[Dana Nielsen]

Kevin!!

So thrilled to have u here in the MP community, and what a killer first post! This is badass. I’ve posted a few thoughts via video below.

Also, which DAW are you using, and can you tell us more about where you recorded this? Are the drums all live, or are there samples in there? They sound nice!! Great work, and I look fwd to hearing what you add to this! 🤘

[Dana Nielsen]

Jesse!!! Dude, this is so beautiful, visually and musically! And I love that the iphone audio captured live is used in the final mix, surrounded and augmented by a richer overdubbed atmosphere … so freaking cool! BRAVO!!! 🙌💜⚡️

[Dana Nielsen]

Also – never even heard of Needlepoint, and turns out I own it as part of my Plugin Alliance MEGA Bundle, so I’ll for sure be messing with that thing in the near future – thanks for the tip!

And for anyone else who’s interested, it looks like it’s on sale for $29 at the moment. 🤘

plugin-alliance.com

Unfiltered Audio Needlepoint

Authentic, physically modeled vinyl effects from subtle to surreal.

[Dana Nielsen]

So fun hearing this one again, Paul! — this time on headphones… sounds deep and punchy! 🙌

[Dana Nielsen]

Stuart! This is super cool, man – love it! Tension for sure ⚡️. FWIW, dropping a couple thoughts here on an otherwise fun, exciting mix and production!

• The synth lead at 0:52 feels real loud to me against the track. Try turning it down? orrr … try leaving it loud but with heavy side-chain compression keyed by the kick and snare, which would give the synth some aggro pumping action AND it would let the kick and snare cut through the synth better so those drums stay powerful and upfront (right now that synth is kinda drowning out the kick/snare).
• I love how huge the snare is! That said, I want the kick to be JUST as huge as the snare. Currently the kick feels a bit low-volume. Crank that thing up so it punches me in the GUT!

That’s all I got, man – killer job!! And thanks for sharing with us all!

[Dana Nielsen]

Jeremy!! I think this is sounding great, man! I didn’t hear anything noticeably harsh or offensive, frequency-wise. The “woofy” rap vocal sound kinda like an effect to me, like a subtle telephone-bandpass. Either way I assumed that tone was intentional.

Any mix engineer refusing to check mixes on headphones should be given a serious side-eye (my daughter hands those out for free, so lemme know if you need one… I got extras!). I always learn so much listening in headphones. I do all my mixing on speakers and then right at the end (sometimes as I’m printing my first mix) I throw on the cans. Invariably, I realize I’m not done with the mix yet and need to address all the wonky things I’m hearing in the headphones! I know I’m finally ready to print a mix when it makes me equally as stoked to listen in headphones and speakers.

[Dana Nielsen]

I love that! Amazing how those things happen.

And high paise in the comments from Jamie Lidell on that post. Love Jamie and his podcast – i’ll have to look that one up!

[Dana Nielsen]

Yeah that thing is so cool. I haven’t done any tracking with it, but I’ve used it to create trippy echo and delay with feedback fx, some of which can be heard on the Smashing Pumpkins album I recorded/mixed .. I’ll post an example if I can find it. I’d love to try recording to that machine sometime as a 4-track!

[Dana Nielsen]

@Muzz that is awesome, man, that you’re getting such great sounds right at home – killer! With the bass, if it’s getting too muddy when you turn it up, don’t be afraid to use some EQ to reduce the low end “mud” to your liking, and boost some top or midrange to help with the “definition.” I often find 800Hz gratifying on an electric bass to help with that. It sounds like “rrrrrrrr” to me 🤷🏻‍♂️😂 and sometimes helps poke it out through a heavy mix so you can distinguish the note/melody of the bass. Don’t get stuck on that specific frequency though if it’s not helping … just follow your instincts and your ears and you’ll find your way. It’s always super helpful to have a reference mix to compare to while you’re working — Cue up that ol’ Sevendust album! haha. Or maybe some Foo Fighters? Just be sure to turn down your Spotify volume fader to match the overall volume of your mix, otherwise you’ll be chasing your tail, blinded by loudness. And @-PT‘s suggestion is great as well: don’t do all of your EQ’ing while in Solo, otherwise you might not push (or cut) frequencies hard enough to make a tangible difference in the overall mix. Looking fwd to hearing your next update, homey!! ⚡️

[Dana Nielsen]

I LOVE this, @Dave! Heck yeah, experimentation, finding the limits, pushing the gear, accidentally stumbling onto cool sounds … that’s the best stuff!

Also … look what sits just on the other side of my room:

[Dana Nielsen]

@ABrown! Thanks, man!

[Dana Nielsen]

Woo! Can’t wait to hear it, man!

[Dana Nielsen]

Nice! I’m ITB as well – have been for the past many years, happily. My main speakers are ATC SCM45As. I also have a trusty (smaller) pair of their SCM25As. They’re both excellent.

atc.audio

SCM45A Pro | ATC Loudspeakers

SCM45A Pro | ATC Loudspeakers

[Dana Nielsen]

😂

[Dana Nielsen]

Love this, Alex!! I can really hear and focus on your vocals now! And so many great little ear candy production moments (are the background vocal textures new? Really nice!). Bravo, bra! 👏 💜

And thanks everyone for their amazing, insightful, creative suggestions!! Go, team!! 🤜 🤛