[LAU] LAM - Smiths-esque indie.

[Julien Claassen]

Hello James!
   There seems to be everything to make a nice, sturdy song. But indeed the mix 
could be improved, if you don't mind me saying so. :-)
   The most obvious cause for improvement I can hear in EQ'ing. The bass is 
very much in the mid-range. You could lower the treble frequencies. 
Experiment. If you have some MIDI-equipment or anything else hooked up, that 
you oculd activate one band of an EQ, set gain to something like 12Db and 
sweep it, until you come to the really disturbing parts. My guestimate would 
be between 300-440Hz and probably in other areas as well. You can also use the 
EQ to sculpt your bass sound. So you could try raising higher bands to coax 
out certain characteristics.
   The guitar too sounds a bit to mid-range. I mean the distorted guitar. You 
might also give it a try in either panning it to the right, away from the 
clean electric guitar or use a short delay and lower the original signal, so 
you push the main portion of its sound to the sides. that way you have more 
space in the middle for the voice. I don't know, what you did to the voice so 
far, but it sounds very feable.
   Typical approaches: good EQ'ing and filtering. Cut off the complete lower 
end up to perhaps 120-200Hz, experiemtn, listen to it in the whole mix, so you 
will hear, when it gets noticeable. Stop shortly before that point. Then you 
might again sweep it with an EQ, to see, which bands could use lowering or 
even a little boost. Next apply some good compression. You could even try to 
push it rather hard. that should help to steady the vocals very much and push 
them. From that point onwards, you might try a short delay, leaving the dry 
signal at 0Db, so you get some width to the voice. At last a touch of reverb 
wouldn't go amiss. If you can use LADSPA plugins, I'd suggest trying the CAPS 
2x2 Plate (unique ID 1795). Be subtle with that. Don't use it as an effect, 
use it as a tool of production and arrangement.
   The drum kit too sounds very low. Especially with that type of music. Lower 
the other tracks a bit and raise the drums some. You might also wish to do 
more to them to give them a little more bite and kick.
   It sounds, like snubbing you, if I go over that mail in my mind, but be 
assured: it certainly isn't. It's just what I would do to it from the top of 
my mind. But as it is very often the case: I have an auditory image of a 
production sound in my mind. Not necessarily a good one and those tips aren't 
necessarily good ones. But they'd certainly go a step or two in the right 
direction for clarifying the elements and setting them apart.
   I hope, that something of all that dribble can be of help and might point in 
a direction, that you can hear in your mind for this song.
   Good luck and thanks a lot for sharing!
   Warm regards
          Julien

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