Feedback on Heavy Metal Mix. Is it a good/bad mix and a good/cliche song?

[Nihan Olivier]

Hey everyone.
[SC]https://soundcloud.com/randulf-jim/illusions-in-the-tomb[/SC]
Just finished up recording the first track of my band's Debut Album (Vocals will be added in later). I want to make sure of a few things before I record the rest of the album as to not waste time or sacrifice quality. This song serves as a sample of my current ability to produce and record music. It might not be the greatest, but at least its a starting point. I am open to learn.

I am looking for criticism on the following things:

1) The quality of the mix. Does all instruments fit well together? any EQ advice, etc.
2) Are the Instrument levels Correct? Is something too loud or soft?
3) Apart from playing/technique mistakes, is it a good song? Or is it just another generic cliche metal song. What should I be changing/improving on?

Thanks in advance.

 

[AngstRiddenDreams]

Tbh, I didn't think it was anything too unique. It's not bad at all though. It needs vocals.
Also sounds muffled as all hell. The drums have no presence and are buried. Guitars could use a bit more high end.
A lot of work basically.

 

[Tegara]

It's a pretty silent clip, needs proper mastering. Spatial separation of the rhythm guitars is fine, but as mentioned they sound a bit muffled but not too much. Also consider quadtracking for a fuller rhythm tone. Did you spread the bass guitar across the stereo image? Because it definitely sounds like that. It sounds kinda interesting, but a bass guitar usually sits just smack in the middle. Drums could use some EQing and compressing. As far as riff ideas go or if it's a "good" song we can't point you in any direction and tell you what to do, it's up to you how you want to express yourself. Let's say that I agree with the guy above who said it's "not too unique". What's your next move then? Trying forcefully to make your next song sound as unique as you think?

Listen to a lot of music that speaks to you and get more influences over time, be open to new things, and you're likely to write more interesting songs.

 

[Psmeg]

For me, the biggest thing that stands out are the drum samples. I'm not sure what you've used or what software they are programmed in, but they sound identical on every hit / beat.

I'd recommend looking at how to make sampled drums sound more 'human'. Have a look at these tutorials on some simple techniques that should help.

Rock & Metal Drum Sequencing - Reaper TV

I hope the comments help a little :0)

 

[KingAenarion]

The writing is fine. The riffs are fine.

Try and think laterally about your song writing before you even hit the mix stage.

What is the aesthetic you're aiming for, and what supports that?

Break down the songs of people who do the same/similar aesthetics to what you're trying to achieve. Look at structure, harmonisation, melody, production approaches, how the song flows energy wise etc.

As to mixing, there's a lot of things to work on, but what has been said about the drums is a good start. Try and make them sound less 2 dimensional in their playing.

Maybe buy yourself a copy of "The Systematic Mixing Guide" to give yourself a bit of a deeper understanding of how to balance low end and get that tight clean produced sound.

 

[Nihan Olivier]

Also sounds muffled as all hell. The drums have no presence and are buried. Guitars could use a bit more high end.

How would I go about fixing this?
I use guitar rig 5 for the guitars, so should I turn up treb and presence? or EQ boost?

Should I be using a HP filter to remove the muffling sound of the track?

 

[AngstRiddenDreams]

How would I go about fixing this?
I use guitar rig 5 for the guitars, so should I turn up treb and presence? or EQ boost?

Should I be using a HP filter to remove the muffling sound of the track?

I'm listening to the track again and I'm struggling to conclude whether it's the dark drum tone that is causing the muffling. I prefer brighter guitar tones but a lot of similar artists use dark tones for music like this. I'd give them a slight boost in the 2K and 5K region. No more than a db or so though.

I'd try turning your cymbals up at least 2 db's. Also, it sounds like your snare has some sort of low pass filter on it. There's an absence of presence in your drum tone that is likely contributing to the mud.
I don't what drum program you are using but if you have the option to adjust velocity I would do that. Every hit sounds equal which gives it a robotic/fake sound. Try differing every hit between +,- 10 velocity if your program allows. Every where in between too. For example when I mix drums I make sure the hits are anywhere between 105-120. SD 2.0.
[SC]http://soundcloud.com/the-matt-squatch/high-divide[/SC]

Here's a track of mine for reference. The snare varies in velocity and has a lot of presence, perhaps too much. As you can hear, the guitars are a bit dark, but have a decent bite. But the drum presence contributes to the mix sounding brighter.

 

[Nihan Olivier]

Thanks for all the feedback. Really helping a lot.

Just to clarify, is the main problem with the snare and the cymbals? the dynamics/tone/EQ of them? is the rest fine, like the guitar and the bass?

 

[AngstRiddenDreams]

Yeah the guitars are decent. The bass is strange though. I'd mess around with it's EQ.