Any kind of feedback would be very much appreciated. Feel free to be brutal if you feel the need for it.
Here is a SoundCloud link for anyone who doesnt want to look at my awful playing:
I am a fairly new registered member of the forum but Ive been a guest reader for a long time. Learned a lot just by reading it but am looking forward to learn a lot more by participating in it.
This was my thought process for this mix:
DRUMS: Used EzDrummer with the Metal Machine Expansion.
Kick: Slight cut at the 300Hz region to clear the low mid and a big cut around 2.7kHz to reduce the clicky machine time kick drum;
Overheads: HPF around 500Hz to clear the Lo-end;
Drum Bus: On this track I just did a Lo-Mid cleanup, 4db broad cut around 300Hz.
BASS: Normally I record bass through a DI (Clean signal) and an ART Tube MP/C (cheapo tube preamp with built in optical compression) with as much tube gain as possible, without it sounding ugly, and compress it with the 6:1 setting giving me around 9db gain reduction on the stronger notes. I then process it into 3 different tracks:
Clean signal: LPF between 200Hz and 300Hz. This track is for lo-end;
ART track: HPF around 500Hz and LPF around 4KHz. This to give the bass presence;
Dirt track: I duplicate the DI track and put a heavy guitar amp simulation on it. I then HPF around 500Hz and LPF around 4KHz. This one is to add thickness to the guitar, dont use very much of it, just slightly;
Bass Bus: CLA-76 comp, around medium attack and release, compressing 10db on the louder hits, 80Hz surgical cut to give space to the kick.
GUITARS: Its a micro Marshall into an ENGL 4x12, boosted with an 808 Tube Screamer. I wasnt expecting much but it sounded really good. Tracked with a single SM57 into an Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP.
Rhythm: Dual tracked and 100% panned Left and Right. Sent both track to a Bus and processed it there. HPF around 90Hz, 5db lo-mid cut around 300Hz, slight 1db cut around 3.5kHz to tame the highs. Compressed with a 2:1, fast attack, slow release, around 3 to 4db of gain reduction;
Solo Guitar: HPF around 120Hz, 2db boost around 1.2kHz and a 4dB cut near 3.5kHz to reduce the nasty highs. Compressed with a CLA-2A just to level it a bit, around 1db of gain reduction. There is also some delay in an Aux Bus.
MASTER BUS: In here I start with a saturation plugin to help things glue a bit better, RBass next to add some Bass, multiband compressor with a mastering preset that I tweak to taste, and a brickwall limiter at the end to boost the volume.
I just dont feel my mixes sound Pro enough, they just dont sound balanced and I cant figure out why. Any kind of feedback will be appreciated.
