Not really a new song, but a new recording and very different version of a song from my first self-produced CD
 
https://axiology.bandcamp.com/track/opportunity-2
 
 

Hi Andrew, very good composition/playing and production (listening on my H-phones). If I had to crit anything at all (just my personal taste here), but I thought the bass could come up a bit on the mix (the mids seem to stand out a bit more and seemed slightly brittle). 
Still, this is an outstanding performance/playing (Larry Carlton-esq) and I enjoyed listening to it.   

Hi Andrew,
 
I'm listening on headphones too I'm afraid, so I'm thinking the same as Mesh, in that the bass could perhaps come up just a smidge. Always a tough one commenting on bass, especially on flat mixing 'phones...
 
I'd like to ask, is there a Hammond, or something similar, panned to the left? It seems to be fighting with the guitar that appears to be occupying a similar space.
 
Nice guitar lead... I like it... I rarely listen to jazz-rock, which is daft, seeing as so many prog rock stuff is influenced by this style (in my opinion, I should note...).
 
cheers
 
andy

synkrotron
Hi Andrew,
 
I'm listening on headphones too I'm afraid, so I'm thinking the same as Mesh, in that the bass could perhaps come up just a smidge. Always a tough one commenting on bass, especially on flat mixing 'phones...
 
I'd like to ask, is there a Hammond, or something similar, panned to the left? It seems to be fighting with the guitar that appears to be occupying a similar space.
 
Nice guitar lead... I like it... I rarely listen to jazz-rock, which is daft, seeing as so many prog rock stuff is influenced by this style (in my opinion, I should note...).
 
cheers
 
andy

Thanks for your comments, mesh and andy.
I may change the EQ a little on the bass to make it stand out a little more, though it seems at a good volume to me, I can hear all the notes.
The Hammond sound is an Electro-Harmonix B9 guitar pedal. I'm not a good enough keyboard player to do it properly, the main progression changes key every two bars.  Maybe if I practiced it for a month...It's only meant to be a background pad sort of thing. It might be a little too much. I'll try with it turned down a bit and change the panning. 

Andrew, I used to play in my high school jazz band, so this caught my attention.  The song and performances are very nice, and what I was hoping to hear.  However, the mix seemed a little off to my less than golden ears.  The snare seems very loud and dominant, and the right channel seems louder than the left or middle.  The vocal is a good one and could come up a few db's.  You may be able to hear all the bass notes, but maybe that's because you played them; I think the bass could come up a bit, too, as it's not as loud as the snare.  Other than that, this song is a gem waiting for the right mix and is well worth the time to do so.  Best to you!

Thanks for sharing - Good Job!

Mix-wise I think the rhythm guitar is a touch overpowering in comparison to the rest of the rhythm section - without the lead guitar or vocals I'm not sure it would sound like a balanced "band".   Also, the snare seems a bit far to the right for my tastes, and while the bass is light I'm not feeling the kick either.  Personally I think the song deserves a "phatter" mix. 
 
But composition and performance-wise, I liked it!   Nice chord changes and melodies, and the lead guitar is sweet.  Great playing.  
 

New version up,
I've updated the recording a couple of times since I first posted it, so people have been commenting on different versions. Anyway...

Stevec- at some point I made an error with the rhythm guitar. I miked it with two mikes, the first mike close to amp grill and second mike at a distance. I originally had the first one panned hard left and the second one panned close to centre and at a much lower volume than the first. As I'm using automation I often tweak the volumes by adjusting the output of the compressor on the channels. Somehow I ended up with the second rhythm mike louder than the first. I noticed something had changed but I wasn't sure what and started tweaking other things to compensate, until I looked into it after your comments.

I see your point about the snare being too far right and have changed that.

Lynn, the snare varies a lot in volume, as it should for a tune like this, most of the snare hits are offbeat. Some of them were a bit loud but the snare sounds so good to me I like to hear a few good solid whacks in places.
The right channel is a bit louder than the left during the guitar solos - that's the way it is. I have the guitar panned there. I could pan it to the middle, but that's not what I'm after - The big mono type mix with everything at the centre. I could turn up the rhythm guitar on the left but then that would be too loud.

Andy, the hammond sound I moved to about 30% to the right and it sounds better there, no longer fighting against the rhythm guitar. The bass is a bit louder as well, now.

Thanks All,
Andrew

how did you get Carlos Santana to play on your debut album ?
(that's a compliment ofcourse).
enjoyed listening, and really dig the end, it's original and guess quite some listeners are amazed by a musician just daring to do these kind of endings....seriously, think that's awesome.
I remember often listeners just really are wanting musicians to be 'brave' and original and do things out of the ordinary.
It's just impressive I think.
 

My compliments!