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I am planning to enter a producing contest on a Belgian Home-recording forum. For this purpose I took a song I wrote (and posted here) in 2007. I made a complete new version of that one (that was MIDI-only) and used RT's and RD's from BiaB. In Cubase 5 I added vocals and sound-effects and I made some adjustments to the instrumental tracks using a MIDI-keyboard and samples from the instrumental tracks themselves. I have to enter the song before tomorrow 23:59 (local forum time) so I still got 26 hours to make adjustments. Fact is my ears are tired from all the producing, singing and whatnot, so I would like some feedback from the PG forum members. Any and all critics are most welcome! All kinds of thingsEnjoy the ride!
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Hi Mike,
Sound just great to my ears.
You'll knock 'em dead.
Best wishes
michee
Windows 11 64 bit, Biab 2024 1111, Realband 2024
i7 Desktop Computer 16Gb Memory
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Great job Mike. Very enjoyable tune.
Which style did you use for this?
Bob
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Mike,
Simply outstanding !!
Trax
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It is very difficult recording live, but to imitate a live performance I think is even harder. I don't know how to put this, but for me the atmosphere is not consistent. I like the live introduction, nice touch, but then it disappears. The middle bit sounds too "studio", not enough live atmosphere, it is a bit too clean.
You have picked a very difficult way to go on this one, and it puts a very good performance in an awkward position. I would either take out the audience bits, or involve them throughout the song and give the whole thing a live feeling.
That was my ears talking. The rest of me salutes a fine performance and a good steady beat, all in all a fine country barn dance type of track, way better than anything I could put up. Maybe a couple of Yahoo's and a bit of applause, or a chink of glasses. These type of gatherings tend to be noisy, full of hoots and hollers.
Best of luck in the contest.
Chris
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Hi Mike,
I really enjoyed the song. In my opinion, the production is excellent and your performance is brilliant. I like the way you mingled the "crowd" into the song. It worked for me.
Hope you do brilliantly in the competition.
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Thank you all for your comments an very kind words.
@Bobflatpicker: I used several different individual RealTracks for this song, so it's not a complete style. I will check the BiaB file tomorrow and let you know which RT's I used.
@Sinbad: Thank you for your observation. I will look into that. Reason I did not use the crowd in the whole song was I was afraid it would all sound too muddy and crowded. I will do some experiments with it tomorrow tho.
Personally I think the lead vocals are missing some "sparkle" in them. Couldn't get it right today. Will have to work on those too. Anyone any ideas on how to make them sound more open and bright (without having too much sibilance) ?
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Mike,
You done good! Very good song, well arranged and a top notch performance.
Later,
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Excellent job Mike!
I liked the simulated "live" intro and ending. The "audience's" silence throughout the song gave me the impression that they were spellbound and paying attention to the music rather than to the bar scene. (not that such a thing ever happens much, but since music is, by definition, somewhat of an exercise in fantasy, you get to create whatever fantasy works for you)
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Apprentice
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sounds very good to me Mike - not a fan of country music but I enjoyed this one. I think the mix is just right and it did sound as if it were live with audience listening once you started.
Jim
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As you can see by Pat's comment, it's all in the listening, and as I said, to get the effect right it would be a nightmare anyway. To brighten up vocals try Vocal2 from mildonstudios.com, it's free and does a good job. http://www.mildonstudios.com/m2/page6.aspx
Chris
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Don't change a thing!
I like this as is!
Straight to the keeper folder.
I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia.
She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Just a thought Mike about the "live" feel. My ears aren't sensitive enough to judge the level of reverb or "space" on the cut. But what if you were to set the whole production into a room area. Plugin RoomMachine844 - it's a freebie. http://www.silverspike.com/?Products:RoomMachine_844Good Luck - it's a good cut. Ian
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Hi Mike,
Your song gets and holds one's attention. That's the main thing in my estimation.
Don S.
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Did some experimenting with the audience. Had to decide to ask them to shut up during the song; they just got too noisy and ruined the song  I did some extra eq-ing on the drums and bass, cutting the sub-low. I reworked the vocals, changed the eq, dropped the compression and changed the reverb. In the mastering I reworked the eq a little and changed the level of the convolution reverb to get a better live-sound feel. For those who want to hear the "final cut" : Here's the song I entered in the contestThis time I had it hosted on "Hyves" a Dutch socual network. Halfway down the page on the left side you will find the soundplayer. There are also some pictures on the page. Thank you all for taking the time to listen and to comment.
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Mike,
I still think the 1st one is the better mix on this song. The 2nd sounds very processed now, IMO. Either way, you have done a fantastic job with the song.
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Mike,
I believe the rework will do you well. IMHO, the vox definitely has more punch that before.
Don S.
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Sounds good with a bit more space in it. Well done, and good luck with the contest.
Chris
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Yee ha Mike!!! I really like the changes to RT. That coupled with the live ambiance in the beginning of the song really give it a happy feeling. One suggestion I can think of as I listened was if you may remember Garth Brooks tune "Friends in Low Places" is to add an audience background to the backing vocals that end the song. Perhaps double the vocals to exponentiate the sound there perhaps.
All in all, I really liked the bouncy feel of the tune. You can't help but smile and bounce in your seat as you listen. It is definitely one of my favorite country tunes!
Best to you on your new forum and your music!
RickeG
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Sounds great, Mike. Nice, crisp, open, punchy, mix. If there are RTs in there I couldn't spot them, it all sounded totally live and real to me. Very well done.
Good luck and let us know how you get on!
John
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