Aura Calmer - Electronic Alt Pop - Criticism or advice for the future would be greatly appreciated!

[scaremony]

Hi all,

It's my first time posting here I've been working on an electronic "pop" EP/Mini-Album for the last 9 months or so that I think is ready for release. The track I'm sharing is the "lead single" and definitely one of the productions I'm most proud of so far.

It's called Aura Calmer and can be found here: https://scaremony.bandcamp.com/track/aura-calmer-2 (will be uploading to streaming services this week)

I would love feedback or advice for how to improve. I think it's leagues better than stuff I was making even just a year ago, but I know there's things my ears are missing. Mix/master critiques would be especially appreciated as this is the first time I've taken either seriously lol.

As for software/hardware used, I recorded, mixed, and mastered it all in Bitwig. Sounds are mostly hardware based with a majority of the synth/drums coming from an Analog 4/Rytm combo (which I've actually sold just recently to focus more on ITB production), but the effects and processing are all digital.

Thanks so much for checking it out!

-Austin

[Frantz]

Love the songwriting, lyrics, and vocals. The chorus is killer!

There is a lot of room for improvement in the production. Right from the start, the lead synth and bass combo is muddy. The vocals tend to get lost in the mix. In the future, I think you should try to match the mix of a reference track.

Two thumbs up for the songwriting.

[shawshawraw]

Plus two. Four thumbs up for the songwriting.

Did you mix on headphones?

[scaremony]

Thanks to you both for the kind words and critiques

10-4 on the reference track idea. It's something I've read about, but I guess I still don't know what would qualify as a "good" reference track to use. I will certainly research this topic more.

As for headphones, I would say a majority of it was mixed on headphones. I have a pair of HS7's, but my room is untreated so I try not to use them too much during the mixing process. I'm hoping to make the investment for room treatment once I have a more permanent space though as I understand how vital it is to actually hear things "as they are"

[ChameleonMusic]

Great song...good underlying groove with plenty of really catchy hooks in there!

Mix does need work maybe...

1) It's all a little bit too swamped in reverb for starters...little bit less here and there would help some sounds to 'pop' out of the mix

2) A little bit of EQ tweaking might help certain sounds to find their place in the mix...little less frequency crossover between various parts.

Still a good listen though! Nothing unpleasant in there, just needs a bit of 'tidying up'?