Hi Ray This song is a real gem Absolute Pro Level Just listened to this song with a friend of mine And he was so excited... You have a new fan ;-) Fantastic work Ray Many greetings Andi ;-)
Love that piano opening. Love that organ!!! Nice bite. Delicious guitar work. Haunting BGVs. Cool. Good clarity to the vocal. I wanted the drums to be SLIGHTLY louder (but, I will admit that that "70's snare" cut through the mix incredibly well)
Impressive ending. I enjoyed all 8 minutes of that. (8:08 - could that be a sign?)
Thanks for making it, Ray. I really enjoy how you progress with your projects. Very educational. This is a wonderfully beautiful result. Bandi plays a great piano, and, man, I REALLY REALLY REALLY dig that bass. Excellent taste!! There is so much goodness in there and you have it perfectly mixed. Outstanding. I also enjoy he sparce use of the Bandhi singers. Cool video, too. A real gem, my friend.
Enjoy whatever happens! marty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 12, EZDrummer
Absolutely loved the piano! The lead guitar perfectly does just enough to earn its place. The backing vocals are killer!
Your mixing has elevated to a really high level. You used to be (several years ago) a bit timid with your mixing. But now, you just put it all out there in a well-organized, most enjoyable experience.
This is just so cool in more ways than I have room to mention. Unquestionably, this is my favorite of yours. It has everything a listener could want. The tension and release are transfixing. The perfect energy in the exact proper places. There's drama and anticipation. Well, you get the idea.
Hi Ray This song is a real gem Absolute Pro Level Just listened to this song with a friend of mine And he was so excited... You have a new fan ;-) Fantastic work Ray Many greetings Andi ;-)
Thanks Andi, This was a case of subtraction...I had lots going on and needed to cut away stuff to get to the core.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Love that piano opening. Love that organ!!! Nice bite. Delicious guitar work. Haunting BGVs. Cool. Good clarity to the vocal. I wanted the drums to be SLIGHTLY louder (but, I will admit that that "70's snare" cut through the mix incredibly well) Impressive ending. I enjoyed all 8 minutes of that. (8:08 - could that be a sign?) Extremely Well Done. fj
Thanks Floyd, Long one I know but that was the natural flow as I was constructing it. The drums were REALLY problematic. It was a "multi stem" set but the OHs were in mono so It was near impossible to use them to reinforce the kit without skewing the stereo image. I was trying for 801 but arrived at the angel #.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Gorgeous opening on this . . . that piano is so compelling out of the gate . . . really sets the mood. Terrific mix . . . masterfully balanced. Some really subtle harmonies that sing . . . nice fills on the guitar panned . . . the gospel BGV resonates . . . So much to like here . . . lots of ear candy. Killer stuff!
Ray...very complex. compelling and complete mix....super work with the piano parts as well as the other instruments and vocals...great listen and super production!
www.soundclick.com/firesong BiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10
You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
You polished and finished this one in fine fashion! Pink Floyd vibes all over the place! You are doing a really great job adding your own instrumentation, played professionally all the way! Your vocals (I know you didn't used to want to sing on your tunes)are a great fit for your songs and you do a great This sounds really good to me!
Anyway, is there anyway you can list the pianos you used, and other stuff. I like them!
Thanks David, Original set of RTs: BIAB STUFF with those that made it to the final cut emboldened: RealTracks in style: 908:Bass, Electric, SmoothBallad Ev16 065 (replaced with a Knockhoffner, round strings , finger style) RealTracks in style: 3099:Organ, Rhythm AmericanaSlow16thsMike Ev16 060 RealTracks in style: 3436:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BritPsycPopBalladArpHiPhaser Ev 065 - (replaced with a squire through a Yamaha FX500 sweet swirl preset) RealTracks in style: 3435:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BritPsycPopBalladArpVibChorus Ev 065 - (replaced as above but using the "chord Clouds" preset). RealTracks in song: 1883:Piano, Acoustic, Soloist Country12-8John Sw 065 (only a couple of two or three note phrases as it was awful and very tinny) RealDrums in Song: PopRock16ths^ (7 stems as I wanted just the snare in some parts and had to address a pretty awful modern kick click too). RealTracks in song: ~2504:Piano, Acoustic, HeldChords 060 RealTracks in song: 1602:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Pop16 Ev16 065 (this provides most of the piano "solo" that follows the guitar. RealTracks in song: 3538:Vocals, BackgroundSoloist GospelCoolSoulful Sw16 075 (supposed to work at 60bpm but I had to use tuning software to reduce the wayward vibrato and bring it into almost tune) RealDrums in Song:PopRock16ths^01-a:Snare, HiHat, b:Snare, Ride RealTracks in song: 3348:Guitar, Electric, Soloist HazyBallad ev16 070 Cheapie lap steel through a Pignose 100 was added. NB: the question about Pink was asked by BBC DJ John Peel, supposedly in jest as they were there to do a "Peel Session". During the intro & outro the two main piano parts are stereo and were superimposed while during the majority of the song they were panned away from each other.
Last edited by rayc; 05/22/2309:24 PM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Ray, Gorgeous opening on this . . . that piano is so compelling out of the gate . . . really sets the mood. Terrific mix . . . masterfully balanced. Some really subtle harmonies that sing . . . nice fills on the guitar panned . . . the gospel BGV resonates . . . So much to like here . . . lots of ear candy. Killer stuff! All my best to you, Deej
Thanks Deej,
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Ray, You polished and finished this one in fine fashion! Pink Floyd vibes all over the place! You are doing a really great job adding your own instrumentation, played professionally all the way! Your vocals (I know you didn't used to want to sing on your tunes)are a great fit for your songs and you do a great This sounds really good to me! Thanks, TB
Torrey, You're too kind.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
It's a great achievement that immediately immersed me in the atmosphere of Pink Floyd. And if we could go back like when we listened to Dark Side of the Moon with our adolescent wonder. Thank you for this bath of youth. Laurent
WOOOOOW!!!!! I guess I'm late to the party. Just had an 8 minute trip to the dark side of the moon and got a great contact high!!!! This is my favorite of yours so far Ray!!!! What are the tracks? (missed the earlier version(s)?). Take care. Greg
The soothing ocean waves go so well with the wonderful piano. It’s mesmerizing.
Wow, Ray, you’ve done a terrific mix of the BiaB tracks and your performances and Fran’s mastering aced it. That open/airy feel is hard to achieve and you nailed it. That piano is top of the bar in chops and tone for the song.
We like the gospel bgv’s and are reminded of Ruthie Foster’s excellent vocals.
Bravo!
J&B
PS You said, "his was a case of subtraction...I had lots going on and needed to cut away stuff to get to the core." True that! The old adage that perfection is when there is nothing left to take away.
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I must admit that I didn't look much at the video because I got so absorbed and lost in the sound. That was great. I don't have the musical vocabulary to articulate my thoughts but the music was complex but not overwhelming. I like the descending bass line in certain parts== that was just a little thing (of the many things) that stood out for me. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 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 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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