My first mix ever...guess I need help

[wuesel fortune]

hi there,

so we decided to record our own demo, and this is the mix i created:


I am pretty happy about the clarity of this, but i think it is lacking something to make it bigger, get it "right in the face" and remove the "flatness".

Since we recorded the guitars through an alesis io2 with amp sims we are pretty flexible about the tone, so I appreciate any suggestions on this.
The drums were made by a friend of mine with superior drummer out of a midi-track. I am not too happy with ´em, cause i.e. there´s a cymbal on the kick drum track, and so on. guess we´re going to try something different here.
We tracked the bass the same way as the guitars.
The vocals were made with an sm58beta right in my living room. Guess they´re lacking of balls or something.

So, i would be happy about any hints and tips to make it better, although I think for a diy demo its already nice sounding.

so long, take care
wuesel

please excuse my english if there is anything to excuse

 

[mairomaster]

There are some obvious mistakes, but that's ok for a first mix.
Vocals should be more automated and compressed, they pop out too much on different places. After that their level should be lowered.
The sub-drops are a way too loud.
The drums sound mono.
You can think of mastering the song or at least getting some more overall volume.

 

[thefalloftheheretic]

The guitars sound very fizzy to me. Cut some of those high frequencies.
I can barely hear the bass.
Like said above, the subdrops are incredibly loud.
The drums don't have any impact. The kick sounds very middy, it lacks punch. Same thing with the snare, it lacks punch.
The vocals are okay, they just need a little bit of mixing.

Could you put the multitracks up here?

 

[Mashreef]

Practice practice and practice
anyways not bad if its the 1st shot
STAY METAL

 

[wuesel fortune]

Thanks for the replies, awesome forum btw.

What does "the drums sound mono" mean? Are they not "big" enough?

since i had some time today I worked on it a little bit:
Here´s the new mix


I messed around with the guitars, worked on the volume envelope of the vocals, gave it a little reverb and changed the kick and snare sound. also adjusted the volumes of bass,subdrop (which is pretty hard to mix, right?)and in general

and here with a quick try on mastering


I´m willing to post the tracks as soon as possible. unfortenately i can´t seem to get the midi in the next days...

so, opinions?

 

[thefalloftheheretic]

Same thing dude. It's better, but the drums have no stereo spread. I don't know why. It's like everything is focused right in the middle.

 

[wuesel fortune]

That's kinda strange, because is panned the room mics 50% left and right...same thing with the overheads. The snare is 10% right either. Any idea on this?

 

[mairomaster]

Normally, for good stereo spread, you'll want the overhands and room mics (if stereo) to be panned 100% left/right. Also you normally need the snare and the kick right in the middle (0% pan).
The drum samples in both versions sound really cheap to me.
The mastered version is a bit better, balance wise.
Overall it's not that bad, but you need to work on the drums mostly.

 

[wuesel fortune]

Hey guys,

after "weeks of practice" i'm back with another shot. Same session, different song. It's already mastered and i'm in the mood to say it's done...feedback much appreciated!!!

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

Whole thing is pumping. If you want that effect then go for it, but it's too compressed and kinda hurts the listener's ears after a while. Most noticeable on snare hits. Sounds better though!