Home recording of a song I wrote back in the 80s with the band Multiple Choice.
One of the first songs I attempted after buying Sonar Producer 7.
The vocals were recorded with a standard SM58.


Lyrics:

I know I can't stay the night.
I feel it wouldn't be right.
But it would be fun.

They say I'm somewhat of a kid.
They go by what I did.
Not what I do.

I'm flying through a maze.
I'm dead at the end.
We're set in our ways.
Fighting for a friend.

You're the One.

Loving the 80s rock!  I had a harder time hearing your voice through the mix   Please post the lyrics!

UA, Thanks for listening. Yeah the vocals and the mix are a bit off. I was still working out how all the settings work in the software. I've never been particularly fond of my singing voice which had led me to concentrate on instrumental songs which may account for why the vocal track is a bit buried in the mix.

I've edited my original post to include the lyrics. I can't give much background on what I was trying to say except that its a reflection of a relationship that wasn't going too well at the time.  

Thanks for the update on the lyrics I like reading them at the same time as I'm listening to a song for better immersion.

What type of compression are you using in the track for vocals, drums, guitar, etc?  Software or hardware?  Any high/low pass filters as well? Maybe I can shoot some ideas your way to help things achieve a better space.

Well the first thing I'd probably do with the vocals is re record them entirely. Virtually everything in that recording is a lucky one off that I managed in an afternoon so I really didn't take the time to get things very tight, especially the vocals but I did use software compression as I was mixing down the track. Its a Sonitus:Fx plugin, sort of a default compression for vocals and other instruments added to Sonar Producer. I use Sonitus for Bass, Vocals and then there is a complete mix setting I run when I've gotten the levels worked out.
I don't have much experience with recording and mixing as the band always seemed to get help with such things but I've learned a few tricks working on my own. Getting better acquainted with the recording process in general is one of the reasons I joined BandAmp so I guess I could use all the advice I can get.

Like the fun vibe going on here - makes me smile.
Your vox sound Ok to me, so yeah turn em up so we can hear ya.
In terms of the mix, I think you just over did the reverb, probably because you want to bury the sound in effects.  I've noticed over the last few years I'm using less and less reverb in my recordings. If I listen back to my early recordings they have way too much reverb. Also there are so many varieties of reverb, it's good to experiment with your reverb plugins to see what sounds best.
Nice track

Really catchy tune.
I like it a lot.
Vocal is good ... even if it is drowned slightly by the music
The reverb gives the guitar a stadium feel but those drums put it somewhere else.
I feel I would enjoy this more if it was slightly slower, or is it because the drums are so driven?
This needs a band playing it because it's a really good song.

Thanks guys for all of your help and comments concerning The One.

I plan to take a stab at cleaning up the song while keeping in mind all the great advice I've gotten.

I have attempted to do solo recordings of all of the old Punk/Fast Rock/New Wave songs I wrote back in the 80s and 90s when the band and I had few opportunities to afford professional recordings and most of the examples of those songs are boom box recordings at shows and band practices.

With the advice I'm getting here at Bandamp I think I can record most if not all of the tunes with confidence that they'll be of a quality I can be proud of. I have about 50 songs to get through so I may be at this for quite a while but in the end it will be worth it. The real trick is getting the first one completed properly.

Thanks again.

-Tom