Final Critique Before Mastering & $500 Remix Contest Soon

[smashbrand]

I would love to get a final critique on these two mixes before I send them off to a mastering house. Its rock, its ambient more down tempo stuff. Any last minute advice is greatly appreciated. Again these are not mastered, nothing on the master buss, however they are normalized to bring the audio up.

I will also be bouncing out the final tracks for each song into a download package. About 30 total tracks for each song (12 are the drums) and posting a remix contest. I hope to have this up around the first of July. $500 prize for the winner of each song. Details soon....

Song 1: Our more pop sounding sound. Lightest on the album.
http://www.redfridayband.com/music/Downfall.mp3

Song 2: A darker, harder pushing track
http://www.redfridayband.com/music/Queen.mp3

[smashbrand]

One Monday bump.....won't do it again. Gracias

[Getafix]

Post examples that have not been normalized.

[IsleBeatUDown]

I listened to track 2 and thought that all the elements were really cool (I'm a sucker for any song with puke AND spit in the lyrics).

But I feel like stuff is buried rather than revealed in the mix. Vocals sitting way back in the reverb wash; cool gtr parts sludged out. I believe the mixer should be manipulating the listener's attention (and then hopefully their emotions), so I think the parts you want focus on must have punch and clarity like your drums alone possess in this mix. To wit: the sludgy gtr rythm reminds me a little of Bush - but their's would unsludge it slightly and then give it a transient edge to bring it forward (1176/LA-2, etc.) thereby adding to the general percussive rythm of the track. This focus would vary depending on what's going on at that moment in the song.

Hope that is at all helpful,
Rob

[alkie]

Listened to both and really like the songs, mixes are too clean for my taste i`d like them a little dirtier. Can`t wait till you have this remix thingy.