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Here's a song for the Lenten season. As always, comments are welcome. Better ManSmoke and ashes are all that's left Of our house of love Fanned the embers, let them turn to flame Finally burned it to the ground Now you say you've given up We should both walk away What had together is not enough No kind of love is worth this pain I'll write a different story Sing a better song Find ways to show that I was wrong CHORUS Been long, dark night, but I'll set things right I'll be a better man I put the past away, moving to the day I'll be a better man I believed in all our dreams, guiding us like a star Took for granted that you'd always stay I've been so careless with your heart I know you've been hurt, but I just couldn't see I was blind, help me to find The better man in me REPEAT CHORUS You'll be glad you stayed to help me find my way To be a better man I'll work all my life moving toward the light To be that better man Technical DetailsPiano - Acoustic, Rhythm CountryPopMike12-key Ev 085 Piano - Acoustic, Rhythm PopModernGrooveA-B Ev16 075 Guitar - Electric, Rhythm CountryPopBrent12-key Ev 085 Synth Pad - PopModernGrooveA-B Ev16 075 Trumpet - SmoothJazzBallad Ev16 065 Drums - EZDrummer, Indie Folk Strummed Guitars - Session Guitars 1 & 2 Bass - Bass On Demand Vocal Processing - Waves Tune Mastering - Ozone Elements DAW - Reaper
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David,
My favorite from you so far! I love the singer-songwriter 70s feel of this one. The track selection and production is excellent as well - great vocal.
Bob
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Perfect listen for my own Lenten journey--trying to be that Better Man...also trying to be a better BIAB composer, and you've given me some new songwriting ideas and inspirations with this great contribution..there are details in the mix and arrangement that I will learn from...besides the fact that it is a joy to listen to..thanks.
Windows 11, Intel Core i5-8600T 2.3Ghz, 16 gig ram, BIAB 2025 MegaPak, SampleTank 4, Keystation49 Kybd, Neewer NW-800 mic
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"I'll write a different story
Sing a better song
Find ways to show that I was wrong"
Man, you are hittin' the note with this production. I'd rather listen again than to parse out all the good things. Suffice it to say that to our ears everything works -- the write, arrangement, production, vocals, BiaB tracks (trumpet is outstanding), drums are all in the pocket. And it sounds great on the monitors. Not to mention that we love well written redemption lyrics.
Kudos!!!
J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
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David, This is a fine example of the how to use different sources along with Biab. The drums sound fantastic. The production is really well done. I like the lyrics and your vocals do them justice. This is your best to date and look forward to your next one, Tom
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David, this is exceptional in just so may ways.
Least of all, my great respect with your persistence with with amazing development of vocal technologies.
There is much to comment on the driving forces within your contribution. Sensational!
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
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David,
This is truly an enjoyable listen!
The opening is nice - a good piano sound and a "grab ya" drum flurry.
Love the sound of the vocal. The various processing works well. The harmonies are exquisite!
The strumming guitars are impressive. The dynamics of verse production verses the chorus production is well done. The ending trumpet is a nice touch.
The chorus is catchy-as-all-get-out...
Excellent mix. Excellent song!
floyd
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I love the singer-songwriter 70s feel of this one. The track selection and production is excellent as well - great vocal. Thanks! I appreciate it.
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Really enjoyable melodic pop song, somewhere between Oasis and George Harrison, very good selection of instruments, I like especially the drumming, 'Indie Folk' describes the song very well. Nice chord changes, good lyrics and the message nicely crystallized in the ending section. Beautiful sounding vocals in the upper register. The ending trumpet leaves a delicious dreamy after-taste.
Janne
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...there are details in the mix and arrangement that I will learn from...besides the fact that it is a joy to listen to..thanks. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I may go back and fix some of the squeaks from the guitar on the right, and maybe balance it a bit better. Or I could just leave it alone and move on to something else... 
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Suffice it to say that to our ears everything works -- the write, arrangement, production, vocals, BiaB tracks (trumpet is outstanding), drums are all in the pocket. Thanks! Yes, that trumpet is really nice. And I'd gotten the Indie Folk drums a while back because they've got a cool sound, but never used them. Writing songs gives me an excuse to put all these lovely sounds to use. 
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David, This is a fine example of the how to use different sources along with Biab. Thanks, Tom! Yes, the basic track was just drum, guitar and bass. I drove around with that track for a while working out the melody. The BiaB tracks came in last, and they did a great job filling in the gaps. It's very much like being able to hire a session player to sweeten a track, only on a budget I can afford.
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David, this is exceptional in just so may ways. Thanks! Least of all, my great respect with your persistence with with amazing development of vocal technologies. Yeah, I've got to get back to that. I was hoping to have something delivered by the end of 2017, but I guess I just ran out of steam. I'm starting to tinker with some new ideas, but finding time for real life, music and coding is more a challenge than it used to be. I don't know how some of you folk do all that you do, but I'm impressed! I'm glad you enjoyed the song!
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This is truly an enjoyable listen! Thanks, that's always nice to hear, especially coming from you! I tried to keep the drums up in the mix, per your instructions. Excellent mix. Excellent song! Thanks! I may tweak one or two things, but I'm pretty happy with it. I wasn't sure about the telephone effect on a mostly "folk" sounding song (although the highly processed vocal isn't really very "folk"), but figured I may as well try something dramatic.
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Really enjoyable melodic pop song, somewhere between Oasis and George Harrison, very good selection of instruments, I like especially the drumming, 'Indie Folk' describes the song very well. Thanks, Janne! I actually started out with the drum this time, and built the track around that. I really like the sound of that kit. Nice chord changes, good lyrics and the message nicely crystallized in the ending section. Beautiful sounding vocals in the upper register. But next time, I'll try to pay attention to what range I can actually sing in!  The ending trumpet leaves a delicious dreamy after-taste. Yeah, there's a ton of saxophone in BiaB, but I wish there was more mellow trumpet... and more flute, too.
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Such a pretty song. I like that surprise telephone effect on the vocal. Sweet harmony, nice production touches and especially liked the chorus. Great job!
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Such a pretty song. I like that surprise telephone effect on the vocal. Sweet harmony, nice production touches and especially liked the chorus. Great job! Thanks, Josie! I had a co-worker listen to it, and he mentioned that parts of the vocal were "fuzzy", and might need to be re-recorded. It took a minute to figure out what he was talking about the telephone effect. 
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Wow - this is a stunning tune, dcuny The emotion behind this is incredible. It is so captivating, simply put. Your vocal delivery almost forces you to pay attention to the lyrics. I particularly enjoyed the lo-fi effects and panning on the vocals at sections. Great work, and thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Deryk
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This song has such a strong beginning, and has very poignant lyrics. I think you did a really awesome job with this particular tune.
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Ember
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I particularly enjoyed the lo-fi effects and panning on the vocals at sections. Thanks, Deryk. I wanted something to indicate a transition from the "problem statement" in the first verse to the "solution" started in the pre-chorus, and it didn't seem clear the way it was written. Also, I'd rewritten the lyric and re-sung the line louder and further from the microphone, and it stuck out like a sore thumb. I was too tired to re-record the line. I figured the best solution would be to emphasize the difference instead of hiding it.
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