Hey Kyle,

We have just finished recording an EP and have some songs up on myspace. Could you check them out and let me know what you think and how we can improve recordings for next time, drumming and what bits you like and think can be improved. Add us if you wish also

www.myspace.com/voiceofthesouluk

I love your song "Depressive Minds." You've got a great sound! There's a few things I notice if I were to critique it though. Everything is in tune and on beat. That's more important than you think. One thing you might try throwing into the mix though is more panning for individual tracks....don't touch the panning on bass, kick drum, or vocals though. You also might try thickening the guitar riffs by doubling the tracks. The strings or keys seemed to be a bit too loud. Another thing I would do is push the vocal level up a little more...you really need the vocals to stand out from the music so that you can understand the words. Another thing that you could do...and i really mean "could" and not "have to"...is add more dynamics. Sometimes if you want a guitar riff to hit harder...putting in gaps of silence or soloing the drums or drums and bass does the trick. What I usually do is use the guitars lightly within verses and then heavy within the chorus. A good example of this is Nickelback - Animals.

Really great stuff there though man! You're definitely on the right track.

Cheers for the reply. We record the music ourselves so it is always good to get pointers to improve as we are far from professionals at recording but we are getting better Interestingly when playing live we double up the riffs usually as we have 3 guitarists but on record we don't. Never known why. I'm a huge fan of grunge and like the really raw sound but I think you've made some crucial suggestions for us to improve our music. Thankyou very much. And Depressive Minds was the first song I ever wrote so I'm glad you like

When you double the riffs in recording...make sure you pan 1 of the tracks 75% left and the other 75% right(if it fits your taste). You'll notice a significant difference in sound. I visualize it as spreading the sound out so that you can clear the center channel for bass, kick drum, and vocals...and maybe some rhythm guitar.

I will have a go later on doubling them up and trying what you suggested. See how it works out. Will let you know.

Awesome! Keep me updated...and maybe even upload a sample of what you came up with.