A look at what the writer said about the demo submitted revealed where his roots were. He wanted old school, maybe a touch of late Beatles. The chord progression suggested that – think “I Want You, He’s So Heavy” on Abbey Road.

He admitted that it was a demo, done on Cubase. We commented that the guitar progression sounded a bit midi, and of course the drums and other instrumentation lacked dynamics because of that – more a basic music production observation than relating to the song itself.

Regarding the song, it was a solid structure, intro motif, verse, chorus, plus middle 8. Lyrically, it told a story (probably personal) so nothing to crit there other than where any lyrics might interfere with the sonics.

We thought that the stop before the chorus, whilst a technique, might be enhanced with a vocal carry. Also that the “Help Me” sustained line might sit as a backing for an actual lyrical chorus, with a lead vocal over the top.

For a late Beatles feel, we suggested different voice, and key, though the tempo seemed about right for that style.

We suggested some funky instrumentation in the middle 8 to vary the tone, an old school mellotron or similar, to give it the wistful feel that the lyrics suggested.

The song which was actually released can be heard here. You can see the differences that our observations made when implemented!

There are a few problems with the production of ’Supernatural’.

The tambourine hit is too loud, harsh, dry and toppy especially against the more soothing backing vocals which work well. I would remove the tambourine altogether. Definitely remove the first hit if nothing else. It becomes distracting as the song progresses towards the drums.

The acoustic guitar sounds nicely recorded but I felt it should be a bit further forward in the mix, perhaps with less reverb on it. But the tambourine is obstructing it and everything else in fact.

The mix does sound very noisy. It sounds like there is some low level hiss coming through.

The vocal need quite a few tuning corrections.

As the drums come in they are triggering overall mix compression.

The actual drum pattern doesn’t really match the rest of the arrangement. It needs to have a more complex rhythm that has only one snare hit in each bar. The kick needs to be more varied also. The ride cymbal is distracting.

I would suggest also that the kit you use should be more acoustic sounding. The bass doesn’t seem connected to the drums (the kick in particular) which is pretty essential in a track such as this. 

I quite like the flutey voice in the background which does match the beat more.

The rhythm section works much better at 1.26.

On the whole it’s a good song but I would guess from the production it is one of your earlier attempts?

There is quite bit of noise. I think it might be coming from the backing vocals.

The lead guitar or bass sound in the intro has a strange, slightly disconcerting sound to it. Too much reverb/delay and is too far back in the mix. It has a lack of mids I think. The timing of a couple of opening notes needs attention.

The piano is lacking some variation. It sounds like each note is at exactly the same volume each time the chord is played and also tightly quantised. It also lacks a few mid frequencies. Those mid frequencies later on might fight within the mix but in the intro you can get away with more.

Not keen on the kick sound and the drums. When they all come in they are over compressed. The snare doesn’t have enough body to sound like a snare. There is too much reverb.

For this lyric to work the vocal needs to be top notch both in timing and tuning especially during the intro. The backing vocals need to be equally as good to support it.

Like the bass.

The lead guitar isn’t quite working. Too much reverb/delay and maybe again not enough mids. It doesn’t sound confident enough for a solo instrument.

The arrangement is good and the song itself has potential.

Mastering.

I am guessing you have attempted to master at the same time as mixing. 

I would be interested in knowing for sure how you set up your projects before you start to add musical elements – before you start the mixing process.

I’m guessing you have a limiter and a compressor on your stereo output of your mix project? You may also have some kind of exciter plugin and maybe something for the bottom end? Or maybe you use a template?

If this is the case I would suggest removing any plugins on your ‘stereo out’ whilst you are in the process of recording, adding instruments and generally creating the mix of your song. 

Mastering is best done as a completely separate process. 

Oh, and don’t believe anyone who says ‘you can’t master your own material’.

Not true.

It’s not magic.

I can give you some pointers and advice about how to master your tracks if you need it.

Great title! Great song.

This could be a fantastic track.

With a better production this could really show off the quality of your voice. Yes there are some tuning issues and a few delivery flaws but the vocal performance is something to be proud of. Reminded me of Randy Newman.

The piano arrangement/playing/programming is good but the piano voice is just a little underwhelming especially as it carries the track in the initial stages. It needs more definition I think. Perhaps a bit more top end and sparkle and maybe something else going on fx wise subtly in the background. Or maybe just a different piano.

The strings are exactly the right instruments to use and are used at exactly the right points. Unfortunately, as I’m sure you realise they don’t sound authentic enough. When they’re used in a sparse mix like this one they have to sound right. I think they need to build to a real orchestral crescendo. They need to be more central and wider.

They maybe could come in a bit earlier.

I liked the harmonies. I would have liked to have heard more. Some ooos and ahs would have worked as the track progressed.

The Santana style solo is good but needs more behind it.

Great emotion in your vocal towards the end.

Use reference tracks that are similar to the track you are working on. Keep checking your mix with the reference mix to give you an idea as to where things could be improved.

Firstly, it is so difficult to pull off something like this successfully. 

You’ve managed it. 

The minimalist backing works a treat and is daring but commercial at the same time. The organ and bass work great along with the melodic string type sounds. In parts they are at odds with each other but it works just the same, adding interest in such an open environment. The sound effects work well as well.

I do have a couple of suggestions.

The tambourine hit is very dry and rather stark against the atmospheric instrumentation. It definitely needs some reverb to blend it in to the backing more. You could also add some saturation to it to warm it up some. 

I would also be tempted to try a different voice. Something like a side stick snare, or more ethnic instrument like a bodhran.

Which ever you choose try to make it sound as though it’s real one with each hit being slightly different.

The other thing is the hi hat.

Similar to the tambourine really, it needs to be an acoustic hi hat. One that is multi sampled so each hit is slightly different just like a real one would be played by a drummer. You would need a shorter reverb on it than the tambourine. It might be worth trying a ride cymbal. Either way you would need to think about its tone. Saturation is the key here I think.

Your vocal is good too. It suits the ethereal mood you have gone for. If I was producing it there would be a few tuning errors I would tend to, but not many. 

The rain fx needs a longer tail in the mix. It cuts off slightly too quickly.

The ending cuts off abruptly. With a track this it should tail off into silence gradually and smoothly.