EDM Track sounds muddy (Listen) Help me fix it!

[DSTF1]

Hi,

I produce Big room/Electro house and although I get happy with the melody and drop, I just cannot make the mix sound clean and pop the way real tracks to and I'm finding it very frustrating and upsetting!

It just sounds quiet, lacking energy, and muddy even though I feel the idea is there.

Here is a track I've recently made:

https://soundcloud.com/demo-for-test/demo-song

Method used to make this song:
create melodies using midi keyboard, and add effects to make the sound good (EQ, reverb, distortion etc)
Layout all of track
Mix levels, using panning and adding EQ to cut out low/high frequencies
and then I add a basic multiband compressor and a few mastering plugins.

If someone can help I would be greatly appreicated, I spend a lot of time and effort making a track, and then feel it gets let down by my mixing and I don't know where I go wrong

Thanks in advance.

 

[crimsonhawk47]

It's kind of hard for me to say anything useful because I can't throw it up on my monitors. Here's what I hear on my headphones.

1) Pretty loud bass at 5, I don't usually hear bass that well through my headphones. I don't think this is a huge problem though, as it's only loud at that point. People will probably think that's a great sounding shift. I think it might die down a little too much after that.
2) Distortion at 22, either intentional or from clipping or both.
3) This is either you or maybe soundcloud, but it sounds way too compressed to me. The tail end of everything is accentuated like crazy. This is a bit of an edm style I understand, but this feels like too much. It might be taking life out of that kick as well. What kind of settings are you using for mastering?

I don't hear particular muddiness, but again I'm not used to listening in these headphones. Quick side question, are you eqing your verbs?

 

[SmooveMode]

If it hasn't been fixed already, this is an easy fix. Everything seems fine, but it sounds like you're "crushing" your mids too much and most importantly your lead pad. The hi hats sound nice and "crispy". Maybe try easing back on your compressor settings in mid/high mid range and see what happens. I don't know how your EQ cuts look, maybe the Q is a little too loose (wide)?

 

[DSTF1]

It's kind of hard for me to say anything useful because I can't throw it up on my monitors. Here's what I hear on my headphones.

1) Pretty loud bass at 5, I don't usually hear bass that well through my headphones. I don't think this is a huge problem though, as it's only loud at that point. People will probably think that's a great sounding shift. I think it might die down a little too much after that.
2) Distortion at 22, either intentional or from clipping or both.
3) This is either you or maybe soundcloud, but it sounds way too compressed to me. The tail end of everything is accentuated like crazy. This is a bit of an edm style I understand, but this feels like too much. It might be taking life out of that kick as well. What kind of settings are you using for mastering?

I don't hear particular muddiness, but again I'm not used to listening in these headphones. Quick side question, are you eqing your verbs?

Firstly, thank you for getting in touch with the help, I really appreciate it.

Yes, perhaps this was a setting I should look into on the mastering side of things. I think one of the settings may have effected the highs. I tend to just use some form of preset as a starting point and adjust how I feel sounds best.

I tend to add EQ after my effects and sound creation, so I suspect this means I am EQing them.
Perhaps it's not a case of muddiness as you say then, maybe it's just lacing a bit of punch I desire.
If you get chance I would like to hear what you have to say after a monitor listen!
Thanks again.

 

[DSTF1]

If it hasn't been fixed already, this is an easy fix. Everything seems fine, but it sounds like you're "crushing" your mids too much and most importantly your lead pad. The hi hats sound nice and "crispy". Maybe try easing back on your compressor settings in mid/high mid range and see what happens. I don't know how your EQ cuts look, maybe the Q is a little too loose (wide)?

I'm not yet to fix it no Sir,
Thank you for the information regarding the mids, I shall indeed have a look at the EQ and see how the mids are looking. I will try raising them slightly and seeing if I get a better result.

Regards,

 

[Cl4y]

the noise like background noise, tv static noise whatever that sound is seems like its almost about to make my head explode at one point. maybe drop the volume on that just a little so its noticeable but not overpowering. This may just be me though.

 

[Salem Beats]

I think there just isn't enough motion and novelty in your track, and that's why you're sensing a lack of "energy".

There's a couple places where you get the right idea,
with your lowpassed intro,
and a bit with your transition to your "second part",
but the spots in the middle sound like I'm listening to the exact same pattern on repeat.

No variation whatsoever.
Nothing to look forward to.

That's just my 2 cents on where you could make the most drastic improvement with the least amount of effort.
Nifty little starting idea so far. Now, finish it.
I know from my own experience and stories from others that this is where things often break down with us artistic types.

-Ki
Salem Beats

 

[AlanSheriff]

Hi. First thing I want to say is I don't think the drop sounds right (not in right key or something), maybe it's just me. Anyway make sure everything is eq'd properly, any muddiness will **** up the sound. Make each instrument BIG by adding some sausage fattener or camel phat to your sounds, can't go wrong with that lol Give each instrument enough space to breath to let that kick punch through. As you're trying to fix it listen to a reference track to help you and adjust volume levels accordingly. I would also like to suggest a great plugin for the master channel it's called "The Glue" also use Izotope 4/5 and before the drop try make a BIG build up. It's not very interesting and sounds a little boring.. everything needs to sound BIG in Big Room House lol! but wtf do I know One more thing. I just listened again and I think the snare is panned too far to the right. All the panning seems wrong in my opinion. That static noise too geez, lower the volume on that. Every time I listen I keep finding more faults.. Last couple of things that will help this song.. 1. The starting FX is too loud 2. Try adding some drums around 34 sec like claps or something. 3. The sound you have in the drop try adding that in with a filter or something on the build up so it doesn't sound completely different when it drops. I hope I helped you in some way lol

 

[Wallengard]

Hi. First thing I want to say is I don't think the drop sounds right (not in right key or something), maybe it's just me. Anyway make sure everything is eq'd properly, any muddiness will **** up the sound. Make each instrument BIG by adding some sausage fattener or camel phat to your sounds, can't go wrong with that lol Give each instrument enough space to breath to let that kick punch through. As you're trying to fix it listen to a reference track to help you and adjust volume levels accordingly. I would also like to suggest a great plugin for the master channel it's called "The Glue" also use Izotope 4/5 and before the drop try make a BIG build up. It's not very interesting and sounds a little boring.. everything needs to sound BIG in Big Room House lol! but wtf do I know One more thing. I just listened again and I think the snare is panned too far to the right. All the panning seems wrong in my opinion. That static noise too geez, lower the volume on that. Every time I listen I keep finding more faults.. Last couple of things that will help this song.. 1. The starting FX is too loud 2. Try adding some drums around 34 sec like claps or something. 3. The sound you have in the drop try adding that in with a filter or something on the build up so it doesn't sound completely different when it drops. I hope I helped you in some way lol

So.. make sure everything is EQ'd right you say, now how exactly would that be EQ'd right in your opinion?

I would not add any sausages or camels to my tracks without specifically knowing why, it's not going to make your sounds BI!1G just because you slap those plugins on anything. (yes you can go wrong with that)

The problem with this track is not that he hasn't used a plugin called "The glue" or Ozone 4 or 5 or any other version of Ozone for that matter.

You may want to stop and think a little bit before you just blatantly throw advice around, I'm saying this because I'm not convinced you know what you are talking about.

 

[AlanSheriff]

So.. make sure everything is EQ'd right you say, now how exactly would that be EQ'd right in your opinion?

I would not add any sausages or camels to my tracks without specifically knowing why, it's not going to make your sounds BI!1G just because you slap those plugins on anything. (yes you can go wrong with that)

The problem with this track is not that he hasn't used a plugin called "The glue" or Ozone 4 or 5 or any other version of Ozone for that matter.

You may want to stop and think a little bit before you just blatantly throw advice around, I'm saying this because I'm not convinced you know what you are talking about.

This is just my opinion! I didn't know you were some kind of master producer!

Well I would make sure every individual sound has all the frequencies out of it you don't want to hear in the mix.

Well I ****ing would. If you're complaining about it not sounding big then camel phat or sausage fattener would help. I'm not saying put it on every instrument!

There's no right or wrong way to producing music. I'm still learning too. I've seen enough professional producers in the studio using those plugins I listed and adding camel phat etc, so don't think you know everything idiot. I've been learning music on/off for 3 years. Everything I mentioned in my last post (I think would make the song 10x better) This is just an opinion. You commented talking shit about my opinion, but you didn't even help the guy by telling him what's wrong with the track. Great help you're.

 

[Wallengard]

This is just my opinion! I didn't know you were some kind of master producer!

Well I would make sure every individual sound has all the frequencies out of it you don't want to hear in the mix.

Well I ****ing would. If you're complaining about it not sounding big then camel phat or sausage fattener would help. I'm not saying put it on every instrument!

There's no right or wrong way to producing music. I'm still learning too. I've seen enough professional producers in the studio using those plugins I listed and adding camel phat etc, so don't think you know everything idiot. I've been learning music on/off for 3 years. Everything I mentioned in my last post (I think would make the song 10x better) This is just an opinion. You commented talking shit about my opinion, but you didn't even help the guy by telling him what's wrong with the track. Great help you're.

Why so defensive.. you could try and read between the lines of what I have written, and maybe learn something instead. I didn't say I was any kind of master producer.. I didn't have any problem with your post for the most part, just those few things that I mentioned.

camel phat and sausage fattener does not automatically equal big sound no matter how many times you have seen Avicii using them...
Putting ozone on your master channel when you don't really know what you're doing will more likely make everything sound much worse. Louder and more compressed does not equal better.

I know there is no right or wrong way to produce music, and sure enough your advice might work in some cases but it's entirely on a track to track basis.


If you must know I have been talking to the guy on Skype for the last couple of days.

There's no reason for you to go all defensive on me and calling me names, but if you insist I will gladly ignore all your future questions and only point out your flawed advice.

 

[AlanSheriff]

You said you're convinced I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm just trying to help. That's why I was so defensive. I've never seen Avicii using Camel Phat or Sausage Fattener I think it was Firebeatz. I mean learn how to use Ozone first.. there's plenty of tutorials on youtube. Of course if someone says I don't know what I'm talking about you're going to get a reply like that. What flaws? there's no right or wrong way, correct?

 

[Wallengard]

I was also trying to help, but you didn't want to see it that way. I didn't say that I'm convinced you don't know what you're talking about, I said I am not convinced that you know what you're talking about.

But you see there is a flaw in that advice, Ozone (the lack of it) is not the reason the track doesn't sound the way he wants it to, it should sound absolutely amazing before you put anything on your master channel.

It's like my friend told his doctor when he went to check up on his back, he had some decent pain in it, and the doctor said;

"Did you try this painkiller?"
My friend said;
"The reason I'm having this back-pain is not because I didn't take this pill"

Even if the painkiller may ease the pain, it doesn't cure the problem.

 

[AlanSheriff]

That's basically still saying you think I don't know what I'm talking about.. Like I have to convince you that I do.

Ok fair enough I agree about that. I'm just going on from what I've seen professional producers are doing in the studio. Like what they have on there master channel.

 

[Wallengard]

That's basically still saying you think I don't know what I'm talking about.. Like I have to convince you that I do.

Ok fair enough I agree about that. I'm just going on from what I've seen professional producers are doing in the studio. Like what they have on there master channel.

When you start learning how to drive a car, you don't go straight to the highway in 80mph just because that's what everyone else is doing.
You can have every single thing that the "professional producers" are using down to the very screw that holds the wheel on your chair in place, you'd still sound nothing like them.

Anyway this is straying too far off topic now so.. you can either agree or disagree with what I'm saying but you shouldn't tell someone to do something because you have seen someone else do that, when you don't know why.

 

[crimsonhawk47]

Steering things back a bit

While things like sausage fatteners might help, I think Salem made the best point which is that the track doesn't have a lot going on besides the build before the drop. That build is great imo, but it leads to a disappointing section.

Try layering some sounds on the drop.

Also add some stuff for intrigue. Make the drop and first section way different. Add a percussive instrument that comes in almost randomly.

Check out skrillex's levels remix. I don't usually like dubstep but that drop is so great for its variation.

 

[Salem Beats]

If you're complaining about it not sounding big then camel phat or sausage fattener would help. I'm not saying put it on every instrument!

But, you said:

Make each instrument BIG by adding some sausage fattener or camel phat to your sounds

I don't want to get too far into this,
I can tell why each one of you responded the way you did.

The problem with these particular bits of your advice is that you're recommending a tool rather than a technique (which happens to use a tool).

If you could describe [INSTRUMENT X] needs [Y AMOUNT OF SAUSAGE FATTENER] at [SPECIFIC TIME Z] because it will [PARTICULAR OUTCOME A],
then you're describing a problem with a particular technique applied to reach a solution.

However, simply suggesting a particular tool without a how/why to use it just contributes to gear lust and builds up the misconception that creating better music simply boils down to owning better gear.

Steering things back a bit
add some stuff for intrigue. Make the drop and first section way different. Add a percussive instrument that comes in almost randomly.

Yeah, this is what I wanted to come back and emphasize again for the OP as well.
The "energy" comes from "interest",
and our brains are wired to become uninterested in things that don't vary at all.

As an example, when I walked into my house, my box fan was extremely loud.
However, after half an hour, the only way I knew it was there was that I accidentally kicked it over!

If it had started making funny noises as though the engine was starting to go out,
I probably would have been more interested in it and "energized" into checking out what was going on with it.

I know that it seems odd to accept, but I would challenge the notion that the problem is as you have described it to be (an issue of EQ, compression, etc.).
If you're committed to keeping it a problem of EQ/Compression, perhaps you can automate the EQ/Compression to create a sense of progression in your track!

These are all just friendly ideas and I hope they inspire you to come up with some ideas you're excited about!

-Ki
Salem Beats

 

[crimsonhawk47]

Indeed. And if you want to look at interest, listen to childish gambinos because the internet.

That album Is full of crazy ideas. They went everywhere with it. There's even one track where the vocals were recorded on an iPhone.

I still think layering could also help that drop a bit, but that's just me.

 

[DSTF1]

Yeah, this is what I wanted to come back and emphasize again for the OP as well.
The "energy" comes from "interest",
and our brains are wired to become uninterested in things that don't vary at all.

As an example, when I walked into my house, my box fan was extremely loud.
However, after half an hour, the only way I knew it was there was that I accidentally kicked it over!

If it had started making funny noises as though the engine was starting to go out,
I probably would have been more interested in it and "energized" into checking out what was going on with it.

I know that it seems odd to accept, but I would challenge the notion that the problem is as you have described it to be (an issue of EQ, compression, etc.).
If you're committed to keeping it a problem of EQ/Compression, perhaps you can automate the EQ/Compression to create a sense of progression in your track!
[/QUOTE]

Thankyou for getting in touch.
I've been talking to Wallengard on Skype recently as stated, and he's helped me massively. I understand now in regards to making the song more unique and interesting through more changes and interesting ideas.

I think my general rule to improve is to improve my song creation, organisation and general productivity apposed to blaming the lack of energy on mixing ability.

Thanks you for the kind words and pointers.