looking for some feedback on a song that we recorded

[zarg]

Hi everyone!

we've been a band for about 2 years now and have some songs together. this one was the first we wrote together. Over the last couple years I got quite a lot of knowledge about audio stuff but there's still much to learn, but I feel like I'm getting better. I spent a lot of time getting this one good, it's not something we'd put on an album - it's more like a demo.

We recorded live drums but later on decided to go with samples on the snare, kick and toms because I'm still trying to mic everything up correctly (the recorded audio sounded like crap, but was good enough to use as a trigger track for the samples).

We have a singer, but she's not quite there yet with this song (she only joined 2 months ago). We also have a keyboard player (as you will hear). I guess you could call it symphonic metal or something like that. No bass player, I recorded the bass myself.

I'd appreciate any kind of feedback! https://soundcloud.com/cyllene/cyllene-fragile-society-instrumental

thank you bunches!

 

[schwiz]

Hey man, I can tell that the drums drag a bit... they aren't quite in time in spots - especially on some of the tom hits. Overall this mix is really dark and lacks punch and dynamics. The balance isn't quite there, the synths are overbearing all together, and the cymbals are harsh. The lead guitars don't cut.

Don't let this discourage you from keeping at it though. I just wanted to give you my honest feedback. Keep at it dude!

 

[zarg]

Hey man, I can tell that the drums drag a bit... they aren't quite in time in spots - especially on some of the tom hits. Overall this mix is really dark and lacks punch and dynamics. The balance isn't quite there, the synths are overbearing all together, and the cymbals are harsh. The lead guitars don't cut.

Don't let this discourage you from keeping at it though. I just wanted to give you my honest feedback. Keep at it dude!

hey! thank you so much for your honest feedback!
maybe replacing part of the drums with samples messed up the timing, I will have to look in to that.
do you have any tips on how to fix these issues you listed? especially the part about it being dark, no dynamics and no punch. I assume the 2 latter things are done while mastering? (what kind of things should I use? compressor? tape saturation?). I don't have much idea about what to do about it being dark, exciter maybe? especially mastering is very new to me.
I don't expect you to write an essay, I'm sure you don't have the time for that. Just looked at your website and I will definitely keep it in mind in case we want to record something more serious, because my mixing/mastering skills are barely enough for demos.

 

[schwiz]

hey! thank you so much for your honest feedback!
maybe replacing part of the drums with samples messed up the timing, I will have to look in to that.
do you have any tips on how to fix these issues you listed? especially the part about it being dark, no dynamics and no punch. I assume the 2 latter things are done while mastering? (what kind of things should I use? compressor? tape saturation?). I don't have much idea about what to do about it being dark, exciter maybe? especially mastering is very new to me.
I don't expect you to write an essay, I'm sure you don't have the time for that. Just looked at your website and I will definitely keep it in mind in case we want to record something more serious, because my mixing/mastering skills are barely enough for demos.

These issues have nothing to do with your master. Mastering will not fix issues in a mix; the issues should solved at the source. IMO understanding compression/dynamics control and how it works will really help you right off the bat. For example, kick and snare drums are transient heavy sounds, meaning they spike and hit hard, then ring out, therefore they need a different type of dynamics control than lets say a guitar or a synth which isn't initially transient heavy. After a quick search, here's a little writeup about compression. I'd read that over and just do some general research on it.

Secondly, EQ will be equally, if not more important than compression. Getting your instruments EQ'd appropriately will create space in your mix for other things. For example, if a kick or snare (or your drum kit as a whole) has a lot of 500hz it can start to sound boxy. Depending on your source you may want to make cuts in that region. Doing so can open up space for things like guitars or synths. Another example would be guitars - in the 100hz-300hz region your guitars may sound muddy, so you may (again - depending on the source) want to make a cut in that region. Guitar information above 12khz can start to sound really fizzy and create un-needed noise, so depending on your source, you may want to cut there as well.

These are just examples and are not applicable in all situations. But understanding compresison and EQ will get you leaps and bounds farther than worrying about harmonic content, saturation, and even mastering.

Thank you for the kind words. If you ever feel you want to work together in the near future, don't hesitate to hit me up and we can work something out! Cheers!