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Journeyman
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Hi all; I wrote a 3 song medley about my divorce. 1. Heart's Can Turn To Stone= It's about talking to your kids about it. 2. Take A Good Look= About starting over, getting back out there, kind of. 3. Nobody's Fool= Is about the "At first" joy of ending a bad relationship, then the reality of it all sets in I sequenced the bass and drums, and played all the acoustic guitars. My friend Dale Sanders did the vocals. I hope you like one or all of them. Pardon my mastering skills, that is a whole profession in itself. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=926440&content=music
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Hi Gene,
I really like the vibe you've got happening with these songs. Don't be too critical about your mastering skills, the mixes sounded fine to me. You've got a great sense of lyric and music. I'm envious! I liked all your songs but, for the record, my favourite was "Nobody's Fool".
Great stuff!
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Journeyman
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Hi Noel;
Thank you for the listen. I used some of Ray's tutorials on RB effects, etc. Real helpful. Digital editing is so amazing and fun. I had some hiss I could not get rid of without compromising the EQ. That is because I pulled the song off of a cassette. Hopefully, I am DONE with analog now.
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Yep, Ray Thigpen has got some great tips and tricks. I have really appreciated his tutorials too.
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Apprentice
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Apprentice
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Fist of all let me say that I enjoyed listening those songs. I think they are very nice.
About the soundquality/mix I would want to say that the mix (volume-balance) is not bad at all, but some things were a pity:
First of all: what's with the wobbly sound (guitar?)
The ending chords are cut off in a pretty bad way.
Ducking (the compression or volume automation where the music is getting softer in volume when the vocals come in) should be not so drastic and audible . This was the case in the first two songs.
Here and there there is some distortion/crackle
I'll be back...
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Gene,
Wow, Nobody's Fool is a jewel for you. I like the lyrics, the concept of the song, the word play, the afterthought vibe, the arrangement etc. This could be one for a contest. A pro demo would knock this out of the park. Congrats........ As you've already noted, the mix isn't the greatest especially the vocals, but thats all fixable. The song is great.
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Journeyman
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Hi guys;
Thank you for the listen. It was really tough for me as they were taken off of a cassette. So what was there was kinda what was there. I didn't have the luxury of panning, eq on individual tracks, etc. It was kind of a save from analog to digital. I would be more than willing to send the raw wav to a more talented mastering guru, because these are the only cuts I have unless I do a complete re-record. Which is an option, of course.
Ab;
I heard the drop outs, etc also, and was disappointed. Probably my mis-use of compression and noise reduction to minimize the tape hiss. The originals are ok, they are just low in DB and there are tape drop outs here and there. I have one I would really like to try and save called He's Gonna Be A Cowboy.. Real good hook (for me) but the audio would be a challenge from tape.
Anyway, it's all fun, and I value all of your help and opinions.
Later;
Gene
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Apprentice
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Gene, I checked something for you that might give you a good compromise for the tape-hiss. I did not work with it, just did a very fast check, but audicity (normally I don't use it) hass a plugin to use against tapehiss. It is very simple, not much settings, but what you do is take a piece of hiss only, make a profile from that and then preview it and determine the amount you want to filter. Worth trying maybe. Maybe there is so much hiss you will get a lot of aliasing, then try to find a compromise of reducing hiss while still preserving an acceptable quality of the audiofile. I know, there are obviously better plugins, I am sure of that, but for a freebie and a fast check it might be worth it.
I'll be back...
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I think the songs are pretty good -- therefore I vote for re-recording them. With realtracks, realdrums and you playing I bet you can get the tracks down pretty quickly.
Kevin
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Apprentice
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Citaat:
I think the songs are pretty good -- therefore I vote for re-recording them. With realtracks, realdrums and you playing I bet you can get the tracks down pretty quickly.
Kevin
Oh I certainly agree on the rerecording part. It certainly would be worth it. But if that is no option, well try whatever you can to make it work.
I'll be back...
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Wow Gene you are quite the writer - I am impressed. And I love your friend's voice he reminds me of the Everlys. I agree with Noel and Toucher. I really like Nobody's Fool - Hearts Can Turn To Stone and the other one are not bad either. Audacity works pretty good on getting rid of some of the tape hiss - I also have a lot of old demos on cassette so I know the feeling.
Sundance
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Gene, it all been said.
You are one great lyricist!
Nobody’s Fool is the winner for me. Great stuff.
Although a lot more work for you I think these songs are good enough to warrant a remake.
Principal: Your child always causes trouble in school.
Me: My child causes trouble at home, do I ever call you?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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I liked Take a Good Look. Very nice tune. And your mixes are good.
Nobody's Fool was good too. I think you should put out a cd.
You are a good songwriter. They are few and far between.
Last edited by edbulmer; 04/16/09 04:17 PM.
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Journeyman
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Hi everyone;
Wow, I love a good review! Thank you, I value everyone's input, because this site is the best forum I have ever been on. So full of talent from every aspect.
Ab;
I tried the Audacity noise reduction. I tried the sample thing, but the whole song hisses. I probably added too much because it really squashed the track to the point of whistles and weird noises. Remake probably.
Kevin;
Thank you. I have listened to much of your stuff, and am proud to have your endorsement.
Sundance;
Thanks for the listen. I tried the audacity thing. I think my levels were just to low with a cassette to get stellar results.
MarioD;
I'm glad you had time to listen. Thank you for your input. Glad you liked them. I should point out it takes me about a month per song. I just can't crank them out like I can the music. The lyrics come hard.
Ed;
Aren't you the one with the boat? Your songs are great. I listened to all of your samples one evening. Your kind comments are very inspiring. Thank you so much.
Well, perhaps a collaboration would be in order. I could lay down the chords etc, and get help with the vocals and harmonies and mastering. Then what? You would not believe how many times I have pitched those songs. They are from the 90's. But sometimes, the timing is everything. . . .
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Hearts….
This has a nice authentic Eagles feel to it, in both the lyric and the musical development.
If you’re looking to re-record, I would slip the pause right in there at 1.18, rather than keep that rather empty passage (in fact, just the chords without any sort of hook) which takes us up to 1.30.
With the time you gain, you could add another rep. of the chorus at the end
Lyrically, this comes across as honest and heartfelt.
Wouldn’t have minded hearing the “a little crazy, a little cold” line again in the coda.
As to the quality of the recording, this has been comprehensively dealt with above.
Oh, and Gene – please take the ’ out of the title. ‘Hearts’ is a plural, not a contraction.
Good look
I think more development is perhaps required in the writing to take this from a pleasant enough, major chord structured mid-tempo number to a truly memorable song.
Don’t think it would take that much – a bridge, a hook, just something to enlarge the song’s footprint.
NF
This one rattles along nicely. Once again, pleasing melody and chord structure and a well-crafted song.
I particularly like the irony in the title – not a quality one would readily associate with country
(where the preference is generally for full on self-pity!)
Not sure about that “through” / “cool” rhyme, though
Overall, this is an impressive body of work about what must have been a challenging period for you Gene.
The only general criticism I would have is that the songs are perhaps a little predictable. I think with not much effort they could be sustantially improved.
Thanks for posting,
Marc
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Marc;
Thank you for the listen. I will check out all the things you mentioned when I get home from work. Thanks also for the english lesson. LOL I wondered about that as I put the ' in. I does have an Eagles feel. I like them alot. I appreciate the song structure tips. Good ideas. Song structure is hard for me. I usually go AABA. But when I listen to the radio, much is sort of free form, and less predictable for sure. Do you think the music or lyrics are predictable because of simple rhymes? "A little crazy, a little cold" was one of my favorite parts. It bears repeating.
I'm pretty sure a remake is in order, as I have more help than ever before, on this forum.
Best regards;
Gene
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Gene, when you get lots of feedback and helpful suggestions around here, it means you're on the right track!
I guess there are no hard & fast rules with structure.
Playing in my covers band makes me realise how simple many great songs are. You'd be surprised how many just find a chord progression and stick with it from beginning to end (Gloria, Talking 'bout a Revolution..)
..but even if you stick to a relatively conservative structure you could always spring a surprise or two in the instrumentation.
My apologies for the grammatical correction - spend my working life at the office doing that kind of thing and I just can't stop myself!
all the best,
Marc
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Oh, no problem. I use spell checker, but grammatical is something you just need to know. Many thanks . And I need song structure tips. That is what sets one song apart from the run of the mill, and makes it memorable.
Gene
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/guide/song.shtmlThis is a topic which has come up several times here, as you might imagine. The link above is, I guess, a reasonable starting point. I find it useful to listen and observe what others do. And not just published writers, but fellow forum members too.
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Marc;
That's a great website. I will be checking it out.
Gene
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