LinuxMusicians

An attempt to remix an old recording from my now defunct band Soda P. Originally recorded way too loud (especially the overhead mics) with Qtractor but completely redone in Ardour. Any feedback is welcome, especially when it comes to the drums, I just have too little experience mixing and I still feel the drums don’t glue together well, especially the kick. It was recorded with a D112 but probably placed wrong, sounded like crêpe and really had to shape it. And it’s too prominent, too pushy. Probably a compression issue.

The track itself is a bit the swan song of my old band, recorded in 2010 in our rehearsal room by the band itself. So no professional studio or mics, basically a rehearsal demo, sloppiness included. It’s an indie track with some post-punk/postrock influences. We did record some more tracks, maybe I will try restoring those too.

Soda P - Icon Of Your Time

First thing, there was nothing in this song that made me want to stop listening, or to start nitpicking.*
Were it on radio, it wouldn't have crossed my mind to change the station etc

I like how the guitar and bass make their entrances, the (excellent) sounds don't fight against each other, and don't drown out the vocal.
The vocal could be a little louder in a couple quiet phrases, but no big deal. The builds are well done, smoothe, energetic, and nicely played.

I wasn't bothered by the drums, maybe in the intro, reduce some highs, and boost the lows a bit, but once the band kicks in,
I think they are fine, and well played. I've heard some big-name drummers create wild beats just because they can,
like it's expected because of fame, that distract from an otherwise good song.

*I enjoy Rick Beato's detailed 'What makes this song great' videos, and also when he critiques music exposing things done wrong,
or needing improvement. Based on his many video comments and explanations, I think he would like this song.
Cheers

@glowrak guy thanks for the great feedback!

glowrak guy wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2023 12:10 am

First thing, there was nothing in this song that made me want to stop listening, or to start nitpicking.*
Were it on radio, it wouldn't have crossed my mind to change the station etc

I like how the guitar and bass make their entrances, the (excellent) sounds don't fight against each other, and don't drown out the vocal.
The vocal could be a little louder in a couple quiet phrases, but no big deal. The builds are well done, smoothe, energetic, and nicely played.

Will check the vocals. Had to do a lot of processing on those too. We didn't use an outstanding mic for it (Studio Projects B1). That mic is now gathering dust, to me it doesn't sound good on a lot of things. Did keep it for some of the bass and guitar tracks.

glowrak guy wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2023 12:10 am

I wasn't bothered by the drums, maybe in the intro, reduce some highs, and boost the lows a bit, but once the band kicks in,
I think they are fine, and well played. I've heard some big-name drummers create wild beats just because they can,
like it's expected because of fame, that distract from an otherwise good song.

Great tip, thanks, will look into that! The drums were an intrinsic part of our sound. As we were a three piece we put quite some care into having all the parts "carry" the song.

glowrak guy wrote: ↑Sun Nov 12, 2023 12:10 am

*I enjoy Rick Beato's detailed 'What makes this song great' videos, and also when he critiques music exposing things done wrong,
or needing improvement. Based on his many video comments and explanations, I think he would like this song.
Cheers

Hope so too, it's got some things that he would appreciate I think, like the ongoing modulation and the intricate drum/bass parts.