|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
Hello Folks,
This is a project I've almost completed. I'm still mixing and listening to/applying suggestions, ideas and commentary. I hope to have it sorted fairly soon so that I can sent it to the UK for mastering.
This track has BIAB Real Drums - Brit pop A narrow EQ boost for snare snap, a little cut in the high hat region and a small boost for the click in the kick.
Anthony Andrulonis wrote this with me and he provides vocals which he recorded in his home studio in the US.
I recorded the guitars using a Squire HH Bullet Mustang into a Marshall Superlead 100 - sometimes with a clean boost pedal in front.
The Vantage bass was recorded through a BDI21.
Foscusrite 2i2 into a rather new W10 computer.
The cabinet was mic'ed with a Shure 57 and a Sennheiser e609.
Tracked into and mixed in REAPER.
[Link no longer valid]
Suggestions and thoughts gratefully received.
Oh, lyrics...
Circus, City, Sewer.
Come to my circus,
My city, my sewer,
Exhibits are many,
Clay menagerie.
You can
Come to the grand ball,
My truncated lover,
The legless, the armless,
Come love’s amputee.
Red cellophane eyes
Waving stumps at the moon,
Come and see!
Build your own
Come and see!
Come to the grand ball,
My truncated lover,
The legless, the armless,
Come love’s amputee.
Won’t you
Come to my circus,
Spectators are few,
Another red nightmare,
You can’t hide or flee
Preach gangrenous love
Buy my pinup religion,
For a fee,
Have a taste!
For a fee!
Come to my circus,
Spectators are few,
Another red nightmare,
You can’t hide or flee
They all
Come to the dark house,
My frustrated lovers,
The carefree, the careless,
Loves not meant to be.
See comic book heroes
Pretend not to bleed
Please don’t look so sad
Come and taste,
Come and see.
For a fee.
Last edited by Andrew - PG Music; 08/27/20 08:32 AM.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173 |
Ray, overall this is very good. For me however I felt the harmonies were a little lost in there. Maybe widen the harmonies a little or even lift them but I am being super critical. But then I get fussy when it comes to harmonies it’s my age I’m sure.
Really well done
Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
... the harmonies were a little lost in there. Maybe widen the harmonies a little or even lift them ... Tony, Thanks mate. That's the sort of response I can use. I'll try that recco tomorrow.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,844
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,844 |
A really Rockin' tune, Ray. Great energy.
The guitars are terrific. Cookin'. And a good vocal.
The snare sounds great, but I'm not hearing the kick at all. I thought the snare could use a bit of reverb - seems pretty dry for this type song.
The bass line is terrific. I can hear it well, but it seems to be missing the bottom it ought to have. No "oomph" (one might say "Where's the beef?"). It's worth a highlight.
Those are just suggestions. Overall, you got the "big rock sound" going... and I enjoyed it.
fj
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,647
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,647 |
Ray
I like the song a good rock write, with some nicely played guitars which sound good(like the feedback ending). Like floyd I can't really hear the kick drum all that well. At 1.42 perhaps the little guitar leads could be louder in the mix.
Peter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
Tony, Floyd & Peter, I've attempted to address all suggestions in this mix. I've done no faux mastering on this one so it'll sound a little quieter and drier than the previous BUT it should more accurately reflect the mix. I was unable to come up with a reasonable solution for snare reverb. I tried a few tricks but had no success - reverb on the whole kit was causing problems with the kick drum, (smearing it), which is why the kit is dry now. I did lift the kick end of the kit though and added a tiny peak where the click of the beater is. Harmonies are split either side now and panned a little wider. lead lifted a bit. I did note that the track played through a different streamer had more kick so it may be Soundcloud's compression & freq cut off s but that's the way with streamers. Subsequent mix Thoughts?
Last edited by rayc; 12/05/18 03:14 PM.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,173 |
How are the drums done? Sometimes when I use RealDrums I copy the drum track and use a low pass filter on one track and high pass on the other. This way I can boost the kick a bit without the same happening to the higher end. I can get some subtle differences on the snare. Is it perfect NO. But, it can make overall control better.
I do like the harmonies better. Overall I like the song. Well done.
Tony
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
How are the drums done? Sometimes when I use RealDrums I copy the drum track and use a low pass filter on one track and high pass on the other. This way I can boost the kick a bit without the same happening to the higher end. I can get some subtle differences on the snare. Is it perfect NO. But, it can make overall control better.
I do like the harmonies better. Overall I like the song. Well done.
Tony
Tony, thanks for the response. It's the usual BIAB stereo drum exported to .wav. I have a narrow peak on the snare, another at the beater noise on the kick and a little cut bellow the thump. I used the high & low pass trick on companion tracks but, when it came to just putting reverb on the snare, it wasn't accurate enough. I could locate the snare sample and build a companion snare track to add reverb to but that's a lot of effort and I've only had the one comment re that issue. Adding m ore kick - def is there on another forum which has its own upload, stream & download facility - being that it's a critical listening forum it probably has less crushing & trimming than SCloud. I'm glad the harmonies have improved.
Last edited by rayc; 12/05/18 11:53 PM.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 7,175
Veteran
|
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 7,175 |
Ray,
nice tune and good, tight mix. I am "average" listener, and to me it sounds pro.
I am sure it sounds much better outside of sound cloud... Besides in my opinion this genre might actually benefit from little dust.
P.S. I would put a tiny hint of reverb on MB to make it a little wider, but that is how I would do it, not a suggestion.
Misha.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
PG Music Staff
|
|
PG Music Staff
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414 |
What a tune! I'm getting an almost Talking Heads vibe on this. Really catchy, and delightfully quirky. Really love the mix personally - everything flows perfectly and I found each element added to the others. You should be proud of this one - thanks for sharing 
Cheers,
Deryk
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,263
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,263 |
Very cool tune. Really liked the drums and guitar. Vocal was excellent. Well done
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
Ray,
nice tune and good, tight mix. I am "average" listener, and to me it sounds pro.
I am sure it sounds much better outside of sound cloud... Besides in my opinion this genre might actually benefit from little dust.
P.S. I would put a tiny hint of reverb on MB to make it a little wider, but that is how I would do it, not a suggestion.
Misha. Misha, thank you very much. I used a hint of reverb in the previous mix - this has nothing on the MB. I'll leave that decision for the Mastering Engineer - I get my "finished" stuff professionally mastered so as to milk the best from them. I will post the mastered version when it's done.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
What a tune! I'm getting an almost Talking Heads vibe on this. Really catchy, and delightfully quirky. Really love the mix personally - everything flows perfectly and I found each element added to the others. You should be proud of this one - thanks for sharing Thanks Deryk, Having solid BIAB drums as the basis makes it much easier to get a half decent result. I've used drum machines - & they had their place in time & space. I've used excellent drummers but it's a big ask & I asked too often. Now I have a tool that frees me to create.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
Very cool tune. Really liked the drums and guitar. Vocal was excellent. Well done Thanks Scott, The drums thump away perfectly don't they?
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,647
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,647 |
Ray
I like the subsequent mix sounding good.
Peter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,193 |
Dear "rayc"...
Well, your "Circus, City, Sewer" song is quite a phantasmagoric production with its driving, somewhat downbeat rhythm and darkly fantastic lyrics. It's drenched with atmosphere and has a weird energy that is quite unforgettable.
Something different and daring, for sure, "rayc"!
Haunted,
LOREN
"Music is what feelings sound like."-- borrowed from a Cakewalk Music Creator forum member, "Mamabear".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
Ray
I like the subsequent mix sounding good.
Peter Thanks Peter, A couple of very, very small tweaks t that one & it's flown off or mastering.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,222 |
Dear "rayc"...
Well, your "Circus, City, Sewer" song is quite a phantasmagoric production with its driving, somewhat downbeat rhythm and darkly fantastic lyrics. It's drenched with atmosphere and has a weird energy that is quite unforgettable.
Something different and daring, for sure, "rayc"!
Haunted,
LOREN
Loren, Thanks for the amusingly grandiloquent pat on the back.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,615
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,615 |
This has a great retro feel going on. I particularly enjoyed the bridge. Rob
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,357
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,357 |
Ray,
The remix is certainly better - the bass is way thicker and I thought the overall sound
more balanced. Nice guitar tones- love the feedback ending.
Lyrics are dark-not a bad thing ( suited to the feel of the music), I think I`d need a lightshow and substance assistance to really get into them!
Robert
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.
Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!
Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums57
Topics85,967
Posts798,378
Members39,997
| |
Most Online44,367
Mar 4th, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean