Hi Ray,

I think your getting closer with Mix 2.

A few suggestions:

1.Leave electric piano out of Introduction and first Verse and Chorus. Then bring it in the second and subsequent verses - to give the song some build. Maybe a touch more reverb/delay on the piano.

2. Choruses - add a ride cymbal to give them a bit more energy. Ride Cymbal should also be in the guitar solo section. I just grab a ride hit from the Internet and paste it in. Time consuming but works a treat and definitely worth it if you are working on a quality song.

3. Yes I agree with others - either drop the lead guitar fills altogether or bring them up in volume significantly and take all that extremely long reverb off them. I would drop them altogether - there's plenty of action from the bass to support the singer.

4. Guitar fills - normally start a full or half beat after a vocal phrase and meld into the next vocal phrase. Don't leave a gap between the end of each fill and the vocals. Otherwise the song doesn't flow.

5. Guitar Intro and Solo - I don't mind a sparse solo and there are plenty of effects on the guitar to fill in all the spaces.

6. Vocal volume in verses - much better but a few notes disappear so they may need manual volume editing (not compression). Plus they still may be a touch quiet.

7. Vocals in the choruses - excellent and right volume also. A few manual edits in timing and note volume may be required.

Sounding Good - Keep up the good work.

Best Regards
Nigel

Nigel Spiers
Christchurch, New Zealand
info@nzacoustics.com