• Songs
  • Honest critique please. (p.3)
2013/12/12 01:10:02
Dude Ivey
It's more crisp and clear! Good Job!
2013/12/12 12:26:38
jamesg1213
No need for any mix critiques from me, 'cos the Big Guns are on the case! Really enjoyed the track Clint, played it 3 times through. Got a hint of a lot of influences, the intro riff was very Martin Barre/Tull for instance. Loved the lead guitar work, beautifully fluid and expressive, tasty phrasing too.
2013/12/12 13:20:40
Starise
 Hi Clint. I suppose a critique is a comment when something is wrong or when something seems to seriously need a change. I liked the first mix and the second even better, so I can't seriously critique it. I didn't hear anything majorly wrong.
 
 For a home recording done with EZdrummer I'm very impressed. I am listening today on a pair of Apple headphones. I know they exaggerate the mids and cut the lows, so I won't attempt to niggel that when I am not listening on my studio system. FWIW on these headphones I feel like I'm getting a decent sound from your mix realizing where they fall short.
 
 I gotta hand it to you for continuing to chisel away at something that to my ears is already pretty darned good, right up there with the big boys.
 
 
2013/12/12 13:40:29
clintmartin
I'm thrilled with all of the help and advice I've been given here. I can only hope to repay some of these guys by helping someone else someday. I started with this song because I wasn't happy with it...It's not quite finished, but It's getting there. Thanks for all of the comments.
@Starise...I haven't heard this on an ipod or with ear buds. I don't have much experience with those things to tell you the truth. I would think a separate mix would probably be in order for mp3's or whatever. Thanks for listening.
2013/12/12 14:48:52
Danny Danzi
New mix sounds pretty good to me Clint! Everything is audible and seems to have a nice place in the mix, we got more beater attack and all the other stuff is good too. Hats can pan a bit (20-25 % left or right...your choice depending on if you went with listener perspective of drummer perspective) Now...this is subjective here, but I want to teach you something that may come in handy later.
 
When I listen to this mix, there are no blatant issues. However, the one thing that does sort of make me want to play around a bit is the rhythm guitar sound. I don't know how to explain this other than to talk like a weirdo. LOL!
 
Let me start by saying...this works and you don't have to touch a thing, but I just want you to mess with this and see if you hear the difference and if it's a difference worth changing.
 
The guitars (rhythms only) have a very mid range sound to them. When I hear them, they make the sound of raw raw raw...(not to be cornfused with "they sound too raw and naked") which in Danny language means, a bit excessive on the low mids to mids. I'd like to hear them make more of a "chump chump" or "champ champ" type sound. Notice how saying "raw" is a darker tone than when you say "champ", "chimp" or "chump"? Removing some of the congestive mids will curb the sound of "raw". I know saying those words is probably making you laugh...but if you apply them to guitar tones that are chugging on chords, you'll know exactly where I'm coming from. Each frequency in an eq literally speaks and has a certain element it adds to the mixing language. When you can make them appear to talk or at least "deliver" a sound that can be translated into speech so to speak, understanding frequencies and how to use them becomes much easier.
 
To do this, when you mess with the mix next, try lowering 320 Hz a bit until you hear the congestion in the low mids clear up a bit and get brighter. Then put it back where it was, then raise it super high so you can hear the affect this frequency does to guitars. When you're done, put it back to wherever you had it originally.
 
Next, go to 640 Hz and do the same thing you did with 320 and listen to how it changes the actual syllables in which the guitar lashes out and speaks. After you're done, return 640 to where it was. Next, go to 860 Hz and do the same thing. What I'm teaching you here is how to listen for excessive mids and how just removing a little in these areas can clean instruments like guitars, lead guitars, vocals, piano, strings and other mid range type instruments, right up.
 
You can also boost these frequencies when you need to so that you thicken instruments up a bit as you will notice the tones get a little thicker when you add them in. But when you get into that "raw" type sound....you can usually clean some of the mid range congestion right up and it makes a huge difference.
 
Now, if you like a super mid-rangey sound like this on your guitars, that's fine too. As long as there are no blatant issues (and there aren't, all subjective stuff here) you're right where you need to be. But try this so that you can identify with what I'm saying here as far as mids go. I think your eyes will open real wide when you hear the difference these 3 frequencies make in dirty guitar tones. Well done brother. :)
 
-Danny
2013/12/12 15:06:43
markno999
Clint,
 
The remix sounds good.   Great playing, really fun song.   Other than what has already been mentioned, I would like to hear a bit more "Room" with the Drums but otherwise wouldn't change much.  Sounding good.

Regards
2013/12/12 22:17:02
clintmartin
I've taken everyone's advice and did a few more final tweaks. I will leave all three of these mixes up on Soundcloud for a few days for anyone who might be interested and then I will delete them and kill the thread. Thanks for the help...these are the changes I made today.
 
1. Rhythm guitar bus - I cut the mids at 320hz by 0.89 and boosted at 860hz by 0.5.
2. I added more room reverb to the drums.
3. Drum bus- I made a narrow cut at 62hz to hopefully add a little slap to the kick. I made a narrow boost at 188hz to give the snare a little more thump.
 
https://soundcloud.com/clintmartin/a-prelude-to-september-mix
 
2013/12/12 23:10:33
Dude Ivey
It's sounding really good!
2013/12/12 23:17:27
Scottytunes
Honestly? I only listened to the third mix and I think it sounds real good!!!
2013/12/13 05:14:19
daryl1968
I came to this late and only heard the final mix. Sounds great. Playing is excellent and the guitar tone is perfect.
© 2026 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1

Use My Existing Forum Account

Use My Social Media Account