Hi guys, would love some criticism on the mixes from my latest project:
 
https://soundcloud.com/all-the-kings-men-620357397/sets/let-us-adore-him
 
It was a departure from what I normally do, and I took a completely different approach to recording it. Almost every mic was in omni, while we just bashed away in a room to try and get an authentic sounding result. I aimed to use as little processing as possible, even if that meant things being a little muddy - I really wanted a 'homely' and raw vibe. Would love to hear what you think, and if you thought I achieved that raw, authentic sound I was after and what I could have done better.
 
If you only listen to one, please make it Hope of the World, and listen all the way to the end, as it gets pretty intense about half way through :-)
 
Thanks in advance.
 

Sorry in advance for the unhelpful reply.
 
The tracks I listened to definitely had a bit of a raw, live sound, but the quality was a bit too high to call them very "homely," in my opinion.  This is not a complaint, though, these mixes sounded outstanding.  Maybe someone with a finer tuned ear will have more helpful comments, but I wouldn't change a thing.  Loved the ferocity of the drums in Hope of the World, and the "intense" bit you were referring to amounts to probably the most metal sounding folk/gospel music I've ever heard.
 
Loved it!

Thanks for the reply - not unhelpful at all! Yeah, I guess when I was thinking 'homely' and raw, I wasn't thinking so much lo-fi, just a bit more 'honest' sounding than the heavily processed/hyped sounds of pop recordings. Thanks for the kind words - glad you enjoyed it!

First of all, I want to say that it's tough to get responses when posting 7 songs all at once.  I'd suggest just throwing one song out there, and suggesting that people might listen to some others in the playlist if they have time.
 
As for the music... you guys are fantastic!  The singing, the playing, the production, the writing, all superb!  Makes me want to go to your church on a Sunday morning... but you're in Perth. :P  But if I get to Perth, I'd love to stop in and see you guys. :)
 
The group is extremely talented, and you captured it brilliantly.  Amen!

Hey James!  aren't you the same James Collins who posted in the Music Creator forums a long time ago?
 
first, I agree with Walt, you'll get more responses if you'll post songs individually, but not all at once, either, space 'em out.
 
I listened to Hope of the World first - this is just really good!  the mix does sound a little "unpolished" but for a "live" room sound you've really captured it well!
 
performances are all fantastic - love the "celtic/folk" feel!
 
the handclaps and "heys" sound like they're more "pristine" than the acoustic guitar and sound like they're not in the same place.
 
at 3:35 when everyone comes it, the mix gets cluttered and it's hard to hear any of the voices clearly, the guitar is mixed louder than anything else, I'd like to hear the choir better.
 
I also listened to "New Life" - this seems a lot more "live" especially at the beginning.  same thing when everyone's singing, tho, the voices are covered by the instrumentation (especially the acoustic guitar which you've mixed louder than anything else).
 
great songs!  great work!  tight vocals!  the choir is all right on timing and that's hard to get!
 
good stuff!

Walt Collins
First of all, I want to say that it's tough to get responses when posting 7 songs all at once.  I'd suggest just throwing one song out there, and suggesting that people might listen to some others in the playlist if they have time.
 
As for the music... you guys are fantastic!  The singing, the playing, the production, the writing, all superb!  Makes me want to go to your church on a Sunday morning... but you're in Perth. :P  But if I get to Perth, I'd love to stop in and see you guys. :)
 
The group is extremely talented, and you captured it brilliantly.  Amen!

Thanks for the suggestion to post one song at a time - will do in future. Thank you also for taking the time to listen and for your encouraging words - very glad you enjoyed it! If you'd like to sing the songs at your church, you can download all of the lyrics, lead sheets and music for free on our website - otherwise, we'll see you when you come to perth :-)

Beagle
Hey James!  aren't you the same James Collins who posted in the Music Creator forums a long time ago?

Possibly :-) I posted some stuff from my classical guitar album a few years ago?

first, I agree with Walt, you'll get more responses if you'll post songs individually, but not all at once, either, space 'em out.

Thanks, will do in future.
 

I listened to Hope of the World first - this is just really good!  the mix does sound a little "unpolished" but for a "live" room sound you've really captured it well!
 
performances are all fantastic - love the "celtic/folk" feel!
 
the handclaps and "heys" sound like they're more "pristine" than the acoustic guitar and sound like they're not in the same place.

Interesting- any tips on how to blend claps and heys more? They were recorded in exactly the same way as everything else and in the same room. Actually come to think of it, I recorded almost everything in stereo (M/S with the middle mic in omni) but the claps and heys were a single mic in omni. Same mic and room though...
 

at 3:35 when everyone comes it, the mix gets cluttered and it's hard to hear any of the voices clearly, the guitar is mixed louder than anything else, I'd like to hear the choir better.

Yes it is a bit cluttered, and I know it sounds like an excuse, but I actually kind of wanted that! I just wanted it to explode at that point and go a bit over-the-top with it. And yes the vocals could be more audible, but I found with them at a higher level I was losing some of the power that came from the band, and if I EQ'd for more clarity, it sounded too different to the previous section. Any ideas/thoughts on what else I could have tried? I think I was willing to compromise on clarity for reasons mentioned earlier - if portraying the feeling of a bunch of guys just getting in a room and going for it meant a loss of clarity/intelligibility at times, I was willing to live with that. Perhaps I was wrong?
 

I also listened to "New Life" - this seems a lot more "live" especially at the beginning.  same thing when everyone's singing, tho, the voices are covered by the instrumentation (especially the acoustic guitar which you've mixed louder than anything else).

Haha yes, I think I always mix guitars too loud - can you guess what my main instrument is?!
 

great songs!  great work!  tight vocals!  the choir is all right on timing and that's hard to get!
 
good stuff!

Thanks so much for listening and commenting, and I'm thrilled you enjoyed it :-)

I listened to Hope of the World...
 
Sounded good to me... I particularly liked the percussion parts. That's not to take anything away from the other elements, it was all good . 

Great vocals, great playing, great mix, great old school sound, what's not to like here? Really good stuff!