Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#464493 03/28/18 03:56 AM
User Showcase
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
This song was a production and engineering experiment for me. I had never done anything in this genre. First, the story. There's ALWAYS a story with me!

In a Google Hangouts chat with 5 other people, I made the comment that "If you give them a good beat, you can sing ANY kind of lyric you want and these kids today are so stupid they will buy it." That led to a Mary Had A Little Lamb rap freestyle complete with proper vulgarities.

So I decided to put that theory to the test. What I found was that this is harder than a "normal" song because it really requires a lot of texture and precision with samples being inserted. I got it to a point and Rog finished it.

Some of the experimentation included some industrial sounds I snagged from the internet, a metal door slam sample I did myself, a lot of automation for panning and reversing some of the sound bytes. It was actually kind of fun!

The lyrics... The song is called "Titles", because the lyrics are 90% titles of other songs woven into a narrative. It's all done in sprechstimme (speak singing) to mock the rappers. The vocals were recorded into 2 mics at once. One was a Shure 58 that was placed ball down into a 2 quart pitcher, and the other an XML condenser. The echo inside the pitcher was exactly what I wanted.

The whole idea came to me because of a guy who came through Cleveland along his career path. I can't say his name because if it got to him he would sue me, as he is very litigious. Some of the stuff he put out was really just noise to me, with banging spoons on pots and such. So I did some of the same thing!!! I will only say that if this was a band it would be called Six Inch Spikes. Draw your own inferences.

Song info:

_HVYBEAT.STY. Heavy Rap Beat w/ Synth

RD: UrbanPopEv8GoodGirl^1-a:Kck1, b:Clap :Ed (Great Oz) Clare - kept drums and shaker - augmented with drum machine
RT1936: Synth, Rhythm, EuroDance Chorus7Hit Ev16 120 cut out a section and looped
RT1825: Bass, Electric, PopModernGrooveHeld Ev16 075 - removed and replaced with live bass
M36: Fretless Elec. Bass - removed and replaced with live bass

Manual tracks:

hi hat from a drum machine
African drums from an RB loop
high shaker with small shaker eggs
kick from a drum machine
snare from a drum machine
low shaker from a larger home made shaker
chord aahs from my ESQ-1 synth
counter rhythm aahs from my ESQ-1 synth
Rog's guitar tracks, part of which were snipped, reversed, and put back in
chant aah to mimic Gregorian chant - left side
chant aah 2 to mimic Gregorians chant - right side
aah1 autopan.WAV these 2 autopan channels panned the 2 Gregorian chant tracks randomly
aah 2 autopan.WAV
drone guitar - this was a loop I did with my ebow
RT 1936 synth loop from RB
bass from Rog
booming anvil on the downbeats is a sound I sampled from the web
Screech is a metal screeching sound I sampled from the web
high anvil plays on the 2s and 4s (comes and goes) against the booming anvil

It was a fun piece and good learning experience. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but try to remember that this is a spoof and was done with my tongue as far into my cheek as it can get.

Titles

Crank it up and get your groove on!!! Phones might be a good idea because there is a LOT of panning on this one. grin




Last edited by eddie1261; 03/28/18 04:49 AM.
#464497 03/28/18 04:29 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,844
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,844
Yo Bro..... that's cool.

There were some country songs years ago...decades more likely, that used a similar concept..... titles from the other hits to tell a story. Novelty songs.

This is not easily identified in that "novelty" category.

That's brilliant work.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
#464502 03/28/18 04:39 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
PG Music Staff
Offline
PG Music Staff
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
This was actually really interesting to listen to, Eddie! Even though it is allegedly a bit of a mockery, it is pretty unique sounding especially for the showcase. I do enjoy music that is rather "noisy" at times and I'm also a big fan or rap/hip hop, so this actually catered to my tastes somewhat!

Good work on this, and thanks for sharing smile


Cheers,
Deryk
#464522 03/28/18 06:26 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,189
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,189
That was a fun listen! laugh

And I agree with your theory - if the song sounds good, people won't care that much about lyrics.

But that doesn't mean that lyrics aren't important at all. In fact, I think part of the charm of your song is the cleverness of the lyrics.

I've not played a Ensoniq ESQ1 in some time. It's good to see yours is still getting used.


-- David Cuny

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

BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
dcuny #464525 03/28/18 06:41 AM
User Showcase
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
Originally Posted By: dcuny
I've not played a Ensoniq ESQ1 in some time. It's good to see yours is still getting used.


And it's the original one from 1988!!

#464528 03/28/18 07:19 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,699
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,699
hi eddie love this great job very engaging thanks eric


AMD (TM) 5950 4.9 GHz 16Core Processor 64 bit 32 bits of ram windows 10 pro 64 bit os. sound card Antelope ZenQ guitars Ibanez 2202a 1968 les Paul Custom and Cavin ae 185 Guitar boss Gt-100,GT1000 pedal Yamaha HS8 studio monitors
F.M.M. #464532 03/28/18 07:32 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 785
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 785
sounds great I cant do anything with keyboards or synths, my son has an ensoniq MR 76, and I had a sq1 back in 91 I think, I could not play it, sold it quickly.

#464533 03/28/18 07:41 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 65
K
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
K
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 65
Definitely tres cool. Nicely done!

#464605 03/28/18 12:37 PM
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,363
ROG Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,363
My involvement in this started out as simply supplying a bass riff and some random guitar,
but as a bonus I got to finish the mix as well.

Eddie had got it about 90% done, but felt that there was still something missing, so I got
sent the SEQ file - 22 tracks with an amazing amount of stuff going on. A lot of the tracks
were very percussive and it was hard to maintain a decent level, so I moved the project over
to Harrison Mixbus 32C where I had sweep EQ, high and low pass filters and a buss compressor
on every channel. By compressing at track level the whole thing tidied up nicely and I used
an Eventide Ultra Harmoniser plugin for effects and a Harrison G-Plus reverb. The only mastering
needed was a Teletronix LA-2A compressor plugin on the main stereo buss.

I thoroughly enjoyed helping out on this project and my hat goes off to Eddie for an amazing,
original and inventive track.

ROG.

#464608 03/28/18 12:41 PM
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,489
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,489

This is a lot OF FUN!

I think you reached that state of perfection everyone is talking about!

smile

David Snyder #464620 03/28/18 01:49 PM
User Showcase
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
Originally Posted By: David Snyder

This is a lot OF FUN!

I think you reached that state of perfection everyone is talking about!

smile


If nothing else, I know now how many roads a man must walk down before people call him a man..... Or in this case, how many tracks I have to add before I can call it a song.

#464621 03/28/18 01:51 PM
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,902
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,902
Eddie,

Very cool and creative - I really enjoyed this!

Bob

#464628 03/28/18 02:40 PM
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,615
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,615

This is very clever. I love the mood this a develops as the song continues.
Reminds me a little of Pink Floyd. Great production well done with the mix.
Excellent all over. Rob

#464635 03/28/18 03:18 PM
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,312
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,312
This was really good. Have to agree on the lyrics. Proof is in the pudding. Super backtrack. Some excellent guitar and a well delivered vocal. Well done


Scott Collingwood
https://soundcloud.com/scottt709
https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
#464668 03/29/18 01:23 AM
User Showcase
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
I should have said this in the original post but I will do it as a PS here. You will not get the true experience of this song if you listen to it on a cell phone with the speakers 2 inches apart. There is a lot going on with panning and movement and cell phone speakers will flatten that.

#464693 03/29/18 04:52 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,561
Veteran
Online Content
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,561
Very clever idea nicely implemented, the backing track kicks hard, very lush arrangement, the groove is catchy, and the spoken vocals really fit in. Well done, must have taken some time to put all this together.

Janne


Hear My Music:

Soundcloud
YouTube

jannesan #464708 03/29/18 05:58 AM
User Showcase
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
Originally Posted By: jannesan
Very clever idea nicely implemented, the backing track kicks hard, very lush arrangement, the groove is catchy, and the spoken vocals really fit in. Well done, must have taken some time to put all this together.


Probably 12 days from head to toe. And mostly on my end. Rog turned it around in a day from the engineering side. We had been going back and forth about guitar tracks for a month before though. Trying to explain to someone what you hear in your head is like is like trying to explain what "red" is to a person who can't see. I was like "I want it ANGRY". "I want it dirty." "I want it to scream." "I want short, stabbing parts that do all of the above." I mean, given that, it's pretty hard to interpret what my mind's ear hears. He sent me a good long sample of phrases put together and I cobbled a solo out of it by cutting and pasting. And on his first phrase, I actually took the sound waves and flipped them so you are hearing guitar played backwards. Doing that added "passion" to it because the attack was different when reversed. He did a great job on a very difficult piece that I did not think was going to be that involved. That was 22 tracks, my record.

#464918 03/30/18 02:25 PM
User Showcase
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 4,335
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 4,335
Eddie, you did a fabulous job on everything here. It sounds spectacular in the headphones. The time spent really paid off in a big way. ROG played some great guitar lines and put some of his magic in the final mix. I really enjoyed it! Tom

#464925 03/30/18 02:53 PM
User Showcase
E
eddie1261
Unregistered
eddie1261
Unregistered
E
Thanks to all for the kind words and feedback. It was almost funny that what I thought would fall together quickly and easily took MANY days of tweaking and adjusting. Then I had to do all the automation to get the panning to move just right. When it went to Rog it was okay as far as balancing instruments. He did a lot of hi and lo pass filtering, as well as applying some compression at the mastering level. It came back sounding HUGE and very much more alive then when it went over.

Making those song titles fit together as a lyric took some work too. It was one of those things that looking at the bands I referenced, they had SO MANY song titles to pick from, yet as I sat and wrote that I drew a blank because there are too many.

#465356 04/03/18 07:52 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,093
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,093
Man, I can't imagine how long it took to think that through and put it all together.

Yeah, it makes a great statement but as others have mentioned it has legs of it's own.

Fascinating.


Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more.
If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks!
Our Videos
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2

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
Holiday Weekend Hours

As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:

April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours

Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!

— Team PG

Update to Build 10 of RealBand® 2026 for Windows®!

If you're already using RealBand 2026 for Windows, download build 10 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!

If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® users: Build 1237 is now available!

Already a Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows user? Stay up to date and download the build 1237 to get all the latest additions and enhancements.

PowerTracks Pro 2026 for Windows is Here!

PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.

The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.

The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.

Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!

Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.

Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!

Order now!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!

Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!

We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.

Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!

Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.

If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!

Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!

We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics86,132
Posts800,660
Members40,043
Most Online44,367
Mar 4th, 2026
Newest Members
Fasteddy87, Risi, HenryHPH, Baldeagle13, vmvera
40,042 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 131
DC Ron 100
rsdean 97
WaoBand 57
Today's Birthdays
dubbodoug, GoldToper, Graham UK, horsthartung, mbon008, Petr Vinovsky
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5