What could I do differently in the future?

My experience and expertise with mixing do not match that of my songwriting and my knowledge of mastering is further below that. Given more time and a budget, I would have a professional perform both these tasks to enhance the sound of the record. The drum sound in ‘Pariah’ is quite far below my expectations and sounds comparatively small. Luckily, this fits the 70’s aesthetic and so is not much of a detriment to the work but I am sure that a more experienced mix engineer would have been able to achieve the desired sound. In terms of the master, while the mid/side EQ and transitions sound fine, I struggled to reach the desired loudness which, while not the end of the world, may affect play on the radio or in a car. Using modern reference tracks from artists such as Steven Wilson and Anathema showed this, but I reached a similar level to older masters such as Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’.

I would also have liked to use some of the studio hardware for the delay manipulations instead of plugins, this would have been much more authentic to the era I was trying to pay homage to and would have had a more organic and exiting character. However, due to time and studio availability, this wasn’t possible. Ideally, I would have recorded all the elements in a studio environment as the subtle tonal clarity the acoustic tuning can bring would have had a cumulative effect on the record.

In the event of another similar production. I feel the presence of a co-producer across all aspects of the recording process would be a great way to enhance the sound of the EP. Songs such as Pariah were lacking depth which could have been enhanced by another pair of ears and an extended knowledge base.

I would also like to assemble a full band to perform on the record. I would still handle guitar duties and much of the keyboard work, but a more proficient player could be featured on the complex piano parts. Also, a different bassist may bring an added life to the work, especially if time was spent with the drummer in order to lock in parts. This is especially potent if the musicians have worked together before and are familiar with each other’s styles. Opeth, a big influence on the EP, often use this technique, the bassist and drummer will spend a few days in the studio working on parts without the other instruments.