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Hi, James. This is superb, David. Love it. You make it sound so easy. We (of course) all know it ain't, but, to the listener, it does sound effortless. Bravo. "Sounds effortless" is high praise - thanks! 
-- 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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Hi, Marty. Excellent band and mix. Man, I like how you incorporate dynamic stops perfectly. Yeah, they're my guilty pleasure.  BiaB has a whole lot of good stuff in it, doesn't it? HAHA! I like the short story. "I wrote a song..." Yep. One thing I really enjoy about your songs, David, is that I get to listen at least twice right from the start. The first one is mostly dedicated to your writing of the post. times, if I write an especially long post.  You crafted the vocals so well. I have no clue how to do that, but understand it takes a lot of learning. You learnt is well. Thanks! The trick (I think) is to find a vocal that the synth voice can sing. If it doesn't work, I'll look for a different phrasing, note, or even different word. Because it's easier to accommodate the vocalist than the other way around. Thanks for stopping to listen and write!
-- 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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Hi, Jona. There are excellent singers / singer
the song captivates you right from the start and takes you with it! Thanks!
-- 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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Hi, Janne. Surprisingly different song, never would have otherwise guessed whose song this is, but Synth V vocalist revealed it Ha! Yes, it's fun trying something different. Well, more rewarding than fun, even if it doesn't work out. I could imagine Dolly Parton singing this. I think Dolly's set when it comes to having songs to sing. I went through one of her books of lyrics recently, and man, are there are lot of good songs in there! I like the lyrical landscape with a decaying town, corporate vultures and a mystical raven Strongly melodic and the harmony supports the melody excellently. The simple band fits the message and the minor key. Catchiness gives the song a positive boost. Great work on going down a new road! Thanks, I appreciate the positive words!
-- 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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Hi, Mario. David, I am extremely impressed on how you got those synth voices to sound so real. Their wording and expression were outstanding. Thanks, although it's less me and more the tech. All I really do is adjust things a bit when they're off, which isn't often. Great groove and mix. One of your best for sure. It's nice to hear I'm not getting worse. Thanks for listening and posting!
-- 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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Hi, Lee. Thanks! Sounds like you did a lot of subject research, and you tied that into a very fitting style. Not nearly as much research as Al Stewart did for "The Roads to Moscow". It says it’s Bluegrass, but there is still a crossover there to Folk….and I’m partial to a bit of Folk. Yeah, more bluegrass by way of Woody Guthrie. Yeah, a really good production, loved it. Great job. Thanks again!
-- 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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Hi, J&B. This is reminiscent of the early Dixie Chicks, both in subject matter and sound.
The “girls” are sounding really good and you got the bluegrass car horn tight harmony down!
(We played in bluegrass bands for years. Nice to hear a reminder of those decades here). I figured if there was someone on the forum who knew the style, it was you two. And, of course, you'd both be too nice to say where it missed the mark. We enjoyed the long story and being from the south where chalk mining is a huge business in our area we especially enjoyed your research on Appalachia and the coal mines.
We’ve often wanted to write about the social aspects of the mines here but there are too many locals that would find it contentious. And conversely, it feels strange writing about other people's troubles. Too close, and too far away. 🤨 The mix is standout and thanks for the tech stuff re how you created it. Thanks! It's strange how things can be improved by paring them back. But I still resist it every time! Your dedication to getting things right truly pays off! Well, it helps when you have people pointing out you're going in the wrong direction! Enjoyed it! And you nailed the way we would say Appalachia. Just don't ask me to say "Okefenoke" correctly. I'm glad you enjoyed your listen, and thanks for the comments!
-- 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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Hi, Scott. Awesome tune David. Loved when those harmonies kicked in. Excellent vocals and backtrack. Well done.... Thanks!
-- 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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Hi, Hans. Hi David, in your reply to me you said a lot of things about the 'harshness' I mentioned. Thank you for that.
But I was thinking more of female vocals a tone lower. Is that possible in this case? I could have changed the key, but I think high and slightly strained sound is part of the style. I had/have a female singer (a real one), but her voice was too high for some songs. And she couldn't sing lower, or, well..., than it didn't sound so good.
We took a break... Although I primarily accompany on piano these days, I started out on guitar. We'd transpose songs in a heartbeat if they felt like they were out of range. And since my range is less than impressive, that's a habit I've carried on. But again - I think stylistically is was a good match. The song itself is beautiful, that's not the point. I don't want you to have a little break with your singers She's got a whole instrumental interlude to catch her breath. Who needs more of a break than that? (Cue Van Halen - "One break, coming up!)
-- 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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David,
To best express these lyrics, a minor key melody is definitely appropriate.
However, there's little sense of over tragedy, and it reaches the heart as a great country song.
Changing the interlude to a major key is also a nice idea.
The choice of Solaria II for vocals is also great.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi
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Hi David,
Great bluegrass tune, I really enjoyed the lyrics, and the guitar and fiddle solos, too!
You do a superb job of bringing out the best in your AI singers' vocals.
And thanks for walking us through your songwriting and production process. It's very interesting to me, and often helpful.
Excellent write, production and mix. Well done!
Bob
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There's a lot to like about this song. The energy of the music, mixed with the pathos of the lyrics, works wonderfully well. I cut my musical teeth on murder ballads and Tom Paxton's deeply moving story songs back in the 60s, so it certainly resonates with me.
Great job.
ProTools; Ableton Live Lite; Reaper
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 MK4 interface
Novation Launchkey 61 Mk4 midi controller
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