(EDIT: Probably done with it, LOL. https://www.skool.com/mastering/my-ftm-26-11-wicme-mix-feedback-wanted?p=038bf8f1 ) Hey guys, I probably should've posted this on Tuesday, but after having finished, I was in "recovery mode" and also quite busy the next days... So, this is still the same mix+master I entered the contest with; I worked less than 10 hours on it, including a 2h break and a lot of shorter ones. When checking my second master export, I got a "dentist drill tinnitus" and knew it was definitely time to finish. (Maybe listen now and then compare your thoughts to my own notes in the next paragraph?) So, I usually try to figure out myself in a clear-headed manner, why the finalist tracks were chosen instead of mine. This time I'm pretty sure the drums were the main problem. I hardly ever listen to hard Rock subgenres or Metal, especially on headphones, so, especially when I re-listened to my version today, I though "it might be caused by your remembering how you listened to Metal-like stuff on cheap earbuds in the youth". I was "satisfied enough" with the drum sound itself and didn't do much except for adding bx_SubSynth (Plugin Alliance) and Baby Audio Subculture on kicks and reducing the harshness of cymbals, having rather disregarded following the usual Foundation-First way strictly enough. Otherwise I can't remember doing anything to them except what I did to every group - using ADPTR Sculpt and adding some reverb. So, they indeed feel more like "earbud drum hits" instead of those carefully crafted "3D-depth" drum sounds I heard from other contestants. With the VOX I mostly battled with the annoying-sounding reverb on the plosives, both in the mix and the master. I got it to where I could tolerate them, but I often do concentrate on a small detail problem that many others would not notice, and could actually lose overview over bigger-scale problems, until someone more experienced leads my attention to them...

Hi everyone, As part of following up this recent fix the mix, we have a learning opportunity that's been arranged with David Brancato (this FTM's winner) to look at his drum processing and process. Meeting details below. Join us if you are able, it'd be great to see some members on the call! We expect to be less than an hour. Contact me with any questions or concerns, I may or may not have the answer. I'll do my best! Also I'm not a zoom expert so I'm unlikely to troubleshoot your zoom issues as FYI, not that there will be any! The plan was for the link to stay live for a week, so unless we get some response to keep it going a bit longer I'll remove the page then. Topic: David Brancato's Zoom Meeting Time: Nov 10, 2026 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86801104847?pwd=BjwnXbrAd5C6U5UI8wQAB5XqbVJkpk.1 Join and take notes https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86801104847?pwd=BjwnXbrAd5C6U5UI8wQAB5XqbVJkpk.1&mynotes=on Meeting chat link https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/jc/86801104847 View meeting insights https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=3c01aa91-e13d-4c68-a61c-8cfa552d445f Meeting ID: 868 0110 4847 Passcode: 151121 --- One tap mobile +13052241968,,86801104847#,,,,*151121# US +13092053325,,86801104847#,,,,*151121# US --- Join by SIP • [email protected] Join instructions https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/86801104847/invitations?signature=5lztToETIrNRpy3hbKPhX9Jd6G2BdL-A1C4spNBKuYs

This isn’t my genre, but damn, I got so much joy mixing this song. I especially like the end section of the song🤘 + After revision, I added 3dB into the limiter and some another adjustments now this mix sounds more satisfying to me than previous version.

Another great FTM, and what an awesome track this was. Really enjoyed giving this a shot, and looking forward to hear what everyone comes up with. Here is mine, and appreciate any and all constructive critiique - we're here to learn! :)

I got to play this round. I did not have a lot of time today, but I squeezed it in. I had maybe about a four-hour window at the end of the day. Enjoy. https://drive.google.com/file/d/18p9Rq_51naY1q0DS5wNWK2cZRtR4ihKs/view?usp=sharing I'm updating the post because I've been asked more than once which drum sample library I used in this mix. The drums in my mix are the same tracks from the folder. I didn't replace the kit or layer in additional samples. There were no overheads in the folder, and no drum room mics, so I created a space for the drums artificially with some reverb. I'm happy to share techniques if you want to know!