Engineering my Progressive Deathcore album!

[JohnGalloway]

I need some ears. I'm in the middle of recording rhythm guitars but I've already finished the first track off the album, sans vocals.
I feel like I'm nearing the end of the mixing, but I might be missing something. Anybody care to listen?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9992828/Random Shit/The Unknown.mp3

I'm generally going for an Oceano "Depths" sort of sound because the production on that album is fuckin awesome.

EDIT: Here's another song from the album, but with vocals.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9992828/Random Shit/Heartless v1.mp3

 

[Plankis]

I really dig your work. There was two things I noticed, first the intro ambients seems a little loud which makes the guitars and drums have less impact once they kick in, so lower everything a dB or two there. I think you can make the synths and stuff more ethereal and scary if you add some more reverb and delay to them.

 

[JohnGalloway]

I really dig your work. There was two things I noticed, first the intro ambients seems a little loud which makes the guitars and drums have less impact once they kick in, so lower everything a dB or two there. I think you can make the synths and stuff more ethereal and scary if you add some more reverb and delay to them.

Thanks for the response!
Actually, a couple of friends have even said the beginning synth/buildup is too quiet.
But I'm more focused on giving a dynamic listening experience. The album flows as one combined piece of music and it follows a story within the lyrics, so I feel like it's something that should be dynamic and sort of.. intimate, I guess. haha

I am gonna monitor the stuff through headphones to get a better idea of the perceived volume in a case like that before I finalize it all to make sure the dynamics are nifty.

As for the synths, I feel like there's too much going on in this particular track to have a lot of delay/verb going on. Feel like it might clutter a bit, but I'll try it out anyways and see what's good

 

[Plankis]

lol they've been manipulated badly haha, open their eyes by showing them Hans Zimmers - Time so they know how epic dynamics can be.
I think it's mainly the stringy-sounding synth that I'm bothered with, the sawtooth-synth is pretty cool, if the reverbs don't do it a simple lowpass might do the trick as well.

 

[Deadstar]

lot of build ups happening when the synths kick in, also i would do something about guitars, they're overpowering everything else in the mid-low frequencies.

 

[Christian WUFU]

Sounds pretty good, though I second what's already been said.

One thing I've never liked about your guitars is the way that they're edited, or played. They sound like MIDI, specifically Guitar Pro's RSE MIDI. Other than that you're headed down the right path for your "goal sound"

 

[JohnGalloway]

Sounds pretty good, though I second what's already been said.

One thing I've never liked about your guitars is the way that they're edited, or played. They sound like MIDI, specifically Guitar Pro's RSE MIDI. Other than that you're headed down the right path for your "goal sound"

Haha, I write everything in Guitar Pro and as a result, I'm so used to the sound that, I suppose, I edit everything to sound exactly like what I've been hearing in GP.

To me, it just sounds like "perfect" playing.
Too "perfect" for a lot of guitarists, I'm sure. Hopefully no one is too bothered by it in the end because it's a habit of mine now.

 

[Folkrav]

Sounds really good to me! Indeed, you've been down the ultra-tight editing path! Most people won't hear it anyway, but here on this forum you will indeed find some people who will be bothered by that

 

[JohnGalloway]

I recorded vocals for a song and need some feedback fellas!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9992828/Random Shit/Heartless v1.mp3

Anything sound off?

 

[Christian WUFU]

Sounding pretty good on my end.

Personally I think that the vocals can be automated down a bit more in certain sections, as well as that descending piano line earlier in the song.
And the guitars still sound fake lol