|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 38
Enthusiast
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 38 |
Hello all, After a long hiatus here is my sophomore effort: Sunshine Lady Lyrics: Sublime summertime the days drift by So warm and heavenly Then I chime in, your nerves wear thin With words said carelessly An eyebrow raised at me The smile that used to be The warning signs are clear to see Sunshine lady it turned shady I tried to stay between the lines I see all the clues from your head to your shoes Tell me what's on your mind Clouds rollin' in at summer's end All good things come and go. The best intent, but words get bent Now here comes the show I've heard it all before Oh woman hear you roar I know there's more in store for me Sunshine lady it turned shady I tried to stay between the lines I see all the clues from your head to your shoes Tell me what's on your mind Sunshine lady I think maybe I just need a little more time But you gotta tell the truth are you gonna turn me loose Tell me what's on your mind I've been reading up a little about the mixing process so any help in that area would be appreciated. I'm currently using mixcraft 6 to mix. I'm playing a little sax and some acoustic guitar (apologies in advance). Realtracks: Bass - Electric PopHalfnotes ~518 Drums - NashvilleEven8 Acoustic Guitar ~693 Rhythm Electric Guitar ~696 B3 Organ ~686 Thanks for listening as always.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,646
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,646 |
Very nice work on this one; thanks for sharing!
My TunesPsalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,679
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,679 |
First, I think you have written a very good song. It's a good effort and I also like your vocal on this. I didn't think the sax added anything to the production and no more than it is used, I would take it out of the mix. I think you did a good job in your choice of instruments and the sax just never found its place in the mix.
Mixing, panning and instrument choices are personal choices and saying I would have arranged the song in a different way just means I would have made different choices, not that your choices and arrangement are wrong. Saying that, I would have treated the acoustic guitars panning a bit different than how you chose to do. I would suggest listening on YouTube to how other groups treat intros in similar songs.
I also liked your Sunshine Lady artwork in the video.
Enjoyed listening and look forward to hearing more from you soon.
Charlie
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 2009
Posts: 103
Apprentice
|
|
Apprentice
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 103 |
Very nice. I liked the melody a lot, and I liked the general arrangement and how it picked up on the key change near the end. I think the little sax "stabs" in that section worked OK, but they seemed very distant from the rest of the instruments.
The whole mix seemed somewhat blurred to me, nothing really standing out except the vocal and the sax stabs. Mixing is hard. Maybe there's different amounts and types of reverb on some tracks? I'm not sure. Good work, but the overall instrumentation could have been punchier somehow.
Thanks,
Bruce
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,348
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,348 |
As Bruce said, nice melody and arrangement. I particularly liked the sound of your voice for this song.
I don't think there was anything drastically wrong with the mix, but a spot of EQ here and there would brighten it up and separate out the instruments better. Although the kick drum was there in the mix, the rest of the kit was a bit subdued and EQ might help here as well.
Hey, but you're definitely on the right lines and I enjoyed the track.
Keep posting.
ROG.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 38
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 38 |
Hey thanks for all the thoughtful comments. I really appreciate getting the feedback.
Charlie - I actually had a lot more sax on the track originally, but felt that it was a little out of place. Perhaps it isn't needed at all for this style.
Bruce - The mixing is indeed a challenge. I'm actually using some presets from mixcraft 6 for each instrument. I'll keep playing around with it.
ROG - Thanks for the tips. I'll play around with EQ a bit more to see if that helps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,614
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,614 |
Hi, Jeff. First, nice song and nice singing! Since you've mentioned you appreciate feedback, hopefully I can offer something helpful. Feel free to ignore anything you disagree with...  I thought the intro was a bit quiet. Once the vocals come in, the "lead" guitar part seems to stumble a bit because it's got nothing to play against. If you raised the lead a bit in the intro, and then dropped it out until where the drum kicks in, I think it'll work a lot better. The sax is so intermittent, the first time I heard the track I wasn't sure what the sound was. I think dropping completely would work best. The volume changes into each section a bit abrupt. If you could build into them, it might feel a bit more organic. But those are small nits. The important thing is you've got a nice song with a catchy chorus. Nice work!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,382
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,382 |
Hi ...
Good to "meet" you!
A really nice song and your vocal works perfectly for this one. I agree with dropping the sax stabs. I also think that the "back-up lead" on the left channel would sound a wee bit better as an acoustic guitar.
All that said, it was a real nice listen and we enjoyed it a lot! Best to you ...
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: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,469
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,469 |
Jeff,
I like your song. It has a terrific feel to it. Reminiscent of folk-pop like John Denver, Seals & Croft...
The instrument mix is good relative to the other instruments. But it sounds like you put some type of reverb on the whole (final) mix that makes everything sound like it was recorded too far away from the microphone - especially your vocal (and it is a very nice vocal).
That may be a wrong guess - but, if it is not, you might try a mix without whatever that last reverb is...
Look forward to more..
floyd
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,888
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,888 |
Hi Jeff,
if you take some advice from above this is going to be a real good song. I like the melody and the voice.
Enjoyable listen.
Guenter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 38
Enthusiast
|
|
OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 38 |
David - Thanks for the tip on dropping the lead after the vocals come in. That thought never occurred to me, so I'll give it a try.
Alan and Di - The electric guitar could be switched out with another acoustic realtrack perhaps. Unfortunately, my own playing probably won't get it done. I'll experiment.
Floyd - Thanks for the comparisons, that was the sound I was after. You are right on with the mix. Each track has a little reverb, but I added another preset (from mixcraft 6) to the whole thing at the end. I'll revisit this and see if something sounds better.
I appreciate all the tips and encouragement (and the PG forums in general). It's nice to have this resource.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,987
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,987 |
Really nice song. I like the progressions, and you have a really nice voice.
There's some really good advice in the posts. Keep up the good work!
Steve
Steve Young Music"In order to compose, all you need to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of." - Robert Schumann
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,051
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,051 |
Really like this!! Melodically and lyrically, there are a lot of great things going on here. It sounds like you've listened to a lot of stuff from the greatest era of rock/singer songwriter music (65 to 75). I would make the vocal more present (may try changing the predelay on the reverb?). You have a very good voice-don't be afraid to let it come through. Great stuff!! Take care. Greg
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,085
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,085 |
Really like this!! Melodically and lyrically, there are a lot of great things going on here. It sounds like you've listened to a lot of stuff from the greatest era of rock/singer songwriter music (65 to 75). I would make the vocal more present (may try changing the predelay on the reverb?). You have a very good voice-don't be afraid to let it come through. Great stuff!! Take care. Greg +1 Couldn't have said it any better. Josie
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums58
Topics84,382
Posts778,518
Members39,640
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean