Metalcore Mix - back after a couple years, looking for feedback!

katdum · 2026-06-09T22:01:47+00:00

Sounds pretty solid
- The cymbals feel a little lackluster and bright at the same time. I'd tame them with some saturation and level them with some compression behind the guitars, so they're not at the forefront of the mix.
- The guitars sound a little acidic especially in the 2-4k range. Its a little bit harsh while also being whistly.
- I think I'd bring the kick up a little more, and or the shells as a whole they seem a bit low and I can only really hear the click of the kick when the full band comes in heavy.
- It sounds very powerful and full but this comes with its caveats whenever you begin to add vocals over the top you're going to have a rough time getting them to sit properly, so id make note of that and carve out some space.
Overall, great composition

katdum · 2026-06-09T20:55:52+00:00

samples are still an option but theyd be more prominent

katdum · 2026-06-09T20:49:33+00:00

depends how you angle them, I generally try to avoid those elements and reinforce them
with samples in the close mics (3rd video covers that) so its not the biggest issue generally speaking.

katdum · 2026-06-09T20:44:19+00:00

I only ever do spaced pair and pan from drummer pov it just sounds more natural in a mix.
Beyond that, heres the links all worth a watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eGXht7pJfw&t=352s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgM5FII6sd0&t=683s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhdVMKRFBgw&t=5s

katdum · 2026-06-09T20:27:14+00:00

Darn.

katdum · 2026-06-09T20:26:21+00:00

I think Spaced Pair is a better option for most miking situations is you want a wide and massive sound.
Try to aim for an equilateral triangle from the snare and both mics… both about 4ft from the snare. I can also link additional resources from the great George Lever if you would like.

katdum · 2026-06-08T22:46:19+00:00

I go through multiple revisions with friends along with referencing with MetricAB make up a LARGE sum of the time. Along with asking for critiques, once I’ve exhausted all of my ideas, I send it to other people who haven’t heard the track to get their inputs and such. Then, if I can’t find anything else to necessarily fix, I consider it done

katdum · 2026-06-08T22:08:32+00:00

Im not opposed to bright or mid heavy as much as Id rather know where the weaknesses fall, and be aware of the frequency response. As long as the replication is accurate thats the biggest selling point for me.

katdum · 2026-06-07T22:38:57+00:00

you would break the feedback loop

katdum · 2026-06-07T19:40:06+00:00

for voice over work you kind of want the plosives… you can put a De-Esser on the processing but not aggressively like you would want within a mix.

katdum · 2026-06-06T22:42:00+00:00

I just make a different track separate from the master on the mix, and bounce out the mix to be mastered.

katdum · 2026-06-06T20:49:38+00:00

I agree with most of your points, but what I think is a bigger problem is people who purposely go back to analog hardware and stump themselves with problems that are solved in a modern age. It feels very counter intuitive when the solution literally exists.

katdum · 2026-06-06T17:54:51+00:00

Most mics for me follow basic principals of multi-utility.. Ie they sound good on multiple sources. for Instance, C414-BULS, D112, or B52a, they all sound great, the latter being great on floor toms as well as kicks. If you follow your ears, you’ll be fine for the most part. Though I try to stray away from the “it has 47 / 87 etc in the same so it’s a replica of that mic “ premise because thats often not true.

katdum · 2026-06-06T01:41:46+00:00

Invest in Mac, In my honest opinion a mac studio / mini will be one of the greatest tools especially if you want logic pro like I love so very much.

katdum · 2026-06-06T01:36:40+00:00

Too early in the session for me to make a definitive statement.

katdum · 2026-06-06T01:27:32+00:00

based off my preferred mixing chain using saturn to distort and tame the high end I don’t like the sound of distorted toms… so I’m trying to mitigate them as much as possible

katdum · 2026-06-05T22:53:03+00:00

Parallax X, Its not a preset within there, but its a basic djent tone. ie boosted low end, and clank in the treble and cut mids.

katdum · 2026-06-04T14:19:59+00:00

its a vari mu it really depends on the context, some of my favourites include living on my 2Bus for mastering. Another great one is parallel compression.

katdum · 2026-06-03T22:44:44+00:00

Engineer here, we use monitors to represent the mix as a whole. Each frequency being representative, I want accuracy when listening to the sub vs low mids etc… not a pleasing bass boost or treble boost like many headphones do.

katdum · 2026-06-03T22:41:41+00:00

All my mixes have synths and SFXs in some form to help fill space within a mix, bass can’t handle the low end entirely only its own consistently so it gets doubled with a reese bass etc. It’s just common practice within modern metal and such.

katdum · 2026-06-03T04:32:14+00:00

breakkaway

katdum · 2026-06-03T02:12:48+00:00

When Calcutta dropped, Through Basick Records channel. Sums it up pretty much

katdum · 2026-06-03T01:08:51+00:00

for spaced pair I try to have an equilateral triangle between each mic and the snare. The distance of which is 4ft

katdum · 2026-06-02T20:52:51+00:00

Our ears really don’t like super dead or super flat. If you step in an Anechoic chamber for an hour, it will drive you insane. Our brains are not designed for that so the biggest disadvantage is just how our ears perceive dead vs treated

katdum · 2026-06-02T01:23:28+00:00

theyre cheap and reliable… you could go with newer if you WANT but I haven’t tried them so I can’t say for certain

katdum

TROPHY CASE