Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 310
H
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
H
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 310
I'm a HUGE fan of Tower of Power so after listening to some of their tracks I was inspired to write what I thought would be the type of song you would hear from them. I based the song off of the "Feel" (I'm a huge fan of capturing the "Feel" of a song) from the old soul track "Backfield in Motion". One of my favorites.

https://youtu.be/WG7BXgQZ6xQ

I really had to focus on the "Chord Push" feature in BIAB and the overlapping horn arrangements. Doing horn phrases of this type require a fair amount of manual manipulation. This is not MultiRiff stuff but listening, and cutting and pasting phrases in the DAW that I thought fit. That was the purpose of me creating the tutorial "How I create SOLOs) on my channel. Anyway I think the song came off pretty well. Back in the TOP heyday their lead singer was Lenny Williams (So Very Hard To Go). Hell I ain't no Lenny but I also thought the vocals came across OK. :-) This was just me playing around. It will not be released. It'll go in the can so no point suggesting I remix. I'm done with this one and on to the next. Still constructive comments always welcome.

Style: Monday.STY Slow Swing 8th Blues (of course speeded up almost double the time)

Bass: Electric Blues
Organ: B3
Guitar 1: Acoustic Rhythm
Guitar 2: Resonator Rhythm Blues Muddy
Horns 1: Rhythm Blues Shuffle
Horn 2: Background Blues Shuffle
Piano 1: Acoustic Piano
Drums: Nashville 128
Synth Pad 1: Pop Believe
Synth 2: Rhythm Pep Squad Horns

Equipment: Usual stuff, Shure PG-42, Sonar Producer, Focusrite USB
Vocal Stuff: Antares, iZotope Nectar, AVOX Suite, CLA Vocals

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,825
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,825
Hi Henry,

This is a good song, well sung, mixed and produced.

Congratulations.

Best Regards
Nigel


Nigel Spiers
Christchurch, New Zealand
info@nzacoustics.com
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 720
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 720
This is awesome!

Great job!


-rob

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,948
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 23,948
Henry, I am another TOP fan and I think you did them justice with this piece. Your vocal is excellent and the horns were arranged perfectly.

This is your best to date IMHO

Loved it.


It takes courage for a man to admit his wife was wrong.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 2,347
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 2,347
Henry...great tune...I love the arrangement...the vocals are top-notch...everything is so tight...I would love to hear the brass a little more on their emphasis points but still a very cool mix.


www.soundclick.com/firesong
BiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10

You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,890
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,890
I'm a huge Lenny Williams/TOP fan, also familiar with the Mel and Tim tune from Teen Club dances back in the day. This was closer to Backfield in Motion and had enough of that "Henry Clarke goodness" to satisfy any R&B fan. Great work, Henry.


Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,081
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,081
Fantastic! What a great mix. Your vocals blend in so well with the music. Well written too. The band hums along nicely too. Top notch production.


My music can be heard at: The Cracks
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,527
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,527
Hello Henry
Great song
As always excellent sung
great melody and song structure
If you want to know what you can get out of BiaB you just have to listen to your songs ;-)
It was really fun to listen
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

User Showcase
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 201
A
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
A
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 201
Great horn arrangements!


Feel free to check out my music: https://www.youtube.com/@alexanderpaulmusic
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,991
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,991
Smoooooooooooooooth ear candy. Yummy! laugh

Bouncy, catchy, and fun to listen to.

Love it.


-- David Cuny

My virtual singer development blog
Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,434
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,434
I like Tower of Power and I've seen them alive too. You have really captured their sound and their soulful mood is present. Nice and catchy melody, very good arrangement, horns sound good. Excellent vocals.

Janne


Hear My Music:

Soundcloud
YouTube

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,651
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,651
Cool mix.... Listening on my buds this sounds really sweet.

Love the "feel" to this song.

Everything is in it's place and tasty.

The vox sound like they have the slightest touch of AT on them.... while I'm not a fan of blatant AT, this, if that's what I'm hearing, is interesting. Kind of like a teaser. Of course, it could also be artifacts from the streaming or MP3 conversion ..... IDK....

I liked it.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,377
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,377
I love this Henry.. I am hearing what I think Guitarhacker mentioned in the previous comment about "AT Artifacts"
The track still sounds great to me... Feel good music.


Bandcamp
Win-11; BiaB-2026 Audiophile
Cakewalk Sonar; Melodyne-5; Scaler 3; NI Komplete:
Focusrite Scarlett 18i20



User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 310
H
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
H
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 310
Originally Posted By: bloc-head
I love this Henry.. I am hearing what I think Guitarhacker mentioned in the previous comment about "AT Artifacts"
The track still sounds great to me... Feel good music.


Thanks. You may hear a slight touch of AT since I absolutely hate any flat notes and it does provide a lift but I think it could also sound this way because I usually cut anything around 200 Hz for my vocals to eliminate and floor noise and any booming sounds coming through on the vocal. I could probably have cut a bit of highs in the 13k range. It was a bit difficult competing with the horns :-) Either way I'm not opposed to having a tinge of AT on my vocal to give it a more modern sound. Just my personal preference. Thanks for the kind comments about the track. Cheers folks.

User Showcase
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,085
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 5,085
Cool song and love your voice. Backfield is one of my all time favs so I dig the inspiration. I'm just not into the robotic modern stacks or any of what they used to call the Cher/TP autotune vox fx. Don't get me wrong you did a great job on them - I'm just old school. I can't help it. Great job.
Josie

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,003
Expert
Online Content
Expert
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,003
Never heard of Tower of Power (and why should I look them up when I can listen to you instead?).
Your productions never disappoint which is probably a testament of your attention to detail. Keep up the good work!

Ghostgum


ProTools; Ableton Live Lite; Reaper
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 MK4 interface
Novation Launchkey 61 Mk4 midi controller
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 310
H
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
H
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 310
Originally Posted By: Sundance
Cool song and love your voice. Backfield is one of my all time favs so I dig the inspiration. I'm just not into the robotic modern stacks or any of what they used to call the Cher/TP autotune vox fx. Don't get me wrong you did a great job on them - I'm just old school. I can't help it. Great job.
Josie


Thanks for the comment. I'm also old school but enjoy all forms of creativity. I think you're in the camp that all autotune is the Cher/TP effect when essence it is not. AT is on almost every recording being released from major studios today. It's just another tool and doesn't have to sound robotic. That's the main misconception. It appears you think my vocal stack is AT when in essence it is not. There's only slight AT on the lead vocal. Nothing else. Here's my opinion on the use of AT or Melodyne https://youtu.be/Hd16ie1gQAw

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15,798
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15,798
Man, did that work on the horns ever pay off. They sound great.
And speaking of great you can apply that to your vocals, arrangement and mix.

You really grabbed that TOP vibe ... their early 70's releases were everywhere.
Back when you could hear R&B, blues, soul and country on the same station smile

Well done and enjoyable indeed.

J&B

PS This is the first song we've listened to on the forum with our new monitors. Great way to break em in!


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.
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,749
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,749
Is that TOP (Tower Of Power) or POC (Power Of Clark)?
Nice job.
Horns rock and vocals come off beautifully.

Smooth as a velvet hammer!

Moto

User Showcase
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 4,778
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 4,778
I've heard this song many times since the day you posted it, Henry, so now have a chance to come here and tell you I love it, man. Such a great feel and so well sung and mastered. I've already told you how impressive those horns sound. the whole thing "feels so good to me."


Enjoy whatever happens!
marty

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub
Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 11, EZDrummer
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2

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
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!

Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.

Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!

Special offers until December 31st, 2025!

All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.

Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!

Xtra Styles PAK 21 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 Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!

Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!

Special offers until December 31st, 2025!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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.

Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!

Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.

Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!

Special offers until December 31st, 2025!

All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 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!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch 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.

Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!

Xtra Styles PAK 21 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 Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!

Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!

In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!

Special offers until December 31st, 2025!

All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.

Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 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.

Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 60 new features in this exciting release.

Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until December 31, 2025. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.

2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49. Browse the full contents of each package and listen to demos here.

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!

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics85,197
Posts789,554
Members39,836
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
GiniJoy, AndyDL007, Dee71, Don Juan, Cyril Engram
39,835 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
jpettit 277
MarioD 206
DrDan 199
Noel96 153
DC Ron 135
Rob Helms 129
Today's Birthdays
Ulrich-Wilhelm
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5