gtrpastor
Any ideas on how to make the drums match the intensity of the rest of the band? Maybe pulling back the drums in the mix? When you mention bringing everybody together, do you mean using reverb on the whole mix? Thanks again.

I listened to the earlier version on Soundcloud, and I think the band on that one fits better with the vocal style. The song wants to go in that direction, if you ask me. I would either polish up that old version or rethink the vocal style on the new one to be more intimate. If you decide the acoustic version is the keeper, see if you can find a more organic drum kit, use parts with a lighter touch and maybe avoid the big tom fills. There's probably something you can do with reverb to place everybody in the same space, but first you should figure out what kind of a record you're making.

Larry - Problem is, I like parts of both, and I don't like parts of both. I tried the acoustic without drums and it seemed empty. I don't like the key of the first version, and it doesn't have the extra verse. I'm kind of torn, actually. Seems like I should start from scratch, either way. It looks like it's going to be a work in progress... Thanks for the critique. It does help me process and not simply settle.

I listened again this morning and it's amazing what I could hear with fresh ears--the out of tune guitars, the drums and vocals that don't fit, etc. So I'm going to do some revisions and post a new version soon. Thanks again to all who took the time to listen and for the helpful critiques. I truly think it will make the song and the recording better. 

gtrpastor
I listened again this morning and it's amazing what I could hear with fresh ears--the out of tune guitars, the drums and vocals that don't fit, etc. So I'm going to do some revisions and post a new version soon. Thanks again to all who took the time to listen and for the helpful critiques. I truly think it will make the song and the recording better. 

I'm glad something clicked for you. I was feeling badly because all I could tell you was what wasn't working for me, but I couldn't give any specific advice. You've got good raw material here -- it's worth the effort to keep at this one.

gtrpastor,
 
Nice song, I think it has a lot of potential.    I like your singing.   Not crazy about the drums.   I would definitely keep developing this one.  

Regards

I couldn't get the second version to play.  I was interested to see where you started with this song.  It's a good song.  I am thinking you could actually have this kind of start out light acoustic and then at some point, kick into a more layered full band version.  When I say full band, I would still leave the guitars in more of a clean setting, but maybe struming some full measure chords behind the acoustic to give the song more layers that build up.  You could even end  the song by peeling everything back to the single acoustic again at the very end. 
 
Of course, you would have to adjust your vocals to match each scenerios.  Lighter, more laid back for the acoustic and heaver for the full version. 
 
I agree with the drum statements.  I am not sure what you can do with Session Drummer, I never really liked the drum tones in SD and immediately bought other drum midi programs.  The drums would song better more organic as mentioned. 

I too, have not heard the original. This sounds good. I hear the out of tune notes @ :43
 
The capo gives a distinct sound that an uncapo'd guitar doesn't have. I use them on occasion for effect, not to play in a different key.
 
I'm on the fence on the drums. They could be made to work.... but they need a country rock groove and a bass playing it too. Bass seemed to be a bit lacking with the drums.
 
The sound you have on the vox is "distant" as opposed to close and intimate.  Again, depends on what you're going for.

Larry - No sweat. I appreciate your honesty. You presented me with a challenge. I'm lazy and sometimes I need a bit of a kick in the pants. 
 
Markno999 - Thanks for listening and for your balanced comments--what you like and don't like. I hope that I can fix those drums. 
 
MakeShift - Thanks for listening and for the helpful comments. I assume you are talking about adding some clean electric guitar for texture. I thought of that. I might experiment with that. I'm intrigued by the idea of returning to the acoustic at the end, maybe for a tag. I agree with adjusting the vocals. I realize now, after listening again, that I can sing softly on some of the parts where I'm singing loud. I'm really starting not to like Session Drummer. I'm thinking of updating to X3, which would give me Addictive Drums. I hope they would be better. BTW - thanks for the comment on SoundCloud. 
 
Guitarhacker - Thanks for taking the time to listen to the song and for the suggestions. I'll try to fix those out of tune notes. I'm struggling with bass and drums. I'm not a bass player or a drummer, I don't have access to either instrument, and I don't know anybody local who plays either. So I am stuck with midi. Not sure, really, how to make it groove. I'm terrible with the keyboard, so I always have to quantize. I need to fiddle with it more I guess. I think the vocals sound "distant" in parts, because I was singing close to the mic on the quiet parts and pulled back for the louder parts. I'm hoping to fix that by singing quieter throughout the recording. 

Bass and drums are super important. Together, they set the underlying groove and feel of the song more so than any other instrument does. If they are not right, and properly working together as a cohesive unit, no matter what you do with the remainder of the instruments, you will be struggling to get the song to sound right.
 
The "groove" I refer to is the way the part feels and moves in the song. When the drummer and the bass player get in the "groove" and are working together, the song really could be finished off with just a vocalist. The right groove "makes" the song. The wrong one or lack thereof, on the other hand leaves the sing feeling "not quite right".
 
A good example is a song I'm currently working on with another writer.  I think we have replaced the drum track several times and the bass has been replaced around 5 or 6 times..... I think the other writer just recorded a 6th bass track.  All in an attempt to find a workable groove for this song.
 
Same thing here. I don't have a bass guitar and I don't play drums or have a kit. So I too have to rely on midi and synths. With a drum synth package, you can get some pretty nice licks and fills to compliment the song. With a proper midi sample of a bass, and some minor keyboard skills, a bass part is fairly easy to play.
 
Just me.... but I tend to sing close in to the mic. With a pop filter, and singing 45 degrees off axis, (past the mic) and having the levels set properly, I sing pretty much like I did on stage in the day..."eating the mic" and back off only a few inches for the power stuff.  I think the "distance" sound is more related to the reverb being used and how much is in the signal path as opposed the the distance to the mic. Unless you are standing back 4 feet, that should not be the issue. It sounds like a strong level of small room reverb. Because, the distance is only on the vocals. The instruments don't have that sound.
 
Here's what I do. Not saying you should follow suit..... just food for thought. Vocals:  I run the track dry. No FX at all.  I set up a vocal bus. In it, I install a Cakewalk studioverb2 plug. I select the default dark plate. I only adjust the percentage to 15%. Done.  In the master bus, I will have Ozone4 with a custom preset for overall shine and polish, and again, I may drop another Cake Studioverb2 dark plate at 10% to gently blend all the instruments. At that level, the reverbs are very low and nothing really stands out. It's simply a gentle touch of verb.  Depending on the song and the feel I'm going for, sometimes there is no reverb in the master. However, the vocals almost always get 15% in the vox bus. Sometimes more than 15% sometimes less.
 
My 2 cents

Sean, I think this song is just a few tweaks from being a gem.  I would like to add that in addition to tweaking the drums, I didn't hear much bass guitar to balance the low end.  I think that once you get the drums and bass balanced and tightened up, you'll have a hit.