"In The Mean Time"

Very well done Leee, just the same as always, mix well done, sound quality excellent, playing done very well. Vocals Dylan like, very well done. You do very nice stuff in all aspects of the creative process.

desertbluesman

Hey -- very well recorded and a good demo of your song.  Liked those guitar sounds.  Good job on this presentation !!
 
Allan
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Nice one Lee, got a Tom Petty vibe going on in your vocal. Like the intro very much, and the changes are cool.

Thanks guys, yeah I get a lot of Dylan and Tom Petty vocal comparisons.  Today I got a Randy Newman comparison.
But as I responded to the person who made that comparison, I don't set out to emulate any particular singer, but whenever I try to add some energy to an otherwise naturally weak vocal ability, that's when my vocals start sounding a little like Dylan or Petty.   If I were to put no effort into adding any energy, I'd probably sound more like a "talk/singing" Lou Reed.....which I'm told only works for Lou Reed.

Thanks Serious_Noize, that's very kind of you to say.  I'm very much like you when listening to other people's songs from this forum and other music forums.  They often seem to have that magic "X" factor that crosses the line from a song I might create to a genuine professional sounding song.

I've been writing and recording for almost 40 years now, but it wasn't until the last few years that I've been making a serious effort into learning how to mix and master like the pros.  And I humbly say that I've seen a big improvement in my songs from those I recorded a few years ago.   I've read countless books on music production, as well as watched many video tutorials.   I've learned how to separate each instrument, either by panning, or by EQing, and give each instrument it's own space.   I put a special emphasis on the blending of the kick drum and bass, for me that's my starting point. 

I'm still far from being an expert, a lot of my projects are just a lucky hit or miss kind of thing, but at least now I know some tricks of the trade to guide me.   This song for example was part skill and part luck.  The two guitar parts (not including the lead guitar), I randomly searched and eventually picked two different sounds from the Evolution Strawberry Guitar, and they blended really well together, and I panned them 30-L and 30-R, so the blending is a bit more noticeable.
   
I also rely on presets a lot.  I've gotten pretty good at mixing, but mastering is still something I need to have more experience with.   I use iZotope's Ozone 7 for mastering, and again they offer a lot of presets  (some I use as is, and some I tweak), but I find the right touch of compression (something that was a complete mystery to me several years ago) can make the song have that X factor.   Ozone's many modules may seem overwhelming at first, but by trial and error, I've learned a lot about mastering from simply using that software over and over again.
But I feel I still have a ways to go to make my songs sound as good as many of the songs I hear from this group.

But thanks again for your compliments, it tells me I must be doing something right!

Thanks LJ, I appreciate your comments about my lyrics.  While I consider my vocals the weakest aspect of my songs, I'd say my strongest suit is writing lyrics.  Which I find to be a cruel irony.

the mix is nice and airy, you have left plenty of space for each instrument. personally i'd reduce some of the verb on the vocal which sounds like it's been recorded in a different space but it might be an effect you were going for. i would also have the chorused clean guitar a little louder as it's a lovely part. cool.