Help with reed choice.

pppp = pianissississimo. So soft it drops out and you have to come back and restart the tone.
ffff = fortissississimo. So loud you can't hardly keep it under control and it keeps wanting to break up.

When you're playing, try to feel that the air column starts down around your navel and goes clear through your mouth into the horn out the bell and up against that wall a hundred yards away. Use the muscles down in your gut to push the air. Don't think you're getting a good breath by hiking your shoulders way up in the air, introducing all kinds of tension in the upper back. Get your good big breath by feeling like you're putting the air down at the bottom of your rib cage. (This is not all anatomically correct, but what you're trying to do is to get a FEELING for how it feels to get a proper breath and push it through the horn properly.)

Do you have a qualified saxophone instructor working with you? A lot of this stuff will come faster with someone to guide. Honestly I'd say that the keys to getting a good sound out of the saxophone are something like 75% airstream, 20% embouchure and oral-cavity voicing, and 5% equipment. Yes, the equipment makes a difference and it makes it easier or more difficult to do what you want to do, but the stronger your fundamentals of tone production, the less it matters to have exactly that one perfect mouthpiece and reed.

Vloer said:

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For 7 months playing, that’s very nice. Really, I can hear what you are trying to do. Keep listening and keep working on the concepts you are developing.

I reiterate what I said. Stay with the #3 reed on whatever mouthpiece you were using on that track. For at least a year!

Specific things to work on - as @turf3 said, your tone is a little weak. The solution is breath support. You are trying to control too much with your embouchure. You have to control with your air. Push your belly muscles out strongly, like you are going to be punched, and use that as support for your air. Shoulders and upper chest relaxed, use your belly to control your breathing.

Long tones can help, but if you do them pay close attention to tone quality and play at several volumes. I used to do 15 second long tones, start soft, crescendo to loud, then down to soft again. Strong belly all the way. But you need to pay attention to breath support ALL the time, it should be the first thing you think about every time you play.

Vloer said:

…and see if it works for me!

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You’ve stepped into an incredibly large, diverse, and capable room of teachers, players, and many that are both. I doubt you will get any better, more insightful, and genuinely valuable nutz & bolts advice for ANY player at ANY skill level than what @turf3 has given you.

”…and See if it works for me”? My good sir I mean this next in the most constructive, and non-insulting way possible. If you actually apply what @turf3 has freely given you to this point and it does not work for you, then you will be the only sax player since Adolphe Sax himself for which these things do not work. He has literally given you the keys to the kingdom.

Liking, typing, talking, listening, and understanding will not get you there (although they may be a small part). What has been offered are the blueprints for what players have called by names such as the woodshed, shedding, and paying your dues.

It’s hard work.
In the beginning it rarely sounds like what you think you want.
It’s hard work.
Shedding is not sexy, but the results of it most definitely are.
It’s hard work.
Other people listening to your woodshed work will likely hate it…and you.
It’s hard work.
Be prepared to sound like a feathered animal being violated.
It’s hard work.
The only thing standing between you being smooth, or a screamer on a 7* and Rico 3’s, is hard work.
It’s hard work.
Read, read, re-read, and read again EVERYTHING @turf3 posted in this thread.
It’s hard work.
Don’t change your gear, change your playing.
It’s ALL hard work.

Are you willing and able to put in that work?

Sax is unlike piano, guitar, bass, and electronic keys. You cannot buy a sound on the sax. You have to personally, for yourself, by yourself, earn it and re-earn it every day.

Lots of great advice here, mostly similar. I think consensus is developing a strong foundation by putting in time on the horn and being patient. While long tones can get boring, they're essential to having good breath control and good sound. Always practice with a metronome, mostly slow (like around 60 bpm), even during long tones, to develop your sense of rhythm. There are plenty of tricks to help long tones not be as boring. In addition to holding a steady volume, I find great value in doing them super soft to super loud to super soft (and vis versa) in one breath, up and down the horn. Doing that is great for breath control, rhythm, embouchure strength, sound, etc, etc. I also like to go into kind of a meditative state while doing long tones...I try to get rid of all thought while focusing on the tone. Don't worry too much about subtones, yet. In working on a strong foundation, subtones kind of develop on their own. Something that really helps with sound is listening, a lot, to the players you like. You'll get their sound in your head. Over time, the sound in your head is what comes out of your horn. You'll always sound like you, but there'll be hints of the players you like most. By the way, everyone wants to sound like Dexter Gordon (he's known by most to have one of the all time best sounds), but his exact sound can never really be replicated. Regarding mouthpieces and reeds, experimentation is key. At your level, my opinion is go with a smaller tip opening and softer reed. That combination is easiest to control, develop a good embouchure and good sound. Mouthpiece and reed a personal choice. However, assuming you're playing a good quality reed and mouthpiece, good sound can be had. The sound quality comes from practice time. A good player (because they patiently put in the time) can make sound good just about any reed, mouthpiece, horn combination. Above all else, develop a relationship with your horn. Pretty much all of us will agree that the saxophone is a beautiful instrument in every possible way. Like any deep relationship, it has to develop over time. Enjoy the journey!