MarcusClinus:
 
 
Hey, Mark, how are you, buddy?  Hope you're doing great!
 
Big thanks for stopping by to check this one out for me and for your encouraging comments!
 
I always appreciate your input, observations and ideas on my stuff, and I'm grateful for your friendship and support!
 
Have a good one, Mark!
 
Bob
=====================================

emeraldsoul:
 
Hey, Tom,
 
Thanks, buddy, greatly appreciate your valuable input, observations and ideas!
 
LOL, you're 100% on the money about the "Unchained" chorus section, before I posted the mix I hemmed and hawed about that, and stupidly dropped it by 2db!   Your comment proves that I should have gone with my original gut instinct and left it the way it was.
 
Thanks again for listening and your good input and comments, it's what makes this forum such a great place!
 
Have a good one!
 
Bob
===================================

Wow, great song Bob. Don't listen to much Metal but this one comes across great, even though I only listened to the 128mp3. Agree with "ohgrant", great song for an opener on an album.
I would've liked the vocals more in my face, especially when they first enter, like you are singing right in my ear you know, more compression I think. Just my take, and how I felt on first listen (Don't take that with anything more than a grain of salt, vocals are my thing).
Guitar work is awesome by the way!

Hey Bob,
 
At 1:40 and 2:48: your rhythm guitar riff cuts out, which is cool.  But it sounds like you've got the automatic short fade happening at the end of the clip.  I think you may have meant to have it do an immediate cut (i.e. no fade at all, or one that lasts less than 0.1sec).  Or maybe I'm wrong!
 
One other thing I'm hearing is the vocals seem a little "late" in various parts of the song.  Is it possible you might have dragged and dropped some of the vocal clips and maybe placed them a smidgen to the right of where they should have been?  I always try to line up my clips using snapping if possible, but when that doesn't work (as sometimes it doesn't), I use my eye to place the highest transient on the visible wave form right on the beat (which is usually the highest transient in the snare drum track).  Not sure if that helps at all or if it's just something you are already doing.
 
Great metal echoey solos, nice meaty rhythm guitar, awesome guitar tone, love the composition, strong voice.  It'll make a great lead track for the record!

rebel007:
 
 
Hey, Wayne, big thanks, my friend for taking time to listen to this and your very good input and also your kind comments!
 
I'm going to try your suggestion on bumping up the level of the first verse vocals a little bit, after a very long time away from recording and mixing, I'm still struggling a bit with getting my studio ears back, and after Tom's comment above and yours, it seems like I misjudged the various vocal levels on this one.  I'm finally getting a little more time in again, and it seems like I'm beginning to get the EQ levels and general tonality back under control, but I'm still having a hard time determining proper instrument and vocal levels.  I greatly appreciate your observations and ideas to help get this to where it should be.
 
Sincere thanks, and best wishes, buddy!
 
Bob
====================================

Walt Collins:
 
 
 
Hi, Walt,
 
 
How are you, buddy?  Hope you're gearing up for a great holiday weekend!
 
Thank you so much for taking time to lend your excellent ears to this for me, and I truly appreciate your very specific, detailed input and suggestions because they always really help me out a great deal!
 
You were 100% correct about the long fades during the rhythm guitar stops, and I'm hoping to have the new mix up over the weekend.  Although I don't have any auto-fades set up in Sonar 8.5 PE, I have a habit of applying a short fade to the beginning and end of every clip whenever I split a track as a safety measure for unwanted pops and clicks.  Unfortunately, in my haste to get this posted, I never went back in and edited the splits correctly, and after your good advice, it already sounds much better.  Sometimes it seems I get too close to a song while working on a mix and some of the flaws become invisible to me until someone else picks up on them and points them out.  That's why I'm so grateful for your generous input and that of the rest of our helpful forum members.
 
I'm still trying to determine where the vocals might be coming in late so I can fix them, if you can point me in the right direction that would be great.
 
Thanks again, Walt, and have a great weekend!
 
Bob
====================================
 
 

Bob,
 
Your stuff is always so good. Thanks for sharing this test mix.
 
My only thought is that this is not yet fully mastered, would that be correct? If so that may explain some of the dullness I have not heard in your other stuff. Or..... maybe it's my ears. 

bapu:
 
 
Hi, Ed, thanks, buddy, I really appreciate you checking this out for me and also your good input, observations and advice!
 
You missed my last post for "Power Trip" which was my first attempt after more than seven months away from working on this stuff, but long story short, there were also lots of changes to my listening systems where I check my mixes, and also working with ARC 2 turned on inside Sonar, and off while listening to reference mixes on YouTube, Spotify, Vevo, etc., and even songs here on the forum.  I'm still struggling a bit with my "studio ears" and overall tonality on my mixes.
 
But, yes, this is "mastered" similarly to my past stuff, so I'm hoping you can clarify the dullness that you seem to be hearing.  Is it a lack of highs, or does it seem too muddy on your system, or lacking low end punch?  Any input or advice to what might be causing it to sound dull on your system would be very helpful and greatly appreciated to help me get this fixed up and trusting my ears again.
 
Thanks again, Ed, I always look forward to and truly appreciate your input, ideas, friendship and support here on the forum!
 
Have a good one, buddy!
Bob
=====================================

Hi, Guys,
 
I just uploaded Mix #2 after utilizing most of your input and suggestions so far.
 
Beefed up the first verse and chorus vocals, cleaned up the rhythm guitar stops on the breaks, and thickened up the bass guitar a little bit.  Hope I didn't go too far!
 
Thanks again for your input, and please feel free to let me know if you have any other input or suggestions.
 
Greatly appreciated!
Bob

That sounded great, yet again Bob... Sounding a lot more polished to my ears
 
Punchy as hell if you ask me
 
 
 
cheers
 
andy