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#663354 07/08/21 08:58 AM
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https://soundcloud.com/mark_hayes/careless-logic

I wrote the basic song here centuries ago, when I was 12, a little musical teabag with a new guitar, steeping in early-mid 1960s music and songwriting. This production is my first endeavor at using BIAB and I have to say, I am pretty happy with this puppy.

There were lyrics, but they are so embarrassing they remain suppressed. This recording is the closest they have ever come and ever will come to being heard; I sang them into an audio track, used that track to create a Logic “flex pitch” MIDI track, then deleted the original audio. The “vocal” is now a tremelo-y electric guitar lead that sounds kind of tipsy against the well-dressed BIAB backup band.

Technical: I started with BIAB, using the RealStyle listed below. I then exported both the audio tracks and the available MIDI tracks, and imported everything into Logic Pro. The MIDI tracks became brass, strings, and organ, which I freely messed with. I then added my own vocal-to-guitar track and here we have it, in all its bombastic teenage glory.

*** BIAB Song Summary ***
Style is _CSWFIDF.STY
RealTracks in style: ~536:Bass, Acoustic, Pop Sw 120
RealTracks in style: ~974:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountrySwingCleanA-B Sw 140
RealTracks in style: ~977:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountrySwingGrittyA-B Sw 140
RealTracks in style: 1113:Fiddle, Background CountrySwingA-B Sw 140
RealDrums in Style: NashvilleSwing8^5-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat

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Well Mark, that's a catchy melody and you need to stump up the moxy or convince someone else, to get a vocal into this interesting tune.
It gets a bit loud and crowded after the 1.15 point.
You might consider panning, amongst other things, to open the mix and allow individual instruments to have a place of their own.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
rayc #663389 07/08/21 11:56 AM
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Thanks for the comments, Ray! I actually kind of agree about the "loud and crowded", though the excess was intentional. I was going for a sort of "Phil Spector ruining Let It Be" sound. =8^)

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Mark, I liked this a lot! Good dynamics, i.e. super build up in sound. A nice melody that was perfectly backed up via BiaB and your ingenuity.

Excellent work.


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I was starting to band them out at about the same age, so I had to give this a listen. The progression is classy and the melody is nice and open. The band you put together works well. As a fan of somewhat "busy" mixes, I appreciate the way this builds. Well done, all round, and barely a zit.


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
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HAha. "...in all its bombastic teenage glory." I really like it, Mark. Good backing tracks (with a lot of "freely" working them). Some pieces seem to swell toward the end, but they never drown out the guitar, which is obviously important. Really cool melody, and, hey, we're all friends here, so a private showing of the vocal and lyrics would be well received. Great start on this amazing software, and now the seeds are planted. Glad you're here. Keep 'em coming.


Enjoy whatever happens!
marty

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Mario, Tangmo, Babu, (and again, Ray) thanks so much.

You can tell I was going for a “wall of sound” effect, and possibly overdid it, but I’m going to… how did they put it on the Woodstock album cover? I’m going to leave the defects in as marks of authenticity, like those in “fine leather”.

I also wonder if the melody is a little TOO drunk-sounding, in front of the note-perfect backing, but if I’m going to work on something like that, I might as well just play it on a guitar!

About the unsung lyrics: here’s something a little spooky. I shared the tune with a friend, who said she heard (in her mind) the phrase “after all” repeatedly closing the chorus. Now in fact, my teenage lyrics had “care at all” at those exact same points. Ruling out some kind of psychic phenomenon, I have to assume there’s something about the melodic contour here that is evocative for her of, specifically, three word phrases starting with a pattern of A’s and R’s and ending with “all”. Did “flex pitch” somehow encode a blurred verbal message in the MIDI melody? Perhaps an experiment is in order!

Anyway, thanks again, all, I look forward participating here.

Mark

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Mark,
excellent first tune. Solid arrangement. I think organ is a bit too loud, otherwise sound good.

about "TOO drunk-sounding"... I think you can actually use exactly that to build out song character. Make it too perfect - will sound too common. Perhaps it is a signature smile

Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

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mark.
i agree with mario. nice build up of sound over time.
i think ..by a smidge.. i prefer the mastered version.
i also agree, maybe try some vocs.
every happiness.
om


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I really like the melody. As others have stated, I would like to hear the lyrics sung, but whatever you are comfortable with is fine.

The SC mastered version does sound cleaner.

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justanoldmuso / Ezekiel's Storm – Thanks so much for listening. At this point, having made this recording, I kind of ache to hear this song sung myself. But trying to use the brief and goofy lyrics from when I was 12 would be painful in a different way, and I never did come to write lyrics in later decades. At this point it sounds to me like an old song I've forgotten the words to. Perhaps someday it can inspire a lyricist to create words to sing.

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Hello Mark,

The first thing coming in my mind when listening to your song is 'what a nice melody'!
after that first impression I have to agree with others saying, you need a vocalist on this song. No matter what lyrics you had. If you are embarrassed by the original ones, make another, but this melody yells for a vocalist.

And after that I have to admit with some others, you could gain quality in the song by mixing it a bit better. Some instruments sound loud, some become very loud during the song and I had some doubts with the fiddle. At first I thought you used bagpipes, but didn't see you did. and sometimes they seem to be a bit out of tune (second half of the song).

But still the first impression stayed: 'what a nice melody'!

Cheers,
Hans


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Hans, thanks for the comments.

Before I forget – I think the "bagpipes" are probably Logic's brass. They have a slow attack and perhaps slightly wobbly pitch; I will look into whether or not that track could be out of tune with the others.

This is so interesting to me, that multiple people find the melody especially "songy", i.e., in need of having sung lyrics.

I suspect that has a lot to do with the quirky way in which I recorded the melody, transforming a vocal into MIDI (see original description.) I bet the "songiness" of this song would be less pronounced if I'd moused in the melody using Logic, or played it on a MIDI keyboard, or recorded an actual guitar.

Anyway, I am really going to look into the idea of finding a verbal collaborator. The inspiration from comments here to do so is much appreciated. Oh, and likewise for the ongoing remix. =8^)

Mark

(This is great, by the way; I uploaded the revision and noted it in this thread really just for the "historical record" and totally did not expect immediate feedback for version 2.0!)

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As your first job with BiaB I think you did an awesome job! It sounds really good!

I hope we will see more tracks from you soon!
Will

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Nice catchy tune. This composition has much potential.

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Hi Mark,

It's a very catchy and well-constructed composition. The arrangement, in my opinion, is, on the other hand, to be reviewed because too many frequencies are superimposed in the second part. You made more sober instrumentally speaking versions of them whose mix is ​​clearly well done and which are also very pleasant to listen to.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash


Kindly regards
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash
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Hi Mark,

I listened to this previously and thought I had commented on it but just discovered that I didn't. I feel you have the beginnings of a very nice tune! The melody is very good and is ripe for a vocal to take over! I would definitely keep working with it possibly exploring by swapping an instrument here and there. For instance, with the country flavor of the song, maybe a pedal steel could replace the organ. But that is just my taste and in the end it's your tune and you have to do what sounds good to you! Overall I feel it's an enjoyable tune! Thanks and take care, Torrey

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Version 1.0

As a Logic Pro X user I am amazed at what you did with your vocal.

Great experiment and a fine outcome ... all the way around.

J&B

Version 2.0

Having read about this process in another forum here it was fascinating to hear
the execution of it.

Ain't it fun when experiments work out well! It seems more seamless than I would have imagined.

J&B


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Thanks so much to the folks who commented in the last week or so, I somehow managed to miss the activity in this old thread.

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I have vague recollections of being 12 years old.

None of those memories included song writing.

Glad your recollection preserved this little gem1

moto

Last edited by CaptainMoto; 08/31/21 02:09 PM.
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