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Hi everyone,

Once in a while I feel the need to write a song about one of my cats. Mostly the lyrics will explain it's about a cat when the song is half way, or in this case at the chorus. https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/looking-for-you

I didn't plan to make this kind of song, but one of my cats was missing for some hours (too much for me). At the same time I was doing some recordings and thought 'why not sing about my stress about the cat'?
In the first version of the lyrics I let him die, because he was so long away. A car might had run over him. That same evening he walks in as if nothing happened. Only expecting his food right away. So, all my stress was for nothing. In the lyrics I made him alive again :-)

The song got a higher tempo and I also tried to give the song a little reggae touch. That's why i used the reggae drums. Don't think everyone will notice that, though. But judge for yourself.

The lyrics are on SoundCloud, so I left them out here.
Of course I exaggerated terribly in the lyrics, but it could have happened, don't you agree?

Hope you will enjoy the song, even if you are no cat lover, but please let me know what you think of it,

Hans

===========================================================================
The info on the band and style:
Style is _ZEN_DAY.STY (Zen Day Songwriter Pop w Vocals), key A, tempo 90
(I changed many of the original instruments in this style)

RealTracks in song: 2612:Bas, Electric
RealTracks in song: 3080:Mandoline
RealTracks in song: 3058:Guitar, Acoustic
RealTracks in song:3052: Accordeon
RealTracks in song: 3351:Guitar, Bariton
RealTracks in song: 2364:Synth, ElectroFlutes
RealTracks in song: 3236:Guitar, Nylon
RealDrums [in Song:ReggaeTambo^1-a:Sidestick, Tamborin , b:Sidestick, Kick
Keyboard: Piano Colors (Native Instruments)


Hans Berkhout
(Birchwood)
https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130
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Wow, what a stressful time, Hans. Really glad it came to a happy ending. I like the hint of reggae. Vocal as always is top-notch. You also always create the most interesting chord changes. I like the urgency in the song, and can almost hear your relief when they found him. Great use of the RTs, everything seems perfectly selected to add the right touch at the right time.


Enjoy whatever happens!
marty

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub
and https://soundcloud.com/babumusic-5080285
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This made me smile Hans! I have 4 myself and they are all treated like royalty! Glad the little guy came back! Love the song and you did an excellent job on it! The vocal exudes real emotion in it! The style of music suits this perfectly! Vocals are excellent as usual for you! Thanks, Torrey




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Hans,

Good song! Glad that your cat returned! Happy ending...

Excellent BAND. Perfect music bed. The flutes were a good addition and gave the song a "lift" at the appropriate time...a bit Beatle-ish with the flutes (and the chorus sounded a bit John Lennon-ish the way you sang it)

Excellent vocal. One of your best.

Very good mix.

Music well done.

fj

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wife and i love cats.
we were always owned by them. lol.
we had one once we called the "empress of siam" ..
she lasted 16 years and we spoiled her rotten lol.
very nice cat sentiments/lyrics hans.
best
om


New Song "PRETTY GIRL" for my wife...Dec 2023
(my vocs....mixed for good earbuds.)
https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs/prettygirlrbfinalcalfsongsdec2023mp3
(and rock song THE STALLION and bluegrass song... BANKER MAN....90 songs useing bb/rb.)
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Hans,
cool song but three things struck me:
There's something hyped and a bit too aggressive in your vocal treatment. I suspect that hearing fatigue would happen after a couple of end to end listens.

the kick drum is quite aggressive in tone and level..not much can be done in BIAB but a multi band compressor might let you treat it in a DAW.

and

Lyrics...
"I called you so many times
Wishing you would hear my sound
But that didn't happen
While I thought we had a bound"
I think the correct final word in that stanza may be "bond".

A lovely story, a good melody and structure.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Hans,

Loved this clever and well put together production. Great vocal!

Bob

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Hi Ray,

I answer your post first, so probably the others will be angry in a while. But I had to!
You were complaining about 3 issues and while I like to disagree on each of them, I couldn't. You were right. Yes, it's there, right before you: You were right on 2 (at least)!

Originally Posted By: rayc
Hans,
cool song but three things struck me:
There's something hyped and a bit too aggressive in your vocal treatment. I suspect that hearing fatigue would happen after a couple of end to end listens.

the kick drum is quite aggressive in tone and level..not much can be done in BIAB but a multi band compressor might let you treat it in a DAW.

and

Lyrics...
"I called you so many times
Wishing you would hear my sound
But that didn't happen
While I thought we had a bound"
I think the correct final word in that stanza may be "bond".

A lovely story, a good melody and structure.


What I did after your post:

1. The lyrics: I normally check the use of proper English in my lyrics, but I did not on words I thought were right. So, I changed them.
2. Fatique singing: Because of the changing of the lyrics I had to do the singing again. You said fatique would happen if people listen to my song. I don't agree with you, of course, but I kept it in mind while singing again. My cat liked it.
I hope this new singing stands your fatique test. Let me know!
3. The drum volume: I wanted a snappy sound of reggaedrums and raised the volume a bit more than I normally do. But after your complains I altered the volume again. Not that I agree with you, but maybe someone else complains on it as well. So I engaged in risk-averse behavior (!)

And on SoundCloud I thanked you for your efforts making me a better musician. And in this post I also thank you for your compliments on the song.

Bye Ray, have a nice day,
Hans


Hans Berkhout
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Originally Posted By: Birchwood
Hi Ray,
I answer your post first, so probably the others will be angry in a while. But I had to!
You were complaining about 3 issues and while I like to disagree on each of them, I couldn't. You were right. Yes, it's there, right before you: You were right on 2 (at least)!
What I did after your post:
1. The lyrics: I normally check the use of proper English in my lyrics, but I did not on words I thought were right. So, I changed them.
2. Fatique singing: Because of the changing of the lyrics I had to do the singing again. You said fatique would happen if people listen to my song. I don't agree with you, of course, but I kept it in mind while singing again. My cat liked it.
I hope this new singing stands your fatique test. Let me know!
3. The drum volume: I wanted a snappy sound of reggaedrums and raised the volume a bit more than I normally do. But after your complains I altered the volume again. Not that I agree with you, but maybe someone else complains on it as well. So I engaged in risk-averse behavior (!)
And on SoundCloud I thanked you for your efforts making me a better musician. And in this post I also thank you for your compliments on the song.
Bye Ray, have a nice day,
Hans

Hans,
so much effort on my behalf.
The voice thing is due to something in your processing - often aural exciters like the BBE Maximizer - sound fabulous when 1st switched on. They enliven certain frequencies but SOMETIMES the boost of those frequencies causes aural fatigue: after a couple of listens. Re singing won't necessarily address this unless you avoid those frequencies when singing but checking the EQ before and after processing may point out those areas. If you were able to send me a copy of your vocal track before & after processing I'd probably be able to pin pint the area so you could avoid it in the future.
The drums...as I said it was a sound within a stereo mix...hard to deal with unless you have a very surgical parametric EQ (like ME's use).
The ONE word - well, it's not your 1st language and is easily done within a 1st language anyway. I pointed it out as it was noticeable - being at the end of a line etc.
Remember, I said it was a cool song - and it is.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Another very nice song Hans!! Got to hear two of yours today......a treat!! Take care. Greg

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Hans,
This is probably the most romantic cat tune I have heard smile
Cool idea and lyrics! Very good composition with many interesting instrumental and vocal parts. (Don't you think we need more of similar flutes in BIAB?) While I think overall mix is good, I think vocals are a bit too loud. So it is not the whole mix, but the balance between instrumentals and vocals. Liked it! Thank you for sharing.
Misha.

P.S. Cats are the best!

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Hans, this dog loving person liked your cat song; I am allergic to cats.

Very clever lyrics, I liked the way one would have thought it was about a women at the beginning. Excellent vocal. The backing tracks were perfect.

This is a winner.


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

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Hi Hans,

A clever song, nicely put together.

Loved the hint of reggae in there - I was expecting a steel drum solo to appear.

It's great when someone posts something which is a bit different and I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Glad it had a happy ending!

ROG.

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Hi there Marty, Torrey, Floyd and Muso,

I am very pleased with your comments on this song about a cat. I wasn't expecting much reactions on it, since people more like dogs, or don't like songs on animals at all. As I wrote in my intro I write them once in a while. And because my cat act as if he was lost the song came sooner than expected. I was working on some Bluessong. That has to wait till august now.

Ray came with some serious comments on the used language. Especially the word 'bound'. While I tought I was in a save situation using it, because my brother in law (an Australian like Ray) helped me with some lyrics and used the word boud in the same way I was using it here. Now which Aussie was right. But I couldn't take the risk and chanced the lyrics on that and more. Took me all morning for the re writing and the rest of the day to do the singing and so on. A nice guy, Ray ;-)

But thanks for the comments. Below I answer them individually:

Originally Posted By: BabuMusic
Wow, what a stressful time, Hans. Really glad it came to a happy ending. I like the hint of reggae. Vocal as always is top-notch. You also always create the most interesting chord changes. I like the urgency in the song, and can almost hear your relief when they found him. Great use of the RTs, everything seems perfectly selected to add the right touch at the right time.


Marty, when I posted the song I wrote I was 'exaggerated terribly in the lyrics'. The disappearance of him was the cause for my fantasy on the topic. He came back severall hours later as if nothing has happened. But I like it when people act the same as I do. Thinking of all that could have happened and having some kind of stress for the time this went on. Terrible! And you heard it right. The relieve was there. But I liked the song as it was buil up and you did too. Thanks!

Originally Posted By: Torrey Bliss
This made me smile Hans! I have 4 myself and they are all treated like royalty! Glad the little guy came back! Love the song and you did an excellent job on it! The vocal exudes real emotion in it! The style of music suits this perfectly! Vocals are excellent as usual for you! Thanks, Torrey


Torrey, I hope the smile was about the happy end! But I'm glad you treat your cats the same as I do. My wife always sighted when she sees what I am buying for them. And it's true; you are certainly not their boss, but their slave in every way!
Thanks what you wrote about the song and the vocals. I'm happy you liked it. That real emotion in my vocals sometimes gets in the way when I sing very sad songs, or about dead (the first version of this song). Then it breaks my voice and I have to start recording it all over. Silly me...

Originally Posted By: floyd jane
Hans,
Good song! Glad that your cat returned! Happy ending...
Excellent BAND. Perfect music bed. The flutes were a good addition and gave the song a "lift" at the appropriate time...a bit Beatle-ish with the flutes (and the chorus sounded a bit John Lennon-ish the way you sang it)
Excellent vocal. One of your best.
Very good mix.
Music well done.

fj


Floyd, you always took your time to say things very clear. I like that, but often forget to tell you. I am getting a bit curious about that guy 'Lennon'. If I can be compared with him, how come I am not that famous as he was? Sure, I have no Joko on my side, but that can't be it. No, I'm kidding a bit, Floyd. I think I'm famous too. Thanks to your well-founded criticism. I learn from that!

Originally Posted By: justanoldmuso
wife and i love cats.
we were always owned by them. lol.
we had one once we called the "empress of siam" ..
she lasted 16 years and we spoiled her rotten lol.
very nice cat sentiments/lyrics hans.
best
om


Muso (I shorten your name, but only because of my need to write efficiently). You and I are alike! See what I wrote to Torrey about the cats. I give them two slices of ham every morning and they expect me to do so. And they let me feel it if there is no ham (sometimes that happened because of Corona), but none of my cats were called an empress. They sure act they are!
Still I hope you also enjoyed the song or tell me what I did wrong in it, like the lyrics for instance. I don't melt from criticism, I learn from it!

So thanks all of you for your nice replies. Gives me the boost to make music!
Hans


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Very enjoyable. I can imagine George Harrison singing this (and doing an awesome slide guitar solo.)

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Really !!


win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 .
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Hi Hans,

we sure akre different: I prefer to write songs about the lady I love, you prefer to write love songs for cats... grin

But what the heck - it's a funny one with a very good backing track and, again, some unexpected chord progressions in the transitions.

Nice job, Hans.

All the best,

Stefan

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It sounds like a lost cut from the Sgt. Pepper's sessions. Great band with the mando, flute and those reggae drums fit the groove perfectly.

Nice write and vocal and mix.

We can relate to the missing cat as our Border Collie has gone missing chasing deer.

So it all ended with a happy cat, a happy Hans and a happy song smile

Enjoyed it!

J&B

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Your song made me smile.
Cat owners and lovers will relate.
Very creative use of the software.
Much enjoyed.

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Hi Ray :

Quote:
Hans,
so much effort on my behalf.
The voice thing is due to something in your processing - often aural exciters like the BBE Maximizer - sound fabulous when 1st switched on. They enliven certain frequencies but SOMETIMES the boost of those frequencies causes aural fatigue: after a couple of listens. Re singing won't necessarily address this unless you avoid those frequencies when singing but checking the EQ before and after processing may point out those areas. If you were able to send me a copy of your vocal track before & after processing I'd probably be able to pin pint the area so you could avoid it in the future.
The drums...as I said it was a sound within a stereo mix...hard to deal with unless you have a very surgical parametric EQ (like ME's use).
The ONE word - well, it's not your 1st language and is easily done within a 1st language anyway. I pointed it out as it was noticeable - being at the end of a line etc.
Remember, I said it was a cool song - and it is.


Don't take it for granted, Ray ;-)
But this time you were right...
Although, my brother in law suggested 'Bound' in another song and he is also an Australian. See, what enormous problems I face when writing songs in another language. In 'nUne riposte' you did very well on your French!

And the drums? I think i did it in my mix. I used severall drum tracks made out of the one in BiaB. Normally you would have loved the sound of it.

Hans


Last edited by Birchwood; 07/18/21 11:09 PM.

Hans Berkhout
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https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130
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