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Joined: Mar 2026
Posts: 17
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2026
Posts: 17 |
When I was young—which was a long time ago—I of course wanted to become a pop star, like any reasonable young man. So I learned to play the guitar by playing Beatles songs, got into a band at some point, which mostly played CCR and Deep Purple covers, and sometimes even got on stage in front of an audience—but my big unfulfilled dream was to record my own songs in a real studio. Life had other plans, a lot of them, but the dream wasn't dead yet, as I discovered when I stumbled on GarageBand on my first Mac and later came across Band-in-a-Box. Except that today, anybody can have a studio at home if he wants to. And except that it's still difficult to produce a good song. During the first lockdowns of the pandemic, I was not only equipped with all the necessary gear, but suddenly had a lot of time on my hands again. Music became an anchor during this emotionally turbulent time. This is how the following song, among others, came about. The title is »Silent World«. I started in Band-in-a-Box with the style P_PHIL_C.STY, 65 bpm, in the key of A minor. I took out all the tracks as MIDI files, put them into REASON, and used the instruments I had available there. The drums were played by the MT-Power-Drumkit, an add-on I miss dearly since I had to replace my old iMac with a new one that unfortunately no longer supports 32-bit-software. The bass was the built-in "upright bass", the electric piano the built-in "Wurly piano", and as far as synth voices were concerned, I had to choose from the huge variety that REASON overwhelms you with in this regard. Finally, the vocal parts, that’s me. I mixed all this with REASON’s plate reverb, its compressor, etc., and it was the first production where I used a loudness meter. So, here’s the link to Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/opur-music/silent-worldand here are the lyrics: VERSE 1 We are not safe anymore We have to hide behind doors Don’t move, don’t weep, don’t shout We have to wait this out REFRAIN We never thought that the world could be so silent We never thought that the world could stand still We did not know that a flu could be so violent We didn’t know the whole world would get ill VERSE 2 How long will this go on? Will it be over in twenty-one? How many of us will die despite everything we try? REFRAIN BRIDGE: Our days are endless we don’t keep track of them we live so friendless the silence make us numb
Essential: Band-in-a-Box. DAW: Reason (formerly GarageBand). Interface: Focusrite.
I only wish I had had all this stuff available when I was young …
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,803
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,803 |
Hi Opur (one day i'll know your real name...),
An interesting story about your musical journey and your "discovery" of BiaB!
I connected this discovery with the beautiful, yet dark, lyrics of this song. And I had to smile; the coronavirus period was indeed unpleasant, but it did give you the opportunity to discover how to make your own music. Something you always wanted, right? Without coronavirus, you might never have had this. What do you think?
About your song: I already said the lyrics are good and dark. Maybe a glimmer of hope at the end would have been nice, something like giving hope is a bit more positive.
The choruses are well-sung.
The verses are beautiful, but also sung a bit differently. That feels a bit artificial/forced. Maybe a bit more variation in the singing style could increase the energy a bit? After all, humanity isn't extinct.
Technically, I'd like to make a suggestion about the amount of reverb you use. For me, it's too much. Even dark songs don't have to sound like they were sung in a cave.
But, as I said, your singing is pleasant to listen to!
So, keep it up, "newbie"; grow ahead!
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User Showcase
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,848
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Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,848 |
Opur, this is absolutely fantastic
Great vocal, I will disagree with my friend Andrew as I like the amount of reverb on your vocal - just a personal choice
BiaB has made many of us into music producers, it is a fantastic piece of software
I really liked the arrangement
Great vocal, backing tracks, and mix
Loved it
PS - I hope the viruses don't become the new chemical warfare.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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User Showcase
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Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 1,230
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 1,230 |
Opur, this is absolutely fantastic
Great vocal, I will disagree with my friend Andrew as I like the amount of reverb on your vocal - just a personal choice
... Hi Mario - I think you meant Hans, but very happy to accept your nomination as friend! Hi Opur! Great first entry to the forum! While Covid is becoming a distant memory - I mean how we all reacted to it - your song reminds me of how ominous it felt in those early days. I don’t mind the reverb you have on your vocal - it suits the mood I think. That chorus is really catchy! It is amazing how many of us have been released musically by BIAB. I remember when I got my first copy back in 2000 and the explosion in my own songwriting. I’m going back to listen to more of your work. PS I loved your track on Bandcamp ‘Daughter of light’. Andrew
Last edited by Andrew Dee; 03/08/26 01:10 PM. Reason: PS
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Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 3,116
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Veteran
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 3,116 |
Bonjour and welcome to the Showcase, Opur. This is a beautiful first song here. I like the dark mood and the instruments/arrangement you chose to emphasize this mood. You have a beautiful voice that is perfect for this kind of song. The mix and production are pretty good overall. The only thing I would change is the reverb on your voice, which is a little too much (but still suits the song well). However, I would work on the sibilants in the reverb tail a little more. The easiest way is not to use the reverb as an insert on your vocal track (where you wouldn't be able to EQ the sibilants without also changing your vocals), but to send the vocal track to an FX channel (or whatever it's called in REASON), insert the reverb there, and reduce the sibilants with an EQ. Anyway, it's a good song ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif) Enjoyed my listen!
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,307
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Veteran
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,307 |
Quite a dire dirge you've composed, Opur. I liked it, very effectivel I think most of us just want to forget about those years. I know I do. Again, nice work here!
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,795
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Veteran
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,795 |
Hi, Opur.
Very dark and cool. Super vocals and backing vocal arrangement. Like the instrumental backing track a lot. The synth with the slow attack works really well to build the tension. Some good production notes in the posts above so I won't repeat them.
Hard to place Covid songs in context with so many current global issues. We have a few Covid songs, but they'll likely stay in the vault...
You have a really nice voice and ear for production, and I hope you'll post more.
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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User Showcase
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Joined: Mar 2026
Posts: 17
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2026
Posts: 17 |
Hi, everyone,
thank you for your kind words. Yes, the right amount of reverb is always tricky. At the time, I had an add-on named Valhalla Supermassive Reverb, which was awesome with long reverb – in its most extreme position, you could hit the snare once, and it would fade out over several minutes. Maybe I felt the need to at least imagine a large room while being confined to our house …
Unfortunately, it would be difficult to remix the song because, as I mentioned, I lost some of the instruments due to Apple dropping support for 32-bit software. It would sound very different.
I sure will post other songs here. Actually, I am surprised how encouraging it is to be heard and commented on by folks who clearly have a lot of experience under their belts – it not only encourages me, but even more importantly, it changes my view on what I did and gives me already ideas what I could do better. Thank you again!
Essential: Band-in-a-Box. DAW: Reason (formerly GarageBand). Interface: Focusrite.
I only wish I had had all this stuff available when I was young …
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User Showcase
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,964
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,964 |
Opur,
Nicely done.
Good droning backing tracks.
Good vocals.
Nice mix.
fj
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Joined: Nov 2025
Posts: 175
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2025
Posts: 175 |
Opur, it's a pensive, beautiful, haunting dirge, and works very well with the lyrics. You're among the few I've noticed who is courageous enough to write a song about what everyone else wants to deny. I may be in a minority but I think the covid pandemic was handled very poorly, very much so in America, and it was far too soon to declare it was over. I lived in Phoenix at the time, the epicenter of the pandemic for several months. I remember the desolate streets at first, then the angry men who did not like seeing me wearing a mask, and being regarded as a problem at my government job because I was the only one there who followed the rule of wearing a mask. Sometimes I write songs of social comments and politics with my viewpoints that aren't popular because that's part of what life is. It's what we as artists and songwriters do.
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