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Some of you may recall the first time I posted this song a few months ago. I had a bad cold but decided to do the vocals myself and --well-- , got what I paid for.......

I recently had the opportunity to work with an old friend of many years, Debbie Lanier, and we re-worked this song. I accepted her suggestions for some lyric changes, removed the third chorus and replaced it with a third verse she wrote. Debbie did the vocals this time. All music is BIAB as listed below.

Hopefully, you will find it more paletable to your ears this go round. Enjoy and comments welcome.

Hide My Tears with vocals lowered in mix

Per recent comments, I lowered the vocals a little in the mix.

Title: Hide My Tears
Key=G , Tempo 72, Length (m:s)=3:59
Style is _FPBRT01.STY (Brent FP Gtr's with Piano and PS)

RealTracks in style: ~701:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 085
RealTracks in style: ~368:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 065
RealTracks in style: ~1676:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryBrent Ev 065
RealTracks in style: ~364:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 2024:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryJohn Ev 085
RealTracks in song: ~~369:Pedal Steel, Background Ev 065
RealDrums in style: NashvilleEven8^3-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat Open


Lyrics:
Please tell me why you don't wanna talk about it
Your eyes tell me you're searching for a way to say goodby
You know that I don't want to fight you about it
I just want to hold you close tonight

Loneliness surrounds me
Even though I've tried and tried
I don't find any comfort
So my tears I try to hide

Each day I live in sorrow and I feel the pain
Seems like the sun never shines and I don't see no change
Look into my eyes and tell me what you see
It has to be true love that's all that it can be

Loneliness surrounds me
Even though I've tried and tried
I don't find any comfort
So my tears I try to hide

But wait --
I feel your arms surround me
Could this mean you want to try
Your eyes tell me you're searching for a way to make things right
I promise I, I'll try not to hurt you
I just want to hold you close to me tonight

Last edited by c_fogle; 04/27/15 12:15 AM.

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This is absolutely gorgeous Charlie. Debbie's voice sounds so good and the restrained and sympathetic backing is just right. Most enjoyed. Cheers.

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Hi Charlie,

That was a very pleasant listen indeed smile

For what it's worth... On my system, the vocal stood out in front of the backing more than I've usually heard. It might be me (I find mixing incredibly challenging) but, if you ever decide to play around with the track again in the future, it could be a productive exercise to see how the song sounds with the vocal reduced by a 1 - 2 dB. Alternatively, maybe the backing could be brought a little more forward.

As I said, though, this was definitely a pleasant listen. Debbie has a very easy-on-the-ears voice.

Best regards to you both,
Noel




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Hi Charlie

Great effort with a really nice song.

I listened before reading the other posts, but I kind-of agree with Noel, that the vocals might be a little too much up front.

This could be because you are so pleased to have made the improvement you were looking for, that you just want to show them off (ha ha).

The recordings are all top quality, but I think you'll improve it more if you just pull the balance of the vocals back a tiny bit.

Hope this feedback is received positively. That's how it's meant!

Best

Trev


BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Charlie,
Love this production, but I remember loving the previous version also. Do you have your elder version, so I can compare?
Grtz
Fred

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Hello, Charlie.

I missed out on the first version, but I found this version quite enjoyable.


Thanks for the music,
Dan



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Hi Charlie,

with Debbie you have found a gem. Especially
like the harmonies. Would have wished some more.
But others are right: a little too much out in front.
The song is worth it making that little change.

Guenter

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Hi Charlie and Debbie
Wow! I really love this vocal. It sounded very good to me (listening on ear buds). A really nice write and the harmonies are just beautiful. Good job.


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Hi Charlie,

We think you both have done a great job, the new vocals sound very nice especially on the choruses.
A small tip: the vocals in the verses could use slightly more reverb in our opinion.
A good listen!

Rob and Anne-Marie


We are Rob Meulman and Anne-Marie Bovenkamp from The Netherlands.

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http://rnam.net/


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Charlie and Debbie,

Very nice. Such a sweet vocal. And the harmonies were really nicely done.

A terrific arrangement - nice build and each instrument fell into place nicely. Excellent mix - the vocals are sitting right where they should... and all the instruments are at good levels.

I like that the song ends on a positive note - that puts it a cut above the typical "sad song"...

Well done.

floyd

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I don't remember the original but this is very nice!! Really pretty vocals and sweet harmonies. Nicely done all around! Take care. Greg

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What's not to love here! That chorus is super! The harmonies and the steel guitar - amazing!

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RichMac: Thanks for listening. Debbie and I seem to collaborate about once a decade any more but it is always a joy. She is a super person and talent.

Noel96: Thanks to you also for stopping by. I probably overcompensated on the vocals originally. When I sent the first mix to Debbie she thought the vocals were too low. I turned them up. I've gone back and dropped the vocals and uploaded that version after seeing yours and others early comments today. Hopefully, it's better now.

Trevor: Thanks. See my comments to Noel. Yes, I wish Debbie could sing for me more. We sang together quite a bit in years past but it has been difficult to get together the past few years. I appreciate your comments and realize they are meant to be helpful, (and they are)....


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FredM: I appreciate you taking time to stop by and I will pull up the original and post it here in this thread to avoid confusion of having a thread for both on the forum at the same time. Check back, I will have it posted in a few hours.

Big741: Hi Dan. You didn't miss much from the first version but there is some interest to compare the two so I will post the first version here in this thread so those who wish to compare, can do so.
Thanks for stopping by.

Guenter: Thanks for your kind comments. I always appreciate you stopping by for a listen. I have hopefully fixed the vocals in the mix as I pulled them back and re-uploaded after several others commented the same.


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JosieC: Thanks for listening and commenting. Debbie is an old friend and we have such fun when we do get together to work on a project.

RnAM: Always good to hear from you guys. I recorded this in RealBand and used the default Fx for female vocal setting for reverb and lowered the reverb to Debbie's liking. She felt the default setting to be too much reverb. The unison vocal and upper harmony both are recorded at the default level but that doesn't help in the verse when they aren't heard.

Floyd: Thanks for listening. I appreciate your comments on the mix. I try to look at the instrumentation and build of instruments and also varying the drum patterns closer. I still refer to an email from you with suggestions on a song you provided me with guidance. Debbie's first comment when hearing the song was it needed some "Hope". She made some changes to the first verse lyrics and brought the idea together with a third verse.


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Greg: The first version was not particularly memorable. I will re-post here on this thread for comparison as some others have expressed interest to hear the original as they missed it when I posted it a few months ago. Thanks for stopping by.

Gruverider: I appreciate your comments and glad you enjoyed it.


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For those interested in comparing the original to the remix:
Hide My Tears Original Version


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Hi again, Charlie.

I've just had a listen to the remixed vocals. This mix sits much better on my system. It's a beautiful sound.

All the best,
Noel




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A sparse production that manages at the
same time to sound lush. That's a great
place to be with a mix.

Nice vocals and RT choice with an
arrangement that supports the feel
of the lyrics.

Kudos

We enjoyed it.

J&B


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Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud
A sparse production that manages at the
same time to sound lush. That's a great
place to be with a mix.

Nice vocals and RT choice with an
arrangement that supports the feel
of the lyrics.

Kudos

We enjoyed it.

J&B


+1, That's a good way to put it. Really like the song, the mix and the vocals. Great job! Tom

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