https://soundcloud.com/user-564042721/its-better-that-way

My first recording using an interface rather than just a usb mic- the vocal editing was much easier this time so I hope it shows!

Style is _LONGING.STY (Longing Ambient Songwriter Folk)

RealTracks in style: 1929:Synth, Bass, EuroDance VerseBass Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 1948:Mandolin, Rhythm PopUpliftingAndy Ev16 120
RealTracks in style: ~522:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 2541:Pedal Steel, Background ModernPopCountry Ev 110
RealTracks in style: 1943:Synth, Rhythm, EuroDance Strings Ev 120
RealDrums in style: NashvilleEven8^6-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat Open

Its Better That Way
( Robert Cordrey, Aug.2016)

You arrive looking back
to that far bright star
big-eyed with wonder
your father tells you where you are

then you`re swept down a river
your mother`s prayers can`t make straight
through a land of grace and danger
the hidden angels of your fate

and its strange not knowing
this hanging by a thread
of dreams and faith and longing
from the precipice of breath
could lead you to say
its better that way

will you live looking forward
to that far bright star
send your message in a bottle
I`ll find where you are
I would write your story to the future
a chain of words no harm could break
but I`ll let you go on that river
with a note to stay awake

and its strange not knowing
this hanging by a thread
of dreams and faith and longing
from the precipice of breath
could lead you to say
its better that way

you arrive looking back
to that far bright star

Robert,

Great song - excellent up-front vocal. Very nice job on this.

Bob

Robert,
Nice mix - as Bob said nice up front vocal.
An enjoyable song.

Peter

Robert,

A very poetic write...sort of Cohen-like...

Nice job of getting the vocal up-front (I think it could come down just a little - or just a touch more reverb).

The BIAB style works really well for the lyric and vocal...

fj

We completely agree with Floyd!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Nice song. As has been pointed out, your lead vocals are just a tad too up front. I think if you just roll off the low end on your vocal a little bit that will help, then just adjust the volume to fit. Really enjoyed the song.

Steve

Bob - Thank you!

Peter - I`m glad you liked the song- getting the vocals clear & up front was a breakthrough for me .

Floyd - Yes, this style was a really easy fit for the song. The lyrics came from one of those waking from a dream fumbling for paper & pen moments, so glad I grabbed it before it was gone!
I appreciate your comments on the vocal level & have now backed it off a few db`s

Rob & Anne-Marie - Many Thanks!

Steve - Thanks for the listen and your comments on the vocals. I need to practice with the position of the new microphone & Focusrite levels before recording again.

Robert,

we forgot to add that the pedal steel guitar also works great here.
This really complements the song.
Like others said the vocal could use a little bit of reverb, but not too much actually, since the upfront style of it would otherwise lose its effect.
In general, mixing the vocals in the arrangement in exactly the right volume levels is one of the toughest things. Sometimes this takes me days and then some more...

Keep on the good work!
Rob

Rob,

Yes, that`s the difficulty I found in adding reverb - I tried a few times with the RealBand PG Reverb & couldn`t get a light enough result.
Nectar seems a little better ( I`ve tweaked & updated the SoundCloud file now), but on my version its not called simply reverb so its confusing.
No doubt you have far more patience than I in the production phase.

Robert

Robert if you've tweaked the 'verb then I reckon it has worked. It sounds sweet tho I would still back off the level a bit. The transition to the chorus is a little abrupt with all those instruments coming in at once. Automated fade ins could do the trick.

Overall the song has a nice dream-like quality which suits the lyrics and by the sounds of it the inspiration. Cool.

just listened....

Yeah I agree.... back the vox down, add some subtle reverb to it and roll off the lows and the mids a bit. It has too much in the mids and that makes it too full and muddy sounding.

You also want to watch the steel in some styles. Judicious editing will solve some of the issues I heard in the steel. At 0:57 the steel goes somewhere other than where it should. A volume envelope to pull it out would hide that kind of musical faux-pas. This happens to me as well when I use the RT's. I either render the track a second or third time and see if it "does right" or I find a good edit point and edit it out.

just my 2 cents.

Big quality difference! Sounds gorgeous! Wonderful recording. Welcome to the beautiful world of audio interfaces.



Great job.

A nice melancholy piece. Enjoyed my listen.

Charlie

I think FJ got with the Cohen comparison. Very cool!! Interesting, thoughtful write. There is a little something harmonically unusual going on in the chorus-not bad, just different. You picked the perfect band for this production. Nice work!! Take care. Greg

Thanks, glad you liked the song.
After a few listens ( find I have to do that in several ways not just the headphones I use for mixing) I`ve also backed off the vocal level after adding some reverb. Good point about the chorus transition- for this round I`ll live with it.

Robert

Your comments are appreciated. I would never have heard the odd bit of pedal steel, so thanks for pointing that out- I regenerated that section & it seems ok now.
My skills at vocal editing are rudimentary... so having added a touch of reverb & reduced the volume I`m going to leave as is - moving those EQ nodes around in Nectar just leads me into more trouble right now!

Robert

David

Thank you- I needed that!
Yes, its a big change- finally had enough of the lag from my usb mic
and even though I`m using a $30 mic now I couldn`t be happier to have switched.

Robert

Thanks very much Greg,
I did try to add a bit of tension in the chorus so maybe that`s what you hear there.
Yes, this style was an instant fit for the song.

Robert