Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Noel96 Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
I wrote this song in 2015 and posted the original version on Users Showcase in early 2016.

Since then, I've learnt a lot more about mixing and production. I now also have some better music finishing software than I had back in 2015. It was thinking about these tools and techniques that inspired me to revisit this song.

Here's where my journey took me...


♫♫ Can You Imagine?


Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the song and/or its presentation.

Regards,
Noel

=======

Tracks were generated using the Audiophile version of BIAB. To polish the production, I used...

  • Ozone 8 -- 'Greg Calbi Presets' on the overall final mix
  • Nectar 2 -- vocals
  • Waves Renaissance Bass VST -- bass guitar
  • MAutopan VST -- electric guitar
  • Waves CLA Guitars VST -- electric guitar
  • Waves CLA Uplugged VST -- cello
  • Waves CLA Drums VST -- drums
  • MIDI Choir -- Miroslav Philharmonik


The BIAB Ensemble
  • Bass Guitar 1759
  • Electric Guitar 1764
  • Acoustic Guitar 1596
  • Piano 1767
  • Cello 1856
  • Drums - RockBritDrivingEv16^1-SnCH,RdCym


Lyrics

Can you imagine a scene like this?
We're standing with one another, side by side
And singing together in harmony
With confidence, heart and a mountain of pride

Can you imagine a sound like this?
An ocean of people who sway and sing
In chorus together, friend with friend
Making the heavens reverberate and ring

It all begins with a single voice
One voice to lead the way
Sooner or later another joins in
Then it starts to grow
And hundreds join the show

Can you imagine the power and strength
If a world full of people were singing strong
Flooding the planet in the sounds of peace
And everyone singing the same song

[Instrumental]

It all begins with a single voice
One voice to lead the way
Sooner or later another joins in
Then it starts to grow
And millions join the show

Can you imagine the power and strength
If a world full of nations were singing strong
Flooding the planet in the sounds of peace
And everyone singing the same song
Everyone singing the same song

©2015 Noel Adams, words and music, all rights reserved


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381
Oddly, I heard/saw this on your Vimeo not too long ago. Loved it the first time I'd heard it. Love it now. I like the way the power builds with the introduction of the backing vocals in the same way that the lyric builds from one, to hundred, to millions, to all the nations. One day it will be true, I believe.


BIAB 2021 Audiophile. Windows 10 64bit. Songwriter, lyricist, composer(?) loving all styles. Some pre-BIAB music from Farfetched Tangmo Band's first CD. https://alonetone.com/tangmo/playlists/close-to-the-ground
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
PG Music Staff
Offline
PG Music Staff
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
What a tune! Love the progressions, and your vocals are stunning on top of this. It sounds really lush and professional. Some really captivating lyrics as well. It sounds really powerful to me and is nicely catchy too.

You should be proud of this one - thanks for sharing smile


Cheers,
Deryk
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,944
Jim Offline
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,944
Great song & production...
The lyrics are really thought out...
With a pleasant melody to emphasize those lyrics of peace & hope...
Your outstanding vocal & harmonies sound very professional...
Heck... The whole composition sounds very professional...
I believe you are correct...
You've learned "a lot more about mixing and production"...
It shows...
I really enjoyed listening to your remix.


Jim
†=☮&♥
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,360
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,360
Everyone singing the same song

what a peaceful and hopeful message

excellent mix, I always love your vocals

harmonies shine!

Kenny

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,447
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,447

Hey Noel,

This is awesome man! I love it.

Such a strong song and superb vocals. You outdid yourself on this one. More please!

smile

User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Noel96 Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Originally Posted By: Tangmo
Oddly, I heard/saw this on your Vimeo not too long ago. Loved it the first time I'd heard it. Love it now. I like the way the power builds with the introduction of the backing vocals in the same way that the lyric builds from one, to hundred, to millions, to all the nations. One day it will be true, I believe.


Thanks for listening again, Tangmo. Thanks for visiting my Vimeo site, too. Much appreciated. I'm presently in the process of updating the Vimeo video so that all versions of the song align. (Glad you noticed that lyric development! At the time of writing, I wasn't sure that it would work so I threw a coin... heads won smile )

All the best,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 5,626
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 5,626
What a great job you did on the vocal here Noel! Overall sound on this track is awesome! Thanks, Torrey

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,758
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,758
Noel,

I remember this song - very uplifting and beautifully produced...

The remix is great. Gives it a very "Hi-Fi" sound.

Bob

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,827
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,827
Noel,

This mix is SUPERB!

The vocal is amazingly clear and present and sits PERFECTLY in the mix. Can't emphasize that enough. It is PERFECT. Pro-mix kind of vocal placement.

The bass is sublime. Punchy, present, commanding - without any muddiness at all. This is a bass sound I have been trying to achieve myself...

Drums and piano are clear, present...nice... The cello and background vocals right where they need to be.

...and, of course, a truly uplifting song to begin with.

Excellent.

fj

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,009
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 16,009
Like John Lennon, we can imagine...and, we'll add, hope. It's so nice to hear such a positive write delivered with a fine vocal performance.

We loved this the first time around and the redo is stunning. What can one add to what floyd wrote?

As a bass player I'll join in with floyd's comment. I (Bud) have struggled for years trying to get both acoustic and electric bass to sit in the mix as he described. Neutron 2's masking feature and a couple of Waves plug-ins have helped but I'm not "there."

And that bass is just one aspect of a mix that simply sparkles in clarity. I so often, perhaps too much so, write of our love of open and airy mixes. A listen to this will better define what we are trying to say than a thousand words.

Superb!

J&B


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
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,992
PG Music Staff
Offline
PG Music Staff
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,992
This song has a really easy-to-listen to vibe. The vocals are also quite lovely, and I really enjoyed the lyrics, especially loved "Can you imagine the power and strength if a world full of people were singing strong". A really lovely message.

Last edited by Ember - PG Music; 04/16/19 04:17 AM.

Cheers,
Ember
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Noel96 Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Originally Posted By: Deryk - PG Music
What a tune! Love the progressions, and your vocals are stunning on top of this. It sounds really lush and professional. Some really captivating lyrics as well. It sounds really powerful to me and is nicely catchy too.

You should be proud of this one - thanks for sharing smile


Hi Deryk,

Thank you for taking the time to have a listen. Really appreciate it. Thanks for the comments regarding the remix, too. Learning how to mix effectively has been a long slow road for me. I'm still traveling it but it seems to be a less bumpy road these days. It's good to know that I'm getting somewhere.

All the best,
Neol


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,826
C
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
C
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,826
You've done a nice remix effort Noel. Your mixing has never been an issue for me though, I'm jealous to how easy you write top notch song after song. I always look forward to your latest posts and I've learned quite a bit from you over my time here on the forum. Enjoyed my listen. Good mix by the way...


BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 7,258
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 7,258
Really enjoyed this one Noel. Lovely lyrics and gorgeous arrangement

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 3,620
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 3,620
The melody is majestic without being pompous. Excellent vocal. Beautiful piece!

User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Noel96 Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Originally Posted By: Jim
Great song & production...
The lyrics are really thought out...
With a pleasant melody to emphasize those lyrics of peace & hope...
Your outstanding vocal & harmonies sound very professional...
Heck... The whole composition sounds very professional...
I believe you are correct...
You've learned "a lot more about mixing and production"...
It shows...
I really enjoyed listening to your remix.


Hey Jim.

Thank you for dropping by and having a listen. I appreciate your comments greatly. Learning to mix effectively has been quite a slow process for me. This forum has also been fantastic because I've heard some pretty amazing presentations over the years and all of them have shaped my understanding and have given me goals to achieve.

All the best,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Noel96 Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Originally Posted By: 44kfl
Everyone singing the same song

what a peaceful and hopeful message

excellent mix, I always love your vocals

harmonies shine!

Kenny


Thanks Kenny.

I appreciate that you had a chance to visit and listen.

All the best,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,208
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,208
That's a really good remix Noel.
Polished without being buffed into anodized oblivion.
Nice arrangement and structure as well.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Noel96 Offline OP
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 20,461
Originally Posted By: David Snyder

Hey Noel,

This is awesome man! I love it.

Such a strong song and superb vocals. You outdid yourself on this one. More please!

smile


Hey David,

I always smile when I see that you've visited one of my threads. I really appreciate your comments and your listen. Thanks heaps.

All the best,
Noel


MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2026
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

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
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!

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics85,897
Posts797,464
Members39,982
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
Room135, Trombone Guy, tysell29, Tonyhall, arbellajack
39,981 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 176
Noel96 140
DC Ron 117
rsdean 110
vicarn 82
Today's Birthdays
Greg Johnson, rickfass
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5