Feedback on Indie Pop / Rock Mixes - esp. the drums

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

Hey there - big favour - We did some recording last year in a nice studio last year and I'd love to get some feedback / fresh ears on them. I'm not an expert but a lot of the issues we had mixing seem to come from the cymbals and crashes - it was hard to bring the level on these down without bringing down the overall drums level.

Is there too much sizzle ?
Are they just more aggresive and bigger than they should be in some sections?

But I could be competely paranoid - i'm in the lou reed / neil young camp in terms of cymbals / crashes - less is more ..

Other Qs -
Vocals - right level? Good enough performances ? Particularly the male ones (me..)
Is it all just too rigid? It was done to a click. We didn't have much time - an album in a week...


There are some here -

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A promo EP is getting great reviews but I can only hear faults!! Any thoughts at all appreciated - don't hold back!

Thanks
Mojo

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

Hey peeps - Don't be shy - it's not that bad is it??!!

[john caldwell]

These are nice tunes with a warm and sweet-natured sound. You are better writers and musicians than mixing engineers, in my opinion. To capture and present what you recorded in the studio I think it would be eye opening to hire a pro who understands this kind of vocally driven project to mix perhaps just one of the tracks. Once you work with that mixer, and get to know what your performances are able to sound like, I think you might better move through the remaining project with a roadmap.

John Caldwell

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

Hi John - thanks very much for the feedback and advice - it makes good sense. We have used a pro for this - we have a little label behind us and this is meant to be a professional release - but I think we're all in agreement that the mixes aren't as good as they could be. Were the drums ok for you?? Our drummer is good but had just joined the band and is very much a rock drummer. Do you think it's too heavy for some of the songs? Too heavy-headed on the cymbals etc??

Thanks again

[Andreas G]

I listened to the first song. Nice tune!

I think the vocals are to much back in the mix. They have to come out more. The vocal track itself sounds a bit raw to me, it needs some more work in order to sit clear and focused. There are also some intonation issues to fix. The drum cymbals are a bit to bright and agressive they take too much attention. But I think the drums are not too heavy, it's a mixing thing IMO.

Cheers!

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

Thanks Andreas - agreed on the cymbals and vox. It's great getting fresh ears on them - I can't see the wood from the trees!
Mojo

p.s. Glad you like the tune !!

[john caldwell]

The drum performance is fine. The drum sounds, and the relationship to the remainder of the mix are lacking. The lead and BGV should really pop here, and the current mix misses that substantially.

[fifthflaw]

Sounds very like belle and sebastian and camera obscura. I think it sounds ok for having been done in a week-always a risk when doing projects very quickly. The cymbals do sound very thin to me.

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

Thanks all - fifthflaw - love both those bands! , so that must have seeped in to the writing and arranging. Any thoughts on re-doing some drums - does that work or just opening a can of worms?? Budget is tight so can't really re-do everything ..


John - besides the vocals level, did you have anything else in mind??

Thanks again