Critique My First Rock Song Mastering Session, ~Sample Inside~

[craven]

ok, so i played with the mix a little more, then bounced it to disk, then i used a compressor to master it, and attempt to get the levels right....

tell me if this is in any way an improvement...

thanks

[sammyp]

Originally Posted by craven

ok, so i played with the mix a little more, then bounced it to disk, then i used a compressor to master it, and attempt to get the levels right....

tell me if this is in any way an improvement...

thanks

this is quite a bit better than the first time i listened.....ok, for starters, the clean lead guitar has got to go! this has nothing to do with mixing or mastering but i've been playing/writing rock for 20 years....there is nothing musical about this part...it sounds sissy, bad tone, bad feel! get rid of it or at least put some gain on and playit with feel! try a bridge humbucker with smooth gain and harmonies!

your drums are the most improved i think although you could stand to go to soundonsound.com and study some drum mixing/EQ tips ...that's stuff you gotta do on your own if you're serious about mixing...memorize the standard target freqs areas for all drums pieces and overheads....parallel compression etc....but...the drums are coming along nicely. i may like a bit more snare verb....some may not...

THe distorted rhy guitar is reminicent of what was wrong with the 90s grunge thing....too much bottom...not the right mids and a crappy scritch scratch top end.....poor taste of amp settings, pedals, or pod modelling here....but IMHO the whole guitar approach is amatuer 90s sounding to me.

the clean rhy guitar doesn't sound EQ'd well, just kinda plunking away there. but it's not in the way so ...whatever...i'm not sure what purpose it serves

most of this music is questionable in production, and parts....to make great sounding music you guys are a ways off worrying about mastering IMHO.

none of this is meant to be mean...this thread's been here a week and you guys seem adamant on critique! if you get the tones, production and feel right, the mix and mastering will follow much easier!

you can always choose to write these comments off as me not getting your artistic direction as well! feel free!

EDIT: damn! i just realized this is your first band recording so some grace is definately in order! rock on!

[craven]

Originally Posted by sammyp

this is quite a bit better than the first time i listened.....ok, for starters, the clean lead guitar has got to go! this has nothing to do with mixing or mastering but i've been playing/writing rock for 20 years....there is nothing musical about this part...it sounds sissy, bad tone, bad feel! get rid of it or at least put some gain on and playit with feel! try a bridge humbucker with smooth gain and harmonies!

your drums are the most improved i think although you could stand to go to soundonsound.com and study some drum mixing/EQ tips ...that's stuff you gotta do on your own if you're serious about mixing...memorize the standard target freqs areas for all drums pieces and overheads....parallel compression etc....but...the drums are coming along nicely. i may like a bit more snare verb....some may not...

THe distorted rhy guitar is reminicent of what was wrong with the 90s grunge thing....too much bottom...not the right mids and a crappy scritch scratch top end.....poor taste of amp settings, pedals, or pod modelling here....but IMHO the whole guitar approach is amatuer 90s sounding to me.

the clean rhy guitar doesn't sound EQ'd well, just kinda plunking away there. but it's not in the way so ...whatever...i'm not sure what purpose it serves

most of this music is questionable in production, and parts....to make great sounding music you guys are a ways off worrying about mastering IMHO.

none of this is meant to be mean...this thread's been here a week and you guys seem adamant on critique! if you get the tones, production and feel right, the mix and mastering will follow much easier!

you can always choose to write these comments off as me not getting your artistic direction as well! feel free!

EDIT: damn! i just realized this is your first band recording so some grace is definately in order! rock on!

i appreciate the overview, and i will take your advice and work on it...

this was not recorded by me, i would have used better mics, and what not, and my gear is probably better...

the guy who recorded it, used CAD drum mics...the 99.99 dollar ones.....i would have at least used the pro pack which is 300.....but....if i record drums it will be with a shure beta 52, and 4 sm57's.....

in any case the guitar was recorded from a pod output from line 6 directly into the inserts......i told the studio that did this NOT to do it....

i told them to plug the guitar into a TUBE pre-amp, and apply the clean gain, and then use amplitube2 or guitar rig3 for the distortion, and if they wanted to use the line6 to lower the output of the head, or mic the cab...

they didnt...so i had to fix this mix cause the studio that recorded it wasnt all that good....in fact for 20 years in the business i dont feel they are any better than me.....

also this isnt my band but a relatives band....

[sammyp]

gotcha...ok, i understand your situation now....thought you were in the band!

It's not the POD, it's the taste of the player...you gotta know how to use em...ie; i love my POD 1 but i only ever use the blackface or the marshall jcm 900...and a bit of pod comp.....the rest of the amps are crap to me!

[craven]

Originally Posted by sammyp

gotcha...ok, i understand your situation now....thought you were in the band!

It's not the POD, it's the taste of the player...you gotta know how to use em...ie; i love my POD 1 but i only ever use the blackface or the marshall jcm 900...and a bit of pod comp.....the rest of the amps are crap to me!

the pod this guitarist owns is a POD style output, from a full head, so it works the same way as a POD works but its the head....full head and effects....

lol but i hope i can get this....