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We Hold The Light - remix Hello forum friends. Remember "We Hold The Light,"? the one that sounded like a guitar solo had a fight with a drum machine and lost? Let's just say it's been...re-illuminated. Turns out, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" (aka my infinitely patient spouse) wasn't exactly headbanging along. However, she has offered cautious approval to this new version, a feat I consider worthy of a national holiday. I recently stumbled across a quote from Venus Theory on YouTube: "Most of us would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism." Guilty as charged, your honour. My ego needed a stern talking-to. So, a massive thank you to DC Ron, and especially to my long-suffering better half, for steering me back from the brink of musical madness. And a huge apology to Andrew, Marty, Tom, Janice & Bud, Robert D, and Mario. I scrapped the old project and completely failed to acknowledge your valuable input. That was 100% my mistake, and I appreciate your time and effort. This is what happens when I get left to my own devices. And while this version is BIAB-free, let the record show that this song wouldn't exist without that magical piece of software. It's the unsung hero of my songwriting! So, please, give it a listen! All feedback – the good, the bad, the hilariously brutal – is genuinely welcomed. I'll be dissecting every comment, pondering its meaning, and probably overthinking it all...but I promise to reply!
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So Izzy my friend,
This is a GREAT song. I'm jealous.
I do however have some thoughts, because I think there are some production possibilities here that could take this into the land of unforgettable epicness.
In any situation, when faced with a song of this caliber, I often ask:
What would Chris Martin do? Let me see, we have a concert in Paris, I have 50,000 people in the crowd, and they're all holding up little flashlights. I have them in the palm of my hand. How should I play this?
Well first of all, I know I'm going to start off with just a piano in the very opening where you know they all start screaming, but I'm going to play it cool.
I'm just going to lean in really close to the mic and tease the hell out of them, get all breathy, sexy, soft and emotional, maybe just a tiny bit hoarse, until the chicks just can't take it anymore and start going nuts.
Maybe I'll do it this way all the way through the first chorus.
But you know what's about to happen now.
In the background you hear a slowly building Tom with the piano. Just boom boom boom boom.
And then to the left a simple, strummed acoustic, while a simple electric arpeggio loaded with reverb starts rising on the right channel.
And the vocal gets louder and louder until it reaches that fever pitch that you have at the beginning of the song because you're holding back on that until the chicks start to faint and pass out in the front row.
But when you hit chorus two, oh man the salad hits the chopper, and the mosquito hits the fan, and it all comes down.
And you're sitting right in the pilot's seat with your hands on the handles and this jumbo jet takes off man.
And then everyone is swaying and rocking and crying and the tears are flooding down everyone's cheeks and you're right in the spotlight.
And then you hit that final piano chord that holds out forever.
Then when it's over the roar from the crowd is so loud you can hardly hear anything but you can hear this:
Thank you Paris! We're Cold Izzy! See you in Tokyo! Good night!!
Go on man you can do it.
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Hi Izzy!
This is such a good song, you could play it several ways (as you have done) and it still wouldn’t lose its magic!
That being said, the intimacy of this version is good. Love the string ensemble.
Andrew D
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Izzy, ha! Think you captured the inherently romantic sentiment of your tune quite well. "With a love..." even rings out like a bell this time around. Love your vocals, especially when they peg out on those higher notes. Am not surprised your spouse is pleased.
I do herby declare today..."SERIASS DAY": A day to check egos, a day to reflect with friends, and a day to honor those we love, especially when they are much more than we deserve. Make it so.
Love your song!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Izzy, the vocal has a solo Jonathon Richman vibe to it.
You pitch quickly improves across the song and you end up with a BIG song.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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[quote=David Snyder]So Izzy my friend,
This is a GREAT song. I'm jealous.
I do however have some thoughts, because I think there are some production possibilities here that could take this into the land of unforgettable epicness.
In any situation, when faced with a song of this caliber, I often ask:
What would Chris Martin do? Let me see, we have a concert in Paris, I have 50,000 people in the crowd, and they're all holding up little flashlights. I have them in the palm of my hand. How should I play this? <BIG SNIP>.............................................................
David
Wow... your considerable amazing talents extends far beyond your music!
Thanks a million for this incredibly detailed (and hilarious!) review. I feel like I just got a sneak peek into the mind of Chris Martin's imaginary concert director.
"Salad hits the chopper" may be my new favourite phrase.
This isn't just a review, it's a full-blown production roadmap fueled by rockstar dreams and Tom-tom rhythms.
You have just written the biggest "smiles per miles" review that I could hope for.
Now I just need to find 50,000 flashlight-wielding fans and a jumbo jet. Tokyo, here we come!
Much appreciation and My Best Regards
·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝓘𝔃𝔃𝔂 ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·
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And we see her as "She With Whom We Must Agree," albeit less cautiously. Cool piano and vocal, and the strings add a ton of emotion that the voice embraces with like kind. Never heard the guitar/drum machine battle, although I do remember the original. Really like the arrangement with the tickling piano starting and ending it, and if I close my eyes, I can see and hear the screaming. Love it, Izzy.
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Izzy,
This is beautiful.
Love your vocal.
So, who is playing the piano? It's perfect.
Cello is a nice touch (you play cello?)
Nice!
fj
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Izzy, an outstanding vocal Great string section Outstanding arrangement Super mix IMHO this is your best to date An outstanding song PS - no need to apologize to me. I know how life can get into the way of music and responding to our friends on the forums. Also don't you always have to do what "She Who Must Be Obeyed" says? Don't lie, I'm married also 
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal".
Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Hi Izzy!
This is such a good song, you could play it several ways (as you have done) and it still wouldn’t lose its magic!
That being said, the intimacy of this version is good. Love the string ensemble.
Andrew D G'day Andrew Thanks so much for listening and for the lovely comment! I'm so glad you think the song holds up in different incarnations – I like to think of it as the songwriting equivalent of a chameleon. 😉 And yes, I'm all about the intimacy in this version. I figured if the song's going to whisper sweet nothings, it might as well have some strings to help it do the job properly. Glad you're feeling the love – or at least, the strings are! Thanks again for your kind words!
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Izzy, ha! Think you captured the inherently romantic sentiment of your tune quite well. "With a love..." even rings out like a bell this time around. Love your vocals, especially when they peg out on those higher notes. Am not surprised your spouse is pleased.
I do herby declare today..."SERIASS DAY": A day to check egos, a day to reflect with friends, and a day to honor those we love, especially when they are much more than we deserve. Make it so.
Love your song! Ron Well, shucks! Thanks so much for the wonderfully over-the-top compliment. I'm blushing so hard I think I could power a small city! 💥🤑 "Ringing out like a bell" – I'm going to have to steal that for my musician bio. It sounds way more impressive than "occasionally hits the right note." And I'm glad the vocals peaked in the good way and not the "dog-whistle-inducing" way. My spouse's approval is the only Grammy I need! (Although, if the real Grammy people are listening...) 😏 I wholeheartedly endorse "SERIASS DAY"! Checking egos, reflecting with friends, and honoring those we love... that's a daily prescription I can get behind. Especially the "much more than we deserve" part; Keeps me on my toes! 👍 💯 Thanks again for listening and for the fantastic feedback. You've officially made my week – maybe even my SERIASS week! Cheers to you! 🍺
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Izzy, the vocal has a solo Jonathon Richman vibe to it.
You pitch quickly improves across the song and you end up with a BIG song. G'day Ray Thanks so much for the feedback! A Jonathon Richman vibe? Well, I'll take it! Maybe I should start wandering around town singing about Egyptian Reggae more often. 🤣 This song is not my usual style and I was seriously contemplating sending a PM to Greg Johnson to ask him to sing it but I was second guessing if the song was worthy of his huge talent Oh well, Telle est la vie. Seriously though, glad you heard the Jonathan Richman vibe. And "pitch improves across the song" is the nicest way anyone's ever told me I was struggling at the beginning. I'm glad I managed to wrangle it into a "BIG song" by the end! Must've been the sheer force of will, or maybe I just finally warmed up my vocal cords. Thanks again for listening and for the encouraging words! PS Thanks for not mentioning the plosives! 😊 Best to you Izzy.
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And we see her as "She With Whom We Must Agree," albeit less cautiously. Cool piano and vocal, and the strings add a ton of emotion that the voice embraces with like kind. Never heard the guitar/drum machine battle, although I do remember the original. Really like the arrangement with the tickling piano starting and ending it, and if I close my eyes, I can see and hear the screaming. Love it, Izzy. Marty "Wow, thanks so much for the incredibly thoughtful feedback! "She With Whom We Must Agree, albeit less cautiously" – I might just steal that for a future song title! 👋 Seriously though, I'm chuffed you picked up on the emotional intention. The strings were designed to hit right in the feels, so mission accomplished. Glad you survived the guitar/drum machine battle! It got pretty brutal in rehearsals. I'm relieved someone remembers the original... sometimes I feel like I dreamed it. ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ And the "tickling piano" description is perfect! That's exactly what I was going for. I love the image of you closing your eyes and hearing the screaming – maybe I should add a track of crowd noise just for that effect. (Just kidding... mostly!). 🕴🗣🤵🏻🤷💃🏻🕺🏽 (- ‿◦ ) Thanks again for listening and for the kind words. You've officially made my day!" and sorry for the annoying emojies 😆 Very Best to you Izzy
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Izzy,
This is beautiful.
Love your vocal.
So, who is playing the piano? It's perfect.
Cello is a nice touch (you play cello?)
Nice!
fj Floyd Floyd, you're a legend! Thanks for the listen and the enthusiastic feedback. So glad you dug the vocal. About the piano and cello... I wish I could take all the credit! I've got a team of highly specialized musical hamsters who are surprisingly adept at those instruments. They prefer to remain anonymous, though. Keeps them humble, you know? 😉 Seriously, though, appreciate your kind words! Missing hearing your music! Izzy.
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Izzy, an outstanding vocal Great string section Outstanding arrangement Super mix IMHO this is your best to date An outstanding song PS - no need to apologize to me. I know how life can get into the way of music and responding to our friends on the forums. Also don't you always have to do what "She Who Must Be Obeyed" says? Don't lie, I'm married also ·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨 ♫♪♩·.¸¸.· Thanks so much for the incredibly kind words! Seriously, you've made my day (or at least the next hour while the dopamine rush lasts!). To hear you say it's my best to date... well, that's the kind of encouragement that keeps me glued to the keyboard instead of, you know, doing sensible things like laundry. 🙄 And you're absolutely right about "She Who Must Be Obeyed"! My only defense is "happy wife, happy life." Although sometimes "happy wife, slightly less broke partner" is more accurate after buying those new throw pillows she liked. Thanks for the knowing wink - misery loves company, right? Just kidding (mostly!). 😕 Seriously though, I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment. It always means a lot. ♣🌷 Thank you for your Mariology! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
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This is a great version...I really don't recall the original but that doesn't matter.
Sometimes backing away from the original take and re-imagining it is the key to unlocking it's potential.
I liked some of the advice Snyder gave you. Think of this as the starting point. Sit and ponder the possibilities that lay before you and polish this up but not to the point of excess. I like the simplicity you have in this. Work with that. Regarding the vocals, the range of most of this is too high for a close up and personal kind of thing. And use Melodyne. Nothing is really too far out but Melodyne could certainly help you tighten it up.
I think you're headed in the right direction this time.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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.
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Sounds great, Iz, loved the piano and the vox. Would like to have heard some BIAB in it just cuz it's a BIAB forum, but it didn't need it.
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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