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I wrote earlier this song early in 2025. It sprang from a fleeting thought that passed through my mind as I was trying to create something fairly quickly for a small songwriting group that I've been involved with since 2022. I've since worked on the lyrics, music and production a little more, and the song below is where my journey took me. Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the song. All thoughts are welcome. I hope you enjoy listening. --Noel The BandBIABBass: 3588 Bass, Electric, NashvilleRadioPopPushA Ev 110 Guitar: 4196 Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm SongwriterGentleStrum8ths Ev 100 Pianos: (1) 920 Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Rumba Ev 110, (2) 1533 Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopPowerPushArp Ev 120 Rhythm: Conga Drums, Afucheshaker MIDIPad: Synthmaster 3 – PAD Chasm AZ Arpeggiator: Synthmaster 3 – SEQ Tokyo Arp Harp and Chime: Miroslav Philharmonik VocalsLead: Synthesizer V – Kevin 2 vocaloid Background: Synthesizer v – Natalie 2 vocaloid Production InfoBass: Renaissance Bass Enhancer Vocals: iZotope Nectar 3 Overall production: iZotope Ozone 11
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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You have certainly figured out how to get the most out of the synth vocals, Noel! Both voices sound really good to these ears, love it when you bring Natalie into the mix.
Good write, and the track sounds great too, love the Congas.
Enjoyed!
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Noel,
This is a beautiful song... Great lyrics and awesome production. I really like this band. I also love the cool and gentle ending.
Kevin is an excellent lead vocal. The combination of Kevin and Natalie on the chorus is awesome. A great blend and balance of the two voices.
Excellent!
Bob
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Noel, gorgeous tune. Love the sentiment, rhyming scheme on the chorus, and the narrative that's relatable on more than one level. Also really like the harmonic movement. Super use of synth vocals and nice BiaB arrangement. The bell near the end was a nice touch. Superb song!
DC Ron
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Noel,
Beautifully done.
A lovely production. Good percussion choice.
Good mix.
Love the positivity of your songs. The world needs a lot more Noels.
fj
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Cool journey, Noel, and thanks for saving us a seat. Excellent lyrics and a great idea flying around in the clouds. The melody is perfect too, and fits the fun feel and lyrics so well. Good arrangement and mix too. It's got it all!!
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You have certainly figured out how to get the most out of the synth vocals, Noel! Both voices sound really good to these ears, love it when you bring Natalie into the mix.
Good write, and the track sounds great too, love the Congas.
Enjoyed! Hi Dave. Thanks for the visit! Natalie and Kevin are a good team. The SynthV people really struck gold when they created these two voices. I've still got a way to go with getting vocals that sound fully human, but I'm getting better. As with everything, it's all about practising over and over. I appreciate your comments. Thank you. All the best! --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Noel,
This is a beautiful song... Great lyrics and awesome production. I really like this band. I also love the cool and gentle ending.
Kevin is an excellent lead vocal. The combination of Kevin and Natalie on the chorus is awesome. A great blend and balance of the two voices.
Excellent!
Bob Hi Bob. Thank you. I always smile when I open a song thread of mine and see that you've passed through it  Out of all the voices I currently have for SynthV, Kevin and Natalie are the ones that I feel most comfortable with. They work together superbly. Thanks for visiting and thanks again for your comments. I appreciate them. --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Noel, gorgeous tune. Love the sentiment, rhyming scheme on the chorus, and the narrative that's relatable on more than one level. Also really like the harmonic movement. Super use of synth vocals and nice BiaB arrangement. The bell near the end was a nice touch. Superb song! Hi Ron, It's good to see you. Thank you for taking the time to have a listen and to pass on your thoughts. I'm still smiling I hope that life is being kind to you! --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Hi, Noel. The vocals are especially nice. Semi-sad lyrics, but with the positive spin that's your trademark. You're doing that asymmetrical thing with the meter, which disregards my lazy expectations and makes me actually have to pay attention.  I enjoyed it!
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Noel,
Beautifully done.
A lovely production. Good percussion choice.
Good mix.
Love the positivity of your songs. The world needs a lot more Noels.
fj Hi floyd. Thanks for dropping by and having a listen. I appreciate your comment All the best. --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Cool journey, Noel, and thanks for saving us a seat. Excellent lyrics and a great idea flying around in the clouds. The melody is perfect too, and fits the fun feel and lyrics so well. Good arrangement and mix too. It's got it all!! Hi Marty. Thanks for taking time to have a listen and to pass on your thoughts. I appreciate the feedback. Thanks again! --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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So much to like in this Noel...I especially liked the last line the the chorus--it has kind of an extension of syllables and notes that really catches your attention! The lyric is lovely, and the band is well-chosen. Did I hear a tubular bell there near the end--kind of like the presence of the Almighty? And the nice slow-down with the final notes. The vocaloids are really great--you did a nice job with them, especially the duet/harmony parts.
I have only one "suggestion"...I didn't like the word "quirky". I think it's very descriptive, but I have found words like this a bit of a clunker in an otherwise very smooth-to-sing song (I think it's the hard "R" followed by the hard "K"). If it were my project, I'd replace it with something like "silly" or "peculiar" or even "odd little". Just my thoughts.
Great work!
Windows 11, Intel Core i5-8600T 2.3Ghz, 16 gig ram, BIAB 2025 MegaPak, SampleTank 4, Keystation49 Kybd, Neewer NW-800 mic
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Noel, this is fantastic
Great rhythm section
Those synth voices sound so real that if you hadn't said anything I would have thought they were organic!
Great lyrics
Loved it
My momma didn't raise a fool. And if she did it, was one of my brothers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Very inviting title, who wouldn't like to fly around in the clouds. The tone is quite sad, but the spark of hope is there to lighten any heart. Touching.
Great work with the vocals, your voice shines through again. The female singer is beautifully used in the choruses, fully in the last one.
Enjoyed many small details like the conga intro, the bell and the slowdown at the end. The piano and the acoustic guitar create a nice, fragile bed for the story.
Janne
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Hi, Noel. The vocals are especially nice. Semi-sad lyrics, but with the positive spin that's your trademark. You're doing that asymmetrical thing with the meter, which disregards my lazy expectations and makes me actually have to pay attention. I enjoyed it! Hi David. It's good to see you. Thanks for picking up on the asymmetrical thing. Although the word 'asymmetrical' never occurred to me, it's the best word. I tend to work with Pat Pattison's idea of 'balanced versus unbalanced'. I've done that in two ways (mostly) with this song. Firstly, I have a number of lyric phrases that begin after beat 1 and secondly, I have two bars of 2/4 in an otherwise 4/4 song – one bar at the end of the opening chorus, and the second bar as the penultimate bar in verse 1 (this is probably the bar that interferes with musical 'symmetry' the most, I suspect). I've heard the song so many times now that I can't appreciate how this strategy feels to a listener. I crossed my fingers and hoped it would be okay. Thanks for listening and passing on your thoughts. I appreciate it. --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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So much to like in this Noel...I especially liked the last line the the chorus--it has kind of an extension of syllables and notes that really catches your attention! The lyric is lovely, and the band is well-chosen. Did I hear a tubular bell there near the end--kind of like the presence of the Almighty? And the nice slow-down with the final notes. The vocaloids are really great--you did a nice job with them, especially the duet/harmony parts.
I have only one "suggestion"...I didn't like the word "quirky". I think it's very descriptive, but I have found words like this a bit of a clunker in an otherwise very smooth-to-sing song (I think it's the hard "R" followed by the hard "K"). If it were my project, I'd replace it with something like "silly" or "peculiar" or even "odd little". Just my thoughts.
Great work! Hi Tom. Thanks for dropping in. And thanks for having a listen and commenting. I appreciate that you noticed the last line in the chorus 🤩 As with many of my songs, draft lyrics were in progress well before I started putting the words to music. Originally, I planned to end the chorus with 'clouds' as it rhymed with 'loud' in the previous line. This worked. When the music came along, though, I had 'do' in the last line on a held note and it felt like a rhyme for 'do' had good musical value. In the end, I tried rhyming both 'loud' and 'do' and liked the effect it created so I stayed with it. As I'm thinking about it now, I'm wondering if this is another aspect of the musical asymmetry that David (@dcuny) is referring to. Also, thank you for your comment about 'quirky'. It's a really good point and one that I did not think of. One of the big differences between the American and Australian accents is in how the 'R' sound is used. In Australia, our R sound is a lot less pronounced. In 'quirky', the 'ir' becomes the vowel sound "er" (phonetically ɜ). With the American R, it tends to be an 'uh' sound followed by an R sound (phonetically ˈər') In other words, Australian English has no separate R sound attached to a vowel. If this song ends up in the hands of a non-Australian or non-British person, I can see how "quirky" is an uncomfortable word. I'll change it to something a little friendlier Thanks again! --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Also, thank you for comment about 'quirky'. It's a really good point and one that I did not think of. One of the big differences between the American and Australian accents is in how the 'R' sound is used. In Australia, our R sound is a lot less pronounced. In 'quirky', the 'ir' becomes the vowel sound "er" (phonetically ɜ). With the American R, it tends to be an 'uh' sound followed by an R sound (phonetically ˈər') In other words, Australian English has no separate R sound attached to a vowel. If this song ends up in the hands of a non-Australian or British person, I can see how "quirky" is an uncomfortable word. I'll change it to something a little friendlier Hi Noel - I'm inexperienced (I have no experience) with Synth vocals. For us Aussies, does anyone produce non-rhotic accents for synth vocals - I guess maybe British? Andrew
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Hi Noel - I'm inexperienced (I have no experience) with Synth vocals. For us Aussies, does anyone produce non-rhotic accents for synth vocals - I guess maybe British?
Andrew G'Day, Andrew. I'm only at the entry level of synth vocals and there is a great deal that I don't know. The English vocaloids that I have tried have all used the that American R sound that highlights rhotic languages. I suggest that you start a thread in the Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production Forum and ask. Many people on here have a much broader knowledge than I do. --Noel
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This song is stunning. I think I may know what this song is about. In any case:
"You opened the door and waved goodbye
And then you stepped out into the rain
I blew a kiss and waved right back and said see you later, my friend
But life often surprises one when everything is going fine
I didn’t know then, no, I didn’t then
That life had other plans in mind"
Incredible.
You combine beautiful, beautiful music with incredibly moving lyrics, to powerful, devastating, stunning effect. Every song I hear from you is right up there. You have the technique, too, but (like with all the best songwriters) it doesn't show; you use it so well, it's invisible; the MUSIC and lyrics show, the message shows. And boy, do they show. You just communicate so (seemingly) effortlessly. It's heartwarming, and also tear and gratitude inducing - for want of clearer words.
I am genuinely in awe of what you bring to the table, each time. You highlight the best of what makes us human, in your songs. God bless and BRAVO.
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Very strong chorus that stays with you. Synth voices sounding authentic.
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Noel - you're the king of UPlifting songs - melodically, harmonically & lyrically.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Beautiful song, Noel. I did enjoy listening. Even the ai vocals, which normally drive me nuts, sounded good/believable. Some of the harmonies did exactly what your title describes. I'll just throw this out there as my experience, but I kept hearing a possible steel drum.
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It certainly picks up with the harmony vocals in the chorus.
Some favourite Waoist Adages:
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Loved it. Classic Noel positivity and superb musicality. Great use of S5.
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The light and airy feel in the band and vocals matches the lyric feel wonderfully.
The chime in the ending was a very nice addition
You have gotten Kevin to have the same serenity in his voice that you have in yours.
And the harmony by Natalie is lovely, giving them a beautiful blend.
The tender lyric joyfully ends with Hope!
Very pretty cover art
Your music is truly good for our souls!
More please!
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.
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Beautiful, I like how you balanced the mood perfectly between sad and optimistic. I'm in general not the biggest fan of Kevin's voice, but the harmonies with Natalie are really, really beautiful. Enjoyed my listen a lot ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif)
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Noel...this is a lovely song...it seems to me it has thematically captured a wonderful balance of joy and pain...the joy of relationship and the pain of loss...the lighthearted score keeps the melancholy from becoming too melancholy and is full of hope...the track and band are very well done and your mix is superb...I really enjoyed the listen.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!
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È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
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Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new Band-in-a-Box® app for iOS®! Designed for musicians, singer-songwriters, and educators, this powerful tool lets you create, play, and transfer songs effortlessly on your iPhone® or iPad®—anytime, anywhere.
Band-in-a-Box® for iOS® :Summary video.
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