This is a rough demo recorded on my new Tascam DP-03SD, 8 track digital multitrack recorder. Keyboards, drums, acoustic guitar, bass, vocals & harmony vocals, all done and mixed by me. Edit: Sorry if my vocals are a little sour... This was way up at the top of my vocal range - you figure I wrote this when I was like, 18-19 years old back in the 70's, and tossed aside for 40+ years because I thought it sucked... Track 1: Alesis Nitro Mesh electronic drums. Track 2: Alvarez 6 string acoustic. Track 3: Yamaha DGX-505, full size keyboard (piano w/ string quartet mode in the background). Track 4: Samick 4 string bass (a cheap P-bass copy) Track 5: Harmony vocals. Track 6: Lead vocals. What do you think of the mixdown and/or overall rough demo of a 70's singer/songwriter type of ballad? Stream The Road Less Traveled (DEMO) by Butch Ammon | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
First impression: A good starting point. Nice tone on the keys. I hear some distortion at the end from the cymbals. Things to try: Pan the acoustic guitar to a position on one side of the sound stage and the keyboard to a position on the opposite side of the sound stage; balance them in relation to each other. This makes more room in the middle for the vocals and gives the mix more of a stereo image. Place the vocal further back in the mix, forward of the drums and bass, prominent but not dominant, sitting between the guitar and keys. Make the bass more prominent and balanced with the drums. Then pan the bass slightly left of center and the drums slightly right of center. Also creates a bit of center space for the vocals and gives the mix a more stereo feel. Adding some reverb in moderation can give the mix a bit of depth. Hope this helps some.