Cockos Incorporated Forums - View Single Post - REAPER CONTEST

aftercutrecords · 08-05-2019, 11:51 AM

ID 01: I thought it was a little beefy, a little thick on the low end. Could be my monitoring situation though. I'm pretty sure I voted for this one, because it's overall pretty tops. The guitars just sounded a little poofy to me and I would've liked more attack on the drums, and the lead guitar to stand out a little more. Still probably the best mix overall.

ID 02: This mix sounds pretty narrow, and the cymbals are kinda washy. The vocals lack depth. Overall this mix sounds kind of blanketed. I would spread out guitars a little more, and scoop out those drums a tiny bit more, especially from the overheads. There's some kinda low woofy resonance that's kinda consistent in the Overheads or rooms that I hear. But everything else is very dry and narrow. I like what you did with the tambourine and the drum fill 1 minute and a half in sounds real big. The lead stands out pretty well, but it's still a little under the track because of how poofy everything else sounds to me.

ID 03: This just got really hyped in a weird way. Probably some kind of aggressive stereo effect. The keys / organ patch don't come through amazingly, but they blend well with the guitar. The problem is, there's a stereo effect but not a lot of stereo panning and separation, to my ears. It sounds narrow and artificially widened. But the vocals have a really cool thing going on. I like those best. I also like how the lead guitar came out more in the spectrum, although it falls below the bass often. The drums are very roomy but lack a lot of impact to my ears. They kinda blend in to the rest of the track. Maybe lower the bass guitar track, or scoop it out a little bit?

ID 04: I like how balanced this track sounds! The vocals sound really solid. This is a contender, in my opinion. Nothing really stands out as being wrong, but the kick and bass seem to be a little bit in conflict. The kick has a decay that poofs in the same area as the bass, which leads to a weird "you either hear kick or bass" feeling. But other than that, I dig this mix's lead guitar part the most. It sticks out the way I want!

ID 05: Very drum and bass focused. The guitars are narrow, the spatial effects are very narrow. I like the delay on the vocal. Overall, I'd probably sweeten things up a bit more (boost some highs, cut some low mids on the drums and bass, spread out the guitars a lot more, don't be afraid to let things hit harder). One special mention: The organ in this sounds really good. Unfortunately, the lead guitar is absolutely drowned. Overall, different sounding style. Sounds like it was mixed in the style of a dub reggae track (minus excessive reverbs), which is definitely an interesting take!

ID 06: Wow, that's pretty loud. The cymbals on the drums immediately stick out as VERY washy. The drums have a sick punch and nice low end, but the cymbals are just... loud and not very bright. They kinda muddy things up, especially compared to the guitars. I'd love this sound if it was just drums. Seriously. Those drums sound really good when it's just drums. But I'd clean it out and make some room for the other elements, especially guitars. The lead guitar is nicely audible, but it sounds almost lo-fi.
Overall, good mix! I like it. It just sounds a little poofy to me with aggressive roomyness. Lot of like, 300hz to my ears.

ID 07: I like the emphasis on the background guitar tracks. The drums are a little hard to hear except the occasional crack, and the bass is very prominent. Everything sits well, but it could probably use MORE room track and overheads, because it's not very bright. The vocals are usually real nice. Overall, this mix sounds like it's got a blanket on it, though. I like the lead guitar part though! It's definitely the best part of the track. Problem is, not a lot of content over 3k or below 100hz. But there's a TON of energy from 100hz to 300hz. That's where a lot of conflicts and masking is happening. Let some of the other elements come out a little! It'll sound less rough. There's plenty of room over 5k for stuff to have some character and movement.

ID 08: I like this one, although the bass is a little boomy between 100hz and 200hz. Otherwise, everything sounds great! In my opinion, nearly flawless. The lead guitar cuts through like a champ and has more than enough to express itself without being too out front. I know it sounds simplistic, but I like it!

ID 09: Very boxy sounding snare. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE 200hz on snare. But this has a little too much. I like the tambourine and aux in the mix, and the drum mix is mostly snare. The overheads sound okay, maybe kinda brittle, but it's definitely cleaner than some others. I like it, but that's just my preference. But it's kinda hard to hear kick. The lead guitar sounds REALLY good. I like it a lot, though it may be a LITTLE too out front. No one would really notice that, though. I prefer it. I just want more kick outta this, honestly.

08-05-2019, 11:51 AM	#54
aftercutrecords Human being with feelings Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 33	ID 01: I thought it was a little beefy, a little thick on the low end. Could be my monitoring situation though. I'm pretty sure I voted for this one, because it's overall pretty tops. The guitars just sounded a little poofy to me and I would've liked more attack on the drums, and the lead guitar to stand out a little more. Still probably the best mix overall. ID 02: This mix sounds pretty narrow, and the cymbals are kinda washy. The vocals lack depth. Overall this mix sounds kind of blanketed. I would spread out guitars a little more, and scoop out those drums a tiny bit more, especially from the overheads. There's some kinda low woofy resonance that's kinda consistent in the Overheads or rooms that I hear. But everything else is very dry and narrow. I like what you did with the tambourine and the drum fill 1 minute and a half in sounds real big. The lead stands out pretty well, but it's still a little under the track because of how poofy everything else sounds to me. ID 03: This just got really hyped in a weird way. Probably some kind of aggressive stereo effect. The keys / organ patch don't come through amazingly, but they blend well with the guitar. The problem is, there's a stereo effect but not a lot of stereo panning and separation, to my ears. It sounds narrow and artificially widened. But the vocals have a really cool thing going on. I like those best. I also like how the lead guitar came out more in the spectrum, although it falls below the bass often. The drums are very roomy but lack a lot of impact to my ears. They kinda blend in to the rest of the track. Maybe lower the bass guitar track, or scoop it out a little bit? ID 04: I like how balanced this track sounds! The vocals sound really solid. This is a contender, in my opinion. Nothing really stands out as being wrong, but the kick and bass seem to be a little bit in conflict. The kick has a decay that poofs in the same area as the bass, which leads to a weird "you either hear kick or bass" feeling. But other than that, I dig this mix's lead guitar part the most. It sticks out the way I want! ID 05: Very drum and bass focused. The guitars are narrow, the spatial effects are very narrow. I like the delay on the vocal. Overall, I'd probably sweeten things up a bit more (boost some highs, cut some low mids on the drums and bass, spread out the guitars a lot more, don't be afraid to let things hit harder). One special mention: The organ in this sounds really good. Unfortunately, the lead guitar is absolutely drowned. Overall, different sounding style. Sounds like it was mixed in the style of a dub reggae track (minus excessive reverbs), which is definitely an interesting take! ID 06: Wow, that's pretty loud. The cymbals on the drums immediately stick out as VERY washy. The drums have a sick punch and nice low end, but the cymbals are just... loud and not very bright. They kinda muddy things up, especially compared to the guitars. I'd love this sound if it was just drums. Seriously. Those drums sound really good when it's just drums. But I'd clean it out and make some room for the other elements, especially guitars. The lead guitar is nicely audible, but it sounds almost lo-fi. Overall, good mix! I like it. It just sounds a little poofy to me with aggressive roomyness. Lot of like, 300hz to my ears. ID 07: I like the emphasis on the background guitar tracks. The drums are a little hard to hear except the occasional crack, and the bass is very prominent. Everything sits well, but it could probably use MORE room track and overheads, because it's not very bright. The vocals are usually real nice. Overall, this mix sounds like it's got a blanket on it, though. I like the lead guitar part though! It's definitely the best part of the track. Problem is, not a lot of content over 3k or below 100hz. But there's a TON of energy from 100hz to 300hz. That's where a lot of conflicts and masking is happening. Let some of the other elements come out a little! It'll sound less rough. There's plenty of room over 5k for stuff to have some character and movement. ID 08: I like this one, although the bass is a little boomy between 100hz and 200hz. Otherwise, everything sounds great! In my opinion, nearly flawless. The lead guitar cuts through like a champ and has more than enough to express itself without being too out front. I know it sounds simplistic, but I like it! ID 09: Very boxy sounding snare. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE 200hz on snare. But this has a little too much. I like the tambourine and aux in the mix, and the drum mix is mostly snare. The overheads sound okay, maybe kinda brittle, but it's definitely cleaner than some others. I like it, but that's just my preference. But it's kinda hard to hear kick. The lead guitar sounds REALLY good. I like it a lot, though it may be a LITTLE too out front. No one would really notice that, though. I prefer it. I just want more kick outta this, honestly.