|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,055
Veteran
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,055 |
Here's a quick one. An explanation/reiteration of sorts. Cognosce Inimicum Tuum GEAR Organ 4308 Drums RockHard03 170bpm Guitar Baritone Artist GM1BARI solo & right Squire Mustang left & right Bass Vantage VS-695B FX ACtone pedal trem & spring reverb ITB Any suggestions, comments, criticisms etc. are most welcome as this is a work in progress. LYRICS: Palestine & Gaza Israel & Trump Plaza Ukraine and the bear The gunman doesn't care Armed teachers he advises Culture metastasizes Malignancy as virtue It isn't guns that hurt you Truth no longer abides Too late they've taken sides You say I should scream and shout You say let my feelings out I say polemics is a stew guaranteed to make me spew There's nothing it can do Prince Rupert & the Cult Magazine cover dolt Myanmar and Rohinga Don't you point the finger Duck & cover drills at school Apartheid makes them drool Famine in the Congo Foreign aid takes too long so Truth no longer abides Too late they've taken sides You say I should scream and shout You say let my feelings out I say polemics is a stew guaranteed to make me spew There's nothing it can do Can't reach the ones who won't Can't change the ones who don't Seems they've all taken sides Armed and joined their tribes & those left in the middle Ignore as the rich fiddle Refugees are drowning Talking heads are frowning Truth no longer abides Too late they've taken sides You say I should scream and shout You say let my feelings out Well now I'm on the 3rd chorus & there's no one on this bus There's nothing it can do You say I should scream & shout But that won't change a mind or doubt I prefer to make my case Without spittle on my face That's just how & what I do.
Last edited by rayc; Yesterday at 07:24 PM.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,862
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,862 |
Ray, cool vibe and fabulous guitar work. Love your use of space and the opening/ending. Super guitar break, too. Like how you've recorded your vocals and where you've placed them in the mix. Very easy to follow the narrative without the lyrics that way. And any lyrics that feature "polemics" have to be heard, y'know? Well done, sir!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,279
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,279 |
Ray,
Great song and I love where you are going with the production. The uncluttered arrangement and instrumentation really support the lyrics and your vocal. Excellent mix.
Again, great work here.
Bob
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 4,560
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 4,560 |
Another good one, Ray. Although my wife would tell the cops over my dead body, "He has no enemies," we don't know what we don't know. You say a work in progress, and if it were mine there would be a fork in it already. I'd listen and say, "Wow, this is so cool. Ain't nothin' I can do to make it better." You, on the other hand, will surely bring this back even better. Today, I'm posting one that I thought was done until your ears assessed it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,673
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,673 |
Great guitar work and the drums presence was felt nicely. Astute lyrics as we've come to expect. Vocals could be louder but you're doing much better in that regard so I shouldn't even bring it up. Excellent work, seems ready to me.
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,524
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,524 |
Hi Ray,
This song almost sounds 'old fashioned' when hearing your latest 'Pink Floyd' song and others.
But I know you love to play these songs. I'm not a real fan of this genre, but I admit you made it sounds very cool.
The guitar play is also cool, but the lyrics are really great!
They demonstrate the powerlessness of many (right-thinking) people in this crazy world. And what does that implicate?
One small thing: I don't think your vocals are as clear as in your previous songs. They seemed more in the background and also a bit difficult for me to understand.
Hans
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,523
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 8,523 |
Ray,
Cool! I'm glad you've started putting your vocals a little more forward in the mix.
I didn't listen to much rock music in the 1970s, as I was playing in a country band 25-28 nights almost every week. All my time went to listening to country (that's where the money was!). But from what I did get to hear, this gives me an early to mid-70s vibe.
I really liked the guitar work in this one - the ending was particularly nice.
Good stuff - creative and a little different from what we usually hear on the forum.
Best to you,,
Alan
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,564
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,564 |
This is already ray's masterpiece.
So that's a hellava start.
A stunning write. Wow.
Everything about the production works.
Nice guitars and bass throughout.
The production has a just-right simplicity and fullness.
Any number of things could be added. Or not.
ray's masterpiece.
fj
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 1,740
Expert
|
|
Expert
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 1,740 |
Once again that pink Floyd vibe, but your originality still stands out. It's again brilliant instrumentation and arranging, plus I totally empathise with the lyrics. Just last night I left a long comment on conscious political post on FB - fairly rare for me as I try as much as I can to avoid 'corporate politics' (corporations controlling the politicians) as I see through how it all functions (as of course did or do very many others such as Noam Chomsky), but when I posted the comment to my page I had to add a series of quotes which related one way or another, a very key one being Buckminster Fuller's "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." Related to that is your verse:
"Can't reach the ones who won't
Can't change the ones who don't
Seems they've all taken sides
Armed and joined their tribes" + "Too late they've taken sides."
In the UK there's a new party emerging which intends to go back to the people being primary, but while I'm pro them they're still stuck in 'us against them' and use the jargon of the existing paradigm: "fight"; "attack", etc, but you just can't change things that way as that's what's been going on in the artificial world for millennia. This makes lyrics like yours important.
Some favourite Waoist Adages:
#1: Play on the Way.
#13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you.
#58: Bring consciousness to it.
#63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made.
#92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15,579
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15,579 |
“I say polemics is a stew
guaranteed to make me spew
There’s nothing it can do”
The above and your last chorus really say it well about dealing with current affairs.
That’s an excellent but sad lyric and your vocal and the band sound great.
A smooth narration with an upbeat instrumental bed to remind us how to endure such times.
Great mix and really like your more up front vocals of late.
We agree with Marty on sticking a fork in it!
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 2,492
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 2,492 |
First of all: I LOVE the lyrics and how you play with words, even if I don't get everything (at least I think so). Cool (and all too true) social critics packed in a (kinda) punk-ish song. Good use of breaks, but there could be a little more dynamic difference between the verses and the choruses. I'd also consider adding a little more treble to your vocals to make them cut through better. The volume of the vocals is fine. Finally  For a quick, your song is actually quite mature. Enjoyed my listen ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 491
Journeyman
|
Journeyman
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 491 |
Hi Ray!
I like the guitar-centric nature of this song. As others have said, that guitar solo sounds great, both in melody and guitar effects. One suggestion I have is to somehow separate the end of the verse and the chorus where they overlap as I had trouble distinguishing one from the other. I’ve never done this, but could you pan the last line of the verse to one side and the first line of the chorus to the other? i.e. out of centre then back to centre pan. It would also sonically illustrate ‘taking sides’. I look forward to the finished piece (and accompanying video).
Andrew
PS your lyrics are always an education for me - I had to translate Latin and look up polemics.
Last edited by Andrew Dee; 1 hour ago.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs Special Extended Until August 31st!
The XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs special offers are now available until August 31st at 11:59pm PDT!
Ready to take your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 experience to the next level? Now’s the perfect time! Expand your style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs—packed with a wide variety of genres to inspire your next musical creation.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-9 includes 900 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). With over 3,500 styles (and 35 MIDI styles) included in Xtra Styles PAKs 1-20, the possibilities are endless!
Get the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Get Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 19 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Listen to demos and order now! For Windows or for Mac.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Don’t miss this chance to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box setup—at a great price!
Mac 2025 Special Upgrade Offers Extended Until August 15th!
It's not too late to upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® and save! We've extended our special until August 15, 2025!
We've added many major new features to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, including advanced AI tools like the amazing BB Stem Splitter and AI Lyrics Generator, as well as VST3 plugin support, and Equalize Temp. Plus, there’s a new one-stop MIDI Patches Picker with over 1,100 MIDI patches to choose from, all neatly categorized by GM numbers. The MultiPicker Library is enhanced with tabs for the SongPicker, MIDI Patch Picker, Chord Builder, AI Lyrics Generator, and Song Titles Browser, and the tabs are organized into logical groups. The Audiophile Edition is enhanced with FLAC files , which are 60% smaller than AIFF files while maintaining identical audio quality, and now ships on a fast 1TB SSD, and much more!
Check out all the new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® here:
Purchase your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac during our special to save up to 50% off your upgrade purchase and receive a FREE BONUS PAK of amazing new Add-ons. These include the 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK, Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana, Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes, MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano, Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7, Playable RealTracks Set 4, RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark, and more!
Upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and add 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and 20 RealStyles, FLAC Files for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks, Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster, MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster, Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8, and RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe.
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs!
New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2025!
We’ve expanded the Band-in-a-Box® RealTracks library with 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 449-467) across Jazz, Blues, Funk, World, Pop, Rock, Country, Americana, and Praise & Worship—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Blues & World (Sets 449–455):
These RealTracks includes “Soul Jazz” with Neil Swainson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Charles Treadway (organ), Miles Black (piano), and Brent Mason (guitar). Enjoy “Requested ’60s” jazz, classic acoustic blues with Colin Linden, and more of our popular 2-handed piano soloing. Plus, a RealTracks first—Tango with bandoneon, recorded in Argentina!
Rock & Pop (Sets 456–461):
This collection includes Disco, slap bass ‘70s/‘80s pop, modern and ‘80s metal with Andy Wood, and a unique “Songwriter Potpourri” featuring Chinese folk instruments, piano, banjo, and more. You’ll also find a muted electric guitar style (a RealTracks first!) and “Producer Layered Guitar” styles for slick "produced" sound.
Country, Americana & Praise (Sets 462–467):
We’ve added new RealTracks across bro country, Americana, praise & worship, vintage country, and songwriter piano. Highlights include Brent Mason (electric guitar), Eddie Bayers (drums), Doug Jernigan (pedal steel), John Jarvis (piano), Glen Duncan (banjo, mandolin & fiddle), Mike Harrison (electric bass) and more—offering everything from modern sounds to heartfelt Americana styles
Check out all the 202 New RealTracks (in sets 456-467)
And, if you are looking for more, the 2025 49-PAK (for $49) includes an additional 20 RealTracks with exciting new sounds and genre-spanning styles. Enjoy RealTracks firsts like Chinese instruments (guzheng & dizi), the bandoneon in an authentic Argentine tango trio, and the classic “tic-tac” baritone guitar for vintage country.
You’ll also get slick ’80s metal guitar from Andy Wood, modern metal with guitarist Nico Santora, bass player Nick Schendzielos, and drummer Aaron Stechauner, more praise & worship, indie-folk, modern/bro country with Brent Mason, and “Songwriter Americana” with Johnny Hiland.
Plus, enjoy user-requested styles like Soul Jazz RealDrums, fast Celtic Strathspey guitar, and Chill Hop piano & drums!
The 2025 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2025 49-PAK!
Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac!
With your version 2025 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Or upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2025 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 33 new RealTracks and 65+ new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 29 new RealTracks and 45+ new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 20 new RealStyles.
- Look Ma! More MIDI 13: Country & Americana
- Instrumental Studies Set 22: 2-Hand Piano Soloing - Rhythm Changes
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 44: Jazz Piano
- Artist Performance Set 17: Songs with Vocals 7
- Playable RealTracks Set 4
- RealDrums Stems Set 7: Jazz with Mike Clark
- SynthMaster Sounds and Styles (with audio demos)
- 128 GM MIDI Patch Audio Demos.
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyles,
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- Look Ma! More MIDI 14: SynthMaster,
- Instrumental Studies Set 23: More '80s Hard Rock Soloing,
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 45: More SynthMaster
- Artist Performance Set 18: Songs with Vocals 8
- RealDrums Stems Set 8: Pop, Funk & More with Jerry Roe
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®!
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! XPro Styles PAK 9 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and higher for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 9 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 29 RealTracks/RealDrums!
We've been hard at it to bring you the latest and greatest in this 9th installment of our popular XPro Styles PAK series! Included are 75 styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres (25 styles each) that fans have come to expect, as well as 25 styles in this volume's wildcard genre: funk & R&B!
If you're itching to get a sneak peek at what's included in XPro Styles PAK 9, here is a small helping of what you can look forward to: Funky R&B Horns, Upbeat Celtic Rock, Jazz Fusion Salsa, Gentle Indie Folk, Cool '60s Soul, Funky '70s R&B, Smooth Jazz Hip Hop, Acoustic Rockabilly Swing, Funky Reggae Dub, Dreamy Retro Latin Jazz, Retro Soul-Rock Fusion, and much more!
Special Pricing! Until July 31, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 9 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 9 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest and greatest in the all new Xtra Styles PAK 20 for Band-in-a-Box! This fresh installment is packed with 200 all-new styles spanning the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres you've come to expect, as well as the exciting inclusion of electronic styles!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Minimalist Modern Funk, New Wave Synth Pop, Hard Bop Latin Groove, Gospel Country Shuffle, Cinematic Synthwave, '60s Motown, Funky Lo-Fi Bossa, Heavy 1980s Metal, Soft Muted 12-8 Folk, J-Pop Jazz Fusion, and many more!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 20 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 209 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 20.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 20 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 20 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums58
Topics84,651
Posts782,441
Members39,716
| |
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean