Different, indeed... it got quite loud... I'm having to adjust settings to get it to where I can listen... when I get the instruments right, the drums seem to be way back (and too low) in the mix... like they suddenly got too much reverb overall.

When I turn it up to hear the drums (the instruments are overpowering then), the shaker - sounds like a shaker - which actually sounds good and can be a valid combination, but I don't think it is exactly what you are looking for. I hope you continue to look/experiment - I am enjoying your journey.

You need to understand that the majority of songwriters are guitar players - so they key on guitar sounds - and drums are (typically) secondary - a new phenomenon to most... and it sometimes take a while before a "guitar guy" understands how important drums are...