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: Mailbox Destroyers   Title: Mastermind  Genre: Rock

This high energy track is undoubtedly one of the quirkier submissions we’ve received in recent memory! Let’s break it down. The track is listed as indie rock, and it rings with a punky Siouxsie and the Banshees vibe. Presented bone dry and practically in mono due to the minimal sound sources’ centered placement, the recording has a vocal forward, in your face presence. We absolutely love the sound of Ken’s electric guitar here—the classic low-mid humbucker distortion drives the recording like a locomotive. We also dig Penny’s edgy, disaffected vocal performance. While we’re unsure what emulation was used with the Slate VMS ML-1 mic system, it certainly delivers a full, artifact-free sound that suits the track to a T. We can’t help but be enamored by Penny’s unorthodox drum playing—this is not your typical rock performance.

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