Hello Folks, I posted a version of this song a few months back...it was while waiting for a chap who wanted to sing it to do so but, after nine months of life getting in the way of that I decided to finish the thing myself. I sent the version you may have heard to my M.E. and he suggested redoing the vocals but to do them very differently. There are two variations on this final piece - one is longer than the other and that one includes two "dramatic" bits that may be counter productive. The M.E. thinks the shorter one is the way to proceed and I respect his view but I'd also like the opinion of a couple of more sets of ears n eyes that I trust before committing to ONE version. The song form was decided in BIAB but there's nothing left from that process other than the form. Drums are care of Drums On Demand The rest is my fault - sorry. Vantage Bass -> Behringer BDI21 -> a cross over filter to eliminate some of the low end as the chorus is a droning low E with the riff over it Squire Bullet Mustang guitar -> Actone amp in a box pedal Lead parts were the same but with a trem added Vocals are an AT2020 with manual de-essing and not much else. I experimented with a plugin/VST called Vola to try to get some consistency of level across the five different vocal tracks but I had to do an huge amount of automation writing as well.
PLEASE, if you have the time & interest listen to the two versions and let me know whether the short or the long is better from a narrative/suspense perspective. ANY/ALL comments welcome...I did apply comments from the original version to this mix.
SHORT
LONG
Last edited by rayc; 09/13/2210:48 PM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
This is my favorite PBEx song/production. Everything about it is WELL done.
LOVE the drums. A great sound. The James-Bond-ish guitar riff works exceptionally well. Killer Bass sound (and playing) The rhythm guitars at 2:11 (ish) are superb.
Vocal is JUST RIGHT. Ominous, but not menacing. No lyric sheet required. PERFECTLY mixed.
The little ping-ponging pause (1:30-ish) is a delight.
Actually, I think EITHER version works. I wondered how that ending foley would sound/work if it came right on the last (dissonant) guitar note??? But it was effective as is (just wondered)
EXCELLENT work. All around. Heck of a write.
(got a real kick out of the still from Perfect Strangers (TV show))
Hi Ray, I'm not the best to offer an opinion on this genre of music, so I'm sure I'm not one of the voices you'd want to trust. If I had to choose though, I think I'd go with the longer version. I also liked the ping-ponging you did, and the shot at the song was unexpected. I hope it does well for you,
Starts like a Bond theme played by "The Cure"... I like that. A lot!
Really cool song, and the mix is really good too.
I personally prefer the shorter version, but my "get out of your comfort zone" challenge for this year is "tell it in less than 3 minutes", so take my choice with a grain of salt.
This is my favorite PBEx song/production. Everything about it is WELL done. LOVE the drums. A great sound. The James-Bond-ish guitar riff works exceptionally well. Killer Bass sound (and playing) The rhythm guitars at 2:11 (ish) are superb. Vocal is JUST RIGHT. Ominous, but not menacing. No lyric sheet required. PERFECTLY mixed. The little ping-ponging pause (1:30-ish) is a delight. Actually, I think EITHER version works. I wondered how that ending foley would sound/work if it came right on the last (dissonant) guitar note??? But it was effective as is (just wondered) EXCELLENT work. All around. Heck of a write. (got a real kick out of the still from Perfect Strangers (TV show)) fj
Thanks fj, I'm pleased you like the bass...it was quite a task getting the tone right against the DOD kick & I wasn't confident I'd managed it. I actually used this song to experiment with little production tricks like reverse guitar to make swells leading to changes, punching a hole & filling it with delays etc. I was worried I'd over done it with such things & the foley. I did try that where you suggested but again worried about gratuitousness and decided to put it right on the end so I could cut it if/when I decided I'd overdone it.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Hi Ray, I'm not the best to offer an opinion on this genre of music, so I'm sure I'm not one of the voices you'd want to trust. If I had to choose though, I think I'd go with the longer version. I also liked the ping-ponging you did, and the shot at the song was unexpected. I hope it does well for you, Brad
Hello Brad, It's fine - I don't look to genre definitions & mandates when writing or in commentary/suggestions. A good set of ears and the vocab to tell me what you hear right n wrong are what counts.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Starts like a Bond theme played by "The Cure"... I like that. A lot! Really cool song, and the mix is really good too. I personally prefer the shorter version, but my "get out of your comfort zone" challenge for this year is "tell it in less than 3 minutes", so take my choice with a grain of salt.
Thanks B.D., I was lucky enough to see The Cure on their 1st pub tour of Australia and again for the theater tour of Pornography. The former was exhilarating and the latter a little too oppressive. A vote for short!
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Yes, I think this is one of your best, for me you hit a nice gestalt with this one that worked very well. I really like that ACtone pedal, I know some locals who use one and just plug into the PA instead of lugging around an amp. Your vocals, I'm so glad to hear you finally bringing the levels up. All that automation writing, have you ever considered Waves Vocal Rider? Or Melda Productions MVolume. Might save you a lot of time. I hate writing volume levels, I just won't do it anymore. Some voices don't work well with Vocal Rider, but I think yours would.
As far as choosing a vid, I pick the longer one. I might like to hear the last few guitar notes with some more effects since they're out there naked and on their own. But not critical.
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
All that automation writing, have you ever considered Waves Vocal Rider? Or Melda Productions MVolume.
Thank you sir, My DAW computer is off line and dongle free, plus I'm not a fan of subscription services so I don't use Waves stuff. There is a process within Reaper to ride levels but it's a little convoluted - additionally there is at least one "rider" plug for Reaper that's been written by a user. I've not taken the time or effort to suss these out properly but will. Again, thanks.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
I found the short one on YT the other day. Didn't know there was a long one. Just listened again to the short one for a better comparison with the long. Man, I love that bass!!! You did an outstanding job and I appreciate you explaining your process, but I noticed the "long" one was one second shorter than the "short" one. Not sure what M. E. is. Medical Examiner? Nah. Anyway, about the song. Man, I love it, and I really enjoy watching the video. Everything is so creative. You're like a mad scientist, and quite a talented fellow.
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
Personally, I prefer the short version. But the mix of the second has my preference in terms of reverb in particular. Otherwise, it's superb well done and I enjoyed it. Well done.
I found the short one on YT the other day. Didn't know there was a long one. Just listened again to the short one for a better comparison with the long. Man, I love that bass!!! You did an outstanding job and I appreciate you explaining your process, but I noticed the "long" one was one second shorter than the "short" one. Not sure what M. E. is. Medical Examiner? Nah. Anyway, about the song. Man, I love it, and I really enjoy watching the video. Everything is so creative. You're like a mad scientist, and quite a talented fellow.
Thanks Marty. The bass took ages as I mentioned and I used an interesting Reaper trick that may work in your DAW if you're looking for trick...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_TshbcD0LI
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Personally, I prefer the short version. But the mix of the second has my preference in terms of reverb in particular. Otherwise, it's superb well done and I enjoyed it. Well done.
Kindly regard Derochette alias JaniJackFlash
Thanks JJJ, A vote for short...
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Man, what a production! Drums sound great, as does the bass. Read your note to Marty about that yesterday and watched the Kenny video, might experiment with that on our next song
Vocal sounds good to me, often I find your vocals a little low in the mix for my tastes, but I think you have them sitting just right.
Excellent job on the videos too. I watched both, and I'll be the odd man out, I actually like the slightly longer one better, with the gunshot at the end.
Man, what a production! Drums sound great, as does the bass. Read your note to Marty about that yesterday and watched the Kenny video, might experiment with that on our next song
Vocal sounds good to me, often I find your vocals a little low in the mix for my tastes, but I think you have them sitting just right.
Excellent job on the videos too. I watched both, and I'll be the odd man out, I actually like the slightly longer one better, with the gunshot at the end.
Thanks Dave, It's a decent method and allows for different FX - I've not used it with my new monitors. I've moved from 4 1/2 inch to 7 inch cones so should be better able to hear bottom end and what I've I've been mixing now.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
We listened to both several times. BTW, for some reason the link did not log us in as usual so no YT comments.
So we listened and read all the comments. We both feel that floyd nailed our feelings with the exception that we liked the longer version a bit better.
As disturbing as it is the shot at the end was effective.
Your vocals were excellent ... strong and full of the ominous vibe.
Along with that your guitar and bass performances were standout in what you were playing and the tone ... great on the monitors with the 8" woofer.
Both videos well supported the aforementioned vibe.
Well done all around Ray.
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.
We listened to both several times. BTW, for some reason the link did not log us in as usual so no YT comments. So we listened and read all the comments. We both feel that floyd nailed our feelings with the exception that we liked the longer version a bit better. As disturbing as it is the shot at the end was effective. Your vocals were excellent ... strong and full of the ominous vibe. Along with that your guitar and bass performances were standout in what you were playing and the tone ... great on the monitors with the 8" woofer. Both videos well supported the aforementioned vibe. Well done all around Ray. J&B
Thank you Merritts both combined and as separate entities. Glad you survived repeated listens. I did have the shot lined up for the pause after the intro but it gave the game away.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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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!
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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!
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