Hello, everyone. This post is directed mostly at those who do mastering and those who get mixes prepared for mastering. Of course all are welcome to listen, comment and offer suggestions. I will get right to the meat of it though and say this has been my self imposed mixing exercise/exam for the year (based on all the advice I have gotten here) and I would like to know from the mastering guys whether this mix is something they could work with or they would send back to the mix engineer. And if it IS something they could work with would it be one of those situations where they need to really reach to make it happen or if it is something they would accept as a "good" mix.
 
There has been absolutely NOTHING added as far as master bus effects. This is the pure -6db mix (aside from a limiter for clip protection that only triggered once for about half a second at a loud accent so the sound should be completely unaffected by it aside from that one instance). I am unsure how much Soundcloud alters the sound but after adjusting levels it seems kind of sort of true to the original file (I think).
 
Here is the track (let me know if the link doesn't work).
 
https://soundcloud.com/user432042324/kjerlighet-beeps-remix-sept-14-trimmed-premaster
 
I am posting it here in the Techniques tab because this mix is based on all the wonderful advice I've received here from the generous pros and I'm hoping for completely harsh and brutal input. I am not done with this track yet (I have creative type stuff I want to try) but realized this is representative of a basic mix I might send to a mastering house AND that I've reached the threshold of what I can do at this point in time at my current skill/knowledge level for the overall "sound". So I'm reaching out to you, my informal teachers.
 
Be viciously honest... please. I have no ego (at least in my pursuit of quality product) and am only here to learn as some of you may know.
 
I will provide some more details about the song/production in my next post but wanted to get it up for folks to listen to.
 
This is NOT my composition (aside from some of the ornamentation). It was written (and the MIDI programmed by) forum user Jarsve but I did play all the guitars. All sounds, except for the vocals (which were recorded by Jarsve and performed by the lovely NMR vocalist who goes by many names), were drawn from stuff that came with Sonar and was totally mixed by yours truly.
 
Jarsve graciously allowed me to use his source material (original MIDI files and the recorded vocals) to do my own mix. I will post his mix (which is available for download at reverbnation) in a moment.
 
Humbly yours,
 
Beepwad.
 
;-)

It is hard to tell. Just listening to it from Soundcloud is not much use. The file needs to be downloadable and preferably the higher res wave file from somewhere else.
 
The only way I can tell is to open the file up in my editing program and have a good look.

Here is a link to the Songs forum thread for the composer's (Jarsve) mix/release...
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/New-song-quotKj%C3%A6rlighetquot-m3272019.aspx
 
Cheers!!!
 
 

Jeff Evans
It is hard to tell. Just listening to it from Soundcloud is not much use. The file needs to be downloadable and preferably the higher res wave file from somewhere else.
 
The only way I can tell is to open the file up in my editing program and have a good look.

Mr. Evans. Hello. I was hoping you would stop by. I will clear it with the composer and send you a file via Dropbox. I'm sure he would be fine with it.
 
Thank you and I hope you have been well.
 
Cheers!

Thanks Beeps.  Yes I am well.  Before I master an album it is the first thing I do.  It tells me a lot.  How much processing if any has been used and how loud the track is as well.
 
I do an accurate VU rms reading against my reference level.  That tells me how far I have to raise the rms level of the mix to match what the client is wanting.  And hopefully that will be a respectable level.  But unfortunately even with the concept that we should be mastering less loud many people are still pushing for very loud masters which I have not being liking so much.  It can still be a battle now.
 
 

I personally am a conscientious objector in the so called "loudness wars"... which of course may seem completely bizzarre coming from a purveyor of metal. You may notice some dynamics left into that mix despite the mountains of distortion and compression.
 
Of course some squishing is needed to bring it up but I like things to breathe at least a little... even if it's a distorted/compressed chaosfest.
 
How else would you know when the REALLY heavy s**t is happening? lol...
 
Thank, buddy.

well, the vocals are buried.
not everything can occupy the same space at the same time

the song kicks ass tho...
 
 

I was hoping you'd stop by too, bats (howdy). Yeah, I have some extra plans for the vocals too and I was listening back to this today (I exported yesterday) and thought they were a tad too low.
 
Actually the solution I was going to use to remedy that way based on the "delay bus" comment you made a few weeks ago as opposed to just cranking the level.
 
You pretty much nailed one of the things that is unfinished/bugging me. When I bring it up as is it is too much/too dry over top of everything else.
 
Anyway... glad you liked the tune.
 
Bass/drums okay? This was mixed to be a little guitar heavy (it's gonna go in my session portfolio).
 
Thanks for checking it out.
 
Cheers.

Damn... I neglected to really give the extra details on this I intended to. Not sure I can get the mental fortitude up to do so properly either but yeah... I did a bunch of the EQ carving on pretty much everything at track level.
 
I also did not do the -20db hard hipass on the master bus to kill the unwanted "rumble" freqs so those are still there. That seems to be something a mastering engineer would want to do themselves. When I do that cut a lot of clarity comes in... but as I said... that seems like mastering and my intent was to mix without mastering.
 
There is also NO compression on master bus at all. Only on the sub busses. I'm realizing now that maybe that COULD be a mistake and that a touch of glue compression of the whole track might be better for the premaster export.
 
Yay, nay?
 
Just scattered rambling at this point really. Apologies.
 
Cheers.