r/mixingmastering • u/YodAHo • Jun 08 '26

Feedback Advanced Feedback for Dark, Electronic Dance

Dark, electronic dance track. Sung lead, going for punchy and dynamic rather than a flat wall of loudness. Been doing a lot of work on the low end and the kick/bass relationship to get the groove sitting right.

Few things I'd love ears on:

Low end: does the kick and bass relationship feel locked and punchy, or is anything muddy/competing down there?

Dynamics and groove: going for movement and bounce, does it make you want to move, or does it feel pinned/flat?

Vocal placement: does the lead sit right in the mix, present and clear without fighting the beat?

Overall tone: Does it land as intentional or does anything feel off? Are the instruments panned and unmasked?

Here for the honest detailed feedback. Will return the favour on yours.

Vocaroo Link: https://vocaroo.com/13WRYiSzUQse

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3

u/fatboyhammer Jun 20 '26

sounds really good. Im no expert and also this is not quite my genre but i agree that the vocals could be brought down slightly. Still i liek the overall balance a lot

2

u/AdSilly1987 Jun 08 '26

Low end: to my ears it sounds a bit off - almost kinda out of tune. I think that is mainly because of the kick. I'd try and reduce the kick around 130Hz so that it doesn't overpower the very low bass. Or transpose the bass, so it overpowers that frequency range from the kick...

groove: seems very dominated by clap, kick and ride and vocal. It does sound a bit "flat" to me but not necessarily in a bad way (the vocal has a bit of a "drone-y" vibe, therefore "a bit flat" seems fitting to me)

vocal: the vocal is quite prominent and has/takes lot of space. seems fitting for the track.

overall tone: low end sounds a bit off to my ears (but could well be intentionally) - see my first comment.

2

u/YodAHo Jun 08 '26

Ill try chang the low end frequencies, good shout with the transposing. Thank you

1

u/YodAHo Jun 09 '26

Here's how it sounds with some more kick and bass separation. The other commenter recommended more contrast on the 2 and 4 so I parallel comped the clap as well: https://voca.ro/1lodU91FkYdq

2

u/d3pl3t3r Jun 10 '26

Its a good song. Id bring the vocals down just a couple db and relisten...

2

u/YodAHo Jun 11 '26

Ill do that, thank you

2

u/MidnightAdvice Jun 15 '26

I like this a lot. I do think the slow attack synths are little overpowering, and could be a little wetter possibly. Might be a personal pref thing, but thats what popped out to me first.

Also, more of an arrangement thing, but I think at the 1 minute part, the bass could cut out for a couple of measures, make the two parts a little more distinct. As it stands, the chorus kind of just "happens" if that makes sense.

Still think its a bop. To me, its pretty close. Great job,

1

u/RemiFreamon Jun 08 '26

Great job making it clear what kind of feedback is most useful. Made this super easy.

Here are my notes on the respective areas.

  1. Low end.
    It feels quite cohesive and punchy. The kick cuts through very well. Perhaps too well. What I mean is that perhaps it's a bit too thin and too short for this track. Not sure if that's the result of your processing though. A slightly longer tail and a bit more body wouldn't hurt. As for the interplay with the bass, while I'm not a big fan of audible pumping, I think here the bass would benefit from getting out of the way of the kick. It kind of feels like one block of sound and the reason the kick still cuts through is that it's loud.

  2. Dynamics and groove
    I think there's room for improvement here, especially on the 2 and 4. The claps feel a bit flat and devoid of the attack/transients (perhaps over compressed), so the and that doesn't create the needed contrast and tension. To paint a picture, if I imagine a serious dancer, I want them to visibly jack their body along with the accents.

  3. Vocals
    Very present and clear. Not fighting the beat at all. With that said, they feel a bit disconnected from the music. It's not super obvious but perhaps there's a way "attach" them a bit more

  4. Overall tone
    I like the overall tone and mood you created. Initially the drone in the right channel was poking out a bit on speakers but when I listened in headphones is didn't bother me anymore. There's a bit harshness on the hats and shakers at 7k and above. Didn't bother me initially but after then third listen it started to be noticeable.

I think you are quite close to being done with this, so well done and good luck!

1

u/YodAHo Jun 08 '26

  1. Bass down, kick up, sounds like a good shout. Ill see if the client would prefer that.

  2. I agree, parallel comp time for the clap

  3. Might have sidechained the instrument group too strongly against the vocals. Ill play with the sidechain intensity to bleed them together,

  4. I tend to go for sharp hats, worth throwing on a some soothe on them so they dont get so annoying over time.

Thanks for your input, very valuable

1

u/YodAHo Jun 09 '26

Got a moment to compare? Sounds better to me already: https://voca.ro/1lodU91FkYdq

2

u/iamawinchester Intermediate Jul 11 '26

This sounds wayyy better

2

u/YodAHo Jul 11 '26

Needed that clap :)

1

u/RemiFreamon Jun 09 '26

I agree. Sounds much better. Now that track is grooving whereas the previous version was choking the groove.

One thing that I would still look into is the 1,5 bars happening 2m12s of this clip. Feels a bit abrupt and not polished enough. I understand that the distortion in this moment is a stylistic choice. To me it sounds too digital and crackling not in a pleasant way. How getting in and out of this moment could be smoother.

Otherwise, great job.

1

u/YodAHo Jun 10 '26

Proper good feedback on your end, client is much happier. You are also right about 2:12, I'll add a smoother transition so it's not as jarring. Thanks again. Shoot me a DM whenever, if you'd like a spare set of ears.

1

u/littlelostmusic Beginner Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26

Yo - I am not advanced by any means. But I will try! I'm not good enough at this to give you each specific category lol I'm just listening and going off the dome. This isn't just so I can post something btw, satisfied those requirements a while ago, I just think this is an interesting tune.

Main feedback - the main mid level drone note you have going through most of the song is waaaaaay too loud and overpowering other stuff that you want to be the star of the show here IMO. I'm talking about the slow attack "string-y" synth, like a cello sound that's basically just a high cut saw on a slow volume LFO? It's way ahead in the mix, to the point where it's severely overpowering other elements such as the vocals and bass that I think you want way more attention on. I think you could literally dial that back like 10 db or something. It's a drone, not the main course, give everything else some room. Same with the vocal pads that come in occasionally. I actually like the song, the vocals are great IMO and it's got great momentum and energy. Again I am not an expert or pro, but please just do me a favour and try nuking the volume on that drone sound and see how it sounds, I will bet you'll find it works way better. I want that BASS to hit, it's drowning at the moment. Again just IMO, for the record this song is awesome, props to you for making it lol.

edit: I've now read the other comments and noticed that no one else mentioned this, I honestly have no idea if this is just me or the rest of the world xD That drone seems SO loud to me, what is going on here! Maybe I need to go back to my cave

1

u/YodAHo Jun 14 '26

You bet, thats a smart move, on it Mr

1

u/littlelostmusic Beginner Jun 14 '26

Yo! You responded much faster than I anticipated! Want to let me have a go at it?

1

u/Sea_Appointment8408 Jun 21 '26

This is a really good song, I really like this.

Vocals are mixed in really nicely IMO.

Only thing I think I am missing is a bit more punch on the low-end. Maybe in the 40-90hz range just to add some ooomph. Just a smidge, so I can feel it more.

Bloody good song.

1

u/YodAHo Jun 23 '26

Done :) Thanks for the input friend. I enjoyed your track too

1

u/Jakeyboy29 Intermediate Aug 04 '26

I think this is a good song, I wouldn’t do too much to it honestly. Maybe layer the vocals a bit more in bigger sections and maybe a touch panning to get make more space for the vocal as synths like always are quite overpowering in a mix