Mystique Mean Streak - for feedback please

[amanise]

Hi folks,

Another one for feedback if anyone should feel so inclined please. I've tried to be a bit less 'out there' and more formulaic with this one. Just for the hell of it really. Also got my acoustic guitar down off the wall. And no cowbell. Hmmm. Is this the beginning of the end?

Mystique Mean Streak (V1)

https://soundcloud.com/adrian-manise/my ... al_sharing

Thanks in advance
Adrian

[Drew Stephenson]

Just having a quick listen now, will give it a proper check later.

Initial thoughts:
Over all it feels lacking in top end.
Nice lyrics, would like to hear them a bit clearer - some more presence in the vocal would help.
The kick is very lightweight on small speakers, the bass element is very low down and you might want to think about how to make it translate for non-headphone listeners.
I'd bring that guitar solo forward, it's carrying the track at that point so make it front and centre. And get the other guitar panned out wide.
Really nice harmony on that chorus.
I'd have a think about how to give the bass a bit more presence as well as it gets a bit lost in places.

Hope some of that helps.

[BWC]

I agree with Drew's initial thoughts. I'd say that the kick, while yes, lightweight, is too loud / forward, and the rest of the drums too quiet / far back. The bass, I didn't notice any until I deliberately listened for it. I'd also like the vocals to be cleaner, and more confident (I know, your working on it). Otherwise, pretty cool.

[amanise]

Thanks very much for doing that both! I knew that frequencies slope was steeper than anything I've seen for ages - but by that time my ears were so tired they didn't know what was going on. It was also just too blue coloured up the top end in iZotope. Switching off Transient Shaper brought it all back to its pink noise levels. I think I had the pivot point for that too low. That'll teach me. I'm not sure I even needed to be using it! It's going! I have now calibrated the lower boundaries of the new "Drew Stephenson Acceptable Upper Middle and High Frequencies' envelope plugin - as well as the high boundary.

I don't like that reverb on the vocal now either. Hopefully it'll become more confident sounding without, and with a bit of EQ fiddling - but if not it'll make a good guide track for another overdub. My throat was doing weird dry tickly things all the way through that anyway.

Quick wins first - re-balancing the instrumental section, and bass guitar up. I don't want to sing today, so a day off that. I'll jump off the kick bridge later. May switch in a different 808 sample and see what happens.

Onwards to V2!