Short tone/mix test! (axefx ultra, metal foundry)

[TheRealSam]

Hey guys! I've just been working on a new tone/mix/mastering and I'd really appreciate if you could give me some feedback about it.
I know the riff itself is very "Periphery-ish", still don't know whether I should keep it and include it in a song or just forget about it, but that's not the point here. I can provide you with as much infos/screenshots/patchs and presets as needed.
Here's the thing:


Hoping to get some good criticism quickly ^^ thanks!

 

[searanox]

That kick drum sounds like it belongs in a techno song. Guitar tone is a bit too dry for my ears, as well, and you could probably EQ the bass so it stands out a little better (with so much kick drum there aren't many places for it to go, though). I'm not familiar with the band that inspired it, though, so I don't know 100% what you were going for.

 

[FIXXXER]

i really like the music!
thhe mix sounds cloudy/muddy, i think it's the bass guitar that needs some frequencies cut out, the guitars sound fine from what i can hear.

 

[tomas_almeida]

The kick is pumping the mix a lot. I can't tell if it's clipping but I have a slight feelling it is.
The snare maybe has a little too much reverb and could use some more attack, I can't hear the transient very well. I can't tell if it's too much compression or not, because my ear isn't that trained, at all.

The guitars could use some more "warmth". Maybe a little boost with an EQ that has a nice character to it (an analog simulation vst, for example) around 800Hz, or even near 1kHz could help.

Also, the riffs are somewhat cool but your guitar needs to be intonated desperately. You can really tell some notes are WAY out of tune.

 

[TheRealSam]

That kick drum sounds like it belongs in a techno song. Guitar tone is a bit too dry for my ears, as well, and you could probably EQ the bass so it stands out a little better (with so much kick drum there aren't many places for it to go, though). I'm not familiar with the band that inspired it, though, so I don't know 100% what you were going for.

Well the band is Periphery so if you haven't already, go check them out :3 I tried the "go back and forth between your mix and a band's tune to compare the mixing" and found that their songs had a very present kick, so I tried to reproduce it, and somewhat failed ^^' I'll mess around with it and see if it gets any better, thanks!

i really like the music!
thhe mix sounds cloudy/muddy, i think it's the bass guitar that needs some frequencies cut out, the guitars sound fine from what i can hear.

Thanks! Really? And I thought the bass was the only safe part of the mix x) I'll work that out, thanks!

The kick is pumping the mix a lot. I can't tell if it's clipping but I have a slight feelling it is.
The snare maybe has a little too much reverb and could use some more attack, I can't hear the transient very well. I can't tell if it's too much compression or not, because my ear isn't that trained, at all.

The guitars could use some more "warmth". Maybe a little boost with an EQ that has a nice character to it (an analog simulation vst, for example) around 800Hz, or even near 1kHz could help.

Also, the riffs are somewhat cool but your guitar needs to be intonated desperately. You can really tell some notes are WAY out of tune.

Well it's not clipping ^^ just quite loud ahah I definitely agree with the snare, I'm stuggling to make it sound the way I want it. And about my guitar, well I tuned it myself because I just didn't have enough time and money to left it to a luthier, and yes, I regret that decision... ; __ ; But as I just changed my strings, I'll wait a bit longer and just deal with some strings being constantely out of tune.

 

[TheRealSam]

Improved the tone and mixing a bit, any better?

 

[searanox]

Kick is still too loud. Turn it down a bit. Beyond that though the guitars sound a bit warmer and the snare sits a little better. The bass guitar stands out a little more but is still very buried, again due to the kick drum - if you haven't, try scooping it around the 150-200 hz mark to make room for the bass tone (which is usually in that area).

Also, after searching for examples from that band (and shuddering at their sheer Linkin Park-ness), I can tell you their drums are nowhere near as pumped as yours. Part of that is volume and part of that is EQ. Listen to how your kick sounds in the mix next to what you're actually going for - you might be surprised.

 

[TheRealSam]

Kick is still too loud. Turn it down a bit. Beyond that though the guitars sound a bit warmer and the snare sits a little better. The bass guitar stands out a little more but is still very buried, again due to the kick drum - if you haven't, try scooping it around the 150-200 hz mark to make room for the bass tone (which is usually in that area).

Also, after searching for examples from that band (and shuddering at their sheer Linkin Park-ness), I can tell you their drums are nowhere near as pumped as yours. Part of that is volume and part of that is EQ. Listen to how your kick sounds in the mix next to what you're actually going for - you might be surprised.

Linkin Park-ness....? Periphery? Seriously? :O I don't really see how you managed to see a link between the two ahahah
I've been doing the "back and forth between the mix I want to come close to and mine" method for this mix, and I truly thought the kick really sticked out that much in theirs. I'll work on that, thanks!

 

[searanox]

Oh wait. I think I totally found the wrong Periphery, or at least the wrong song to reference.



versus



Sorry about that.

Their kick drum still isn't quite as loud and their snare has more snap to it. However you're definitely right in that it's a lot closer.

 

[TheRealSam]

Ahah both are the same band ^^ still can't find the link with Linkin Park eheh I totaly agree about the snare issue, but I just CAN'T manage to make it snap like theirs, any tip? I think the kick maybe isn't as loud as mine, but at least as present (or I get that feeling), any idea about how I could make it that powerful? Would it be a matter of mixing or rather mastering?

 

[TheRealSam]

Sorry once again about the bump! I just improved the mix and tone a bit, any better? The kick's still pumping I think, but if you want some comparison material, listen to this:
The style is very similar, and I'm trying to get close to this sound to get a nice starting ground for me to tweak and get my own sound.

 

[TheRealSam]

Alright, sorry guys, last time I'll bump this one I swear!
Changed the bass tone, changed the snare and mixing of the kick, changed the guitar tone, lowered the OH, and some other stuff ^^
Any better?

 

[ApeScaleConflict]

Im actually a bit curious about that guitar tone, what blocks did you use? Sounds good to me and goes near to your goal