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Sorry - three songs in a week, apologies. This one is an original song, at least, though - and I probably won't have the chance to sit down and write for at least another week, so I thought I'd write now  See what you think? Thanks for listening - feedback, as always, always welcome. The soloist here is ASTERIAN from Synth V Studio Pro. I was able to acquire him because I could split the cost over three months - the things I do for music ... argh ... I absolutely LOVE his unique tone of voice, though ... hope you do, too All Along THE LYRICS: I'm sorry I have to tell you I will die; I cannot stay, no matter how I try, You somehow lived, but they got me, in the end, Let those who have ears, comprehend. And yet, I'm happy I shall live In all the music I can give, In all the magic I have made This music, all this love, will never fade. And so, when down here I'll return, A new man, reincarnated to be born, I'll softly search for your kind face, The kindness which they could never erase. And, just in case you won't know me, For all these things play havoc on our memory, I'll make it so that you run across this song, And, when you'll listen, you'll have known me all along. THE BAND: ****** Song Summary ************* Title: All Along - 6 September 2024 File:All Along - 6 September 2024.SGU Key=C , Tempo 70, Length (m:s)=3:05 No intro. 50 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 50. Repeat x1 chorus No Melody No Soloist track. Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0, Style is _BLUE.STY (Blue Soulful Ballad) Soloist: ASTERIAN, from Synth V Studio Pro RealTracks in style: 2960:Bass, Acoustic, SmoothBalladNeil Ev16 065 RealTracks in style: 910:Piano, Electric, Rhythm SmoothBallad Ev16 065 RealTracks in style: 4195:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm SongwriterRnBGroove Ev16 080 RealTracks in style: 3027:Vocal Oohs, Background Pop3-part Ev 085RealDrums in style:FunkRock70sSlow^1-a:Hihat, Sidestick , b:Dark Ride, Sidestick ******************* Asterian's voice and the BIAB backing tracks mixed and mastered in Mixcraft 10 Studio Pro
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Wow, right out of the box it seemed like a different approach for you, James. Yes, I like the texture of Asterian's vocal. He kind of reminds me of Elliott. You know I'm gonna miss your vocals, right? Well, there is some of the usual unusualness in those Delsono Changes. I like the way you make the song move along as if it notices all of the scenery along the way. Make sense?
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James,
Great song! Big open mix as well - very nice.
I also like the sound of this Synth V voice. It almost has a Roger Whittaker tone & feel. Perfect for the lyrics.
Excellent all around!
Bob
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Very nice to hear someone else to express musical creativity through Asterian's voice Good work, I really like those powerful parts, just enough - not too much "theatrical". And somehow I can still hear your own voice and that really shows your magic and fulfills "you'll have known me all along". Worth acquiring, I can honestly say Nice melodic tune with a very pleasant chord progression, kind of a musical song. Good arrangement and mix. Janne
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James,
A good, very interesting write.
A tasty BAND! I like it.
Good mix, though I might make the vocal just a hair less up-front.
fj
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Hi, James. No doubt about it - that's your sound all right!  I was just playing with Asterian yesterday thinking how he's not really a lead singer, and you've gone and proven me wrong. Nice work, but "listen" should be l ih s ih n, not l iy s ih n.
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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Thanks, Marty. Yes, it does make sense I will sing again ... when the writing is within my range, haha. This time, I thought I'd let someone with a wider range than mine take centre stage, even if that "someone" is a vocaloid A slightly different approach - hopefully, it worked Thanks so much for once again listening and commenting! Bob, thank you. I'm not too familiar with Roger Whittaker's work ... will have to remedy that, soon! Janne, thanks so much for such a kind and thoughtful review. I've tried not to make Asterian go overboard, so I'm glad you feel I've succeeded! And yes, it was YOUR song where I first heard "him", and decided to purchase his voice. It's always good to have a male voice I like, to create music at will with, as well as a female one (Eleanor Forte, in my case) Floyd: thanks! I'll listen again to see if it's worth me re-doing things, to bring Asterian's voice back a little, into the mix. David Cuny: I HAD to garble *something*, didn't I? Even in school, I used to get 98% or 99% in some of my maths exams, much to the chagrin of my teachers. "Why can't you EVER just nail the darn thing?", I remember one of them complaining. So yes: "listen" does get corrected but yes, I like Asterian's smooth, smoky voice, so ... yes, he may not be an obvious soloist, but he can do it, I think Thanks SO MUCH for listening and for your funny, witty and insightful comments!
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James, like your song a lot! That's a very cool chord progression, and the band (especially the EP) makes a nice backdrop for the vocalist. The (uncredited?) sax solo was a nice touch, too. The entire mix has a soft ambience that I like a lot. You're really making some incredible strides in adapting Synth V to your music. Looking forward to what comes next...
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Nice work. I was looking at that voice database but deemed it too theatrical or classical for my needs.
You have to learn how to write phonetically sometimes to get it to sound natural. It often wants to mispronounce or put too much emphasis on consonants. That makes the word sound too "precise" in the context of singing. And there's other times when it doesn't put enough emphasis on the consonants, so again you need to learn the little tricks to get a natural sounding word.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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.
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Interesting and engaging progression and the synth definitely has a different feel than others we've heard. We'll leave the discussion of vocal nuances to the synth users. Over all the tune has a laid back feel that is supported by the vocal ... and the open mix. You're cranking them out! Well done, 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
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Ron: thank you so much! I added in the sax later, so I forgot to credit it ... argh. Will rectify asap, i.e. most likely tomorrow, when i get the chance to plug in my BIAB drive into my computer once more Herb: spot on. I will learn! Janice and Bud: thanks! I think it was Leonard Bernstein who once said: "to crete a masterpiece, all one needs is a little genius, and not enough time". I certainly did NOT have the second commodity, of late (do any of us?), so, lacking genius, I nevertheless decided to write Thanks so much, everyone, for listening and for your wonderful and, as always, very constructive comments!
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Well done James. I think this is the first time I have heard this vocal synth. Really cool...
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Thanks Scott, for your comments on both this song and my previous one, the Pokarekare Ana cover (I don't think I got to thank you for that! ). Very kind!
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Right off, the band was engaging and brought me right into the song, Good melody writing. It's nice to hear a non-tenor synth voice for a change.
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An interesting lyric and a nicely mixed backing band. There were places where I felt the melody didn't quite gel with the backing (e.g. the second half of the line " And yet, I'm happy I shall live in all the music I can give." Asterian was a good choice for this song but it can be quite difficult to get synth voices to sound 100% natural. Still, you did a pretty good job. Ghostgum
ProTools; Ableton Live Lite; Reaper
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