I've noticed that some modern metal mixes can be flat-out fatiguing to the listener. For example, I've been listening to some 2000's-era metal on Headbanger's Ball discs. "When It Cuts" by Ill Nino is a good example, or KSE "Fixation on the Darkness," or, hell, the whole self-titled Disturbed disc. They don't always sound that great at lower volumes, begging me to crank them up... and then something invariably starts grating on my ears within a minute or so.
In various cases, it could be a kick that seems to have a lot of presence, or a cymbal set that's super trashy, or something in the upper mids of the guitars that's hard to listen to... it usually seems related to higher frequencies.
Do you guys ever notice these things? Any common threads here? Anything that can inform my mixes so that when I'm reaching for bite and clarity, I don't overdo it? The mixes on the whole are certainly very professional, but sometimes drive me nuts.
In various cases, it could be a kick that seems to have a lot of presence, or a cymbal set that's super trashy, or something in the upper mids of the guitars that's hard to listen to... it usually seems related to higher frequencies.
Do you guys ever notice these things? Any common threads here? Anything that can inform my mixes so that when I'm reaching for bite and clarity, I don't overdo it? The mixes on the whole are certainly very professional, but sometimes drive me nuts.
