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I have up loaded a JERICHO MARCH pre production demo track of YOU GUIDE MY WAY.
Recorded in the METAL SHOP on our new 16 track recording set up.
We have not met for a mix down session as yet so any comments as to levels ETC are of course welcome.

Thanks for being patient ... I intend that the quality of our home recordings improve exponentially over the next year.

Enjoy

That was a nice, catchy tune... Sans... Good pace and meter. Ok I'll break it down...Mind you I say it all as a humble opinion...

On the Aesthetic front:
Good- Keeper
-LOVED the tone and texture of the Rythym guitar work
-LOVED the BASS Line
-LOVED the Drumming

Needs Polish:
- I thought the intro (guitar) sounded slightly out of tune.
- The vocal a little bit too.
-The Lead solos...good but maybe explore to add more?

Suggestions on Levels,
Keep the Rythym Guitar right where its at.
Bring up the bass lots more ...
Bring the vocals forward of the bass

I do believe with those levels, you will knock the roof off the house... with that song

IMHO

BTW Put up the Poll so we got somethin to click: If you saw Scotts poll, it uses the following:

TWO THUMBS UP
ONE THUMBS UP
THE FINGER
NEEDS POLISH BEFORE VOTING

Thank you for the input my friend. I'll carry you comments / concerns with me to the mix down meeting.

I like the song, but as Dog pointed out the rhythm guitar is out of tune. The vocals could come up a bit. Bass sounded ok (listening with computer speakers). A little more work on the leads, too -maybe a different sound?

Thanks for the critique Mike ... I appreciate your input.

George

Cutting right to the chase - I think this is pretty darn good!

Lead guitar is not totally confident yet but holding the line. More than good enough.

Talbot

I've got a few ideas. First the entire song is at one volume, there's no dynamics. If this were a tune my band would do I would drastically cut the volume at 3:00 when the verse that starts with "Though I follow...", even cut out all instruments right there and have the singer sing a number of lines by himself, and at the appropriate time bring instruments back in with more power than before to finsih the song. I agree the bass is buried in the mix and the vocals need to be more up front. Instruments otherwise sound fine. Work on dynamics. Very quiet spots in the middle of tunes get serious listener attention, and your tunes are full of messages which cry out for attention. Dynamics will round out your songs Sans, MAKE people listen. Don't be afraid to experiment. Don't be afraid to make the songs dramatic.

I like the technical mix.

I'd like more going on in the tune.
What Bob said about dynamics, I find to be true.

I think you guys would benefit from a good producer as long as he shares your vision.

Input much appreciated.

The fourth version is ready now and I will up load it latter today.

Some of the issues mentioned here have been addressed.

The intro seemed to be a speed issue and has been sped up a tad and sounds better IMO.
The vocals have been pulled out front a bit more and the levels varied within the verse / chorus to bring about some of the dynamic mentioned.
Also the overall mids have been paired back so the track sound is crisper IMO.

Funny ... the boys made these adjustments via E-Mail without my getting to mention the critiques given here.
Have some good ears here and in my group.

Apparently I'm not one of them ...

I've got a few ideas. First the entire song is at one volume, there's no dynamics. If this were a tune my band would do I would drastically cut the volume at 3:00 when the verse that starts with "Though I follow...", even cut out all instruments right there and have the singer sing a number of lines by himself, and at the appropriate time bring instruments back in with more power than before to finsih the song. I agree the bass is buried in the mix and the vocals need to be more up front. Instruments otherwise sound fine. Work on dynamics. Very quiet spots in the middle of tunes get serious listener attention, and your tunes are full of messages which cry out for attention. Dynamics will round out your songs Sans, MAKE people listen. Don't be afraid to experiment. Don't be afraid to make the songs dramatic.

Thanks Bob ... I will suggest that change at our next rehearsal.

By the by, the line is though I've fallen perhaps Jax needs to enunciate that better?
I've done this tune so many times I am not one to critique as I already hear it word for word in my head.
The input is greatly appreciated.

Input much appreciated.

The fourth version is ready now and I will up load it latter today.

Some of the issues mentioned here have been addressed.

The intro seemed to be a speed issue and has been sped up a tad and sounds better IMO.
The vocals have been pulled out front a bit more and the levels varied within the verse / chorus to bring about some of the dynamic mentioned.
Also the overall mids have been paired back so the track sound is crisper IMO.

Funny ... the boys made these adjustments via E-Mail without my getting to mention the critiques given here.
Have some good ears here and in my group.

Apparently I'm not one of them ...

SANS its not really about the ears at this stage... Its being in the middle of it and needing objectivity. I go through this myself... I get disgusted at my own stuff and I have to ask others to keep me balanced... Its all good.

I liked the song! It was a nice easy listening kind of tune, perfect for my sitting in a coffee shop atm.

Thanks for the feed back. It's not really performed that way in our live settings. This is one of the songs I play "in motion" from the audience.

I run back onto stage to play the final chorus with the boyz.

At one of our recent shows I nearly missed the second step up to the stage.
Good thing I was in my combat boots to support my ankle.
Could have been a disaster ...


Th fourth variant is now posted on my profile if anyone cares to delve into compare and contrast.

Hi Sans! I very much enjoyed listening to "You Guide My Way #4." The mix is definitely better than the first one. Congrats on the great guitar work as I thought the progression and changes were well thought of. With most recording experiences, it is always hard to bring the vocals to the foreground but I think you can fix it at the mastering stage. Bass... love the animated solid bass line. The drums have great energy and accurate meter. Totally dig the Tambourine addition at the last parts. The Lead guitar motifs are good but can have a little more conviction? but the note choices are right. Over all this is a good composition all the way to the lyrics. As for the "dynamic" topic, in my perspective, it has to do with the rhythm guitar's steady strumming throughout most of the song. As a guitarist, I try to add different textures with each parts by either changing strumming syncopation, tone, or introducing a modulation of the chord (ie. alternate fingerings). Congrats on this excellent composition.

Thank you for the input.
As always, it is greatly appreciated.

There are some changes in the wind on this song but I doubt we will re record it anytime soon as we have so many new songs ( and some of the old ones ) we need to get representative demos on.


This is not obvious to y'all but this recording session was a true breakthrough for JERICHO MARCH

With much encouragement we were able to convince Jordan ( AKA JAX ) to sing our songs like Jax and not to try to copy Ray's previous style.
Jax is exploding in his confidence and energy as a front man and I believe we will make great inroads as a band this year.