PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase Messiah - Version 2 (Dcuny production!)

Biab and the folks on this forum are great! I recently posted this song in an experimental style. Thanks for all the feedback. Dcuny had some particular ideas in mind, which just blew my mind. He asked me to send him my vocal tracks and let him play with the song a bit - what a difference. We swapped a couple of emails and that was it. He came up with the rest of this by himself, with a little help from his son. The only thing I contributed was my original vocals from the original song - he's done the rest. I wanted to post this remix to show off his abilities, and to show people who have a lot to learn yet like me, some of what can be done with these systems. You may or may not like the song, or style, but the point is just how many additional things can happen after you think you may be done. I'll leave my original post up on Soundcloud a while so that people can compare the difference if they choose. I'll also post the stuff that David did at the bottom here.

Messiah - Version 2 (Dcuny production)

Messiah, I lift you higher and praise your holy name.
‘Cause you came, and you forgave, and you saved and set me free.

Oh Messiah, you are the Lord. You are the one I’m living for.
Oh Messiah, you are my king and your kingdom reigns forevermore.

Messiah, I’ll never tire of lifting you in praise.
‘Cause you died, and rose again, then you took my sin from me.

Oh Messiah, you are the Lord. You are the one I’m living for.
Messiah, you are my king, and your kingdom reigns forevermore.
Oh Messiah.

Oh Messiah, you are the Lord. You are the one I’m living for.
Messiah, you are my king, and your kingdom reigns forevermore.
Oh Messiah. Messiah. Oh Messiah. Messiah. Oh messiah.


The style is _CHARLOT.STY (Charlotte Funk Pop Rock).

The main drums are MIDI tracks from the UJAM's DEEP drum "Acoustic Love" style, using UJAM's SOLID drumkit.

I lost track of a couple RealTracks - specifically the 12 string guitars - but most of the RealTracks are:

~1437:Piano, Electric, Rhythm JazzFunkGroovin Ev16 110
~684:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 120
2929:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm PopFunkyJoe Ev16 110
1771:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm JazzFunkMovinMuted Ev16 130
3768:Guitar, 12-String Electric, Rhythm ModernPopBrent Ev 120
3711:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm 90sJamRockGroovin16ths Ev16 110
~1435:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm JazzFunkGroovinChords Ev16 110
~1436:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm JazzFunkGroovinMute Ev16 110
3648:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm IndieFolkPush Ev16 110
794:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ModernCountrySync Ev 100
850:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm NashvillePopClean Ev 120
1851:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopShiningGrittyA-B Ev 120
3587:Bass, Electric, NashvilleRadioPopPushAB Ev 110
4220:Bass, Electric, SoulRock70sAB Ev 100
~684:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 120
4318:Piano, ElectricClav, Rhythm FunkFast16thsKevin Ev16 120
403:Sax, Tenor, Motown Rock Ev 120
SouthernPopEv16^01-HtSnr,OpHtS
CongasEv16[single] [Multi]

Most of the guitars are set in stereo pairs, using similar feels but different RealTracks.

The lead vocal was routed to two additional tracks for parallel compression and reverb.

Effects Chain:
Master Track: Ozone 10 Elements
Lead Vocal: Melodyne, Greg Wells VoiceCentric (Delay), Blockfish De-esser
Lead Vocal Compression: RealEQ, Magma BB Tube, Vulf Compressor
Lead Vocal Reverb: ReaEQ, Neutron 4 Elements, SunsetSound Reverb, LX 480 Essentials Reverb
Extra Vox Left: LX 480 Essentials Reverb
Extra Vox Right: LX 480 Essentials Reverb
Harmony Left: Melodyne, LX 480 Essentials Reverb
Harmony Right: Melodyne, LX 480 Essentials Reverb
Bass: Neutron 4 Essentials
MIDI Drums: UJAM Deep, Neutron 4 Essentials
More Percussion: EZ Mix (Reverb)
Timbales: Neutron 4 Essentials, EZ Mix (Reverb)
Tambourine: EZ Mix2, TrackSpacer
Drums: TrackSpacer, EZMix 2
Rhythm Guitar: TrackSpacer
Funky Rhythm Guitar 1 Left: ReaEQ, EZMix 2
Funky Rhythm Guitar 2 Right: ReaEQ, EZMix 2
Single String Guitar: ReaEQ, Neutron 4 Elements
Rhythm Guitar Left: TrackSpacer, ReaEQ, Neutron 4 Elements
Rhythm Guitar Right: TrackSpacer, ReaEQ, Neutron 4 Elements
12 String Guitar: Neutron 4 Elements, TrackSpacer, Pedals (Chorus, Delay)
Chime Guitar: ReaEQ, EZMix 2
Power Chord Guitar Left: ReaEQ
Power Chord Guitar Right: ReaEQ
Electric Piano: TrackSpacer
Sax Solo: Neutron 4 Elements, LX 480 Essentials Reverb

Brad and David...there is definitely a difference here...I notice the depth of the music and vocal...it's now a deeper and richer soundscape...love the sax! and I can hear some pitch correction (good ol' Melodyne)...everyone needs pitch correction now and then...much, much better IMHO...great collaboration! I love this forum for this and many other reasons.

It's certainly a crisper, busier arrangement & mix.
Both need some de-essing & it's more an issue in the update - the crisper overall tone accentuates it a little.
I think your mix, whilst mellower & less lively, has a more funk tone while the update is more vibrant Caribbean feel.
It is amazing how a different set of ears will go in different directions.
Well done both of you.

Brad,

I listened to this after listening and writing my comments on your first song. David did a wonderful job on the remix . . . actually, a masterful job . . . and that’s understating it even then. What a dramatic difference. I’m listening with my headphones on, and the panning of the vocal s on that chorus is just terrific. Great stuff!

All my best to you,

Deej

David did a fine for you I think, Brad. This sounds really good!

Favorite parts are the chorus, the way that is panned and sits in the mix, and also the sax.

But yeah, a lot of tracks happening with this but it doesn't sound muddy or overdone.

Nice collaboration!

I listened to them back to back. Davids version is an improvement. I also hear the auto tune on the vocal but only in one spot. The rest of the vocal sounds great. It is a bit busy but the mix holds up remarkably well. Good collabarative effort and a big well done to you both, Tom

There's a reason why there are still people who make money mixing songs ... less so these days because labels don't take risks anymore, but still.

I wrote in your old post that the song has potential, and I think I was right.
It's still a bit too busy for my taste, but panning most of the tracks hard left/right and giving them some EQ love makes everything cleaner and your voice gets more room to live.

I like it (and think you owe David a beer or three ).

Glad you gave it a second try Dan. I really liked that sax too. When I originally wrote the song I thought some sort of horns would be good, I just didn't have the guts to try it.

I agree with you Ray. More ears are one of the great things about this forum. Thanks for the comments.

Boy have you got that right Deej! When I first heard what David had done with the BGV's I was floored.

Thanks for the comment Dave, and yeah I think I'm still over my head with this genre. I may give it a try sometime in the future with a completely different style - for now though, I've got the fork stuck in it.

Hey there Tom, thanks for giving it a listen. I don't have Melodyne, but after hearing what David was able to do with it I think it's on my wish list.

B.D., I think you're right!

Yeah this version sounds cool!!

We missed version one so no comparo but this is certainly well done.

Good, almost trance like message.

From reading the posts it sounds like you had fun experimenting before landing it here. Whatever we do, Janice, like you, always has a bit of country sound to her vocal if for no other reason than her accent.

David done ya good!

Enjoyed it!

J&B

Brad and David,

This is an example of how collaborations can really open doors to new ideas for songs that we would never think of on our own! Brad your vocal still sounds great and has a true worshipful sound to it! You wrote a great praise and worship song here! David really stepped up with a lot of excellent ideas and implemented them with a professional sound! The mix sounds great, and the instrumentation David added really makes the song come alive! The song has a big, beautiful sound that is a pleasure to listen to! I enjoyed it!

Take care, T

Thanks all for the positive responses. It was a lot of fun, and a great song.

I'd like to thank Brad for being open to letting me play around with his song. It takes a level of trust to let someone rearrange your song, and honestly, I'm certainly not as open to suggestions on my own songs as he was.

There's probably a lesson there for me to learn here, if only I could figure out what it is.

This song would be better served by an even leaner arrangement - I'm yet to learn how not to overstuff an arrangement.

And I was also a bit heavy-handed with the pitch correction at times, so thanks for being kind about that. The best option is always to re-record, but I wanted to see how far I could go with just editing the vocal.

Thanks again to Brad, and everyone who's commented.

David, you made Brad's song really pop!

Loved those drums and percussion.
The sax was icing on the cake.
Great vocal and mix.