Noob musician intro

[zid]

Hey everyone, newbie here. I usually make music for myself and for my friends to get a kick out of, but after a few songs a friend of mine directed me here to share.

I'm from East Coast and my music is usually influenced by video games and raw garage sound. I just uploaded my tracks on Purevolume and feel free to drop by and scrutinize haha.

Promo:
http://www.purevolume.com/zid

I'd like to improve where I can and look forward for input from all you masters here. Thank you for your time ^_^;;

 

[Thubtenkway]

Zid, Love the music, very refreshing. Also like your sense and taste of rhythmic patterns. Overall, the vocal volume seems a bit too low. I had a hard time catching your voice.
The songs have all the elements to capture a general audience, the hooks are there though they can be a bit stronger. Try putting a second and third vocal harmony where the hooks are. If you want better copies, you can also try not to crowd the center spectrum at mixing by panning some instruments a bit more to the right or left.
The mix on the first verse after the intro at 'Poison' is also interesting.
I seem to hear a female vocal in 'Waiting' ?????? !!!!!!! who or what was that?

 

[zid]

Thubtenkway,

Thank you very much for your feedback. Yes my struggle has always been in the mixing. I picked up FL studio by accident and messed around with it for a while until I understood enough to mix my tracks. I'm slowly learning the process through trial and errors but my major issue is with the vocals. I'm not sure if it's the mic I use or just simply a matter of equalizing the audio.

As for Waiting, now that's scary since I did all the vocals for my recording O_O Hahaha. Anyway, if it is the mic then perhaps I should invest in a better microphone, you think?

 

[Thubtenkway]

What mic are you using?
When mixing down, experiment with the different reverbs, this will enhance the sound separation and don't forget dry sounds too. For a start, the vocal can be close to dry sometimes, this will bring it up-front. Backing vocals with a bit more reverb, etc. etc.
Record the rhythm guitar twice on different tracks. You will find that they will not be 100% identical. Use both the guitar tracks and pan one to around 9 O' clock and the other 3 O'clock or both even to the extreme if you like. This will give you a bigger spectrum and overall sound.

Remember to record everything to the highest level possible. This will give you room for volume control at mixdown. Use compressors and limiters.

Really like what you are doing. Too bad I am not in Singapore.

 

[dir]

Your vocals sound great. Really, it's the one that standout most in the tracks, which means you're doing things right. However with a bit more time spent on stereo panning, EQing/compression as mentioned before, the mix would gain some consistency/clarity and really have more life.
Composition-wise, I'd prefer there to be more dynamic variations and buildup, but that's just a minor thing. Keep doing your thing, it's good.

 

[freshjive]

I think your songs are great! Like what the other guys have said before, the vocals need to stand out more in the mix. Perhaps you could turn up the vol a little and cut back on the reverb? The vocals seem to be on the same plane as the guitars. Overall I think your songs are great. Different from the norm! Keep making good music!

 

[zid]

Hey thanks guys! Really appreciate the comments. I'll put it to good use definitely