On a second listen this is a really strong song in your kitty.
 
Shaker doesnt seem to be on beat at all? Keeping it simpler like one on the off beat or a simple, 1,2,3,4 like a hihat would work better and let the sparse bongo hit the odd off beat notes.
 
Vgood song
 
Cian

I also agree with all points from Cian on keeping it simpler on the percussion.....
 
This is a very good song you got here Bob and that percussion can be a slight distraction from the excellent performance.

 wonderful vocal melody/ harmonies and performance. I've heard it with the bongos and shakers and without. Much better now without any percussion at all IMO. To be honest, I'm still hearing an occasional late note in the rhythm but a really brilliant tune.  

Hi. Besides the shaker being kind of off - beat and could use some tightening up, I would say that this is a catchy song with great potential.
All the best.

NOTE: Mix #3 Up - 10-28-15
 
Got rid of the distracting shaker, bumped up the vox about a dB, and slightly tweaked the acoustic guitar timing.
 
Thanks, guys!
 
Bob

daryl1968:
 
Hey, Daryl,
 
Thanks so much for lending your good ears to this one for me, and also for your very kind comments!
 
I greatly appreciate it, especially because I always enjoy the amazing quality of your productions, always top notch stuff.
 
Sincere thanks and best wishes for a great week, my friend!
Bob
=====================================
 
 
MarkusClinus:
 
Hi, Mark, how are you, buddy?  It's great to see you back on the forum!
 
Thanks for stopping by and giving this a listen, and for your encouraging words!
 
Yes, Sir, for this new Mix #3, I decided to just completely scrap the shaker because as you and a few other of our forum friends mentioned, it just ended up being an off-time distraction.  So I went back to just the light, subdued congas and the stripped down acoustic guitars like it started out.
 
Thanks again, Mark, I'm very grateful for your input and comments.  Have a great week!
Bob
=====================================
 
whack:
 
Hi, Cian,
 
Thank you, brother, I truly appreciate you hanging in there with me for a second listen, and your always good input!
 
You're 100% correct, for this new mix, I decided to just scrap the shaker all together and let the quiet congas go it alone in the background.  Back to the simpler, stripped down acoustic song that it should be.
 
I also just want to mention that your new post "Lost For You" is absolutely fantastic! Great stuff!
 
Thanks again for all your great input, help and suggestions, your friendship and support means a lot to me!
 
Best wishes,
Bob
====================================
 
Mesh:
 
Hey, Mesh,
 
Thanks, buddy, I really appreciate you coming back for a second listen on this one and also your good input and suggestions!
 
Yes, Sir, for Mix #3 I got rid of the distracting shaker and went with the simpler percussion that you and Cian had mentioned from the beginning, and I think it's much better.
 
Sometimes I think I try to experiment too much and end up with needless distractions that take away from the root of the song, so I'm really glad that this forum is here to weigh in with input and ideas on all the details and whether they seem to work or not.  Every single comment, suggestion or observation by anyone who takes time to post here in the forum seems to always help point out things I may be missing or improves the song, arrangement or mix.  That's what makes this such a great place to get better at this stuff!
 
Thanks, again, Mesh, and have a good one, buddy!
Bob
=====================================
 
ohgrant:
 
Hey, Grant,
 
How's it going, buddy?  hope your doing great!
 
Thanks for giving this a listen and for your input, observations and kind words!  Yep, I stripped out the offending shaker and ended up with just a very simple, quiet conga part to fill in the gaps.  Back to basics!
 
I greatly appreciate you checking this out for me, and taking time to help out.  Have a good one!
Bob
=====================================
 
Zargg71:
 
Hi, Ken,
 
Big thanks for taking time to check this out for me, and for your very good input and encouraging comments!
 
Yep, I decided to lose that distracting shaker completely and just simplify things a bit.  Hopefully, it's helping to iron out the timing issues.
 
By the way, your song post for "Weirdo" is really cool, I love the punchy vocals and gritty guitars!  It's definitely got a great "Tool" vibe, really good stuff!
 
Thanks again, Ken, greatly appreciate your input and comments!
 
Best wishes,
Bob
======================================
 

Good mix, nice and well balanced. Great vocals, for some reason sound a bit Joe Walsh-like (which is good) with that vocal delay. Good work
 
jdf

Bob, Mix #3 is much better without the earlier distractions and it now has a much better focus on the excellent vocals/acoustic guitar (BTW nice strings too).
 
I also tend to add things in my songs that really don't need to be there (it's that one man band syndrome...lol), but I always try to remind myself in that old saying "less is more".......which usually works out for the better. 
 
Well done Bob on this whole project, you've done a great job!!

I liked this third mix better, without the shakers. Nice

Bob, this one is really coming along now. However, if you don't get rid of that bongo I'm going to drive to your house in the next few days and personally remove it and put it somewhere else! You're a pretty stout dude, but trust me, or ask those here that have met me, I'm bigger. By the way, I live about 90 minutes from you.
 
Fondly as always, Randy