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Hi all.
The muse has left me so far this year so I decided to build a shed instead while I contemplated my navel.
Then John Vaughan sent me a song he'd had recorded by a lady on "Fiver".
It was really muddy and indistinct with just two acoustic guitars so he asked if I could re mix it and add some instruments. I liked the song so I just took the vocal and tried to make it clearer with EQ, then deleted the guitars.
The hardest part was trying to work out the chords and then I added cajon, bass, 2x electric and 1 acoustic guitars from BIAB.
Took me 3 days of cussing but finally it came out sounding ok. (I think)

Any thoughts?

https://soundcloud.com/vic-arnold/blue-and-yellow

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I think this song tuned out great. The vocal was very captivating. Really keeps you engaged. Guitars were excellent as well. Really cool listen.


Scott Collingwood
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https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
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Vic,
Excellent tune. Liked it on many levels.
I think backing track, except for vocals and solo/lead guitar can come up a little. Maybe somebody with better ears can phrase it better. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

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I think you really delivered a quite remarkable result.

Interesting combination of melody and vocal and it really works. A fresh difference.

This song demonstrates excellent musical creativity and construction.

Frankly, this is a keeper.


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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Very nicely done. I've worked a few tunes through the years where all I had was the vocal track(s) and had to reverse engineer the band from there. It's a challenge at times but once you get it worked out, it's worth it.

Nicely done.

The guitars are nicely done. Good tone selection, and tasty editing. I'd be curious to know what BB/RTs are being used. Personally, I would have brought in a nice drum kit about halfway through and made it big. But your choice to not do that worked well too.

I did have a bit of trouble understanding the vocals and what was being said. I moved to my ear buds and could pick out a bit more. The low vocals and airyness of them fits well for the overall groove of this song but also combined with the reverb, make the vocals indistinct in quite a few places. Posting the lyrics might certainly be useful to the understanding.

In spite of not being able to clearly understand the words, this is a pleasant song and I enjoyed it.


You can find my music at:
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Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
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Vic...stellar job constructing or should I say reconstructing a track worthy of a great vocal...very powerful and haunting...I do this a lot with my older songs and it is a daunting task but well worth the effort...the track fits the vocals like a glove...BRAVO!!


www.soundclick.com/firesong
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The nameless voice really pulled me into this... shades of Billie Eilish, or Julee Cruise. Moody music well made and well produced, and I appreciate how challenging this kind of compositing can be.

Last edited by Mark Hayes; 04/08/22 10:42 AM.
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I'm with Mark here - the vocal is what sells the song, and so as long as the arrangement supports the vocal, it's a success.

As other noted, the vocal is indistinct in places. I'd like to have had it closer in front, but it fits the mood.

The cajon seems off-beat in some places, and is so quiet, it doesn't really seem to be adding to the mix.

Still, very musical and kept my interest throughout.


-- David Cuny

My virtual singer development blog
Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

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vicarn Offline OP
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Thank you Scott.
Much appreciated.

Vic

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vicarn Offline OP
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Thanks Misha.
I upped them a little.

Vic

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vicarn Offline OP
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Hi AudioTrack.
Thanks for your encouragement.

Vic

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Great job with the backup... I love the singer and the song... Who is she..?


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vicarn Offline OP
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Hi Guitarhacker.
Yes, challenging but fun when you "get it".
I tweaked the vocal as much as I dared and was not able to get it any clearer.
I would have preferred to work with the dry track but that was not forthcoming.

"Drums" I did think about but I didn't want anything too busy. Maybe just a kick, hat and ride. I was thinking of dropping that part completely too.

Thanks for the suggs and for listening. More to consider.

Vic

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vicarn Offline OP
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Cheers, Firesong.
Glad you enjoyed it.

Vic

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Such a wonderful listen, Vic. A very good mix that adds so much interest to this already wonderful song. Contemplating your navel is a good way to reconnect with your creativity, Vic. Well, that and building a shed.


Enjoy whatever happens!
marty

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I think this turned out great.

Very spell-binding.

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vicarn Offline OP
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Thank you Mark. I just found out the singer is called Megan Ennenbergh.

Vic

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Thank you David.
Yes I agree about the cajon. I may ditch it. I picked it because I wanted a simple beat.
As for the vocal it was written in stone. Already had effects on it when I received it although I asked for dry stems but they weren't forthcoming.

Vic

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Hi Bloc-head.
Thanks. I found out today she is called Megan Ennenbergh.

Vic

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vicarn Offline OP
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Thanks Marty.
Not sure which creativity is just a hobby at the moment.

Vic

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