Thanks for the feedback.
Essing is an issue I've wrestled with for decades. My vocals are susceptible to it more than others for some reason. I've worked in the studio with more recording engineers than I can count, and it's always been a problem.
As I've mentioned on other posts, my use for the songs & tracks I record are for pitching purposes. I write a lot, and consequently don't have the time or need to fine-tune the mixes in the way I would if I were planning on releasing them commercially. My "studio" is a corner hutch in my office - if you were to solo one of the vocal tracks, you'd very likely hear the ambient sound of a neighbor's dog barking, a garbage truck going by, or dozens of other pops, squeaks, & whistles.
My goal is to get the songs I write presented in a way that an artist can hear them and hopefully want to record them on their own projects. I actually fought being my own engineer and having my own studio for decades, because that's not what I'm interested in doing. The economy of the music industry forced my hand, and here I am.
The tracks/songs that I've posted, I probably spent 4 hours on each - from typing in the chord sheet in BIAB to bouncing the final mix to my external HD. That's about all the time I can spare to put into them, and again, for my application it's all I need. Your observations are entirely correct - I simply face a point of diminishing return when it comes to the amount of time I spend on these. My focus leans much more to the song itself - lyric, melody and the feel of the track - than fine tuning the mixes. My ear also likes brighter mixes with with a lot of air & presence, which of course accents any sibilance issues that are present.
Thanks again for your thoughts & feedback, you have a great ear for this. Nashville could use more engineers who care enough to drill down on a mix.
Best to you,
RB

http://www.rogerbrownsongs.com
http://www.nashvillesongwriters.com/roger-brown