Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 59
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 59
Hi Everyone!
It just occured to me that I most likely placed this post into the wrong forum as I had mistakenly posted it in the powertracks forum.
I hope this is the more appropiate forum to get some feedback on this my first song written using PG products......
I finally finished my first song with BIAB and PTPA-11. Used only midi with the VSTi synth in biab (no RT's) and mixed and added vocal in powertracks. Since this is my first tune created using PG music products,
Would appreciate any feedback and/or comments good or bad especially
technical suggestions on maybe mixing and etc. Please bear in mind, I'm just a newbie songwriter (not a singer) and a newbie here with PG products. But it sure has been fun using both BIAB & PTPA!!
The song is called Comin' Home and is dedicated to our Men and Women who are serving in our armed forces.

The song can be heard at: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8274381

Thanks for listening and for your comments.

Larry...

Off-Topic
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,199
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,199
Hi opsvisor,
This is a very good 1st attempt.
I very rarely give advice on a mix of a song because I may not be that good myself
I would just give you a thought - your vocal could be stronger, more up front - by that I mean be bold when singing. It just needs more confidence.
In my opinion you have the voice, use it to it's full potential.
You are among a very friendly group of people on this forum and I'm sure others will give good advice.

Regards
Michee


Windows 11 64 bit, Biab 2024 1111, Realband 2024
i7 Desktop Computer 16Gb Memory

Off-Topic
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,345
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,345
Congratulations on you first song!
Nice changes & vox. I agree with Michee; get more confidence in the vocal.
Are you playing also?

All in all very nicely done. You can be proud.

Mick

Off-Topic
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,122
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,122
Nicely done on your first attempt...

One of the tricks that I use when recording vocals, is to record at about half the normal level, and keep the monitoring phones at a somewhat low level, which allows me to sing harder to hear myself over the mix. The vocals can always be modified later in the mix. Sing it strong.

Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,689
C
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
C
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,689
Larry,

it's a lot better than my first one, and perhaps some of the last ones.

Something that I often do is to record the vox in mono and then double it. It seems to add a little punch. A touch (small touch) of reverb helps also.

Keep it up.

Don S.

Off-Topic
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,706
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,706
It has all been said above but I'd like to also add my congratulations on a wonderful first effort.

Later,

Off-Topic
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 459
K
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
K
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 459
Nice first try, Larry. I agree with the rest of the rest of the guys, you could put a little more punch in the vocals, maybe even move the "vocals" up an octave. I like the guitar part, good pickin', but needs a tiny increase in volume during the solo. All in all, great first try.

By the way, thanks for placing yourself in harms way so we here in American can still enjoy freedom. If you haven't returned home yet, keep your head down and hurry back, we need all the good musicians we can get.

Kaj

Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 996
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 996
As others have said, congratulations on a very strong effort – particularly for your first tune Larry.

The structure is neat and purposeful and it’s obvious that the lyric is sincere and heart felt.

First part of the gtr solo (at around 1:38) doesn’t seem to quite fit the chords. Was this played or generated.

There are plenty of hints above as to the lead vocals, but I would agree they need to be strengthened a little.

Going up an octave (Kaj) might be pushing it a bit.

BTW - don't know who directed you towards SoundClick, but you made a good choice!!

Off-Topic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,900
Well done, Larry. Nice first effort.

Just a tip, if you work out what your vocal range is (bottom and top notes you can sing comfortably - check this against a guitar or keyboards) and plug it into BIAB using the Vocal Wizard feature, then, if you know the melody notes and have it plugged in, you can find the best key for your voice. In the case of this song, you can move it up a little to a slightly higher key (I would suggest about a third).

BTW, are those backing vocals real or is that the TC Helicon?


Follow That Dream

Sam
Karaoke King

--------------------

Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
Off-Topic
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,576
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 14,576
Hi Larry. And congratulations of an excellent piece of song writing and recording. There are only a couple of weak vocal spots but those can be fixed with a compressor. Try this:
    1. Open your song in PTW and hi-lite the vocal track(s)

    2. Click on Edit/Audio Effects

    3. Select the compressor

    4. In the drop down menu select the "Gentle Leveling" preset

    5. Process that and give the song a listen
You may have to monkey around with it a bit until it sounds strong from front to finish. There are other things you can do but this will do for now.

My question is, are you now overseas? If so how did you make this recording? What mic did you use?


Russ
Anyday above ground is a good day

Computer is Hp Pavillion Vision
6 Ghz quad core AMD processor
8 Gig memory
1 TB hard drive
6 GB hard drive
Windows 7 Premium
Loose nut behind the keyboard laugh

Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 59
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 59
WOW! Thanks to EVERYONE for your suggestions and tips regarding this tune. It sure has given me lots to think about for projects in the furture. I will say that just getting used to using both BIAB and PTPA was quite a learning experience for this ole dog and I have to say that I know I haven't even hardly scratched the surface yet in both of those programs.
Yeah I know, I was never satisfied with the vocal on this but as I stated before I never ever considered myself any type of singer by no means. Hence the apparent lack of confidence there. I just couldn't find anyone else to lay down the vocal tracks for me. lol On top of that, I'm still building my home studio and still have a lot of stuff to upgrade yet.(little bits at a time). My vocal mic was an old cheapie radio shack mic from the mid-eighties that had been used on my old ham radio station. Not trying to make excuses here, just stating the facts lol.
To answer some of your questions, I did not play on this song at all (it's all BIAB) except the vocal and the back-up vocals were all done using the TC Helicon harmonies in powertracks.
Just a note to Kajun Jeaux. I served in both the Navy and Air Force from 1969 to 1976. So have been back at home here for over 30 years lol.
Just got into this writing and recording music thang as a hobby in my old age as I have always enjoyed playing keyboards (for myself) as a way of relieving stress.
Thanks again to ALL for listening to and commenting on my song. I will strive to get better!

Larry

Off-Topic
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,345
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,345
Quote:

as I stated before I never ever considered myself any type of singer by no means.



Don't kid yourself!

Mick

Off-Topic
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 59
Enthusiast
OP Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 59
First of all, thanks Mick for the vote of confidence!

Russell, I tried your suggestion on using the audio effects compressor on the vocal tracks and what a big difference that made! Thanks for that tip! Had no idea that would help so much, but I think it did. Will have to get the new version rendered again and converted to mp3 so I can upload it to soundclick and replace the older one.

Thanks Russell for that tip, and have a great day!

Larry

Off-Topic
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 664
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 664
Great job with the singing and songwriting. The harmony vocals are really well done and add a nice touch to your song. BIAB is such a great program for songwriters. Keep 'em coming!

Off-Topic
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 262
P
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
P
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 262
Great job !

Look forward to hearing more.


The Powderman
Learning something new everyday
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support

Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins

Join the conversation on our forum.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos

With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.

From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.

Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!

Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.

If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!

Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.

Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano

Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!

Bonjour à tous,

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music

Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:

BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation

Voilà, enjoy!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!

Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:

https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025.exe
https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025RB.exe

Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!

Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.

Stay up to date—get the latest update now!

Forum Statistics
Forums58
Topics84,317
Posts777,654
Members39,617
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
Floyd17230, JerryL, kottke, kaleu, Claudio Paolini
39,616 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 148
zedd 104
DC Ron 103
rsdean 94
WaoBand 90
nonchai 85
Today's Birthdays
oublaj
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5