Hi Danny,

WOW!!! That song sounds like it's out of a recording studio. A very professional effort. You've got a great voice. Please treat the below comments as "ideas" because what you have is really good. The below thoughts are how I heard the work on that important first occasion. (Cn = nth chorus, Vn = nth verse)
  • Intro: Excellent stuff
  • C1: Excellent, well balanced
  • V1: Excellent, well balanced
  • C2: I really love the harmonica though I'd soften it a little as occasionally it sounds in the foreground rather than background. Have you tried compression to even the sound out a little? The volume of the harmonica drew my hearing to that instrument rather than keeping me focused on the vocals. This acted to reduce the power of the vocals.
  • V2: I'd soften the banjo a little (or maybe adjust compression so that peaks are less noticeable).
  • C3: The fiddle seems a little loud to my hearing because of the octave it's placed in; I'd try reducing it by 0.5 - 1.0 dB.
  • C4 & C5 - A very uplifting sound that really got my foot tapping. There's a great deal happening and my ear was not quite sure what to listen to. To me, it sounded like Banjo, Fiddle, Harmonica, and Vocals were all in the foreground and fighting for attention. I'd experiment with reducing the banjo so that it was more aligned with the background rather than foreground. This should help to make the vocals a little clearer. Rightly or wrongly, the principle that I use is that the foreground is reserved for either vocals or solo instrument (just one) and everything else serves to highlight and focus the listener's attention to what's in the foreground. That being said, though, I'm still a novice in this area
  • General Groove/Feel: Brilliant. 10/10

I hope I haven't come across as being super-critical because what you have is excellent. As mentioned, the above impressions are from my first listen. I always put a lot of faith in that first listen because that's the time I hear a song without any preconceived notions.

Congratulations on a great job.
Noel

MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2025