Heavy Metal Mixing

During this weeks lecture we were shown a mulitutde of songs, and we were given the task of reviewing the mix. This related back to my first post on the blog, in the way it's impossible to determine what is a 'good' mix.

One of the tracks we were shown was August Burns Red - Truth of a Liar. This isn't really my cup of tea, genre wise, but I can see why people would listen to it. This track seems to fit into the whole generic metal mix, where everything is over compressed and cranked to the max. The kick drum was gated and EQ'd, giving it the standard metal 'clicky sound'. You can also hear where it seems to be triggered and quantized. Of course, this is what modern production can accomplish. Anything and everyting can be edited and made to sound how it's wanted. The band rarely get to chose how they're going to sound, as it's left to the producer times which can lead to huge band fall outs. Sometimes, the over proudction makes it sound unatural and almost robotic. Unfortuantely, this has become the norm now.

However, some metal tracks break this sound. It may be the era of recording, or the producer chose this sound, but Pantera - I'm Broken seems to have hit the nail on the head. It's a near perfect mix (or so it sounds to me, other people may have different opinions). While most recordings don't have depth to them, this recording sounds as though you are sat in the room with them listenening to them play. That's what I enjoy anyway, the sense that you can imagine being there with them. The drums sound real, the guitar and bass sound beefy, and each one is crystal clear on the recording. You would have no trouble learning any individual part by ear. As soon as the track starts, you're kicked in the face with a spot on guitar tone and everything else. 

So, the real argument is, what are you trying to sound like? Do you want to be real sounding like Pantera, or do you want to sound like every metal band nowadays?