Time Drags On - PG Music Forums

Greetings All

My last posting in the User Forum here was in January.
This song – Time Drags On – was posted about 3 years ago, but I was never happy with elements of the mix, and tried to redo the vocal but ran in to pitch, quality and range problems.
I asked MarioD what he thought and he said drop the voice a step or two so you can better sing the chorus. So I did, and then I worked on peculiarities in my singing voice which actually sounded like artifacts but weren’t.

The production was originally done in BIAB pre-RT days and the original style name escapes me.
RealBand was my mixer and editor to inter-cut all things vocal and instrumental and master…both MIDI and RT.
The Harmonica is me (short and sweet). The other lead parts were derived from BIAB’s midi soloists except for RT 1513 which was an edited one-time generation.

In this remix and remaster I have added RT1677 Fingerpicking and RT1513 Lead Guitar Brent.
These RTs were generated in C and MarioD converted them to Bb using Sonar’s pitch correction – I liked them too much to regenerate them in Bb.

My voice was re-sung in Bb and it worked well. Thank you Mario for the suggestion and your additional input.

If there is something that needs adjusting or you forum members feel could add to the production, I’d like to hear what that is. OK?

Enjoy. Lyrics are at the link. The file is WMA and should at least play in IE and Firefox 12.
If not, let me know.
Time Drags On

Cheers - Ian

I can't get it to play. My PC blogs pop ups. Sorry.

I didn't hear the original. this is a good song, Ian. thanks for sharing.

edit: which key harmonica did you use? it sounds like you're playing the wrong key.

Hey Beagle

Glad you liked it but didn't hear the original . . . it's not a pre-requisite to this one.

Thanks for visiting. The harmonica was originally recorded in C for the song's initial version. I wanted to keep the same riffs for the Bb version but had to use PG's pitch shifting because I didn't have a Bb harmonica. So you may be hearing that.

Ian

jpt-etc.

What browser, OS?
You could click on the link in my signature, and locate the song on my website directly.
Can you explain

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My PC blogs pop ups

Thanks for trying.
Ian

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Hey Beagle

Glad you liked it but didn't hear the original . . . it's not a pre-requisite to this one.
Thanks for visiting. The harmonica was originally recorded in C for the song's initial version. I wanted to keep the same riffs for the Bb version but had to use PG's pitch shifting because I didn't have a Bb harmonica. So you may be hearing that.

Ian

Ok - you might want to verify it transposed correctly, there's a note or two in each phrase that's incorrect.

Hi Beagle

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Ok - you might want to verify it transposed correctly, there's a note or two in each phrase that's incorrect.

I ran the two phrases through Melodyne to see what notes were actually played, and they were all in the key of Bb with the possible exception of a couple of "slides" which is standard for live harmonica playing on a Blues Harp. They are never spot on "0" for tuning.

But I will you say you must have some accurate ears to pick out the inconsistency.

Thanks for letting me know though. Ian

Hi Ian,

I remember this one from before. You've really polished it one up since I last heard it. It gleams now! As I was listening, the thought popped into my mind that the verses have a Bobby Goldsboro quality to them.

I think what Beagle might have been referring to is a bit of a melodic tussle between the two solo instruments (one MIDI and one RT - at least that's how I heard it). Have you tried the song with only the RT Harmonica?

There are two things that I really really like about this song. One is the form. AABA always feels comfortable to me when I listen to it. Maybe because there's so much Verse-Chorus form around these days that the change is pleasant to my ears. Also these lyrics are a credit to you. They rang with emotional truth. I particularly like the second person narrative perspective that you've used. It's not a point of view but it always works incredibly well when you can pull it off and you've managed to do it

It's big "Loved it" from me!
Noel

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You've really polished it one up since I last heard it. It gleams now!

Thanks Noel - hard to believe 3 yrs have gone. Glad you think it's an improvement- it needed it.

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melodic tussle between the two solo instruments

Perhaps the fiddle (midi) does not belong at all. I'll have to do some more thinking. I was aiming for something folkie like Jim Croce . . . Bobby would be fine.

The harmonica was definitely Real . . .me! A bit of ear candy.

When I started submitted to Taxi on and off for 3 years, maybe ten years ago, Verse-Chorus form was just breaking in and it was suggested that I change the AABA to a chorus for each verse. Now , while AABA was the form when I started writing in the mid-sixties a la Beatles early form, it was natural a feeling. As far as Country goes the AABA is back in vogue. . . for now.

I find it easier to write from my perspective if I use the second person to try and relate to the listeners who identify with my experiences. It's nothing I set out to do . . . it just takes over subtly as the story unfolds.

Thanks for taking the time to let me hear your thoughts.

Ian . . . What kind of winter is it so far? (Boy that sounds weird!) It's about 30C here today.

Hey Ian,

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What kind of winter is it so far?

By our standards it was very cold yesterday. The thermometer didn't get any higher than 7C (around 45F). I can't imagine there'll be a colder day all Winter. By your Canadian standards, though, 45F is probably the bottom end of a heat wave! I can't imagine living in ice and snow. The only times I get to see the stuff is if I head up a sufficiently high mountain in mid-winter.

Hope all is going well with the songwriting!

All the best,
Noel

Well written song, nicely arranged and produced. Thanks for sharing!

My Music

The positive comments are much appreciated, Robert.

Have a good creative summer . . . if you can stay school.

Ian

Hey Ian,

Good song. Nice vox and sounds fine except that fiddle and harmonica don't sound good in the breaks - I'd lose one or both of them. Maybe try something else.

Up late Josie? I'm glad you decided to check in on the song -
your opinion is much respected.

As for the fiddle and harmonica, I am coming to the point that I really need to take another
listen as to how they fit - if they do - in the song, and/or whether or not they are needed - although
I am partial to the one or two harmonica tags.

But I spent some time this afternoon using the riff feature to try and generate
some replacement fills. Ideally I'd like to have some acoustic lead RTs to choose from.

Good to hear from you

Ian