Appreciate the constructive criticism, Diki. I have to confess, I didn't mix it AT ALL (pure laziness) or even process any of the tracks (I may have lowered the strings a bit while I was still tracking). I DO realize that even with a live drummer, you need to do SOME processing of the drum track, but when you're just messing around in the studio with no intention of doing anything with the mix and mainly focusing on the strings/organ mix, you tend to be a little sloppy with the other tracks, especially the drums. Truth is, I never paid much attention to drum tracks anyway, unless it was a rhythm oriented tune and drums were a key part of it. Organ players kind of do their own rhythm thing anyway. In any case, in the future I'll pay more attention to the drums and how they sit in the mix, so thanks for that.
chas
This was your original reaction chas. Not really sure what turned it around into a diatribe against constructive criticism.
Let me address a couple of things you just said. Studio musicians rarely play to the click with no drums at all. The drummer plays to the click, the rest (if being tracked at the same time) monitor the drummer. Maybe the drummer and the click. But I’ve never had a pro call with just a click unless the track wasn’t going to have any drums. I can play just fine to a click alone, but like most musicians, it’s not our BEST. Context is everything. It’s the stuff inside the click that sets the groove. Have YOU ever done a pro session where you played to a click before they brought the drummer in?
At home, it’s a different story. Sure, you can play to a barebones placeholder drum beat, but it gets very difficult to find a beat after the fact that exactly matches your inside groove, as it’s likely to drift a bit if there’s no inside stuff with the beat. All I was bringing up is, whether with the BK or software, a groove that really works with how you want to play saves you either a lot of work after the fact, or forces you to post it as is. I’m just trying to help by pointing out that a little extra work before the fact (and, to be honest, I find the BK drums usually adequate with zero work at all) is worth the effort.
Perhaps no one has told me how to make my demos because I actually do this tiny bit of work to start with… and anyone that feels like there’s something that could be improved, I’m all too happy to try it and see. I don’t take criticism personally, and I’m not invested in one workflow or path to a good recording.
Apparently, the taunt to me at the start of this thread to find something to criticize was not serious. My apologies for misunderstanding its satirical bent. I guarantee, you will receive no more.