Thanks for taking the time to reply. I understand your point about making the drums stand out as more than a time keeping piece. Good idea on making the drums be more pronounced, versus level with or under the music. I went with a solo in my second entry so there isn't anything but me to hear this time. I'm new to self-recording/video taking, so I'll keep tweaking until I find a good balance of everything, while keeping it mixed up.

I do feel partial to playing one take through without adding punches/audio edits, or video production work for now, so it feels more natural and like a true open mic with music performance as the raw focus. I may have to evolve and layer other percussion if that doesn't keep up with the pack, but it's a great experience altogether. Thanks again.