Song of the week-Pretty empty head-M. Wagener Rok Pak/Chimera profiles

    Week 1: Pretty empty head: http://www.stevenwhitaker.rocks/lyrics/s/pretty_empty_head


    Hi everyone,


    I haven't been very active here for quite a while because I've been burning the candle at both ends trying to do something I've been telling myself I'd do for 20 years now...and that is to record a complete album of some of my songs. While working full-time and trying to keep the peace with my wonderful girlfriend, it's taken over a year of complete dedication and way more money than I intended to finish this beast. I hired a drummer in London and a bass player in Nashville and recorded everything else at my home studio here in Portland, Oregon USA. ALL electric guitars on the album are the Kemper mostly using the M. Wagener Rok Pak and Till Schleicher's Chimera profiles. Because I have a pretty low vocal range, a lot of meat had to be eq'd out of the guitars to sit my vocals properly so this album may not be the best spotlight how good the Kemper sounds, but the songs as a whole came out pretty decent I think. You be the judge.


    Ok, now, I wanted to try something I've never done before so I can get some feedback (positive and negative/constructive) because I'm constantly trying to improve the quality of my songwriting and finished product so each week for the next 13 weeks, I will post a "song of the week" from the album and anyone who wants can chime in and give me their thoughts on anything from mix comments, songwriting/arrangement comments to marketing ideas etc. I'm just interested in growing as a songwriter/producer and also in any random feedback you have for me positive or negative.


    This album is a collection of songs written over a 20 year span and were never intended to go on the same album with one another so cohesion from song to song is lacking, but it's a good thing if you like some diversity.


    The first song is titled "Pretty empty head" and was inspired by a girl I dated who was really tuned out of the world outside of her little bubble and never really thought about much beyond reality tv and Enterainment Tonight.


    Thanks for listening,
    Steve
    In case you missed it above, you can listen here: http://www.stevenwhitaker.rocks/lyrics/s/pretty_empty_head

    Haha it's vacation time ;)


    It's very well recorded, performed and the vocals are nicely arranged. I feel the mix isn't all it could be. There's a lack of punch and dynamism for me, like as if the basic balance has been set, but then the faders are static. The guitars in between chorus and verse, where there are no vocals, could do with being bigger. They seem slightly weedy compared to the previous passage, up against the vocals. I feel the master bus could do with (more) compression, just to glue everything together and give it a bit more edge and urgency.


    Sorry for the stream-of-consciousness answer! You deserve a big pat on the back for your initiative and achievement. Well done, sir :)

    Thanks for the feedback. I completely agree with you with the mix sounding a bit static. I like having different elements popping in and out at different times and giving a more dynamic feel, but since I didn't mix the songs myself, I found it very challenging to get the mix engineer to translate my vision...without driving him nuts with infinite requests.
    thanks,
    Steve