My mixes I think are good but my sound quality is bad

M

MaestroJohnR

New member
Hi guys, I'm new here. I had a question about my mixes. First off I am not a mixer or engineer. I don't know the math and science of EQ's, Compressors, frequencies, gain staging. Miking etc. and even if I did it's rudimentary and not professional. I'm just a producer/composer who wants to get a decent mix to showcase tracks. Anyway, I read mixerman's book zen and the art of mixing and in it he talks about some people having a good mix and a bad sound which I believe is relevant to me. My equipment is an old dell that's almost 10 years old and runs vista, FL studio 12, Fireface 400, and Akg 240 (Apartment). Using stock plugins and some Waves stuff. So everything is summed in FL. There are a lot things I need to get to improve my sound quality and recording quality but for now this is what I have. What I am asking is if you can take a listen to my work and let me know what you think of the mixes and if they sound as bad as I think they do. I don't have 5 post yet so my link is in my homepage. Thanks for your time and feel free to send me stuff to hear, I return favors, thanks for your time.
 
Just checked out your stuff. The mixes are pretty good, you're right. There were two big things that stood out to me. The first is that everything seemed to be a little harsh sounding. This is all just opinion so take it or leave it, but it seems like you're mixing each part like it's going to be the most prominent part of your track. The problem is that that only a couple items can really be center stage. If everything is compressed, saturated, and eq'd to sound bright and focused, then it leaves the whole thing sounding a little off, just something to consider.

The other big thing is sound design. I really liked the instrumentation and sounds you used. I thought the one area that was lacking was the drums. On all your tracks they seemed a little too aggressive and unnatural. I'd spend a little more time selecting drum samples that still have the thump but have a little more character and subtle elements to them.

Aside from those two observations, I really thought it had great sound quality. Hopefully this makes sense, let me know if you need me to clarify any of my quickly written remarks, haha.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I agree with everything you said. It does have a "digital" sound that is bothersome and harsh and my balances can be better. Good point about the drums, I will continue to improve. Thanks again.
 
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