The mixdown

Naturally, there is a learning curve to recording an album. Of course there are more than one way to do that as well, but the way I am doing mine has gone something like this so far:

1. Record basic tracks for each song on the record and make a rough mix (we started this in February of 2023 and finished in January, 2024).
2. Listen to the whole set of songs and discuss what else they need in their arrangements.
3. Record overdubs and retakes etc until all the parts for the arrangement are there, making more rough mixes along the way (we started this right away, before the rough mixes were done, and finished adding parts in October, 2024).
4. Once all the rough mixes are ready, go back and start mixing each track down to a preliminary mix, making tweaks, dialing in the sound, carving out some parts so they don’t step on each other or create more drama when they join in, etc. <= (YOU ARE HERE)
5. Once all preliminary mixes are done, listen to the whole set of songs again, make final decisions about sequencing (order of songs on the reccord), and decide what if any tweaks are needed to get the final mixes done.
6. When mixing and sequencing is done, then the album needs to be mastered for each medium it will appear in (LP, CD, streaming)
7. In parallel we are putting together packaging and liner materials.
8. Release, promote, disappear into obscurity.

So anyhow, as noted above we started the preliminary mixing last November 13, getting two of the track mixed.

The Long Haired Kings

When we went back into the studio to work on preliminary mixes we started with the very first tune we recorded back in February of last year, “The Long Haired Kings” (David Gans on acoustic guitar and harmony vocals, Myles Boisen on pedal steel guitar, Javier Navarrette on percussion, Joe Kyle Jr. on upright bass, Joe Craven on mandolin, myself on ukulele and lead vocals; produced by David and Jeremy Goody & recorded, engineered, and mixed by Jeremy at Goody Sound):

Saint Lucifer

We continued repeating the recording order of the basic tracks with “Saint Lucifer” which has myself on electric ukulele and lead vocals; Robert Wade on lead guitar, bass guitar, and vocals; Dan Brodnitz on piano and vocals; Joshua Raoul Brody on pipe organ and harpsichord; John Hanes on drums; and David Gans on vocals: