Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 65
D
Don R Offline OP
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
D
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 65
Hey all,

Turn It Up - Island Swing Remix in D - Don Roudebush

I'm not really sure if PG encourages uploads of remix contest entries, however, seeing as this one was created entirely with RB (excepting the vocal stems) I'm hoping to get some feedback by RB friends here before the contest ends.

Deadline is Sunday, June 15, so not much time if I need to make changes.

Specific to RB, here's what I used...

RealDrums-BossaBrushesSwingFull^1-Brsh,stk
RT929:Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Waltz Sw 110
RT1414:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm CelticSlipjig Sw 110
RT763:Clarinet, Soloist Older Swing Sw 140
RT2292:Horn Section, Rhythm Pop Ev 130
RT441:Trumpet, Older Sw 140
RT439:Trombone, Older Sw 140
RT437:Sax, Alto, Older Sw 140
RealDrums-SalsaAfroCuban68Modern

There's also a sample of the PG Tambourine Shake and a cymbal crash from RealDrums-SalsaChaChaLatinJazz.

Hope you enjoy... If you want to enter too here's the links.

Contest Rules are available at remixcomps.com/contest/planetshakers-remix-contest (link no longer valid)

Original Tracks are available at http://www.multitracks.com/songs/Planetshakers/Endless-Praise/Turn-it-Up/

Last edited by Andrew - PG Music; 09/26/17 02:09 PM.
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,051
G
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
G
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,051
I think the song and the vocals are amazing!! I absolutely love it!! But, from my perspective the horns kind of get in the way. There are some soft chords which accent the song nicely but the solo horns IMO clutter things. Maybe if they were one at a time, lower volume and more reverb they would fit. But, LOVE THE SONG!! Take care, your neighbor (Davis, CA) Greg

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,382
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,382
Hi Don,

I pretty much agree with Greg. The background horns are a tad loud and distract from that fabulous vocal track. if it were me, I'd leave out most of the background horns. Besides being a bit loud, they seem to have more of a Dixieland feel to them. In the lead sections, I would substitute the horns with steel drums if you have access to any.

If you keep the background horns, I'd drop the volume by about a third and add reverb to make them set back a little in the mix and to give them some warmth.

That's my take on the technical stuff. But, holy smokes, that melody and those vocals are super!!!!!! Don't let anything get in the wayt of that. Great song!!!

Alan & Di


BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar

Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 971
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 971
The song, the vocals, the percussion, the guitars, top notch and work well together. The intro clarinet is neat, but it's the guitar you hear first, so the clarinet is always secondary...if that makes sense?

But the horns later on don't seem to fit with the song and they overshadow the vocals. I'm not sure what to suggest. The clarinet could work here and there...but some acoustic guitar arpeggios or syncopated strums might help and you might consider some bass solo riffs...I'm not sure if RT's are there for that.

Good luck.

User Showcase
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,931
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,931
Hi Don
Well to my untrained ear it all sounds pretty good! I liked the horns.


LyricLab – Where words become music https://www.lyriclab.net/
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 65
D
Don R Offline OP
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
D
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 65
Thanks for the quick feedback. I tend to agree that the horns are way too far out front, but as a remix contest entry I wanted them to be prominent. Let's just call it contest strategy... They're giving away a Line6 Amplifi among other things I'd love to have.

I've listened to a few of the other entries and honestly like what I've done given the original material (which is a very up-tempo Top40 type arrangement - kind of a Mandisa meets Lincoln Brewster or Hillsong vibe.) You can here that at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaOV-TH8G20&feature=player_embedded

I, too, really LOVED their vocals - whole reason I entered.

Again, thanks all.

Last edited by Don R; 06/09/14 08:15 PM.
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,370
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,370
My take on this: considering that it's a remix CONTEST. There's going to be some heavy competition. Thinking that putting the horns upfront is a winning strategy I don't think will get you anywhere near the top of the pile.

The vocal stems are excellent and the vocals should be the focus. Playing with the vocals by cutting, splitting, pasting and making a newer cooler arrangement I think would likely be a better strategy to placing higher in the finals. They need to be higher in the mix. Right now they are buried by the instruments throughout the song. I was having to listen carefully to hear the words over the music.

When was the last time I heard a clarinet in "Island Music"????? Hummmmmm...... like.... almost never. As someone else said that places it into the dixieland jazz category not the island music category. Speaking of mismatches.... do you realize you have EVEN, SWING, and WALTZ style tracks mixed together? Before I look at the details, I always listen first. I was hearing some stylistic conflicts and went back to look at the tracks list and those 3 things stood out immediately. You may want to look for tracks that will work in the song and that are ALL in the same style. Since the majority are swing, simply delete the waltz and even style tracks and replace them with swing.

Horns, could be argued, that they do fit into the whole Island music thing..... but you have to be careful to have the music as a whole fit into the proper genre. Salsa for example would use horns. Kinda fits really well into that genre.... but is Salsa really "island music"? I think of Reggae as island music predominately, and don't recall hearing a lot of horns. (Of course, that isn't the kind of music I listen to very much so I may be wrong)

Cool drums, some steel drums, guitars, bass, and vocals...... That's the basis of the island style.

In this contest... did they provide you anything besides the vocal stems? Did they include any instrument stems? If they did....(I looked at the site and it looks like that did unless I'm looking at the wrong thing) there's your clue and your guide as to what this should sound like. If you were provided with instrument stems and opt to NOT use them, understand that what you provide on your own had better be freaking amazing and totally blow their socks off if you hope to be in the top 50%. It may be better to use some of their stems (if they provided any) and add some of your own to that mix.

I've been in several mix contests. One, we were simply provided vocal stems and told to go from there. Finish the mix so to speak. In another, we were provided with ALL the tracks and told to "stick to the tracks we provide, but if you insist on using your own, be sure they are good tracks"..... the winner of that second contest didn't use a single homemade track.

So, not knowing what they provided, I can't say too much about it. But as a listener, and looking at the tracks you used,,,, There's some work to do on the mix to get it ready to be competitive. Sunday is still far enough away that you could start again from scratch and still be ready. Have a serious look at the styles in the Reggae section in BB. If you throw in a jazz track, that's going to throw you out of the island music genre you should be working in.

OK... so, that's my take on it. Ultimately, it's your mix and your call. Let us know how it turns out. I'd like to know.

Oh yeah... best of luck in the contest. That's some cool prizes they're offering.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 06/10/14 06:00 AM.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,679
C
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
C
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,679
Hi Don. You have created an excellent technical mix for the contest but my opinion is that by your choice to drastically alter the mood and energy of your mix from the original mix, which will certainly catch the ears of the judges, you must be very careful that your total musical package is spot on and holds their attention. I recommend choosing a style and staying with it throughout the song. I found the mixture of styles created an uncertainty about where the song was going and never tightly came together with you mixing jazz, dixieland,and island styles. I agree with some of the others who have suggested stylistically making some changes in instrumentation and levels being sure to feature the overall focus on the vocals because I think from the contest baseline aspect, the judges will make some type of comparison between your mix and the original mix and they must be able to make that connection. You've done some excellent work so far. Good luck with the contest.

Last edited by c_fogle; 06/10/14 07:29 AM.

BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 65
D
Don R Offline OP
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
D
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 65
Now y'all know why I LOVE THIS FORUM. Honest, candid feedback from safe sources.

The amount of time and thought many of you put into your comments just blows me away every time I visit.

Again, thanks for the feedback and critique - spot on as always.

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!

We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!

Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!

Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.

Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles

Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)

And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.

You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.

Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!

The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!

Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!

With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

  • The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
  • Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
  • Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
  • Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
  • Playable RealTracks Set 4
  • RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
  • SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
  • 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.

Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:

  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
  • Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
  • Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
  • RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe

Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!

New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!

Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!

We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!

If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!

Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!

Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!

We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Windows!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!

We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!

If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!

Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support

Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins

Join the conversation on our forum.

Forum Statistics
Forums58
Topics84,379
Posts778,460
Members39,633
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
JoeyCost, Jaraxus92, Mr. Artless, Marcel Rock, Liam Hunter
39,633 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 149
DC Ron 113
WaoBand 109
rsdean 89
dcuny 74
Today's Birthdays
furlanetto31
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5