Originally Posted By: c_fogle
... So write the best songs you can, record them the best you can, make judicious real track choices and find the best person you can to mix and master it.

Ha, ha: if you mean the "best person you can to mix and master it" and do it for free -- well I think that is me!

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Originally Posted By: dcuny
... Let's talk about the "dullness" a bit more.
...
One simple solution to this is to add a high-pass to all your tracks, to cut out the low end junk.

Yes, I got turned on to that high pass filter thing a few years. An excellent tip and it does make quite a difference!

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Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker
... It takes time and education.... mostly by doing, to get better. Gear actually has very little to do with it. A good engineer on a laptop with a good basic DAW and stock plug ins can make an impressive sounding mix.

Don't fret.... keep working. What other forums besides here do you frequent and or participate in?

I usually hang out at jpfolks.com and then the FAWM.org and 50/90 songrwriting challenge sites. The good news is that I stumbled on an old mix of a song of mine and it has definitely improved in the newer version. New vocals, but the instrumentation is the same (I think).
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Thanks to those who chimed in!

Now at bandcamp: Crows Say Vee-Eh @ bandcamp or soundcloud: Kevin @ soundcloud