I'm usually more of a lurker and rarely log on, but since I'm currently logged on I thought I might as well post a link to my songs. What I'm really hoping for is some tips on mixing and/or mastering. I've been trying for a couple of years now but I feel like I've barely improved in that department. I've read a few books on the subject and it's probably the acoustics and setup of my room, or maybe I just have the opposite of golden ears. Anyway, I'd appreciate any feedback you guys have to offer. Thanks. In case it doesn't show up in my signature since I only just added it, my songs can be found here: http://soundcloud.com/luke-culpitt.

The link in the message is broken.  The one in the sig. works.  At first listen "Get Things Done" sounds good, fun, and entertaining.  I'll check out some more later.  

Hey Luke, I like what I heard.  I don't do that genre very well, but you've really got the vocals and guitars down pat!  Maybe seems a little weak on volume and even a little weaker in the bass department.  What do monitor with?  If your monitors exaggerate bass, you may be fooled into thinking you have mixed in enough.  Compare your mixes with commercial CDs of your style as much as you can to see how yours stack up. 

I am a huge fan of iZotope Ozone5 Mastering software.  It made a WORLD of difference on my mixes, as I could never get them up to par with commercial recordings.  There are MANY presets you can use as "starting points" to tweak and polish your mix.  If you check out "Chameleon's Reflection", or "Bridge of Sighs Remix" in this Forum, you can hear Ozone at work (2 of my songs).

One other very small crit-  be mindful of your timing on your double-tracked vocals...ya want them to be nearly identical timingwise so they don't sound like you messed up a line.

Otherwise, great work in my little opinion.  Keep at it!  It takes a while to develop those ears!

I listened to two of your songs and was impressed that they have a definite style that was consistent.  Though familiar, they have a unique quality that is all your own.  As Tony said, a little bit of mastering could go a long way.  You are on to something, and this forum is a good place to hang out.

Old55 -> Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I'm still getting used to the forum software. I guess I shouldn't have added a full stop at the end of that first link. Thanks for your comments on my song. tbosco -> Thanks for taking the time to give me your feedback. I know that the bass might be a little weak in my mixes. I've been working on that lately and I think I might be making some minor improvements. I'm using Adam A7s for my monitors. I have Ozone 4 but really haven't given it much of a chance. I have the Fabfilter suite of products and mainly use those to master with. My current chain which I use on nearly all songs without much variation is (Gate>Compressor>Distortion>Compressor>EQ>Limiter). I know I should be tailoring my mastering to each song, but I'm pretty lazy with it. This also explains why my double-tracked vocals aren't nearly identical. I've tried making corrections with V-Vocal and Audiosnap but its very time consuming and I haven't been overly impressed with the results. I should just do more takes, I know. Anyway, thanks for your encouraging words. Lynn -> Thanks for your encouragement, too. I will be taking a listen to some of yours and tbosco's and Old55's songs as soon as I have a free moment or two. Thanks again!

Luke,

Man!  I would love me some A7's!!!  They don't normally overemphasize the low end...  I used Ozone4 before upgrading to 5 several months ago.  Look at Ozone's Mastering Chain of effects.  It's quite different than yours. (they put EQ first, Compressor, Limiter, then Maximizer).  This works for me, but it's not a rule. The Ozone Mastering Manual is full of advice, but can be a bit boring to read...but take a look at it.
Yeah, V-Vocal and Audiosnap can be tedious and yield funky results , or at least that has been my experience because I don't use them often enough to be well versed.
I think the Fabfilter stuff is pretty cool from what I can tell.  And there are some really cool plugins right in Sonar as well... the Vintage Channel VC64 and Vocal Strip can be amazing.
Later dude.

G'day Luke, I'll comment even if you are from south of the border ;). I actually grew up in Australia. It's funny hearing an aussie accent in singing. Most of us lose it over the years singing covers etc. I can hear very similar issues to mentioned above. I had the same issues because unlike when I record a band, when I do my own stuff I get too isolated in what I am doing. The mix needs more bottom for sure. Ozone 5 and Alloy 2 and Nectar all got added this week to my arsenal. As Tony above me mentioned, what a difference they make, even on the presets!.

Best advice I can give is, what I tell myself, start at the bottom, (Drums), and work your way up. I hear some really great stuff in there already though.

Cheers,

Tony

G'day Mazkimia, thanks for your advice. I used to think that the only way to sing was with an American accent and I still do for the most part. I only recently made a conscious effort to sing with an Australian accent, mainly because I think my voice is slightly stronger when I do, and because I thought it might be a bit of a novelty. I have been trying a new method of mixing in the last few weeks after someone on this forum provided a link to some instructional videos by Bobby Owsinski, and so I have started beginning with the kick drum and working my way up. I think there has been some improvements and I hope to upload those to my Soundcloud account soon. Appreciate the feedback, thanks.

Really cool groove, dude! I listened with headphones and the mix sounded good to me. It depends on what you're going for... It sounded like you were going for a sound and you got it. Thansk for posting it.

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. Thanks very much M@ B!