Accidental Engineer

Thanks Paul, glad you liked it! Others have mentioned being reminded of Crowded House/Neil Finn. I don't mind that at all! It's probably an influence that has more been absorbed by osmosis than anything deliberate. The musical reference points for "Bitter" were actually The Church songs "Unguarded Moment" (for the guitar riff) and "Under the Milky Way" (for the guitar solo). Thank you!

Thanks Chuck, glad you dig the mix and song. I was actually very happy with the mastering. I was very wary about sending the project to an outside mastering engineer. In the past I've mixed projects for other artists, which they have in turn sent to other mastering engineers (including one very, very BIG name guy.) Each time, both the artist and I were less than ecstatic about the results. This time, I got Chris to do a test master almost a full year before I finally engaged him to master the whole album, so I definitely went in with my eyes open and made a considered decision. I can say I'm very happy with the job he did. He maintained the integrity of my mixes, and they sound good across all playback systems. That is exactly what I was looking for.... Could someone else have done a better job? Obviously, the possibilities are infinite - As much as any single decision in the song production process is. For what it's worth, I'm absolutely certain that someone else could have mixed it better, too! At some point, the important thing is that the decisions are made and the result is musical. ? Of course, I'm always interested to hear different takes on the track, so I hope you find some time to give it a go. ? Hey Gary, thanks and no problems! I hope you have fun with it.

Hi everyone - thank you for listening and commenting - much appreciated! For those who would like to mix a track from the album for themselves, please see this thread here:

Hi everyone, I previously posted about finally finishing my album here: The first track off the album "Bitter" is now available as both a raw multitrack session to mix "from scratch" and a "processed main stems" session to master or remix. If you are interested, can download the files here: http://www.cambridge-mt.com/ms-mtk.htm#Fytakyte_Bitter Here is the album mix of the track: https://fytakyte.bandcamp.com/track/bitter

Thanks Will - Glad you liked it! I'll have to check out those two artists, as I'm not familiar with their music. I've heard of Wishbone Ash, but not Jude Cole. Being from Australia, a lot of the music that was super-popular elsewhere did not make it to Oz when I was growing up in the pre-Internet era. Oh...and I know please don't quit (I think you know you won't ?)... If it is anything, this album is a testament to not quitting! Thanks again!

Hey, thanks for listening & commenting - much appreciated! It's also great to get a little feedback on what/who the music brings to mind. I don't have one skerrick of objectivity in that regard. Thanks again!

Hi, I really enjoyed the lyrics in particular, but also the melody and your vocals. You have a relaxed and distinctive vocal style that has a lot of appeal. I'm listening on headphones, so I can't give as comprehensive feedback on the mix/production as I'd like, but one thing I would suggest trying is filtering the high end out of your reverbs/ambience. That will really help to bring your vocals forward in the mix and make them sound more personal an intimate. It also means that you don't need to push the high end as much to make the vocals come up front. Sweet song! ?