Donna

That's good news, john... I think it's time to beg old friends to let me borrow a compressor. I'd love to play around with it and try mix after mix. I like to do that anyway. GREAT definition of a bot. I will remember the caution you gave Prometheus. OK, now rocket makes sense. Great suggestion (I cannot recall now who) about trying the mix on dif. speakers/phones/cheap one, too. Steve, I also listen the next day. Rarely is it as good the next day as it was the day before. I just play it and play it as I go on about the day, too.

Rocket: this is not a compliment to the man Prometheus spoke of? Also: what is a bot? (Alistair won't tell me; if it's something too trashy to explain, I'll know by you gentlemen's silence).

Er, which guys? WHOM do I trust? Prometheus, Bless your heart for that offer. I have nothing digital yet, have no idea where the jing$ will come from to get it, and know virtually nothing about any of this stuff. I just found myself here and now have impulsively enrolled in this little cyberschool as it were, to learn everything I couldn't for the past five babies or so. Does the compressor only work with a signal being put in or recorded - not afterward, as in mixing? I can't wait to get MP3'd! And I hope you listen to the trashy analog demo's (which I love)... If this happens to be at night after you've had a few, I can hope for a severe and thorough critique, which would give me joy eventually).

Prometheus, Thanks for your detailed reply with examples. I would love to have a compressor...and hopefully can get one soon. I'm printing out this thread. -D-

But I will add that the mixes have evolved; and/or there's more ways to do it. I remember first hearing J.Jam/Terry Lewis stuff and being astonished. Now it seems rather dated, however. Kinda sad. I have one song which was done (via a friend) digitally. I wanted minimal effects on it. It's just a guitar, bass and vox. Everytime I listen to it I'm struck at it being just what I wanted. Natural and clear; I can hear my voice "warming up" and getting better throughout (not something I wanted but oh well), so it recorded true, sho nuff. The perfect clean-ness which I have a horror of, and tend to associate w/ digital, just ain't there! You can also hear the click or strum of the strings themselves (hard to explain this...but very pleasing and seems truly true of capturing the sound of that guitar, something quite subtle and percussive about it). And I love ananlog, too, but maybe I won't as much down the road. I cannot get the mix clear and distinct yet the parts melding together. I blow into the high red everytime I open my mouth, too. (Compressor... what's that?)

Prometheus, Yes, I believe you that digital will make things easier. The discussion is helpful and interesting. John, Well that's is, ain't it? Overcoming embarassment to ask q's. (Hmm, what were mine? That sound of the Strawberry Field's splice is all I can hear now)

I am all ears for any op/ed or info on such contests. Specifically, has anyone here entered the Great American Songwriting contest? What do you think of it? Thanks.

I've always used anna-log...just a little 4-track. (and feeling like Rumplestiltskin, just woke up re: digital. I'll learn a lot from reading you guys' discussions tho it's all greek to me presently)