Old 06-26-2019, 11:23 AM   #1
GalacticDeath
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Default Progressive Death Metal/ Space Metal

It's been a while since I've mixed/mastered anything myself. But I finally got around to finishing this 4 track EP.

I feel really proud of how it turned out, but I know I still have a lot to learn about production.

This was all mixed in Reaper using only Reaper plugins.
Let me know if you have any comments, criticisms, or questions.

https://galacticmechanics.bandcamp.c...um/lost-sector


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wva_P1HyWY
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Old 06-26-2019, 11:56 AM   #2
prom
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Vocals sound like my ex girlfiend "Fab!"
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Old 06-26-2019, 12:55 PM   #3
JamesPeters
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I like the mix in general but the compression sometimes sounded odd. I noticed it on the kick first; I'd assumed it was just a choice for the kick compressor or maybe the kick sound itself. Then I realized it was there on the mix in general. There's a bit of quick wavering of the volume. If this is because of a compressor on the master, you might be able to get a better response by dealing with the compression of each track separately first (then running a more subtle compressor/limiter on the master). I don't know how you did your mix specifically so I am just guessing, but I did hear it on both the Youtube and the Bandcamp versions.
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Old 06-26-2019, 01:23 PM   #4
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Im currently involved in producing a prog death metal act, so this was a welcome surprise.

Musically, I thought it sounded rather "black" and I kept wanting the riffing to get heavier and more "death", whereas the guitars sound rather midrange and treble heavy. This is on my smartphone, which isn't ideal.

The vocals were great. Awesome tone and delivery.

The arrangements sounded very "tech" and I kept wanting/expecting some dynamics to the song structures.


Great stuff!
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Old 06-26-2019, 04:51 PM   #5
GalacticDeath
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prom View Post
Vocals sound like my ex girlfiend "Fab!"
haha that's pretty funny. If my Ex girlfriend sounded like that, she'd be featured on every song lol. Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesPeters View Post
I like the mix in general but the compression sometimes sounded odd. I noticed it on the kick first; I'd assumed it was just a choice for the kick compressor or maybe the kick sound itself. Then I realized it was there on the mix in general. There's a bit of quick wavering of the volume. If this is because of a compressor on the master, you might be able to get a better response by dealing with the compression of each track separately first (then running a more subtle compressor/limiter on the master). I don't know how you did your mix specifically so I am just guessing, but I did hear it on both the Youtube and the Bandcamp versions.
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah I can definitely hear what you're referring to. Compression is something that I still need to work on, because I think I have a tendency to over do it on the master track. Although I did end up liking the compressed sound, comparing it to other professional mixes, I did notice my mix sounded more compressed, and hence a bit flat in dynamics. I'll definitely take your advice and try to compress each track separately. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Aeolian View Post
Im currently involved in producing a prog death metal act, so this was a welcome surprise.

Musically, I thought it sounded rather "black" and I kept wanting the riffing to get heavier and more "death", whereas the guitars sound rather midrange and treble heavy. This is on my smartphone, which isn't ideal.

The vocals were great. Awesome tone and delivery.

The arrangements sounded very "tech" and I kept wanting/expecting some dynamics to the song structures.


Great stuff!
Awesome man, glad to hear you enjoyed it! Yeah I do quite a bit of tremolo picking on these songs haha. It's quite mid-rangy too, since I do a lot of my riffing around the middle of the fret board so you're definitely correct.

I am also a big fan of tech death bands like Origin, Necrophagist, Revocation, Cognizance, etc. So I'm glad you were able to hear some of that tech influence.

Thanks for checking it out and good luck with your project! \m/
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Old 06-26-2019, 04:59 PM   #6
JamesPeters
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Glad to help, for whatever little I can.

Since each instrument has different dynamics, handling compression separately is a good idea in general. Then the overall mix will need some, but probably not nearly as much.
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Old 06-26-2019, 05:17 PM   #7
GalacticDeath
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesPeters View Post
Glad to help, for whatever little I can.

Since each instrument has different dynamics, handling compression separately is a good idea in general. Then the overall mix will need some, but probably not nearly as much.
Yeah for sure man, that makes sense. I'll definitely keep that in mind for my future mixes. Sound advice. Thanks!
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Old 06-28-2019, 12:43 AM   #8
shangsean
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Clearly a lot of musical talent on display, but I feel like I am listening to the music through a fan. It sounds like either the compressor or limiter is being slammed or the entire mix is sidechained to the kick.

I also had a quick listen to the demo and I think the mix is superior. However the newer tracks without the fluttering could sound great.
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Old 06-28-2019, 01:55 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shangsean View Post
Clearly a lot of musical talent on display, but I feel like I am listening to the music through a fan. It sounds like either the compressor or limiter is being slammed or the entire mix is sidechained to the kick.

I also had a quick listen to the demo and I think the mix is superior. However the newer tracks without the fluttering could sound great.
Thanks I agree that our previous demo had a better mix. It's a lot clearer, and there's more separation between the different instruments. I've recently found myself trying to recreate that mix. It's kinda funny because that's the first mix I did about 8 years ago.

I didn't use any side-chain compression on this mix, but the compression is pretty aggressive on the master. I can definitely hear the flutter you're referring to. I think I need to go back to how I use to mix with less compression on the master. Thanks for checking it out!
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Old 07-01-2019, 06:42 AM   #10
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Here's a great video about mastering that helped my sound immensely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in46p78teVs&t=387s

The vsts in the vid are FREE downloads.

I also had a lot of that volume "flutter" in some of my older songs. It was the compressor in the Master FX chain "breathing" too hard, causing the overall sound to fluctuate with the hardest hitting sounds. This guy's mastering chain is very effective, yet still "transparent" - you don't FEEL the compressor working, it just does the job of leveling out the high and slow spots.

BTW - I like your tunes a lot - thematically they remind me a bit of Mithras (spacey metal), but your sound is different than theirs.
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Old 07-01-2019, 12:45 PM   #11
GalacticDeath
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimaension X View Post
Here's a great video about mastering that helped my sound immensely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in46p78teVs&t=387s

The vsts in the vid are FREE downloads.

I also had a lot of that volume "flutter" in some of my older songs. It was the compressor in the Master FX chain "breathing" too hard, causing the overall sound to fluctuate with the hardest hitting sounds. This guy's mastering chain is very effective, yet still "transparent" - you don't FEEL the compressor working, it just does the job of leveling out the high and slow spots.

BTW - I like your tunes a lot - thematically they remind me a bit of Mithras (spacey metal), but your sound is different than theirs.
Thanks man that's a pretty helpful video, I think I'll give those plugins a try. Yeah it's always good to go back and re-learn certain things. Unfortunately due to my inconsistency with mixing it's hard for me to retain information because I sometimes go years without practice. So it's like I'm starting over every time I try to mix something lol.

I've heard of Mithras but never listened to their music, I'll have to check them out.

Cool music on your channel by the way, really dig the synths has a bit of an 80's vibe. The production is really clear too.

Thanks again!
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