My first recording with Studio One

Not too shabby, my friend!

In my opinion, the composition is spot on. The lead guitar is a bit "hesitant" in places, but I'm sure you can play it exactly right. Better than my standard for tests/demos for sure

First quick notes for things I would change in the mix:

- Bass is too powerful in my opinion - pull that back a bit. Could also do with some compression, as some notes seem to stick out more than others
- Guitars are a bit too forward too, drowning out the drums. I'd pull those back too, though likely not as much as the bass.
- I have a feeling that some more reverb on the snare would fit nicely. The hihat in the beginning is quite roomy, the rest of the kit should fit this (especially snares can take a lot of reverb, as long as it's a good sounding one)
- Bass could probably stand some EQ to bring out the attack. Compression with the right attack setting could also help here (slow enough that the transient comes through)
- Are the main rhythm guitars panned hard right and left? If not, try doing that (though I think they might be already?)
- The mix seems a bit too full in the lower mids (200 to 500 is my very uneducated guess). Try adding an EQ to the master buss; subtract a fairly wide band in that area, where it fits the best, by maybe 3-4 dB - and see how it sounds. Adjust to taste to where it gets less tubby but still sounds full. Then try and copy that to eg. rhythm guitars, bass and drum buss (or at least the kick track), and see which tracks need it the most (ie. where the overall balance is best in that area). For this last step, bypass the EQ on the master channel which you copied; that was only to help find a good starting point. Tweak each track to taste. It's very likely that not all the tracks will need this; my money is on the bass and rhythm guitars. NB: This may not be necessary after adjusting levels as I suggested in the first couple of points!
- lastly, readjust levels

All in all, this isn't bad!

http://Www.kompoz.com
Maybe a platform for you.

Quote from Kempermaniac

Wow! This is (in a good way) more than I've expected. Thanks for your advice, Michael!

What do you mean with "hesitant guitar"? Bad timing? I think it can be improved, you're right, but generally I like it to sound a bit laid back with a certain "width" to it.
The rhythm guitars are already panned hard left/right. I'm always afraid to pull instruments back in the mix because I very soon get the impression that I can't hear them so detailed anymore. I think I should be more brave in that regard. Anyway, I will try your advice as soon as I have the time for it. Thanks again, very much appreciated!

The laid-back stuff I agree with, and that was also the impression I got when first listening, actually. The laid-back style suits the lead melody very nicely - the melody and the playing combine to reinforce the feeling of the track, which is very nicely done. I revise my previous statement. I've put in a soundcloud comment at the only place (re-listning) where I think there might be a bit of a timing issue - but that could just as easily be intentional, so don't listen to me necessarily

Yeah, the trouble with doing both writing, playing, recording and mixing is we tend to get married to each individual track rather than the final mixdown. I think that might be the case regarding your "fear" of pulling things down. In reality, not everything can be detailed and up front, then it would generally become a mess. Maybe think of it this way: there has to be new "hidden" gems that people can discover on their fifth listen as well. A big part of the job of a mix (and an arrangement, by the way) is to direct the listener's attention to the most important elements, not to all of them at the same time.

I can totally relate, though

Quote from Kempermaniac

Thanks again, Michael! Glad you now like the laid-back style. The spot you've marked isn't so obvious for me, I'm more dissatisfied with the last phrase of the melody. But let me tell you that you're so right regarding the marriage to each track. This is really valuable information which opens up a new perspective and a new way of thinking for me, thanks so much!

Thanks to JP too for the link, it looks interesting.

Glad I could help!

Wow, much much better

I think maybe the bass is still a bit too loud in relation to the rhythm guitars, but now it's more of a taste/style thing, I'd say.

Next step :-):
What do you use for drums?

It sounds like there is some swirly stuff on the hihat/cymbals. Maybe that's due to soundcloud though.

Overall, it sounds a bit like the drums are in a different room. Maybe the rhythm guitars could do with a slight bit of reverb - not as an effect, more to place it in the same environment. It's especially noticable right at the beginning slide, because it overlays the roomy sound of the hihat.
Drums are a beast to mix, though, and adding space to tracks is also tricky

Even better! The bass now has it's own room - maybe it's like taking a step back you can better see the whole picture (ie. lowering the bass makes it less overwhelming so everything gels better). It can also be an effect of the added reverb - helps push the guitars back a bit in the overall 3d space without losing volume.

I like it! Kudos!

After stepping back from it a bit, take a listen to the first demo track and this third one - better, no?

Sounds good to me - like @Michael_dk said, first version had bassline exposed too much. But after slight tuning it sounds great.