Top Ten Reasons You Don't Sound Like Recording Artists

1. Is your guitar or bass decent, in tune, and properly set up using quality medium strings?
2. Do you have a decent amplifier and cable and a properly rated clean power supply?
3. Have you focused too much on stage presence and vibe over craft?
4. Have you focused too much on music theory over originality, passion, and urgency?
5. Do you listen to each other while you play?
6. Do you listen to the meaning of the song and search for an appropriate original arrangement?
7. Is your recording medium any good like HD, digital stream, or round reel?
8. Do you understand the delicate art of compression?
9. Are you trying to fix problems with balance or EQ in the mix or during mastering?

And number 10. You do realize, beyond of the obvious studio tricks, that a few "hit" songs are slowed down and quite a few are sped up? There can be improvements fidelity and psycho-acoustics when songs are sped up. Plus, the players sound better and singers voices more closely match that of teenage girl record buying public.

The right mixture of compression, EQ, and speed variation used to be called "sweeting" the recording.