Need advice on mixing/mastering this tune...

[Tinderwet]

The link seems to be broken, could you please fix it?

[HarpNinja]

Try this one, please: http://mikefugazzi.com/files/Carolina_Blues_Demo.wav

[Tinderwet]

It's great! I like it.
Mixing wise, I would try to clear stuff for the bass and the lead vocals. Just make the rhythm harps a bit smaller to have some more room and less masking for these two elements.
Maybe try to make that snare "chhh" bite a little bit more too.
Also, it sounds like it's completely mono right now. It could probably benefit from panning the rhythm harps wide (hard L and hard R) and put the hi-hat "shhhh" to half left or half right.
Some level riding and compression could make the lead vocals sit more stable and up front and get the solos to around the level of the lead vocals as well.

[HarpNinja]

Thanks! So the bass could be hotter relative to the rhythm harp? Any of the instrument tracks dying from lack of compression, eq, or other tricks?

I am really really really new to this, lol. Like just enough to know how to get this far. Thanks again!

[Tinderwet]

Depends on what we call hotter. It sure will be perceived louder if you high-pass the rhythm harps higher.

Well it sounds pretty good as is, but in general, add compression to the elements that you want to hear at the same level, and let the rest of it create the groove with the peaks and valleys they make. So I would first and foremost compress the lead vocals, then the bass, and then let the rest groove. You can then try more subtle things like glue the "drum" elements bussed into a single compressor set to just a touch of gain reduction ("kissing the needle").

But it's the vocals and the bass that I would compress for sure to make them more stable level wise.

Truth be told, the recordings and the performance sound pretty good to begin with, and it's got that raw energy that doesn't require too much mixing trickery to make it shine. But we can go crazy with that part too. lol

[HarpNinja]

The issue with my recording setup is I loop..I use my live rig, which as Boomerang III on it. It can do stereo in/out, but I essentially have to do all the looping on one track.

So, beatbox, bass, and rhythm harp are all one track. Everything else is on its own track. Eventually, I think I can do separate tracks on my iPad with Loopy HD, but I don't have the gear to do that right now....just the app and iPad.

[Tinderwet]

I see. What if you lay down a guide performance with a click track in your headphones, then overdub the beatbox, the bass and some rhythm harp takes onto separate tracks? Then get the whole thing mixed somewhere in a DAW?

[HarpNinja]

I *think* if I get an iRig, I can use Loopy HD and create separate looped tracks, and dump those tracks into Audacity via .aiff. I know for sure I can create separate tracks in Loopy as I've been trying it out. I can also easily dump it into Multitrack on my iPad (would prefer to use my laptop and Audacity, though).

Loopy HD just had a big upgrade that should for sure let me export multitrack to my laptop via dropbox.

What I need to explore is how it imports - if it is just the one loop, or I can record and transfer the whole "song".

[Tinderwet]

I wish you good luck for finding a solution to this. It would be great to be able to mix your music properly, cause it rocks.

[HarpNinja]

Here is a *better* version with separate loop tracks and in stereo.

[zlaya]

This music rocks man! I would love to hear it recorded and mixed in a "better" fashion.

Gonna go listen once again.