Participant: ilan benitah

Thank you for participating in the HOFA XMAS MIX CONTEST! We'd like to give you a short feedback to your contribution.

When listening to your mix, we first noticed a quite powerful and dominant kick drum. Of course, this rounds off the mix quite well, but there is little connection to the bass or the rest of the mix.
The drums sound great and coherent, only the kick could be better integrated.
The shaker also stands out a little too much, which is especially noticeable because it disappears again in the meantime.
The bass seems a little too quiet. Even if the bass drum were a little quiet, the bass should be able to provide enough information in the bass range, especially tonally.
Dobro and Rhodes are a little dull and could gain a little more radiance with more presence. The Dobro is quite mid-emphasized and makes the overall sound impression a little untidy.
We like the vocals very much throughout. Level and EQing ensure that they can fulfil their respective tasks well.
The mighty reverb effect on the main voice is also great, but its intensity should be controlled a bit more by automation. Because in places where the vocals don't pause much, a rather diffuse reverb carpet is created in the background, which seems a bit strange in the mix.

In the screenshot below, you can see the comparison of the frequencies of your mix (white curves) with our mix (orange curves) in the analyser. The lower curves represent the average energy over time, while the upper curves illustrate the peaks. The volumes of the two mixtures are equalised. To equalise the two mixes, you should lower the level of your mix by 0.3 dB. This refers both to a visual adjustment in the analyser and to an adjustment of the level of the track. This level adjustment is a basic requirement for an objective A/B comparison.
Well recognisable in the curves of the analyser are strongly emphasised bass areas, which are due to the somewhat thick and loud kick.
The somewhat less pronounced trebles are due to the somewhat dull harmony instruments.

Conclusion
Overall, we like your mix very much. Make sure that individual elements don't stand out and that everything has enough connection to each other.
Important harmony instruments should always sound present enough to fulfil their function.
A general recommendation is to listen to similar music again and again during the mixing process for comparison.

HOFA-College offers a wide range of online courses on recording, mixing, mastering and producing music.
Mix analyses form an essential part of the education at HOFA-College, along with video tutorials, personal support, online campus & studio workshops. Experienced audio engineers listen to the mixes of the students and create individual and detailed, multi-page feedbacks about the strengths and weaknesses of each mix, with many helpful tips & tricks.
Learn more: hofa-college.com

Best regards from the HOFA team - enjoy your music!