It's a nice piece, very ethereal, I think it may be a bit busy, though.

There are several different percussion parts happening that seem "incidental" - for lack of a better word - and not planned.

They aren't really complimentary to the song... they seemed to be more random, like they were an afterthought in nature, as opposed to being a supportive base for the song - almost like there was a "hole" you heard that you felt needed filling, so you just reached for whatever was convenient. I'm not saying that this is what you did, I saying that this is the way it sounds - to me, at least....

If you do decide to keep these extraneous percussion parts as-is, then you need to listen again for level balance and imaging.

The frog is really hot in the mix, and dry. Too dry for the overall vibe of the song. I'd tuck it back and add some space, as I would with the other percussion textures you are using... for the style, they are very (too) dry and up front, and on a piece like this I think you need to work with space and depth.

I would also add a slight amount of gain reduction for those two or three instances where the e-bow seems to jump out a bit - not a whole lot, just enough to reign in the transients and keep the track "even".

If it were me, I'd cut the acoustic intro in half (measure - wise) and get to the e-bow quicker, but that's just a personal arrangement preference. Ask four guys the same question and you're likely to get four completely different opinions ;)

Other than that, it works. Nice stereo imaging on the acoustic.

Could you share some details as to your process / methods on this track? Mics, mic technique, amp, EQ, etc?

The reason I ask is that we have new members who sign on here because they want to learn, and anytime you can provide details as to your process, it helps listeners understand more.

Beyond that, this was a very respectable first try with a new instrument tool.

d/

Hi Donny... Thanks heaps for your advice...

Its funny that you mention that I reached for what was convenient regarding the percussion parts because its kind of what I did... After recording the opening guitar part, which runs through the whole tune, I grabbed a box full of percussion, stuck a mic in front of it and recorded a bunch of loops... My thinking was to just put a mic in front of anything, record it and see what happens.

Not sure what the hot frog in the mix is but I would like to add depth and space to the percussion parts... just not sure how... Would that be a case of adding some reverb and/or turning the gain down? Panning? My skills are pretty limited at the moment.

I really liked the intro length however I was unsure as to when to introduce the e-bow.

The gear I used was:

Reaper
Focusrite Scarlett 18i8
2 AKG Perception 120 Condenser mics

Cole Clarke Fat Lady 2AC Acoustic guitar
Yamaha bass & amp
Upright Piano
Fender Stratocaster
Fender Amp
E-bow
Various percussion
Midi drums (drumcore)

The process:
I recorded the opening flat-picked guitar first to a click track... I had the arrangement all written out before hand... Then 4 bars of percussion (shaker & cabassa, conga and wood-block) which I then looped.
Bass was next followed by piano and then e-bow guitar... I added the midi drums later that night which I manually wrote into reaper.
I added a 3rd guitar a few days later strumming chords in the 2nd half of the tune.

I used 2 mics on the acoustic guitar... one around the 12th fret another near the bridge/soundhole... both around 6-8 inches away.
The bass and guitar amps were miced around the speaker cone up close with 1 mic.
Percussion... 1 mic with percussion in front of it.

I haven't EQ'd anything yet (not sure how) but have added reverb to various parts (acoustic guitar, percussion)... The e-bow also had a Boss delay pedal running into it also.

Thanks heaps for taking some time to listen and give feedback... Its much appreciated.

The "frog" is that rattle-sounding percussion instrument that appears first at 1:06. When I said "hot" that isn't part of the instrument's name. I was referring to its loud level n the mix. When something is loud, we refer to it as "hot".

As far as EQ, this is the process that allows you to customize the tone of each instrument/track.

You said you were using Reaper.... here's a link that may be helpful:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+eq+in+reaper

Hi... I have had another go at adjusting this tune... Have applied some eq to most instruments and some panning & volume automations... I turned the Vibra-Slap (frog) gain down a bit also...

Thanks heaps for the comments so far...

Feel free to further comment if you like...

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Cheers

I thought it was pretty awesome. would make a nice first track on an album to get the mood set.
The arrangement was terrific, nice progression

my only criticism is the maracas were annoying me being panned so wide, or... are they ping ponging?... not sure, but they are distracting, like they are poking me in the ear... maybe some smearing type reverb, LPF at 10 or 12 k, and turn them down a few notches?

when you swell, that part is nice. I love drones.

edit:
oh crap... a new mix.... totally fixed.
Much nicer! Do you have more please?

Hi Josh... Thanks for listening...

The only other recording I have is an instrumental cover of The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop" which I recorded a while ago it does have some tempo and other issues but was fun to record...

I will be posting some more on youtube soon

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Once again, thanks.
Tass