Recording’s Readers’ Tracks is where respected engineer and producer Marty Peters listens to your recordings and critiques them, pointing out where and how you can make them better. Listen to the songs, read the reviews, and submit your own materials online via upload.

Artist Name: Blues Intervention Title: Those Lousiville Blues Genre:  Blues/Rock

As with the majority of our submissions, Cliff’s track is something of a mixed bag. While we applaud him for tackling all of the sound sources (not easy, friends!), we found both the timing and mix balance to be questionable in spots.

Starting with the rhythm section, the guys did a solid job with the drums. We hear a nice room ambience on the kit, organic in a good way! Unfortunately the bass guitar volume overwhelms the drums though our monitors, resulting in the two dance partners not meshing as they should. The electric guitar again has a nice ambience, sounding distant in a way that gives the track a slightly ominous feel, lending a cool, spooky JJ Cale vibe to the proceedings. READ THE FULL REVIEW

REC’s six monthly Sound Advice bulletins offer great advice:

1. On Vocals: Useful advice on recording the best vocals.
2. On Guitars: Miked or direct, electric or acoustic, ways to capture great guitar sounds.
3. On Drums: Great techniques for recording drums.
4. On Mastering & Mixing: Practical mastering topics for at-home users and tips on how to mix better songs.
5. On Acoustics: Learn how to make your room sound better.
6. On Digital Audio: All about digital and computer audio.

SAMPLE BULLETINS