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#555136 09/16/19 07:47 PM
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Hi forum friends,
I have been away from the Showcase for a little while but here is my latest musical offering: A SONG ABOUT LEONIE

https://soundcloud.com/user-952388172/a-song-about-leonie

MUSICAL INFO
The melody features, at different times, flute, strings and a horn section (all Kontakt instruments).
PIANO: Written by me (featuring sforzando grand piano), plus an eight bar RealTrack section from Miles Black (I think)
BASS: some written by me, plus RT701 (Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 085) and RT909 (Bass, Electric, SmoothPoppy Ev16 090)
GUITAR (solo): RT1237 (Guitar, Electric, Soloist SmoothJazzPoppy Ev16 090)
GUITAR (rhythm): Various selections from Darin Favorite’s PopBalladClean tracks: RT838-plus
RealDrums: various selections from Ricky Laws’ JazzFunk tracks, plus CongasEv16[single]
and TambourineEv16

I would be grateful if you give my song a play (or two).
I encourage your comments, criticism and suggestions on everything from melody, arrangement, production etc.

Cheers,
Mike


Mike Garry
BIAB 2025/RealBand (5), UltraPak, Kontakt, EZmix, Ozone 9 Elements, Audacity, MSi PC, Windows 11, 64bit, 16GB ram, CPU: Intel i7.

https://soundcloud.com/user-952388172
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Hi Mike,

I enjoyed the listen. It's a great melody and I love the key changes that you took us through. It's a very creative composition and with lots of attention to detail.

Thank you for providing the music image on Soundcloud. I enjoyed reading along with you while you played. I hope Leonie felt very special smile

It's thumbs up from me!
Noel


MY SONGS...
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Bob,
1st off - cool melody and nice tense sadness/reflection after the upbeat intro.
Personally I'd cut the intro, (or at least the percussion at the very start), lots of variation and interesting stuff happening BUT I'm hooked on that fisrt pensive section. I wanted that to repeat as I was listening to the newer sections.
Caught me!


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rayc
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Nice work on this - I thought it flowed really nicely, and held a lot of emotion behind it. It's a really vibey tune and I thought it was easy to follow and nicely catchy.

Thanks for sharing smile


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Deryk
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Mike,
I like the melody ( begins at 15 sec) and the jazzy guitar break. I`m impressed by the creativity and skill that goes into instrumentals created mostly with MIDI.
For my taste the piano sounds a little busy, otherwise the layers and instruments work well together.

Robert

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Thanks for your comments Noel. I'm glad you enjoyed the song (and the sheet music).
Cheers,
Mike
Originally Posted By: Noel96
Hi Mike,

I enjoyed the listen. It's a great melody and I love the key changes that you took us through. It's a very creative composition and with lots of attention to detail.

Thank you for providing the music image on Soundcloud. I enjoyed reading along with you while you played. I hope Leonie felt very special smile

It's thumbs up from me!
Noel


Mike Garry
BIAB 2025/RealBand (5), UltraPak, Kontakt, EZmix, Ozone 9 Elements, Audacity, MSi PC, Windows 11, 64bit, 16GB ram, CPU: Intel i7.

https://soundcloud.com/user-952388172
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Nice melody, good arrangement. A lot of contrast in the various sections, and the things move along nicely. I enjoyed listening through it a number of times.

I'm with Robert that the piano seems a tad too busy, but it's nothing that needs to be changed at this point. At 0:48 it sounds a bit like wrong note on the rolled chord.

The pizzicato at 1:12 is a nice touch.

The MIDI instruments you have work well and are pleasant to listen to. I think there are more realistic instrument libraries available, but in the end, it doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of the music if the sections aren't 100% realistic.

I do think MIDI instruments are a harder to mix in a way that they sound like they're coming from a "real" space.

Love the ending. laugh


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Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

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A lot of talent on display here, wish I could do MIDI as well as you do. I agree the intro seems disconnected. Otherwise, great job!!!


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Mike,
Very impressive composition! I like the breaks and mood changes and yet, it still holds the shape well. Ending was very cool.
As per your request, I listened to it twice smile
I think the piano and flute are mushed together a little. I believe if you treat them with different FX / EQ might help to separate them a little. Maybe piano a little brighter and flute with more reverb and higher EQ so it sits on top? Just ideas... Enjoyed it!

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

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Very cool song. This song has a very familiar feel to it. Maybe a theme from a tv show. Very well done


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https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
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Thanks for your kind words rayc.
I always appreciate your honest opinion and insightful suggestions.
Cheers,
Mike


Mike Garry
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I really enjoyed the arrangement you selected for this song. Well done!


Cheers,
Ember
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Wow! From fresh lively to sombre in an instant.
Good job on the track quality.
Enjoyed my listen. This is very well done,
Rob4580

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Originally Posted By: Deryk - PG Music
Nice work on this - I thought it flowed really nicely, and held a lot of emotion behind it. It's a really vibey tune and I thought it was easy to follow and nicely catchy.

Thanks for sharing smile

Thanks Derek. Your comments are much appreciated.
Cheers,
Mike


Mike Garry
BIAB 2025/RealBand (5), UltraPak, Kontakt, EZmix, Ozone 9 Elements, Audacity, MSi PC, Windows 11, 64bit, 16GB ram, CPU: Intel i7.

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Originally Posted By: Robertkc
Mike,
I like the melody ( begins at 15 sec) and the jazzy guitar break. I`m impressed by the creativity and skill that goes into instrumentals created mostly with MIDI.
For my taste the piano sounds a little busy, otherwise the layers and instruments work well together.

Robert

Thanks for listening Robert. I appreciate your informed comments.
Cheers,
Mike


Mike Garry
BIAB 2025/RealBand (5), UltraPak, Kontakt, EZmix, Ozone 9 Elements, Audacity, MSi PC, Windows 11, 64bit, 16GB ram, CPU: Intel i7.

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Originally Posted By: dcuny
Nice melody, good arrangement. A lot of contrast in the various sections, and the things move along nicely. I enjoyed listening through it a number of times.

I'm with Robert that the piano seems a tad too busy, but it's nothing that needs to be changed at this point. At 0:48 it sounds a bit like wrong note on the rolled chord.

The pizzicato at 1:12 is a nice touch.

The MIDI instruments you have work well and are pleasant to listen to. I think there are more realistic instrument libraries available, but in the end, it doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of the music if the sections aren't 100% realistic.

I do think MIDI instruments are a harder to mix in a way that they sound like they're coming from a "real" space.

Love the ending. laugh

Thanks David. As always I appreciate your honest and detailed appraisal.
Cheers,
Mike


Mike Garry
BIAB 2025/RealBand (5), UltraPak, Kontakt, EZmix, Ozone 9 Elements, Audacity, MSi PC, Windows 11, 64bit, 16GB ram, CPU: Intel i7.

https://soundcloud.com/user-952388172
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This is an amazingly beautiful and elaborate musical production!!! FANTASTIC!!! What is the flute sample? I'm looking for a better one! Take care. Greg

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Originally Posted By: TuneMonger
A lot of talent on display here, wish I could do MIDI as well as you do. I agree the intro seems disconnected. Otherwise, great job!!!
Thanks TuneMonger. Your kind words are much appreciated.
Mike


Mike Garry
BIAB 2025/RealBand (5), UltraPak, Kontakt, EZmix, Ozone 9 Elements, Audacity, MSi PC, Windows 11, 64bit, 16GB ram, CPU: Intel i7.

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Enjoyed the many different sections each evoking it's own mood. Well done.

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Originally Posted By: Rustyspoon#
Mike,
Very impressive composition! I like the breaks and mood changes and yet, it still holds the shape well. Ending was very cool.
As per your request, I listened to it twice smile
I think the piano and flute are mushed together a little. I believe if you treat them with different FX / EQ might help to separate them a little. Maybe piano a little brighter and flute with more reverb and higher EQ so it sits on top? Just ideas... Enjoyed it!

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Thanks Misha. I appreciate your comments, especially re piano and flute blend as this was an issue I grappled with quite a bit. I need to read more on the art of EQ.
Cheers,
Mike


Mike Garry
BIAB 2025/RealBand (5), UltraPak, Kontakt, EZmix, Ozone 9 Elements, Audacity, MSi PC, Windows 11, 64bit, 16GB ram, CPU: Intel i7.

https://soundcloud.com/user-952388172
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