[iceman]

Well I am trying to make the mix sound better and more cohesive. This is an example of something that I posted on youtube. Any advice is welcomed whether being on recording (which is namely what I am looking for), or what I can do better when playing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUBpPx5q6uA

 

[iceman]

Also thanks in advance!

 

[KeyPi]

Technically (embellishments, smoothness) efficiently, congratulation, nice interpretation.
And a few words about the possibility of improving the recording:
I can hear you are sometimes a little flat, try to correct tune (by your embouchure or mouthpiece).
Such an impression may be magnified by the lack of a certain space suggested by character and style of background music, where I can hear more space, more air.
Just try to add reverb to sax track to make a good balance between your solo and background. You should feel the moment when these two elements will become one, for now I hear them as if they were too separately.
I think your solo sometimes dies, "gets stuck", try to put sax in the mix a little more in the foreground, emphasize.
All the best.

 

[fabioaltosax]

are you reading the music score?
learn by heart and try again

 

[iceman]

are you reading the music score?
learn by heart and try again

That was me playing by heart.

 

[littlewailer]

I suppose some info on your recording set up might be helpful.

 

[iceman]

It is a behringer xenyx usb mixer, a no-name wired clip-on mic, and the software was audacity. As far as the sax it is a Cannonball Alto, Lebayle Studio 8* mouthpiece, Vandoren Jazz 3 reed.

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

I like your inflections and overall tone. Like others have said keep a tuner on your stand and make sure pitch is good. I would have made you more up in the mix, less background. You might juice up your tone with delay or compression on Audacity, Try it and see if you like it. Keep at it, this isn't bad (except for flat spots) and you'll get better > K

 

[skeller047]

Regarding playing, I like your ideas, and the approach you take. Where you need some work is intonation Really it's a lack of breath support, because you are trying to make your lips (embouchure) do what your breath should do. You're flat in the bottom register and sharp in the top, try to not move your embouchure at all and really work on breath support. Do some long tones, maybe with a tuner, or with a drone tone to get the intonation locked in.

Regarding the recording, if you have $100 (maybe less), invest in a decent mic. A MXL condenser mic would help a lot. Stand about 2-3 feet back from the mic, and have it pointed at the middle of the horn, right at the pinky table. Your recording interface is fine.

Regarding mixing, the sax part needs to be more up front, i.e. mixed a little louder, but more importantly it needs to occupy the same sonic space as the backing track. Add some reverb and more importantly EQ. Also some compression, though that's harder to get right.

I recommend checking out the "Recording Revolution" Youtube channel, Graham Cochrane puts out a video a week (or more) on recording and mixing techniques. Of course he is trying to upsell his expensive courses, but his videos are very good. He has a bunch of videos about how to have a complete recording setup for under $350 - that includes interface, mic and headphones. Pay attention to what he does with vocal recordings, because for this music your sax is the vocal

Keep at it, you are definitely on a good path! Good luck!

 

[MrBlueNote]

Nice playing! As far as the mix, the difference in volume between the backing track and sax makes the sax sound kind of small and you definitely don't want that. I agree with others who recommended boosting the volume of the sax in the mix.

Another cool recording trick to help thicken a track is to make a copy of it and alter the copy just slightly by adding a pinch of delay (or dragging it just slightly behind in the timeline) and then panning one track slightly right and the other slightly left. This is often done to make vocals sound more powerful, but it could also be applied to a wind instrument. This technique is known as ADT or "automatic double tracking" and it can make quite a noticeable difference.

Also, I'd recommend applying some compression and maybe just a pinch of reverb to the entire mix (not just the sax track). This should help make it sound like one cohesive recording instead of an overdub over a recorded track.