Zelda Majora's Mask - Deku Palace Remix

[Vidilian]

Update.

Changed the reverb and increased the amount of it on the lead and drums while removing it from rhythm guitar and synths. Adjusted eq and level of rhythm guitar and drums so they're more forward in the mix. Also other things that were mentioned.

https://sites.google.com/site/vspaine/wips/Kingdom Plantae M.mp3?attredirects=0&d=1

[Vidilian]

Switched to review. I’ve used mod review a lot so would love to not have to again, but I haven’t gotten any luck getting feedback in other ways.

In place of feedback, I've spent months comparing the mix to rock remixes to try and make sure this is right.  

[brynolf11]

Guitar sounds great, the drums sound a bit stiff and programmed though. A bit of that might be remedied by lowering the kick a bit. At least in my speakers, the kick is a bit too much inyourface.

[Rozovian]

eval:

The first 20 seconds seem to lack direction. I think it can be cleaned up with better mixing, but it might take something more drastic than that. I'll cover that part in detail, because some of it is applicable elsewhere in the mix as well. Putting it in a quote for clarity.

Quote

The FM synth has a weird ringing sound to it. In this context, I don't think it works. Maybe it's just too loud. Maybe it's too bright. I recommend you have a look at the frequency distribution of the instruments starting 0:05 and 0:10 (not sure they're the same), and carve out a few dB in the melody's frequency range from the FM synth to make room for the melody. You can also increase the attack time of the synth, to make the start of it softer.

The melody has the opposite problem. It's too soft and doesn't cut through well enough. Giving it a bit more space by EQing away some of the FM synth should help, but you might want to edit the instrument itself a bit. Shorter attack, more open filter, maybe a bit more overall level (a dB or two, nothing drastic) could all help.

The drums are very loud and aggressive in the intro, which is juxtaposed with the otherwise rather soft intro. If I was a drummer, maybe I'd just beat the sticks together on the 2nd and 4th beat to keep the band in tempo. Maybe I'd use the hi hat. Maybe only that. Think like a drummer (and not an overly eager one), to figure out what one might play here... if at all.

The 0:18 sound effect (could be a guitar feedback thing or a pad, I'm not sure) sounds cool. But something sounds wrong with it, and I think it's clashing with the key of the rest of the instrumentation. Consider tuning it differently (if it's not a pad, you can import into a sampler and play at a different note value). It's difficult to say exactly what's wrong with it, but something is. And it's a shame, because it's a cool sound. The simplest solution is to just turn it down a bit.

Guitars could be more separated, the lead given a similar space in the frequency range as the lead synth in the intro, carved out of the instruments that crowd it (backing guitars, bass, snare, cymbals; whatever). 

Weird drum hiccup at 1:11. Plenty of drum fills and things, often for no apparent reason. They're usually used for punctuation, for signalling a change in the track. You seem to use the drums to get some rhythm into your track, while the bass plays long notes. Think like a bassist. Long sustained notes are fine at times, but at other times they're not the right choice. It's often good to have some interplay between bass and drums.

Transition to 1:40 is beautiful. Nice work there.

1:41 has an FM-sounding ringing going on. I'd try a different pad there. The problem with the ringing seems exacerbated during long notes. Sounds like a patch with some interesting motion to it, but it's a bit on the bright side, and you might want to try a different sound for it. I know my speakers like to hype certain high frequencies, so if you can't hear an annoying, resonant ringing sound to this synth, it might just be my speakers. But while they exaggerate those frequencies, they don't make things up from scratch. Listen closely, see if you agree with this issue. If you do, do something about it.

The 1:50 guitar lead is perhaps a bit too loud, or just has a strong attack. You can compress some of that strength out of it to keep the part soft. I hope you're not running all the guitar parts through identical signal chains. It's okay to treat a part like this as if it's a different guitar, even if it's actually the same guitar, even the same take.

The bass seems a little weak. It plays some rather high notes, which isn't necessarily a problem but does leave the track without a solid low end at times. You might want to add a sub bass effect to get some more low end out of it. Just don't overdo it.

Structurally, it's difficult to follow. The parts writing doesn't have enough interplay. The sound is messy. These problems remain. But they're solvable.

It seems the overall levels are quite good. The drums have a nice ampunt of impact, and while the mix isn't as transparent as it should be, I think it's not an issue with track levels, but with track separation (with eq, reverb, and other techniques). This is something you probably haven't learned to listen for. Once you have, it'll seem obvious, and easy to deal with. Learn it.

Not ready to be subbed just yet.