After being together for 10 weeks or so, we decided to put together a demo so we could start looking for gigs. This was my first time recording, but the rest of the band has recorded countless times. Everything was done "live" in our practice space into 4 channels (only vocals were overdubbed). The board was an older mixer with a built-in analog cassette recorder (kind of sketchy). We weren't going for anything really polished, but rather we wanted it to represent how we sound live. The room we recorded in was really small and "hot", and I think that shows up in the final mix with some harshness and clipping. I ran the final mixes through Audacity to reduce the tape hiss and add a tiny bit of compression to cut down on the harshness.
I played my '86 Fender Jazz Special through my GK 700RBII, post-EQ direct to the board. I think it sounds a bit loose and boomy in the final mix. I would have liked to hear a little more mid punch, but I can live with it. The guitar player put a lot of time into the final mix... and if he's happy, I'm happy. As for my performance, I'd say I was 98% happy with the way I played. Of course, it's the other 2% that stands out and drives me crazy. I'm not much of a singer, but it was fun doubling on some of the backing vocals.
Here are a couple of tracks. I'd love to hear some feedback on our performances and overall sound quality of the demos.
Break Up Song Free Girl Now Be My Lover
All seven tracks are at
Glass House
