Hey guys!
So I've been working on this song and I like how its turning out, but I am very much still a novice at music production and especially mixing and making things sound polished and finished.
This song is not finished but I mixed it to the best of my ability and exported it to a mastering project and mastered it to the best of my ability (for the sake of practice plus I was bored and wanted to here the song mastered), and I like how it sounds loud in headphones I mean some it is wide like I wanted and its loud and sounds cool I guess for something that I thought I could make anyway.
The problem is when I go and play a song on spotify in a similar genre, it sounds soooo much louder and punchier and wider even though my song was at like -8LUFS when I exported it after mastering and its like right at 0db almost. (tbh i like kind of know what LUFS and stuff are im mostly just winging it based on what I've heard is good).
I feel like I'm missing something fundamental but idk what it is. Is there a step I am missing? is this more of a mixing, sound selection, mastering, or arrangement issue? I would appreciate anyones feedback or advice on this!!
Heres the file I am referencing if anyone wants to give it a listen and lmk if im going crazy or what they hear
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qxKvZQjbERuIypZchU-8ZKFFleXW_FHr/view?usp=sharing
Thanks!!!!