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After a few discussions with friends who appear to be wanna be recording purists, it became apparent that without pro tools or Logic or various other high end DAWs, and 50 grand worth of equipment, that it was impossible to make a decent recording using BIAB, or midi, or anything other than live musicians and the best of the best in talent and equipment. I humbly submit for you overview a cover that is in it's finishing stages for your critique and comments. It's not my normal country kind a thang, but I'm starting to get a feel for this type of music and actually enjoyed working on it for my Father-in-law. You'll recognize the tune. http://www.box.net/shared/rszytnqdqlThis started out as a midi. From there it went thru so many changes on a whim that I couldn't begin to list them all, but essentially I popped it into power tracks, did some midi to audio conversions, set effects, which consisted of a mix of DX tone control, EQ, commpression, peak limits, reverb, delay, and you name it, depending on the track. Did the most basic mastering that I think I've ever done, and stayed true to the concept of trying to use the barest of tools. No high end anything. I used the TC helicon for background vocals. even did the stereo audio track without rendering in powertracks, although I did the Mp3 compression in audacity. Let me know what you think if you would, and if there is room for technical improvment. Thanks in advance for the listen.
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Very nice. Your backup band did a good job too! Those cats laid down some tasty stuff......I'm thinking you played lead along with the basic vocal?
John Conley
Musica est vita
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I thought the singing was pretty good. The arrangement did sound pretty midi-ish, but that's hard to overcome without some really good soundfonts/vst plugins. The midi drums sounded decent to me. But the singing made up for all of that. It's a classic tune.
It was an enjoyable listen.
Kevin
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Hi toucher,
I enjoyed listening to your song. You've used some good, inventive arrangement ideas. This work is a credit to you. As I listened, I found myself wondering about how this arrangement would sound with a RealTrack acoustic jazz piano thrown in the mix.
Good work,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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I always have considered this tune one of the top 10 songs of all time. And your arrangement and version did not change my opinion. Good job! Your pitch was good, did you used any vocal pitch corrections to adjust or do you just have a good ear? Your phrasing was also good although I though a couple of times you could have laid back (ie., delayed) just a tad more for a better effect. I think I head a guitar in there that sounded very nice, but as been pointed out, some of the midi sounded, well like midi. Also sometimes the background was a little busy and it tended to compete with the vocal. And finally, it didn't sound like the vocals were mixed in with the midi well. What I mean is it sounded like the band was in one space and the vocalist was in another. I don't know how to correct something like this, I tend to have the same problems in my vocal arrangements. Perhpas someone else hear this and can provide guidance. Like I said, you picked one of my favorite songs, and did a good job. Dan 
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Toucher,
I think it's terrific - different - cool - smooth vox with music a little edgy - nice.
I like it.
Josie
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i liked it a lot, nice vox and el piano.
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Thanks for the replies thus far guys and gals  I'll try to respond to various comments or questions. John: The band did a great job hehe.......I did the lead vocal, but on this particular tune I played no guitar. It was a midi track that I converted to audio, and played with the FX insert in the mixer. Which made a tremendous difference in the sound from the original straight midi guitar. The discerning ear can still hear some midish phrasing, but my hearing is not what it used to be so it sounds okay to me. The trade off is that with the midi, I can make it play whatever I want it to play, verses the real track that would generate something entirely different.
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Kemmrich: Thanks for the listen......I agree with the midi-ish thing. Those of us involved with this kind of thing can pick it up quite easily sometimes. I've played it live for others who are not used to working with midi, and they seemed to think it was all real instruments. I tend to be my own worst critic, and I sometimes let that get in the way of having fun. As Mac said once about not revealing the weakness of a piece before playing it, that hold true even more when you are surrounded by those in the know. But, I figured most of y'all will figger it out anyway haha so I might as well tell you up front. It's like coming home with a black eye, you should'a seen the other guy. You should have heard the original midi.
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Quote:
Hi toucher,
You've used some good, inventive arrangement ideas.
Thanks Noel, that was actually the whole point of the exercise. To show what could be done working with a very limited set up.... I'm really starting to like this genre.
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It's late........I'll catch up tomorrow. Nite all.
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No, it definitely sounds very midi-like. Also seems to have too much reverb. Instruments need to be positioned better in the stereo field and given distinct sound space of their own. Voice needs the same reverb to occupy the same space as the band. Otherwise it sounds like you are recording to a track, and not singing with a band. The ending is very awkward too, just cuts off abruptly. I've found that taking these files into a good sequencer and tweaking the ending almost always helps and certainly never hurts. Sometimes a blending of midi (for sustain) with RTs is the key that makes the difference.
I did enjoy the inventive chord progression for this song.
Maybe, as someone who makes their living from this, I am giving you too much information. I'm assuming you want a helpful critique and not just banal kudos, but let me know if I'm overstepping some boundaries here.
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toucher,
Great arrangement - vox are wonderful - production on harmonies good. The midi sound on this one works for me.
Where's Dorthy and ToTo ?
The Powderman
Learning something new everyday
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This is a great arrangement, in my opinion. I believe that the importance of an arrangement is often underrated. I like the vocals a lot also. Very nice job there. As far as the 'midi-ish' thing - yeah it has that definite midi ambience, but this song has a lot of potential. I think with a bit of tweaking with the instrument package this song could be exceptional.
Fire, the wheel, and the I IV V -- foundations of civilization.
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Dan;
As a Jazz man, you are one of the people I was hoping would weigh in on this tune. No vocal correction was used as you can tell in a couple of spots. This however is not the finished version, its sort of in its final stages, if I do anything with it at all. Thanks for the vote of confidence on the vocals.
Josie;
How refreshing to hear that someone enjoyed it with no equivocation re the midi vibe. Thanks for the listen. We all tend to hear things differently dont we?
Don;
Thanks for the listen and the compliment. You've been at this a long time, and I've heard a lot of your work as well.
Jeff;
No overstepping at all here Jeff. I like the detail. I don't make a living at this, but I do have a little sideline that keeps me interested. This particular piece has not been mastered to any degree at all. Just a basic mix, and you are right on many technical points. When I bring songs here for critique, it's usually because several people have told me how great it is, but there is something I can't quite pinpoint that doesn't fit. That said, your feedback is just the kind of thing that can help right a hidden issue. As you know, after hearing a song twenty or thirty times, your ears tend to stop listening.
Powderman;
Thanks for the listen and feedback. If it is at all enjoyable now, then it has potential. The new quality of midi sounds doesn't really bother me like it used to. In fact we were all doing fairly well with it until realtracks came along. Don't get me wrong I just ordered the new sets of RTs but they don't always do what I want them to do. And truthfully unless you are into this home recording thing, most people can't tell the difference.
Axegrinder;
I agree, when I heard the version from the big Hawaiian dude Ishmael something....I realized just how well this song was originally put together. When you can do a song with a Uke and sing have the melody as a harmony part as a solo, then you have a hit song.
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What I liked about it is it swings. Rock on.
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Ed...
Thanks for the listen, glad you njoyed it.
Powderman;
Dorothy and Toto, wanted too much for a cameo appearance.
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