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Words and Music by Me, Myself and I Mix and Master by Me, Myself and I Produced by Me, Myself and I They say you should always write what you know. So this subject fit that well for me. Chords written in Scaler 2 Moved to BIAB for selection of style: Key=Bm , Tempo 90, Length (m:s)=2:45 AQUA.STY (Aqua Slow Bossa Nova Piano) Melodist All midi moved to Reaper for VIs [EZKeys, EZD3, EZBass, Kontakt (Strummed Acostic)] None of us are getting out alive Of course, I am open to, and appreciative of, any and all comments including corrective criticism which can and will be applied to my current and future music making while there is still time.  Verse 1 We all are riding on a spinning ball. Hanging on, but we're bound to fall. We think we’re in control but in the end. None of us are getting out alive. Verse 2 We're born into this world with nothing in hand Full of unknowns we can't understand. Trying to find our way throughout our life None of us are getting out alive. Chorus None of us are getting out alive. We're here for just a moment in time. We laugh, we love, we live, we die None of us are getting out alive. . Verse 3 We chase our dreams to the edge of the sky. Think we're special, but we're just getting by We want to leave behind a legacy. But none of us are getting out alive Bridge – over Chorus So make the most of every friend that you make Love with all your heart, give more than you take. Cherish the moments, every day your alive. None of us are getting out alive Verse 4 We build our castles high to find some peace. Time goes by but our worries never cease. We think we have control, but it's just a lie. Cuz None of us are getting out alive. Outro: None of us are getting out alive
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I will repete here what I said in the other thread.
Cool song Dan. I listened to it once then pick up a guitar and played over it the second time around. Key of B minor I assume?
Everything seemed to fit and the whole thing was logical to me. Universal subject matter which is always a good thing.
Toontracks stuff is fun to work with.
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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Not my favorite genre, but it's a good song with good, but somewhat depressing lyrics.
For the problems with your voice that you mentioned, the vocals are actually quite good, they just have too much reverb to fit in with the rest of the band.
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... too much reverb to fit in with the rest of the band. Reverb covers a multitude of sins. Thanks for the input. I have revised to create a single reverb buss to include all tracks along with vocal (before the reverb was only on the vocal). I dialed reverb back a bit for the overall mix.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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You three are really good together  I think you have a really good voice. Plus I like the amount of reverb you have on it. Good mix, great lyrics. You should sing more often.
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64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Thanks Mario. I would love to sing more Original material. This is in fact the second song I have ever written. Several years ago (a decade?) I put my first up on the forum. I am hoping it will not be so long until my next. I do learn by doing.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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It's a likable song. To my ears and headphones your vocal is overpowered by the backing tracks. Evidently the vocal exercises worked because the vocal doesn't sound strained.
Jim Fogle - 2025 BiaB (Build 1128) RB (Build 5) - Ultra+ PAK DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8 Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home
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Your vocal reflects your current lack of faith in it. I think it works but needs to be bolstered with some EQ etc.
Since you're Reaper user I suggest you look into JS Spectrum Matcher. There're videos on how to use it. Basically you locate an isolated vocal of someone who's voice you think is a decent match for where you'd like yours to be. You then use the VST to get a print of your voice & there's then apply their print to your voice.
It can be very subtle or aggressive BUT it won't make me sound like Freddy or Elvis - it does improve the tone & timbre of my voice.
This is a cool song, a cool message and you should do a little more with your voice to make it an even better piece.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Thanks Ray You had mentioned this Spectrum Matcher feature in the past and I did find it helpful at that time. I have Neutron which easily does this. But I had forgotten. I am on it now. Thanks much. And yes I agree on trying to optimize the vocals. I hope to completely redo them in the vocal booth and include everything I am learning with this first attempt. Here is the current after the "Spectrum Match" recommended by Ray. None of Us are Getting out alive 042122 Dan
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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I like the song!  I'm not sure the mix is an improvement. The vocal seems oddly attenuated, and still far back in the mix. If you re-record the vocals, hang on to the originals! You might consider using them for thickening up the vocal. Or even better, throw them into BiaB's auto-harmonizer, and you can use them for background harmonies. Your vocals sound a bit like you're trying to sound like someone else. You're "pushing" them a bit, which might be why there are some small breaks in places. I think if you just focus on giving good breath support and sounding like yourself, it'll be an improvement. This advice coming from someone who uses robots to sing his songs, so take it with a proverbial grain of salt!  Anyway, it's a nice song that's well worth putting a bit more work into.
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Very good lyrics and I love the band. I listened to the 042123 version. I do agree that the vocal should be brought forward in the mix. Someone mentioned straining in the vocal. If you find yourself straining, just lower the key, which is so easy with BIAB. I find just dropping the key a semitone can make a world of difference and improve my tone.
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Thanks for the input. So many good suggestions. In fact this one is going back into the studio shortly for an upgrade.
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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Dan,
Cool song.
I found your vocal to be "authentic". Something about it reminds me of Ben Folds...
I thought the strumming acoustic guitar is mixed too loud - it's fighting with the piano (If I were mixing it, I have it at a level where you had to listen carefully to know it was there - a choice, of course).
fj
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Your vocal reflects your current lack of faith in it.
Rayc, I wanted to circle back to this comment. It was one that made me think long and hard. At the core of my earliest instruction in singing this was a key point made to me. You need to "have faith" in your voice. You can't be shy or timid, you have to sell it. I had forgotten this tenet. I wanted to thank you for reminding me and let you know that I took this to heart in my rework of the song. Dan
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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Anyway, it's a nice song that's well worth putting a bit more work into.
David, I wanted to thank you for helping me with that "extra work needed". I really think the rework you and I put into this song has resulted in a huge improvement which I could have never done on my own. It is so gratifying to have someone step up and volunteer to provide the technical audio engineering expertise needed. Dan
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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Dan,
Very cool tune. Neat arrangement and groove. A+ lyrics. Vocals are good, but I think you have to work a bit in getting them to sit better in the mix. Light compression, boosting mid-low EQ (on vocals) and slight reverb on master bus could work. Thank you for sharing.
Misha.
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It’s taken 10 days to rework this song. I hope you will agree with me that this next version is a serious improvement. There is only so much one can learn about audio engineering from watching YouTube videos. So for this rework, I got hands-on help. I learned a lot in going to this next level. Of note: 1. Full redo of the vocals in the vocal booth with the Rode mic following my re-discovery and performance of vocal warmup exercises prior to recording. This was a big improvement in vocal tone and range. Thanks to Ken Tamplin for all his free vocal warmup sessions. 2. I found the faith, which I had lost, in my vocals. If I don’t believe, then I can’t expect anyone else to believe. 3. In the middle of the effort my pre-amp for my mic failed. So phantom power was slipping. Luckily, I had a replacement in hand (what were the odds of that?). 4. Added harmonies - I hadn't even thought about this option till it was pointed out to me. This is Melodyn wizardry. I love it. While I updated to Editor version, turns out the Assistant version can do this same magic. 5. Added a new reverb plugin. I was using stock reverb, but I recently discovered the Hybrid FREE REmatrix IR Library. Ya, I love that too. 6. I removed over half of the guitar part. Less is better. 7. Use of a “master reference song” for both mix and master in Neutron 4 and Ozone 10 to adjust mixing levels, EQ, and tone. I listened to some commercial tracks and used them as a reference point. This specifically is what told me to raise the levels of the vocals. I am not going to say this song is done. I need to learn a lot more before I can make that conclusion. If you’re interested in hearing these improvements, I left the prior version on Soundcloud next to the new version, let me know what you think. None of Us are Getting Out Alive 043023
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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Dan,
much better!
Vocals sit comfortable in the mix, but still a bit dry compared to the rest of arrangement.
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Thanks for the feedback. I wanted to send every track to a single reverb bus. But the free version of the reverb I have does not seem to permit that. So I put reverb on every individual track.
So does the vocal need more reverb?
BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6
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Dan,
there are plenty parts in this when your voice is really strong, really expressive and impressive.
Overall the vocal & arrangement are wonderful improvements.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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