Here's a quick edit that has made the spaghetti clearer and added, experimentally, some Ahhs.I also knocked some vocal out at 3300Hz as it seemed a bit strident. Strawberries and Bread 9bc - ahhs.
One step further along the path. I've swapped some guitars...tweaked the spaghetti, reduced the compensatory EQ on the vocals and fiddle faddled about here 'n' there. strawberries & bread-10
A quick track based on the very limited shopping list my wife & sister-in-law prepared a few nights ago. I laughed at the list when I found it on the way to bed. I wrote the lyric when in bed and constructed the song with BIAB the following day. I've replaced the BIAB guitars and bass etc. but retained the drums.
The Style is Weekend Warrior. I used a Guyatone LT125 for guitar parts...the meaty ones through a Marshall Superbass, the accent and "spaghetti solos" through a Joyo ACtone. The Spaghetti guitar was tracked with tremolo, Spring Reverb and a little EQ. One of the meaty tracks was with a slight boost from a Boss SD1, (no dirt). Having acquired a new interface, (SSL2),part way through the process I did the vocals using it and the 4K button. Vocals are double tracked rather than comped...this is because of my thin, reedy voice.
Short yet deliberately repetitive both lyrically and melodically.
For me it was a bit of fun...trying to learn the monitoring latency stuff for the new interface being a key reason for continuing to do it.
This is a simple mix, there's nothing on the stereo/master bus.
ANY/ALL comments, suggestions, critiques and communication is welcome.
STRAWBERRIES & BREAD Strawberries and bread Break my bones until I've bled Strawberries and bread Break their bones until they've bled Strawberries and bread Break your bones until you've bled Strawberries and bread Bloodless white congealed red.
You don't know what you're doing to me Don't know what you're doing through me Don't know what we're doing do we? Don't know what we're doing.
Strawberries and bread Take your pain to bed Strawberries and bread Trap it in your head Strawberries and bread Wake up when you're dead Strawberries and bread Bloodless white congealed red.
You don't know what it's doing for me Don't know what it's doing to me Don't know what we're doing do we? Don't know what we're doing.
Strawberries and bread You're Snow White and I'm Rose Dead Strawberries and bread Sliced white and plump fed Strawberries and bread Break our bones until we've bled Strawberries and bread Bloodless white congealed red.
Last edited by rayc; 08/31/2111:52 AM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
The tone of the opening guitar is very cool. Would have liked to hear more of that, but it disappears under everything else quickly. A good balance of "everything". Good job with guitars and bass.
I really like the doubled vocal. Sounds good!
This sounds like a "modern" version of the great AM bands of the late 60's, early 70's - Lemon Pipers, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Buckinghams...
I like it (though I can't say I know what it is about - shopping and bleeding...)
Really does nail that proto-psychedelic 60s sound.
The lyric is perfect for that, too, following the Iron Butterfly / Moby Grape naming principle of Absurd Biological Concatenation. Take something organic and benign and bolt on something mechanical or menacing. In this case, a nice little sammidge and the grim scene of gelatinous mayhem it resembles. Take that, Strawberry Alarm Clock!
Very nice Ray for just throwing this down quickly! I admit I don't understand the lyrics but I don't question that because your lyric writing is way beyond a lot of what is posted here! Nice job with your guitar and bass performances! I think your vocals were delivered very well also! I admit that I always want them louder in the mix but they may be where they need to be! Rock on! T
ray, For a "quick track" that sounds pretty dang good. The tone of the opening guitar is very cool. Would have liked to hear more of that, but it disappears under everything else quickly. A good balance of "everything". Good job with guitars and bass. I really like the doubled vocal. Sounds good! This sounds like a "modern" version of the great AM bands of the late 60's, early 70's - Lemon Pipers, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Buckinghams... I like it (though I can't say I know what it is about - shopping and bleeding...) fj
Thanks FJ, The intro guitar, naturally an after thought, came about, like the solo, after trying various BIAB soloists... they all seemed to be stumped by the tempo and progression and simply walked the changes. i figured I could do that to and spaghetti western baritone would be the easy way. I'll work on the balance of that intro today...your thoughts on it are similar to mine but I wasn't sure. No I am. That's a lovely bunch of bands to make comparison too. They were fun and cool.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Really does nail that proto-psychedelic 60s sound. The lyric is perfect for that, too, following the Iron Butterfly / Moby Grape naming principle of Absurd Biological Concatenation. Take something organic and benign and bolt on something mechanical or menacing. In this case, a nice little sammidge and the grim scene of gelatinous mayhem it resembles. Take that, Strawberry Alarm Clock!
Thanks mark. Goth/Emo/absurdist even? You're very kind.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Very nice Ray for just throwing this down quickly! I admit I don't understand the lyrics but I don't question that because your lyric writing is way beyond a lot of what is posted here! Nice job with your guitar and bass performances! I think your vocals were delivered very well also! I admit that I always want them louder in the mix but they may be where they need to be! Rock on! T
Hello Torrey, I thought the vocal was heroically loud in this one. Oh, well...The cringe factor usually wins with me. Thanks for your very kind words.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Ray, Cool tune, especially considering timeframe. Cool conception idea. Excellent work on vocals, doubling worked very well! Solid drive. What happened at 2:56? Guitar? Fun fx. In most of your songs, vocals are a bit "under". To my ears, this tune has them right where they need to be Thank you for sharing.
Ray, Cool tune, especially considering timeframe. Cool conception idea. Excellent work on vocals, doubling worked very well! Solid drive. What happened at 2:56? Guitar? Fun fx. In most of your songs, vocals are a bit "under". To my ears, this tune has them right where they need to be Thank you for sharing.
Misha.
Thanks Misha. 2.56 is a traditional pick scrape...not really the sound for spaghetti lead but it almost fits. Yeah, I think the vocal are about at the right level THOUGH I did EQ them a little in the latest version (they were a bit strident at about 3300Hz so I expect folk'll tell me if I removed definition or that it caused level loss.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
In this composition, I especially appreciated your work on the vocal which gives a very good result. The sequence of chords is very pleasant. I didn't understand your lyrics very well, but that's a detail. Well done.
I used an online "deep dream" generator to mutate a picture of strawberries and bread, hoping it would come up with berries with eyes and creepy stuff like that, but it looks more like cauliflower stained with beet juice.
Loved it. It took me back to the late 60's. This could have been done by a number of groups from that era like Strawberry Alarm Clock, Count 5, etc. You squarely hit that vibe right on the head.
Outstanding song!
The fitness trainer asked me, "What kind of a squat are you accustomed to doing?" I said, "Diddly."
64 bit Win 11 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Rayc. re latest 10 version. yes i hear that nice classic vibe... just some ideas.... 1. for me i would dial back the fx. i DO LIKE that lone guitar that starts off the song. but for me..too far back. try it dry with a hint or more of only pg dx echo chorus. 2. an old trick recording studios would employ re tracking vocals , was to firstly before tracking the vocs, to lay down a synth lead line or two that matched note for note what the vocallist would be singing. thus it would give the vocallist a base reference in the vocal tracking phase. 3. i feel some high femme vocs in the chorus could really elevate the song. best/every happiness om
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 08/31/2104:09 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
That short interesting period before psychedelia became obsessed with itself.
The lead double tracking and harmony worked very well and sits nicely in the mix.
Your performances wrapped a fine band around the RDs.
Enjoyed it and now it's time to look at Janice's grocery list and get, hopefully, slammed with some lyric inspiration!
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 are here on our website.
Hi Rayc, In this composition, I especially appreciated your work on the vocal which gives a very good result. The sequence of chords is very pleasant. I didn't understand your lyrics very well, but that's a detail. Well done. Kindly regard Derochette alias JaniJackFlash
Jani, Thanks. The lyrics....strawberries & bread, red & white, blood & bone. It could be a murder mystery, could be a blood cult or it could be the words Black Sabbath rejects that make mine just words.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
I used an online "deep dream" generator to mutate a picture of strawberries and bread, hoping it would come up with berries with eyes and creepy stuff like that, but it looks more like cauliflower stained with beet juice.
Well, Mark, it does has a lovely psych colour blur to it.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
Playable RealTracks Set 4
RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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