Loudness Wars Violations:
Hey... I'm guilty here too... we all seem to want our mixes to be powerful sounding, but for the sake of these mixing exercises can we all agree on no "finalizing"
It's a mixing thing, not a mastering thing, right?