[Tuckerman]

https://soundcloud.com/tommytuckerman/my-brightest-star

Stepping into shoegazey/alt-rock territory with this one.  A played it for a friend and he said the rhythm guitar reminded him of those dreams where you're trying to run but it feels like you stuck in mud.  I took it as compliment.

[moraamarolaloba]

Hola @Tuckerman

Hello, I like the chords, yes, your friend is right, however I think that the important thing here is the song, the lyric, if you reduce the volume of the chords, you will be able to hear your voice and words better.
Could you share the lyric in your post? It would be great to be able to understand the story.
It would also be great if you commented on other posts, so we know you and you know us.

Hasta pronto!

Mora

[Tuckerman]

Yeah, the vocal gets a bit lost, I should probably take another stab at the mix.

The lyrics:

Your smile chases the darkest
Of the clouds away
The sound of your laughter
Could put a black dog in it's grave

You are my brightest star
And you'll sine brightly
Wherever you are

Short and sweet, the way I like my songs, but the message is clear.  It's about someone who can make you happy even at the worst of times.

And yes, I already started listening and comment on some other people's music 

[pompeyjazz]

Certainly got the shoe gazing feel @Tuckerman Voval is a bit lost in the mix and maybe try doubling up the guitars with a different effect on the second one to create that big wall of sound

[IronKnee]

Hey Tuckerman,
Very dark. I appreciate what you are doing. The atmosphere here is.... wow...............apocalyptical cryptic! I like the sound.......would like to hear the words being sung, however ;-)
Good stuff,
                                   -T

[Tuckerman]

Certainly got the shoe gazing feel @Tuckerman Voval is a bit lost in the mix and maybe try doubling up the guitars with a different effect on the second one to create that big wall of sound

Thanks!
I'll try adding another layer of guitars and to enhance the vocals so they are clearer in the mix. I'm very much an amateur when it comes to production but I'm sure I'll figure something out!

[Tuckerman]

Hey Tuckerman,
Very dark. I appreciate what you are doing. The atmosphere here is.... wow...............apocalyptical cryptic! I like the sound.......would like to hear the words being sung, however ;-)
Good stuff,
                                   -T

Thanks!
Yeah, musically it's quite dark, which is what it was going for seeing as the lyrics are meant to contrast that darkness. And yes, absolutely, I need to sort out that vocal mix.

[ChrisPrice]

@Tuckerman There's a great song in here but, as others have said one way or another, everything's getting drowned by a wall of guitars. In particular, I can't make out the vocals. It would help if you posted the lyrics too. I don't want to sound too negative though. With a different mix this could be really powerful.

[PaulyX]

Hey there, rather than shoe-gaze I was getting a grunge vibe off this (Soundgarden, Screaming Trees kinda thing).  I think it has got big potential but as others have said, the mix isn't quite there yet because that fuzz guitar (though epic) is a bit of a bulldozer pushing everything else out the way.  Feels like it should be loud though, so maybe it is more of an EQ solution needed than just dialling it back.  Others on here know much more about mixing than me though.  Vocal sounding nicely sinister by the way... You'd make a good Goth too. :-)

[Kafla]

Mr @Tuckerman ....you rock!

Like Interpol this one...dark and delivered with menace. The other guitar around 0.50 brings a little light to proceedings but not for long.

Magic

[Tuckerman]

I really appreciate the comments everyone.  This is the most feedback I've ever had about a song of mine.  This place is awesome.

I took a stab at making the vocals a little clearer:
https://soundcloud.com/tommytuckerman/my-brightest-star-new-mix

[Dorian]

@Tuckerman
Great dark gothic new wave vibe going on here! Your voice is indeed somewhat buried in the mix, but from what I can hear it still sounds like you have the right kind of vocal timbre for this type of music.

The basics for a great song are there. You can probably take this to the next level with some basic mixing tricks. I can recommend watching youtube channels like “Produce like a pro”. It helped me a lot.

Some mixing tips from humble me: You could start with the dark rhythm guitar, which isn’t just too loud but has a few frequencies in the lower midrange which are blocking the clarity of the whole mix (yes, even dark gothic needs “clarity”  . It can probably be solved by an EQ cut in these regions. Also, squeezing the guitars with a heavy compressor helps a lot to get them more tamed. There isn’t really a bass (or maybe there is, but it is buried too much to be noticeable). You’ll need some more low end in the rhythm guitar and also the kick to compensate for a missing bass. Love the stereo effects on the vocals.

Greetings, Dorian

[adamfarr]

I do like a bit of dirty guitar! Actually all the guitars sound good on this. A beefier vocal would definitely help - also as the lyrics are good.

Stop press - just listened to the new mix (thanks Soundcloud!) which I think works well. Not a big shoegazer (I liked a few Mogwai tracks) but i think I'd also like to hear some bass on this - a clean sound maybe doing something a bit different (at appropriate times) and maybe a bit more of the drums...

Cool atmosphere you created here and like the contrast with the happy lyric.

[Skub]

Dark and grungy feel. Very cool.

I'd like to hear the vocals up a little too,it would give the song extra punch.