Di and I don't usually make a public issue of our faith. So, just a quick comment about this tune.

Many songs have been written about how people of faith believe in God. It's our opinion that He also believes in us. This song attempts to express that sentiment. We wrote this back in 2012 and no longer have a full list of the tracks. But, here is what I (Alan) can remember - I think this is correct, I know the style, key and tempo are correct and I'm pretty sure of the rest:


Style is C_CLOUDS.STY (Clouds - Top 40 Country R&B)

RealTracks in song: 366:Bass, Electric, Country Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 1542:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopBelieve Ev16 065
RealTracks in song: 887:Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Accompaniment FolkPopPrairie Ev 100
RealDrums in Song: NashvilleEven8^1-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

There's also a Synth track but I don't recall which one it is. It's in the key of Eb @ 80 bpm.

You'll notice it has an evolving chorus. It's not too common to do that but we thought it appropriate for this song.

https://soundcloud.com/alananddi/he-believes-in-me




He Believes In Me
© 2012 Alan D. David, BMI / Diana Bowers, BMI

(v1)
When burdens cast their shadow, on my weary soul
And the light grows dim, from my cloak of sin
I know just where to go

CHORUS 1
I call once more to Jesus, he will set me free
He gives me strength and courage, He believes in me

(v2)
When I have shame and worries, and Satan takes command
Then I reach out, and refuse my doubt
When I feel my Father’s hand

CHORUS 2
I trust my Lord and Savior, He will always be
The truth that won’t dessert me, He believes in me

(v3)
I suffer greed and vengeance, and lust can rule my day
And I call his name, sometimes in vain
But he loves me anyway

CHORUS 3
I ask Him for forgiveness, and love eternally
In spite of all my failings, He believes in me

REPEAT CHORUS 3
Yes, He believes in me

Beautiful inspirational song. Awesome vocal from Di. Well done

Thank you very much, Scott. We truly appreciate your constant support. We're delighted you enjoyed your listen. Best to you,

Alan & Di

I enjoyed the song too. Good message. As Christians, it is our duty to share our faith with others. Thanks for sharing.

Alan & Di,

This is nice. A really solid write.

Di's vocal is super.

Well done.

fj

Alan & Di

Well done. Excellent vocal and good overall listen.

Peter

Gorgeous vocals in a gorgeous song!
This is simply top-notch all-around, beautiful chord progression and Di has really outdone herself here.

Rob & Anne-Marie

Agreed!! This is fantastic. Great write, and a wonderful vocal delivery by Di-best I've ever heard from her. Outstanding job guys!! Take care. Greg

Al & Di, thanks for the much needed reminder in this song! It's a pretty song with a great vocal. Thanks for being willing to use your talent for His glory. Thanks, Torrey.

Thank you so much, Greg. Di is so pleased with the reception this has received. She has no idea how good she is. She says I just say that because I'm her hubby. Comments like yours, Rob & Anne-Marie's and others help to convince her she's not too shabby behind the mic. Thanks sagin, we both appreciate it very much.

Alan & Di

Thank you so much. We think theres a good message here. Glad you enjoyed it!

Alan & Di

Thank you, Floyd. We're delighted you liked it! Best to you.

Alan & Di

Thank you, Peter. We appreciate the appreciation! Wishing you well.

Alan & Di

Rob & Anne-Marie,

It's very gratifying to to receive such wonderful comments. Thank you so much! Best to you both,

Alan & Di

Torrey,

You are welcome - and thank you in return for the kindness in your reply. We're not very vocal our faith; but from time to time we think we have an avenue to express it in a song. Wishing you the very best.,

Alan & Di

Greg,

Hi Greg,

Thank you so very much for your most kind comments.

Most people are nearly shocked when we tell them our recording process. As far as the backing tracks, we do not use a DAW whatsoever. All the mixing, effects, panning, tone, punch ins and punch outs, etc. - literally everything - is done right there on the on the chord entry interface. They never leave the BIAB interface where we saved the initial track recordings. We do not use Real Band, Sonar, Cubase or any of those programs - simply the BIAB chord entry and song creation interface. We then record that using Audacity as an mp3 @ 256 rate.

Now, to your real question:

We record the vocal using Audacity and save it as an mp3 at the 256 rate or as a wave file. We use a cheap ($74.00) Behringer unpowered mixer. We use my guitar amp (Peavey Nashville 112) to power the mixer. That's where we manipulate the voice for tone and reverb. The spring reverb of the guitar amp is so much warmer than digital reverb. That's what allows her voice to lay so smoothly in the mix. We tried digital reverb and it sounds dry and "tinny", no matter how we adjusted it.

We run a cable from the amp's "Headphone" jack to the laptop's "mic in" jack.

We play the recorded backing tracks on the music player and record the vocal through Audacity as the backing tracks play in the background. We can hear it all, voice & backing tracks, through the laptop's headphone jack.

We plug the mic into the mixer. We set all the tone controls on the mixer to a neutral position. We run a cable from the mixer "out" to one of the guitar inputs on the amp. We then adjust the tone controls and reverb depth on the amp. We control the vocal volume with pre-gain and the master gain.

We do not record the voice dry. We record it with the reverb from the beginning. It's probably all in our head, but when we hear ourselves in the headphones with the reverb, we tend to sing better. Of course, like I said, it's probably just a head game - but if works, so what!

We use an AT 2035 condenser mic (about $160.00). We tried 5 or 6 different mics, some as expensive as $600.00, but kept coming back to this one. It's a perfect fit for her voice.

I hope I've answered your questions and given a little helpful information you didn't specifically ask about.

Thanks again for the kind words! Best to you,

Alan & Di

Hello, Alan & Di

Very beautiful song with such a pleasant vocal.
Main melody and bridge melody, both are very nice.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thank you, Shigeki. We're delighted you liked the song. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know. Best to you,

Alan & Di

Al & Di,

Beautiful song... Excellent vocal by Di and a great mix.

Bob

Thanks so much, Bob. We really appreciate that! Enjoy the remainder of your weekend.

Alan & Di

Great write and a beautiful chord progression. Just turn the mike on and get out of the way. Di, super job on the vocal. Really enjoyed. Tom

Gorgeous and the word "classy" comes to mind.

The right production, indeed, for the great performance.

We enjoyed it!

J&B

Thank you, Tom. You are very kind with your comments. And yes, when Di is ready, I get out of the way. I simply move to the side and turn the "knobs". Again, we appreciate all that! best to you,

Alan & Di

We thank both of you so much. "Classy" is a wonderful compliment. It made Di's day - mine, too. We're overjoyed you liked it. Thank you again.

Alan & Di

Alan and Di,

This is so-o-o-o-o-o very beautiful to listen to. The melody is stunning and arranged and produced with flair. J&B used the word "classy" when commenting and I have to agree.

Di, your singing is exquisite. I absolutely loved the way that you shaped the melody's phrases. As I listened, I was hypnotised.

Alan, your choice of harmony and instrumentation is inspired. The overarching sound you've created is top-shelf music in every direction.

I found this an incredibly rich listening experience.

All the best to you both,
Noel

Noel,

You certainly know how to make an old geezer and a beautiful senior lady feel good! Di told me to specifically offer you her appreciation for your comments about her voice. I appreciate that, too. Your words of praise and encouragement breathe a new life into our muse's heart. we are deeply appreciative. Wishing you all the best,

Alan Di