New Song - We Will Never Know

[danwilson5]

Hi All,

Here is a new song my brother wrote. We put in something a little left field before the solo. Look forward to any constructive criticism on the mix. I used the Tonex pedal for most of the guitars.

Dan

https://soundcloud.com/dan-e-wilson/we- ... al_sharing

[Riff_Lovely]

Greetings to You Dan and Kelly. I truly enjoy in your song. Excellent work. Amazing solo in the midle of the song, and also like a litle bit different sounding guitar just before solo. You sang well like always. Salute

[danwilson5]

Hey Riff lovely,

Thanks for the kind words

Dan

[CrazySchmidt]

Holy schit Dan, that's pretty friggin awesome dude!!!

Ok, so let's start with what a lift in production quality I'm hearing with this one, Jesus, the mix the blends, the harmony syncs an absolutely brilliant recording my friend, you and Kelly have really knocked this one out of the park for sure.

I'll try to break it down a little as I hear it.

The levels are very good, yes, but not just because they're well mixed, but also because the production blends it so well, a beautiful atmosphere of reverberation and delay well considered with dry/wet ratios went into this final release is what I'm hearing here.

The guitars, drums, every part of this recording has had some extra love and the rewards are audible. Kelly's vocals sore in the production with the "Oooooh we will never know" vocal performance, it's simply a very enjoyable listen dude.

Well done Dan and Kelly, please keep this stuff up or this forum is doomed (you know you can feel it already right?)

Cheers, CS.

[danwilson5]

Hi CS,

Thanks for the kind words. The mix is the results of all of the great suggestions by you and the other members of this forum.

I agree with you, there is a sense of this forum slowing down.

I hope we will all engage in conversations about how we did something with the goal of making each other better at making music using the tools provided by IK. I know asking for constructive criticism is hard, the art we are making is very close and personal but if we all remember that we are trying to support each other the results will be amazing. It was really all the positive support I got through this forum that encouraged me to post more.

Lets make more music

Dan

[CrazySchmidt]

I hope we will all engage in conversations about how we did something with the goal of making each other better at making music using the tools provided by IK. I know asking for constructive criticism is hard, the art we are making is very close and personal but if we all remember that we are trying to support each other the results will be amazing. It was really all the positive support I got through this forum that encouraged me to post more.

I couldn't have said it better.

Cheers, CS.

[hornermarydhorner]

Hey Dan, I really dug the energy and vibe of your track—especially that unexpected riff you dropped in before the solo; it’s a real earworm and the Tonex pedal gives your guitars a lively, modern amp character. Listening more closely, I noticed the kick and bass sometimes compete around that 80–120 Hz region. If you carve out a little space in the bass around 100 Hz and give the kick a gentle lift near 60–70 Hz, the low end will feel tighter and each element will stand out more. On the guitar side, high-gain tones can bring in some rumble, so rolling off everything below about 80 Hz on your guitar tracks will help clean things up down low without losing any of the heft.

Your rhythm guitars sound thick and full, but there’s a bit of congestion around 400–600 Hz that can mask the solo and vocals. A subtle cut in the middle there can open things up, letting the lead parts shine. Doubling your main rhythm take and panning left and right creates that big stereo image everyone loves—just remember to dial back the width a touch afterward to avoid any weird phase issues. As for the vocals, a gentle presence boost around 3–5 kHz will help them sit on top of the mix, and using a compressor with a fast attack and medium release will even out any level spikes. After compressing, you can ride the fader or use automation to smooth out anything that still jumps out unevenly, especially in the choruses.

When it comes to the drums, sending the kit through parallel compression at a high ratio and blending it in underneath adds snap and sustain to the snare and toms, giving the groove more impact without squashing it completely. If you’ve captured any room mics, bringing those up just a little beneath your overheads gives the kit a more natural, lively feel, as if you were in the room with it. On the solo, your reverb is tasteful, but the decay trails a bit too long and muddies the next riff; tightening the decay or gating the tail can keep things punchy. To add a bit of interest on key vocal lines, a quick slap-back or gently tapped delay that’s brought in just for those moments can make them pop without cluttering the mix.

These tweaks will not only polish your sound in the studio but also translate beautifully when you deliver the track through streaming services or for online music distribution—ensuring listeners everywhere hear your mix at its best. Finally, always keep a trusted commercial reference on hand to A/B against; matching loudness and EQ curves can highlight where your mix might need adjustments. And it never hurts to flip everything into mono for a moment—if parts vanish or suddenly overpower, you’ll know exactly where phase or masking issues live. All in all you’ve got a really promising mix; a few targeted EQ cuts, some low-end shaping, and dynamic touches will take it even further. Can’t wait to hear the next version—keep me posted!

[CrazySchmidt]

Moderators, the previous post is what is killing this forum.

[Riff_Lovely]

Moderators, the previous post is what is killing this forum.

[danwilson5]

Hi Hornermaryhorner,

First welcome to the forum. Your advice is appreciated since you were very specific, I will respond in like.

On the guitar side, high-gain tones can bring in some rumble, so rolling off everything below about 80 Hz on your guitar tracks will help clean things up down low without losing any of the heft.

Absolutely I do this as matter of habit. I go through each track an set a high pass filter to remove rumble. Note not all at the same frequency.

there’s a bit of congestion around 400–600 Hz that can mask the solo and vocals. A subtle cut in the middle there can open things up

I do this as well but because of the room I mix in (read at home) I could possibly cut some more.

Doubling your main rhythm take and panning left and right creates that big stereo image everyone loves—just remember to dial back the width a touch afterward to avoid any weird phase issues.

Yes, but to avoid phase issue I often use a different guitar, amp and orchestrate a different rhythm part.

vocals, a gentle presence boost around 3–5 kHz will help them sit on top of the mix, and using a compressor with a fast attack and medium release will even out any level spikes. After compressing, you can ride the fader or use automation to smooth out anything that still jumps out unevenly, especially in the choruses.

I spend a lot of time on the vocal. A presence boost at 2.5Khz is always there and compression. Automation is also always done.

the drums, sending the kit through parallel compression at a high ratio and blending it in underneath adds snap and sustain to the snare and toms

Of course, there I make use the IK's Black 73. For the drums I have 3 buses kick, snare and all other drums. The kick and snare buses each have a black 73. The Bus for the rest of the drums I have been using IK's Precision Comp/ Limiter. Further ala Andrew Scheps I use a separate parallel compression track on the music, Lead Vocal and BGV all to add weight to the track.

For Vocal effects I use the IK's Tape echo for delays.

For completeness on the 2 Bus I use the following plugins, IK's EQP-1 with a smily face eq, The Bus Compressor, into the Stealth Limiter.

Once again thank you for the suggestions and I look forward to hearing your songs in the near future.

Dan

[CrazySchmidt]

Dan, I'm pretty sure that post is AI generated.

Unfortunately, this forum has become riddled with it and IK don't seem to be doing anything about it. I know that our Canadian friend Michael has stopped posting here because of it, after having had a chat with him a few weeks back.

Cheers, CS.