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Journeyman
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This is my second song with Biab and real tracks called Get on with the Get Down. The vision of this song changed over time, going from a jam type thing so I could continue to get a feel for working with real tracks, to a focused track about what I think could be the next line dance craze- the Get Down, of course featured in a club named the Get Down. Now all it has to do is find it's way! Anyway, it's all real tracks with my vocals, of course. Assembled in Biab/RB and dumped out to Reaper for mixing. I continue to be impressed with real tracks. This song particularly I could have never gotten done without real tracks- at least not as good. I could plunk around on my steel pedal perhaps, but harmonica and fiddle? Nah- not unless I farmed it out to other players. And then that equals time and money. Before biab and real tracks, this production would have easily taken me six months- seriously. If not more. Now, it was done in three weeks from writing to completion. THAT is sweet! Thank you so much PG music!! You're making my productions WAY better, and a whole lot more fun! http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=80496Dan
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Hi.
that is really impressive.
It needs propper mastering so it sounds consumer and radio ready, but it's very good indeed.
What worries me about this amazing technology is that it might start to make perfectly good musicians lazy and just use real tracks instead of coming up with a killer riff themselves.
I'm not saying that is the case with you, it was just a randem thought I had when listening.
Cheers
Darren
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Dan
I thought that was an uncommonly well-conceived song from start to finish. The lyrics did not sound contrived as is often the case with Songramp tunes. The content of the lyrics had a point and it was cleverly presented. The melody itself was catchy and enthusiastic, and it sounded as though you were having fun performing it. The harmony was consistent with the genre, but somewhat unique in its application. The very timing/phrasing of the verses added a stylistic effect to the whole presentation of the song. The mixing/mastering sounded very clean and mud-free to my ears... everything seemed to reside in its own space. If this song had been in a contest and I were a judge, I'd give it two enthusiastic thumbs-up.
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Dan, Now thats what I'm talking about !! Excellent Country Boogie at its best right thar  Mix sounds fantastic as well as the vocals. Great to hear so many awesome singers here now. First class all the way around brother. Trax
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Hi Dan,
I like the groove and sound of your song but I didn't like the long music breaks after every verse and especailly not after the first verse. You should establish your song before bringing in long instrumental solos - even in club dance mixes. I think if you'll fix your form you have a good song here. Nice work.
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Thanks Josie and everyone for your comments. I did consider your point Josie. I'm still considering it. I kinda feel the same way about the solo lengths and yet, when I experimented with shortening or adding some vocal backups to stay connected more to vocal, it just didn't work. I really think it's primarily because the solos are just plain smokin hot and they will NOT stand for interruption! LOL! This form harkens back to Alan Jackson and when his cats would just roll on a groove so solid and trade 4ths. And they were extremely hot solos by amasing musicians. Only thing is they had to conform to certain time restrictions. I don't, at the moment. So the darn thing just works better with those solos in there. But I'm keeping an open mind though. As I digest this song more I may try editing it down or around- easy to do without a total rework. We'll see!
Dan
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Hi Dan,
I completely agree with all that has been said. This is a fantastic mix. You've got all the elements working together brilliantly. The solos are great and you have demonstrated a superior flair in putting them together, but I agree with Josie in that they might be a bit long. That's just my own personal preference, though. Overall, this song is pure music at its best, all the way. Loved it.
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Wow - that was quite a ride Dan. Sure captured a chaotic and hectic life style. I understand what you mean about the instrumentals. You captured an energy that normally isn't there unless you have these "cats" playing off one another. Given Nashville constraints of course those breaks wouldn't last for a single release - but it's a great 'live' or album cut just the way it is. We all wear producer hats here  . I'll go with the better ears technical appraisal but what I might be tempted to do is hit a "hold" at the first line of the Bridge and the second line as well for a breather and then ramp it again for the start of line three of the bridge and all the way home. Sounds like it was a fun session - Ian
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Dan, I notice that some of the song ramp comments also mention the length and number of instrumental solos. Although I agree that it's all the more "kickin'" because of them, industry convention has been to keep the CD straight-forward and save the solos for the live show. After a recording session I once heard a guy say "if you give 'em all you got on the CD, there ain't no way left to ramp it up at the concert"
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Thanks again all. I'm taking into account everyones comments and I'll do a little bit of experimenting but I wouldn't be surprised if this one stays as is. If I get any serious interest in this, it can be edited for commercial play.
I understand everyones concern about form. As a song writer, I grapple with that all the time. I also know that you can get a bit wrapped up in it too, losing sight of pure music. We writers tend to get too hung up on it at times. It's not always about a perfect radio play length wrapped up neatly in three minutes flat that makes a perfect song. I've written TONS of songs that fit that mold. For this track in this current form, it's really about enjoying the MUSIC. So before my typical analytical song form brain took over yet again, I went with what I was hearing being great performances and I'll probably stick with my decision not to interfere with that. That is after all what I was most interested in accomplishing with this one. If the solo spots sucked or were boring, it would be no contest- they'd be shortened up. But they don't. They are fun and very tasty. And because I've listened to this a LOT now, they've become a staple of the tune as well.
Tell you what, for my next track I'll go back to the neat and tidy form we all know and love, ok? LOL! Remember folks, in the end it's about the music too. Writers can lose sight of that simple fact when we're in the trenches with thousands of other writers churning out the status quo, insisting that form must encompass a certain structure every time. There's always time to fit a square peg into a square hole in other tunes. When I play this track, I just sit back and enjoy the performances.
Thanks again for spinning this one and your comments. I take all of them into consideration. I'm a collaborator at heart, which is why unlike some people, biab and real tracks don't bother me in the least. I feel like it's just real people that I would have had in my studio or hired anyway. PG music just made it a bunch easier!
Btw Ian- I wrote up those lyrics mostly for you, considering your request to do so in another thread! LOL!
Dan
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Quote:
Btw Ian- I wrote up those lyrics mostly for you, considering your request to do so in another thread! LOL!
OK Dan . . . . now I'm embarrassed. But I sure did appreciate the fact that you did. It helps to feel the song.
Cheers - Ian
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Hi Dan...did you sing your own harmonies on this? Really tight and and well mixed and sits perfectly in the overall mix. Out of the park, dude.  Bob
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Yes Bob, I sang my own harmonies. No gadgets or anything- straight up singing. Thanks for the comments!
Dan
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listening to this track through my nearfield monitors it sounded really good.I agree with Sundance cut down on the length of the instrumentals and I also felt the fiddle was going to fast for such a punchy song it seemed more apt for a "train beat".You sing great and your lyrics are good you should put more of your stuff up on here.Cheers Frankie
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Dan, Excellent! I especially love that style of vocal harmony.
Steve
Steve
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Dan, I really liked this tune. Nice vocals.The song was very well put together and sounds great. I listened all the way to the end... Which isn't always the case with me. As for the length of the solo's, maybe a little long but who cares, they work with the overall arrangement, and as a guitar player...There can never be too many solo's can there?  If it was me I might have the overall mix (or maybe some of the insruments) just a liiitttle wetter, but then that's just me. YMMV Great job dude!! Greg
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Thanks guys. The interesting thing to note is that this track overall is far from dry. If I stop playback in my daw, there's quite a lot of reverb tail to be heard. And if I muted the fx's going on, it would sound VERY dry. The key with something like this is to apply what you need to make it sound good, but not obvious. When I tried to force things to sound more obviously effected just to see, it sounded terrible. Some tracks need that. This did not. And the fx's are really more for room ambiances and slight verb- not a washy verb thing.
Thanks again for the listens! If you made it till the end because you really wanted to, that tells me that it's all at least compelling enough to do so! After probably 100 times listening to this now, I still walk away satisfied that real tracks, coupled with how you use them, make awesome music. And as much as I'm looking to create my songs, it's just too cool to be able to create such a high level of musicianship and musicality too. I gotta give PG their props- they've taken song creation to a level I'd only dreamed of, previously! They've saved me countless hours of recording and sequencing already. Thank you!
Dan
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