Not a genre I’m terribly familiar with, but damn, that kicks ass! And +1 for Peter and Glen’s comments on leaning into your voice. It’s yours, brother, own it!
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Thank you, Ljuba 
Massively appreciated 
Bleach is the best Nirvana album, in my opinion, so that’s a real compliment 
(although Nevermind and In Utero also have tonnes of bangers on them).
Yeah I’m shit at writing vocal hooks 
A lot of the other stuff I’ve been working on has more singing / vocal melody but hooks and memorable, catchy melodies is something I struggle with massively… I’m more into noise so I always give that (plus the force and aggression) my focus.
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Thank Manuel I really appreciate it As per your, and Peter’s and Glen’s, comment, I’ll be sure to let the vocal take more of a front-seat in the next mixes…!
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I’m listening to the mix this morning with my DT 770’s. Pretty good mix, here are some notes (it’s more about production side than mixing itself):
- Yes, vocals could be a tad louder, but not too much in this genre. Here’s what i would do. Turn the listening volume all the way down till you can barely hear anything, and if you can understand the lyrics without the snare always cutting you attention - it’s all good, just keep in mind you musn’t overdo this. If you pull the vocals too much upfront, you loose the atmosphere, so even if the listeners say it’s great you as an artist will always be dissatisfied with the mix, but if it stays like this, it sounds demo-ish to other people.
- Programmed drums need a touch more realism if you ask me, aldo they are already ok - accent some more specific moments of change in song parts (you can even layer some kick hits under the existing kick hits here and there. Make this intervertion “undetectable”, but so that you can feel the dynamic jumps). Real drummers never keep dynamics the same when they are begining a new part. I can hear you already gave some attenention to this…give it some more . Also, fast double kicks are somewhat machine-like, smudge 'em a bit more. Same with toms in between parts. That’s what giving you out. Cymbals are always most demanding, just create more dynamics with 'em, you don’t need to hear every hit clearly.
The main trick if you want programmed drums to sound real, besides drum-hit-realism, is to make dynamics more real and moving than a real record would in the end keep…if that makes any sense .
3.) Maybe add some more layers, backing vocals etc, just to build up a track towards the end.
4.) Also, i’m listening to some references, and while i like midrange-centric mixes(sign of a good mixer), it seems it lacks some bass/sub.
The thing is, listeners always react positively when carefully compressed and always present bass is smoothly caressing them. In my opinion, this is also what makes the snare seem a little spiky.
Do this and it’s album ready as any other rock track.
Anyways, this mix is already pretty good.
I can understand if you don’t want do anything more to this track, mixing is realy boring stuff once you can hear the initial idea well .
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very, very …VERY impressive! congratulation! what a mix!
with plugin airwindows and acmt… full linux.
i’m shocked.
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Thanks Ljuba Solid, useful, practical tips and advice Very much appreciated. Will deffo keep it all in mind for future mixes.
Editing this post again to add - “it’s impossible to please everyone so don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” is my current attitude and mindset when making music. Otherwise I tend to be too critical of myself and am never happy with anything I create…! 
I actually do most of my mixing on DT 990s because I can’t trust my untreated room. The approach is usually something like this;
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slap Airwindows curve pre-fader and Monitoring3 post-fader on the mixbus and switch to mono
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do a broad-strokes mix using my Rokit monitors, at low-level, without (many) plugins
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check with Audio Technica M40x and DT 990, switch to stereo, start panning, etc etc
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I’ll then keep flicking back to mono and monitors or the M40x (or even shitty bluetooth ear buds) and keep attacking the mix
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LSP Referencer might then make an appearance on the mixbus post-fader and I’ll try stay in the same time-zone as what I’m referencing. For surviving rabies and all these other tunes, I’m using early 90s Afghan Whigs material (hence mid-heavy, not too bassy) because it’s objectively the greatest music on the world and anyone who disagrees with me is objectively wrong
Also worth noting - my new approach is to fuck everything / everyone, ignore any “DO XYZ ON MIX TO REALLY TAKE YOUR MIX TO THE NEXT LEVEL!1!” type advice that influencers dish out and just follow my gut / remember advice my uni lecturers gave me / just use my ears / try keep signal processing minimal / etc etc 
and I’m a lot happier with my mixes nowadays, although they’re far from perfect of course, as you rightly point out.
Sorry for the long reply anyway…! And thanks again for yours - I really do appreciate it, big time
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Thanks nabo nono
Aye I’m constantly banging on about these whenever I get a chance to - the ACMT plugs are just the best on the world and, when combined with Airwindows tonal magic, give you everything you need to make gloriously excellent mixes.
You often see people asking “best SSL bus compressor” or “best SSL channel EQ” or “best pultec” etc etc on KVR or gearspace or wherever and I just wanna scream at them that the dude behind the ACMT set literally worked at SSL for much of his life and has already made an unbelievably brilliant full set of plugs that cover all those basses, pretty much. And I’m astonished that they don’t get more attention, really 
Anyway, thanks again for giving it a listen and for the kind words…!
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I think this song is a real standout in its style.
p.s.
You might like Vuke’s really old project. https://youtu.be/9bwVVQipQ6U?si=BTpyZ98qIP4wqGs-
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Thank you Mika I really appreciate that
Yeah this is cool man, thanks for sharing. Never heard of The Cosmic Goblins before - nice sound. Reminds me of a Danzig song actually (that it’s a long way back from hell one, for better or worse…!
Finally! I got the time to write a few words. I was quite preoccupied with recording the next single and I’m now in the final mix stage, the result will be uploaded on the weekend.
I feel almost guilty because the genre or style of your piece is not exactly my cup of tea but hell yeah the mix is indeed great. And I very much like the dramaturgy, with the lofi guitar parts in between. The rythm section rocks, it’s totally in the pocket, well done!
As to your dislike for your own voice, most of us share that problem, but the heck, what would’ve been if Dylan had thought twice, pun intended! I recently read that even John Lennon wasn’t too confident, that’s why they frequently doubled his voice on the early recordings, would you believe it.
I for one am having a hard time to stay in tune once I start singing, on particularly bad days I record take after take after take before the result is remotely edible. But “tell me what can a poor boy do, except of singing in a Rock’n’Roll band”!
Would you like to share the lyrics btw?
Keep up the good work Mate!
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Thanks a bunch! Really appreciate the listen and kind words And absolutely no worries at all re: genre and style etc - life is colourful and you should never apologise for your tastes in music.
Aye and you raise good examples…! And illustrates the whole ‘taste’ thing nicely… One of my fave singers ever is Greg Dulli but a great many hate his vocals.
Sure, let me finish the dinner and I’ll type em out here later this evening
Thanks again Fineweather! Really appreciate it.
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Here you go;
surviving rabies
How much longer can this go on? I can’t take another day
You give life to this and now you take it away
Well it’s easy to understand but it’s better to pray
You can’t stop it now. Already dead
I don’t want this anymore. I can’t take another sip
Now I’m salivating and it’s making me sick
Now nothing’s making sense. Nothing fits
There’s figures standing all around
This is it
(He’s regaining consciousness. We almost lost him
How did he make it back from this?)
How did I make it back from this? I almost lost myself
In an eternal never-ending pit, an unending hell
How did I make it out alive? Glued back together
To rise from one-dimensional time and begin again
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Well I see, or rather, hear nothing wrong with the way you deliver the lyrics. On the contrary, it fits the musical style and what’s more, the phrasing of a text like this, which is rather prose than poem, is quite challenging. You do a good job staying juuust slightly offbeat, and the final part depicting the recovery is quite melodic. It would be perfectly allright to mix the vocals upfront.
How did you come up with the subject?
Have a nice one, see ya!
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Can’t remember, actually it’s rare that I actively try to write about any one particular thing, actually.
Think I was reading about horrors like rabies, CJD, stuff like that and got inspired by the story of that one young lady surviving a virus that essentially has a 100% success rate when it comes to killing the host.
Really happy to read this Thanks again, Fineweather! Much appreciation
I hadn’t heard the name Greg Dulli yet and when I looked it up I went “aah of course, The Afghan Whigs!”
Listening to the vocals on “Big Top Halloween” one name immediately came to my mind: Bob Mould. Nothing to hate about that! Hüsker Dü are one of my all-time faves.
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IMHO, the best vocals were delivered in Gentlemen.
Amen to that.
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Yeeeaaah Hüsker Dü Also really liked Copper Blue and a couple of Bob’s solo albums, actually.
Think I’d agree. Absolute banger of an album with some outstanding vocals. Black Love is also nothing to scoff at, mind.
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Sugar just reunited and released a new song. The Numero Group just released the 1985: The Miracle Year box set with live registrations from Hüsker Dü shows when they were at the top of their game in 1985. It’s a good year for Hüsker Dü fans!
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Had no idea, you’ve absolutely made my weekend Thanks for the heads up, Jeremy…! I just listened to the new track and it’s 2 mins of hard rock magic. Thanks again!
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Man I tell you, If it hadn’t been for bands like HÜsker Dü, The Dead Kennedys, Toxic Reasons, and Peter & The Test Tube Babies to name just a few of them, the mindless F*ckwit Disco Dallas Tennis Socks Eighties would have been completely unbearable!
I hear the epigones of Joseph Goebbels shouting in my mind: “Do you want total commercialisation? Do you want it, if need be, more total and radical than we can even imagine today?” The way I see it, in that decade the whole thing began to gallop.
That being said, I’d like to quote Beethoven from his 9th smphony:
O friends, not these tunes! Let us strike up more pleasant ones, and more joyful ones.
All the best for the season 