Ok...here is my attempt of "Paradox of You."

Paradox Of You Version IX


It's meant to be a nod to the Canadian company that makes these wonderful products by using a sound that countries bands helped make popular. Inspired by the sounds of Nickelback, Theory of a Deadman, etc...

PLEASE NOTE : I am a writer and an arranger. I am NOT much into mixing by any means. EQ is my sworn enemy. So, to be blunt, I suck it pretty bad...and simply didn't do it. I didn't have the hours it would take to make it sound worse! lol Bring on the mud!

I guess there is a point you just post it. There is so much more I would do with regenerating tracks, especially the lead guitar, and then comping and pulling where it makes sense. Just don't have the time. It could be done though.

I tried to do something I hadn't heard yet. I get this won't be for everybody by any means. If you're expecting "50 years"...please don't.


RealTracks in song: 1749:Synth, Rhythm ModernDancePopOctave16thsA-B Ev 120
RealTracks in song: ~~387:Bass, Electric, Metal Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 639:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm HardRockThrash Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 642:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm HardRockThrashHollow Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 394:Guitar, Electric, Soloist Metal Wild Ev 120 (SemiWild)

Drums are Slate triggered from my kit via me.

Lyrics supplied by our friend Joanne! Thank You! Don't shoot me for what I've done to your song.
------------------------------------------------
Listening to the pouring rain
I know the sun will come
Light from dark dry from wet
When wintertime is done

I see myself as the earth
And you the vast blue sky
Sometimes I keep you grounded
And you just let me fly

Chorus
I love it when we talk
I love the silence too
I love the yin and yang of life
The paradox of you

You are my harmony
the balance that I find
through the windows of my days
In corners of my mind

Sometimes you are the roots
growing in the night
Sometimes I am the leaves
bathing in your light

Chorus
I love it when we talk
I love the silence too
I love the yin and yang of life
The paradox of you

Bridge
In and out, hot and cold
Fear and courage, young and old
Good and bad, salty sweet
Up and down, messy neat

Chorus
I love it when we talk
I love the silence too
I love the yin and yang of life
The paradox of you
__________________

Thanks HTL. Added you to the main "Off Topic" thread on this.

Well that was an extraordinary version of the song. Don't think I've heard Band In A Box sound so heavy before - and it was brilliantly done with some incredible flourishes. Excellent vocals.
Great work.

Peter

Hi HTL.

Wonderful energy, freshness and life in your song.
I think it's great just as it is.
Turned it way up!

Cheers.

Raaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!!!!

You been holding out on us HTL. This sounds awesome!

Man, I took off my Elvis suit and I was buck naked when I listened to this, eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich dropping crumbs all over my stomach while I was nodding my head to this crushing tune.

Just wanted to leave you with that.

Killer!!! Workin it on the intro. Man you can play! Grohl got nuthin on you. Super rock vocal and the vinyl scratches and vocal effects as well as the shutdown at end are all nice touches. You best keep on posting or a lot of us will be disappointed. Very impressive, Tom

So glad my tylenol had kicked in before pressing "play"... and I really enjoyed this!
Brilliant intro and close - one of the most inventive I`ve heard on the forum.Very good high energy vocal too.
A most heavy Paradox.


Robert

HTL,

That was an AWESOME surprise! Loved it from start to finish - what a sound!

Bob

WOW that was GREAT!!!! I have to wonder if you are pulling our leg with all the EQ talk! I listened with earbuds but it still sounded fantastic to me. The vocals on this are awesome!! Sure it's different, but variety is the spice of life and you put out an awesome version of this tune here! Thanks, Torrey

A true paradox. Excellent performance, arrangement and mix...

Enjoyed this

Charlie

Yeah!!! I love this! Great, heavy sound, killer arrangement (love that breakdown at 2:06).

Love the vocal, and killer job on the drums!

Well done.

Thanks Steve! You are REALLY on top of this. That's very nice of you to be doing.

Are you still thinking of doing a version? I sure hope so, but if life has taken over...I get that too.

Thanks Peter! It's funny you mention the heavy thing. I'm really hoping that doesn't turn too many forum members off. I totally understand where this wouldn't be a lot people's first choice in music

Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment.

NP. This is a very exciting venture for me and the rest of the forum!


Yes. I have all my tracks sorted together now in Pro Tools. Just need to mix and ship it.

Nice take on it. I am not a power rock/pop kind of guy but I am schooled enough to know when it's a good performance. Good job on this.

I'm happy you turned it way up! That made my day.

Thanks for listening!

This is kick @ss fantastic! A completely different version that I never saw coming. Everything about this is top shelf!

This is a keeper for sure.

PS - don't give us anymore BS about your lack of mixing and EQing skills. We now know better.

Hello, HearToLearn

It's a really cool hard rock.
I see the appearance like David's posted photo.
I am very surprised at the heavily difference with my version (“The Paradox Of You” 6th version).
Heavy sound, typical hard rock killer arrangement!
Excellent performance!
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Wow!! A really different take on this song. Excellent.

HTL,

You've done a magnificent job with this. The energy coming out my speakers was enough power a small town! What can I say? Everything about this was confident, competent and really, really well put together.

Your take on these lyrics took me completely by surprise in a great way!

All the best,
Noel

I'll keep it short and to the point. I've N-E-V-E-R heard a power rock song I like more than this one. And I mean that totally. In my 71 years - this is best! Terrific production and performance. - WOW!

Alan

Not so much. Just a busy life, and write A LOT already for work.

I also don't hear much of the kinds of stuff I write on the forum. You've given me hope



Thanks! That's great to hear.



HA! HA! HA! Elvis is alive and well, I see.

I remember you saying how "Buck Naked" was your adult film star name before being saved. Good for you!

By the way, no need to live stream your listening experiences. The typed word suffices for me




Rock on! LOL Thanks again for the laughs. I love humor.

Man.... my FAVORITE version of this.

That is so cool, and love the production tricks you use..... EQ might be a pain, but hey, it's reasonably done. I'll bet this rocks with a wave on a studio system with a sub don't ya know!!

Did you use Glitch?

Well done. Yep... I like this.

edit: I'll bet JC never saw THIS one coming.

We had to shove the sub back against the wall three times. If this had a piano in it you could’ve set it on fire and walked off the stage.

Spector never really knew what a wall of sound was. At least not what just got thrown at us. No earbuds, no monitors for this. We cranked the Polks and the sub way up for the full experience.

The performances on vocals and drums oughta rattle the forum to the core. We need more like this. Three cups of joe and then this...whew!

Hey, no genre worries...good music is good music

Janice said she could visualize Steve Jordan’s motions on the drums. Not the same style but he has a great look when playing.

More! Re this style Bud is likely your oldest fan

J&B

Definitely the most interesting version of the paradox, really grunge song Powerful mix, nothing disturbs me, difficult to believe you can create this heavy sound by using BIAB real tracks. I like the ending effect. Rocking vocals, with a bit of Dave Grohl.

Janne

Caaron,

SPECTACULAR!

All the above accolades are warranted and deserved. EQ problems?..eh..NO, none at all!

A truly EXCELLENT use of these lyrics. None better. They work as "metal lyrics" - like that was meant to be. Zowie.

As far as I can tell, you never specifically said that the vocal is you? It is INCREDIBLY GOOD! Off-the-charts-good. A voice meant for ROCK!! I listened a number of times JUST to key on IT. (I listened other times to key on other aspects - each deserving it's "own listen").

AWESOME drums! (They definitely got their own listen). Solid. You can't do that type drumming and "get away with sloppy". Tight as *@#*^@#(!!! Dang. (I do think Nickelback's drums are mixed just a smidge louder just a smidge). Truly. Awe. Inspiring. (That has GOT to be exhausting!!!)

Great use of the BAND! Without a doubt the best metal we have ever heard. Even without spending a bunch of time on the getting-picky-with-the-lead, it fits perfectly.

Great mix. Cranked as loud as possible this sounds great. Metal with Warmth. That can't be easy to accomplish.

What a treat. The "break" at 2:01 was crazy good!

Please do A WHOLE LOT MORE!!!

fj

Dang Tom, you have no idea how much that means coming from you!

Gotta love Grohl. The intro was fun to play. Originally I was doing straight 16ths on the kicks, but "the kids" now play more varied patterns.

Thanks for noticing all that you did. I am constantly in awe of your productions; so your comments are much appreciated!

Look what they’ve done to my song, mum. Look what they’ve done to my song! This was supposed to be a love song!!!. I am (of course) only joking. You took these lyrics and interpreted them in exactly your own way. Which is a exactly what they were there for!

The song is absolutely amazing Caaron. Those vocals are just right out of the park. Unbelievable that this was done with band in a box. As for “lack of EQ”? It is just like I always suspected...that these realtracks are so beautifully recorded and produced that they don’t need much from us at all!

A truly unique and paradoxical take. Well done. Stand back Nickleback.

Ha! THAT was funny.



Thank you very much. That's very kind of you to say.



Indeed Thanks for giving it a listen.

Thanks Bob! I always enjoy your work, so I appreciate the listen and comments.

No pulling of legs going on here. If you're feeling that, you might want to check to see what's causing it!

I think I only used 3 forms of eq on this. 1-Was a telephone effect on a few of the vocal phrases, 2-was the tape stop effect, which changed the EQ, and last I added a multiband compressor...the bands being eq of course.

I did NO eq to the vocals, reverb, delay, or instruments (real tracks and slate drums). I'm surprised it had the clarity it did. I mean, I would LOVE to have a better mix, but wanted to post it.



Agreed Torrey...I've always love that name BTW. It was different for me as well.

Thanks much!

HTL,

It has been my experience (and a painful learning process) that with some of the real tracks that already have effects (the non DI ones) it is sometimes best to just leave them alone, or you can make them sound metallic or watery real fast.

When I do my OWN parts I EQ them but have learned to be gentle.

I thought the sound was great and had a wonderful dynamic range. Dynamic range is everything. I have a dynamic range meter going all the time when I am mixing (not even to master stage yet) and if I see a certain plug in on a certain track is squashing the dynamic range I take it the heck out.

Perhaps some of the magic of your tune in the robustness of the mix may have something to do with the fact that you left well enough alone and DIDN'T fiddle too much.

But heck, what do I know, I'm just an old peanut butter and banana sandwich eatin' country boy from Memphis with 1000 gold records, long sideburns, a beautiful wife and a Colonel.

Peace out man.

--The King

Jeez what a cool version of the song. I like to read all the comments before listening to the song. Got a chuckle out off Davids animated gif. Super backtrack and excellent vocal. Joanne must be so pleased with all the different version of her lyrics...

I felt the same way! LOL Thanks so much Charlie.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I appreciate your comments a lot

This is what my version of the song wants to be when it grows up.


...and I had no idea you were using a record spin effect either!

Hey Eddie, I NEVER doubt your knowledge of music, so compliment from you means something. Thanks much for taking a listen and taking the time to comment. Much appreciation.

Thanks so much Mario! I always enjoy listening to your songs. I often get lost in how cool they are because they are different than most of what I hear. To be able to return that favor, in even a small way, has me feeling pretty d#$% good.



Oh, trust me, there wasn't much done AT ALL on this. It would be embarrassing if I were to show you how little I did! NO BS. I don't even "wish" I was better at it. I really don't like that side of music. I appreciate it BIG TIME, but hit "mute" on wanting to do that YEARS ago. I've come to accept, that ain't ma thang.

Thanks for the listen and comments!

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and comment! I have to say, I think it's pretty amazing to think the number of countries our songs are listened to in on this forum. The world keeps get smaller in some great ways!

Thanks you again for the listen and compliments. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Very cool rock version of this song. The production is very well done and vocals sound amazing. Awesome!

Thank you very much! That's very kind of you to say

I had to laugh with this comment. I'm from a small town...well, village. Something about your comment really made me feel like I hit what I was going for!

Thank you for the kind compliments. I know you REALLY know a lot of what I was going for, so I'm feeling pretty good right now



No kidding? That makes me feels awesome! I noticed in reading several peoples lyrics prior to listening to their song (not just this song) I frequently phrase things differently than they do. That was what this entire exercise was for me. That you made this specific comment blows my mind...in a great way It means a TON coming from someone who studies lyrics as much, maybe more, than I do! THANK YOU!

Seriously? WOW is right! What a compliment! Thank you so VERY much! What a great thing to say!

Thank you Alan!

Whoa...THANK YOU! I totally respect what you do on the forums musically and to help out. I very much appreciate your comment.



Thanks. EQ is not my friend. But I have a friend who is friends with it. Maybe I will call him



I know of and have used Glitch, but didn't use it on this. I did a combination of a turn table effect, followed by volume slicing, and finally distortion.

The only other thing I did was to take the snare hit from the front, copy it, reverse it, and use that to have it come back into the final chorus.



Means a lot. Thanks!



I have wondered if this is how she heard it in her head lol

Oh YES, this really rocks! Great vocals and drumming!

…and when the cover version blows new life to the original, well,… then it's worth listening!!! ;-)

Wow - what a tune! Your rendition of this is spot on. It's incredibly unique to hear something like this on the showcase here. You really did an outstanding job. The vocal performance is great, the arrangement is great, the mixing is great - not a thing I'd change here.

Fantastic job, and thanks so much for sharing

So there is a bit or irony in a decision I made. Roughly a year ago we started this little challenge with I had a blast participating in. I really felt a sense of comradery that I personally had experienced here before. THANK YOU to Joanne Cooper for supply us the lyrics to work with...and so fast!

Anyway, something that has bothered me for a while was I sort of dropped off and had very limited ability to respond to the comments that were made. With what was going on, serious health issues, it sort of took a back seat. Later I stumbled across the wonderful comments that I hadn't responded to yet...there was also a thread about "bumping" that made me hesitant.

I decided that this really isn't about me; or my treatment of the song. It's about saying "thank you" to the people that I REALLY appreciate took the time to comment. So bumping be damned! A year in the making of THANKS!

I just read something in another thread from Bud that light the fire, and appropriately, their response was the first in the line of responses I haven't made yet.

Here we go...bare with me. It will take a few days.


Ha! That's funny. A bit more than dropping a mic. Is that where the term "had a flare" comes from?



More can certainly come; it's more deciding genres and having time. I love to write in all different styles. I joke that when I work out I have ABBA and Avenged Sevenfold that I listen to. Not at the same time of course...but that would explain "me" a bit.



I know you're not a genre-ist. Lol. New word?



Aw...Steve Jordan. That guy! Man! Talk about confidence at a drum kit. If you heard it; it's because he wanted you to. Every stroke was that way with him. Great player!



Thanks much! I'm not sure about oldest though. My dad is a pretty big fan, and I believe him to be older...however you are MUCH younger at heart.

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Sorry the appreciation of those Comments where so long coming.

Man, I remembered this was good, but I had forgotten how good! One of the best tracks ever posted here IMHO.

My question is...
When will we hear more of your songs????

Janne, thanks so much for the listen and comments. I think BIAB and RT have many incredible sounds. The fun, I feel, is getting inspiration from combining them in new ways. That sparks new ideas; and it's a whole new world from there.

Again, thanks for the listen.

Wow! Thanks Dave. I always am so impressed with your work. Hearing that from you truly means a lot. Thanks for another listen!

You ask a great question Jim! My problem isn't that I don't write. It's the I write, what feels like, all the time...it's just that it's not totally for fun. It's for work.

I am committed to posting some more songs this year. This 1 song every year or 2 isn't enough for me. lol. Floyd Jane has been helping me with a simple way to write songs at pace that works around life.

Thank you so much for the vote of confidence in asking. That's a really great feeling that you would ask.

Thank you!

This is some very enjoyable high-octane rock and roll! The mix sound good to me. Excellent pipes.

WOW!!!! A rocker among rockers!! Epic!! The vocal......BIIIIG, and GREAAAAT!! Awesome job on this!!! Take care. Greg

Thank you FJ. I don't mean to disagree; but it's a tad muddy. I didn't EQ it beyond a 4 band compressor for quick reference. Dropping instruments out at key points so they don't bump into each other would help as would just flat our proper EQ. I don't even know if most people would even hear the synths from the second verse on.

There's work to do there; I'm just not one to do that part of it. lol Thanks though!



I had to find a rhythm to make them "flow" in the right feel. They were really fun to work with.



Not me! In fact, had it been me your comment would have read...

"As far as I can tell, you never specifically said that the vocal is you? It's INCREDIBLY BAD! Off-the-charts-bad. A voice meant for SILENCE!!"



Those are me. I really enjoy doing them. I feel like they change the the feel of the BIAB tracks. It's fun to play around and come up with various parts. Nickelback's are both louder and produced better. That's getting into more than I was willing to do at this point. I keep saying I will; but honestly, it's more than I want to tackle right now.



I've heard a few numetal sounds I would like to try out; but also don't want to be known as the metal guy around here. I like a lot of different styles and will try a few of those before returning to rock. Very nice of you to say.



I really enjoy production and arranging. To me, and this might be rare, it's plays into the writing of the song, without being lyrics, melody, or harmony. Yet, it shapes the song nearly as much.



No comment. I bet you thought I would ever say that!



-C

Thanks for the listen, compliment, and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it!:)

Thanks so much Greg. I always enjoy your work, so appreciate the comment. It's people like you that make this forum so great!

Modern metal sounds abound.
As a matter of taste I think the guitars are a little too fizzy. If they've been run through sims that would be the most likely cause.
I think the kit sounds pretty good though the kick drum isn't EQ genre specifically - the flicked aluminium Milo foil thing. I MUCH prefer a kick with more thud & thwack and less click as you've done it.
If you're into arranging then you probably do have an inherent sense about EQ as that's, largely, what arrangement is about - fitting the sounds together. You just need tools that allow you to work intuitively. Reaper's parametric EQ is cool.
Big niose - well done.

I'm so glad you said this. Knowing your style having listened to many of your songs and visiting your videos; I would hope you already know I'm a fan!

That being said, I had a reference of what I wanted NOT to do. I tried to take somewhere that didn't sound like you to show how versatile you lyrics are.

I was SO hoping you were ok with it!



I do think they sound great as is. They could be helped with some shaping, not because of being recorded "wrong" but from the sounds I choose bumping into each other from a frequency aspect. But great sounds to start with sure helps and that's what you get with BIAB!



I'm afraid they may have! I haven't heard much from them or much from rock in general. I hope I didn't end the entire genre. lol J/K there is still some great rock being produced. I'm just a little saddened that it's popularity has declined so much.

Thank you again so much for providing such a fun sandbox to play in. Your lyrics worked so well for so many! YOU really made this whole thing possible and have to say, we all responded. You're the best! Thanks for making this happen!

Actually, I did 0 eq, and 0 added anything beyond 1 run through a multi-band compressor. I had the intent of mixing it; then just decided not to and post it.



I agree on the sound. I remember being in the studio a few times and having to tape quarters to both the beater AND the kick drum itself. THAT was different for me.

Again, I didn't eq anything but do prefer more than a "click" from my kick.



Yes, I very much try to think through orchestration's and arranging's play on EQ. Being I really am not into mixing or mastering I appreciate that art BIG TIME. It's just really not for me.

Thank you so much for listening and commenting on the specifics. I love when people really give a listen and suggestions. The knowledge you and others have is always so helpful. Thank again!

Yeah...me and fiddlin' has never worked out. Be it with EQ or and actual fiddle. I leave the fiddlin' to the fiddlers. If there is one intelligence I have it's that I know where I'm not intelligent.

Suddenly I'm hungry for a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. lol

Thanks as always for the listen, input, and laugh.

It's funny you mention reading all of the comments. I'm always mixing up if I do or don't. Sometimes I like no expectations at all; other times it's nice to go in with a few ideas.

I laughed at the .gif too. He's got a way with those.

Thanks so much for the listen and comments! Always nice to read 'em.



I sure hope she was. That's got to be a pretty great feeling!

I laughed when I read this. I love your version of the song! I know you were stepping out of your comfort zone and you knocked it out of the park. Well done!




They say great minds think alike. I guess ours do too

Thanks for the listen and getting my sense of humor!

Caaron

Just listened again because someone at FAWM is undertaking a similar challenge. Still love your version of these lyrics.

Joanne, you have no idea how happy this makes me. Knowing that you are going to interpret someone's work in a different way can be a bit nerve-racking when you KNOW you are going outside the box.

FAWN fascinates me. I've always thought it would be fun to participate IF I was able to. I can't just yet, but in the future it will be fun to try.

Thanks again for listening another time and putting my mind at ease.

Sam, I so much appreciate you listening and commenting. I was VERY curious if you would give it a listen and comment. I totally love your work and what you do; so it's one of those comments I was really hoping would happen.

So, a big thank you for doing this!

Keep your songs coming my friend!

I'm so glad I didn't have the opportunity to hear the original. Knowing JC's previous works, I know I would have gotten what she did stuck in my head!

This allowed me to envision various other artists singing the lyrics and how they might approach it.

I much appreciate the listen and comments!

I think it's so great that the employees are so involved with the forum community. I'm glad you found it to be unique. I did try to go a route I hadn't heard before.

Thanks for taking the time to comment and listen.

I think I responded to all now. I am so sorry it took so long to do so. You all took the time to actually listen to something I've done AND express your thoughts on it. As a writer/musician that's a amazing feeling.

So again, I say a "Thank You" to all of you that did. I truly meant a lot in a difficult time.

Thanks H2L...
For taking time to listen to “There Won't Be No Christmas This Year” ...
You will find my response to your comments there.

Also I’d like to ask again...
When will we hear more of your songs ? ? ??
No hurry ...
But thanks again for the listen & comments!