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Encyclopedia

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2018 9:16 pm
by psicomagia
https://soundcloud.com/alexsheeny/encyclopedia/s-RKa0W

This track was a heavy/energetic jam (and less psychedelic than I usually focus) that was edited later however I chose to keep some "mistakes" in the arrangement, I ended up loving those as they create some unexpected but interesting breaks in my opinion.

Would love to hear some feedbacks as I will start to send my tracks to labels and try to get my stuff released. This is probably the last track I'll post that was produced/mixed in an untreated environment as my acoustic panels are coming tomorrow. However I worked hard on this and thought it would be interesting to hear some feedbacks and then compare myself before/after the treatment (even though it's not a pro/complete acoustic treatment solution but it's going to make a hell of a difference for sure).

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:48 pm
by RWise
Nice.

I like the driving energy of the track and overall character of the sounds.

Mix wise its a bit mid heavy. A lot of mid-frequency energy which makes it a little tiring on the ears. Also, i think the track would benefit with a bit more dynamic range between elements. Every element in the track sounds like its fighting for centre stage, which can make things a little messy at times, as it doesnt leave a lot of clarity for the elements that really matter.

But overall, good job.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:11 pm
by psicomagia
RWise wrote:Nice.

I like the driving energy of the track and overall character of the sounds.

Mix wise its a bit mid heavy. A lot of mid-frequency energy which makes it a little tiring on the ears. Also, i think the track would benefit with a bit more dynamic range between elements. Every element in the track sounds like its fighting for centre stage, which can make things a little messy at times, as it doesnt leave a lot of clarity for the elements that really matter.

But overall, good job.
Thanks a lot for the input. You mentioned two problems i usually tend to make on my mixes. I don't know if this could be related to not having proper acoustic treatment but my mids almost always end up harsh like this, even when it's a band mix. And I totally agree that the elements hierarchy could be improved, that's another mistake I usually make on my mixes.

Cheers man, really appreciate your feedback as I really dig your sound. Love the release on ARTS btw.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 10:07 pm
by RWise
If you are using a lot of distortion and saturation in your tracks then just be mindful of the mids. A good thing to do is take an EQ and gently scoop some mids out of elements whilst the track is playing. If it starts sounding better, then you know to reduce the mids on said element.

I have the same problem sometimes without realising after constantly listening to a mix - so doing that with an EQ can really freshen up my ears and perspective on a mix.

And thanks man, glad you like the release. :)

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 10:23 am
by Hexonics
This track is great, i really like it. You got loads of energy and movement in it. It sounds really professional to me, and there is a nice variety to the arrangement. I'm not going to say anything about the mix as i'm nowhere near as advanced as you, but i really like the tune, i'd definitely play it in a set.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:04 pm
by jim_kezzle
nice track I like the randomness of it. some good mayhem going on, the creaky gate noise doesnt sit well with me though I'd alter it or maybe even lose it.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 8:59 pm
by dubdub
Yeah, too much distortion in the mids.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 9:11 pm
by jordanneke
It's good, but as r-wise says, it's just too tiring on the ears. It's not very dynamic. The sounds are on full volume all of the time.

I think you want to dial back the distortion. More dry and less wet.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:59 pm
by Lost to the Void
There is a disconnect between the top end and the rest of the track.
The mix is fairly airy from 5k up, but everything below that feels squeezed together.

The bass is really eating up a lot of space too.

Kick could do with a touch of high end "snap" low in the mix, just to define it a little, cut the subs back a touch with eq, especially anything over 200

I don`t see the mid range as a particular issue, it`s the low mids to the high bass that really is causing the claustrophobia here, things always get thick here when there is a lot of compress/saturation/distortion, so just go in and start cutting away.

Any sounds that don`t need sub 300-400hz, shelf it down.

Top end sounds can be shelved and cut much higher.

Same with mid range percussion in some cases.

You have to be extra stringent with these type of tracks, really be crutal and cut away everything not needed, but not so brutal that the mix becomes brittle.

The secret is the get nice harmonic richness and roundness to the low end, which disguises and "forgives" the harder cuts you make to other sounds here.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 2:52 pm
by psicomagia
I'd like to thank everyone who took their time to listen and give a feedback. I just made a new version based on the feedbacks and specially Lost to the Void detailed feedback. Now with a treated room is much easier to hear these subtleties I wasn't able to judge with my previous vivid untreated room.

Here's the new mix: https://soundcloud.com/alexsheeny/encyc ... 02/s-8CgkE

Do you guys still think the bass is too loud? I sometimes have a hard time judging the right amount of bass (probably need some more bass traps in my room..) but the energy is similar to some of my mixing reference tracks.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:50 pm
by EKT
I tried to compare both tracks - maybe my ears are just not fine enough. I only recognized a little volume change somewhere in low midrange.
I couldn't say which one is now the better one... Track is pounding anyway!

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:34 pm
by tsaro
Sounds to me like there's still a bit too much pressure in the lows and low mids, making it a little uncomfortable to listen to. Some slight eq and maybe envelope edits could fix that, giving just a little more breathing space. I think some fuzzy low mids would work really well with a track in this style. Some of your percussion sounds seem to have spiky transients, they be toned down a bit for my taste, maybe give them a slight notch around 5k or something to make it less harsh.
And as far as the arrangement goes, I feel it could do with a slow build up to give it some sense o purpose, turning it from a banging track into more of a journey.

Overall this is a really nice and aggressive sounding track, nice work.

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 1:46 pm
by psicomagia
vo0doo wrote:Sounds to me like there's still a bit too much pressure in the lows and low mids, making it a little uncomfortable to listen to. Some slight eq and maybe envelope edits could fix that, giving just a little more breathing space. I think some fuzzy low mids would work really well with a track in this style. Some of your percussion sounds seem to have spiky transients, they be toned down a bit for my taste, maybe give them a slight notch around 5k or something to make it less harsh.
And as far as the arrangement goes, I feel it could do with a slow build up to give it some sense o purpose, turning it from a banging track into more of a journey.

Overall this is a really nice and aggressive sounding track, nice work.
Thanks a lot for your feedback. I'm working right now on creating a lead part for the track, if it works it could be really interesting. I've already adjusted these problems on the mix as well, as soon as I have a result with the lead part I'll post it. Cheers!