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Posted By: Al-David Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 06:46 AM
Any Other Day


I wrote this just for the heck of it - not for any particular opportunity or reason other than I wanted to. Although I've written quite a few, I hadn't written a piece of film music in quite some time. It features trumpet and jazzy-bluesy piano taking the lead. My biggest concern is if the strings are too loud - I tend to do that sometimes.

The piano solo and intro is a BIAB midi track. This is the best I've ever got a midi acoustic piano to sound. I was very happy with that.

The trumpet is very temperamental! I tried to even out the volume fluctuations with compression and track adjustments, but never got it as smooth and even as I wanted. I tried a third compression on it but that took away too much of the trumpets character. So I left it alone after track adjustments (lowering and raising the trumpet volume in various individual bars) and 2 mild compressions.

Thanks in advance for any listens and comments. Wishing everyone well.

Alan




File:Any Other Day.MGU
Key=Eb , Tempo 89, Length (m:s)=4:40
4 bar intro, 32 bar chorus, from bar 5 to bar 36. Repeat x3 choruses
Melody has 988 notes, Melody harmony is < no harmony >(0)
Soloist track has 715 notes, Soloist harmony is < no harmony >(0)
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Song is saved with bar changes for Volume Changes,


Style is C_CLOUDS.STY (Clouds - Top 40 Country R&B)

Style MIDI Instruments are : Fretless Elec. Bass (36), Slow Strings (50),
RealTracks in song: ~~365:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1409:Piano, SynthLayer, Rhythm Soul70sSteady Ev16 100
RealTracks in song: ~~1069:Trumpet, Soloist SmoothJazzCool Sw16 100 (Bluesy)
MIDI Drums :41 Brushes Kit (41)

RealDrums substituted :NashvilleEven16^1-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride


Posted By: Deryk - PG Music Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 10:47 AM
Great job on this, Alan! I really, really enjoyed this. It sounds wonderfully cinematic, and it wouldn't sound out of place at all as part of a movie soundtrack. I love the sound of the trumpet in this tune. The whole song has a cloud of eerie-ness hanging over it, but it still got stuck in my head.

Thanks so much for sharing smile
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 11:55 AM
Thanks, Deryk,

Glad you enjoyed it. And yes, there's an edge of eeriness - by design! Thanks again. Best to you and your colleagues at PG Music.

Alan.
Posted By: Scott C Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 12:14 PM
Very cool piece of music. Trumpet was excellent. Love this instrument. My brother played the trumpet when we kids. Loved it when he was practicing. Just filled the house with the coolest sound. Song brought back some very dear memories. Thanks for that....Well done
Posted By: Ember - PG Music Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 12:46 PM
For all the fiddling you did with your trumpet, I think it came out sounding absolutely lovely! And I don't think the strings sound too loud at all. Altogether I think this is quite the successful song!

Thanks for sharing! <3
Posted By: Sergio Guarneri Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 06:25 PM

Excellent song. Super real tracks in it.
Great trumpet. Very enjoyable.

Sergio
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 07:39 PM
Originally Posted By: Scott C
Very cool piece of music. Trumpet was excellent. Love this instrument. My brother played the trumpet when we kids. Loved it when he was practicing. Just filled the house with the coolest sound. Song brought back some very dear memories. Thanks for that....Well done


Thanks so much, Scott. It's always such a nice compliment when someone tells you your music brings back nice memories. I'm delighted I was able to do that. Wishing you the very best.

Alan
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 07:42 PM
Originally Posted By: Ember - PG Music
For all the fiddling you did with your trumpet, I think it came out sounding absolutely lovely! And I don't think the strings sound too loud at all. Altogether I think this is quite the successful song!

Thanks for sharing! <3



Hi Ember!

Always a delight to hear from you. Of I fiddle around with my trumpet, does that mean I can also trumpet around with my fiddle? Just wonderin'!

Thank you for the time to listen and your wonderful comments. I appreciate both very much. Wishing you and the entire PG Music staff the very best.

Alan
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 07:43 PM
Originally Posted By: Sergio Guarneri

Excellent song. Super real tracks in it.
Great trumpet. Very enjoyable.

Sergio


Hi Sergio. Thank you very much for your very nice comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the song! Best to yoi.

Alan
Posted By: Ember - PG Music Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 07:44 PM
Originally Posted By: Al-David


Hi Ember!

Always a delight to hear from you. Of I fiddle around with my trumpet, does that mean I can also trumpet around with my fiddle? Just wonderin'!

Thank you for the time to listen and your wonderful comments. I appreciate both very much. Wishing you and the entire PG Music staff the very best.

Alan

I had wondered if you would catch my pun! grin Really excited for your next one!
Posted By: Robertkc Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/02/17 08:47 PM
Al,
I enjoyed this - it has the space for your film music purpose and the balance sounds good.
Best of luck with getting your music picked up!

Robert
Posted By: Brandow Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/03/17 05:57 AM
I completely agree with Deryk, it sounds really cinematic. But that was the point I guess. Thanks for sharing Alan.
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/03/17 06:01 AM
Originally Posted By: Ember - PG Music
Originally Posted By: Al-David


Hi Ember!

Always a delight to hear from you. Of I fiddle around with my trumpet, does that mean I can also trumpet around with my fiddle? Just wonderin'!

Thank you for the time to listen and your wonderful comments. I appreciate both very much. Wishing you and the entire PG Music staff the very best.

Alan

I had wondered if you would catch my pun! grin Really excited for your next one!


Ember ... I also write novels and have a series that's in the humor genre ...I always look for little things like that! smile smile smile
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/03/17 06:02 AM
Originally Posted By: Robertkc
Al,
I enjoyed this - it has the space for your film music purpose and the balance sounds good.
Best of luck with getting your music picked up!

Robert


Thanks so much. I appreciate the nice comments and good wishes. Wishing you the very best,

Alan
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/03/17 06:07 AM
Originally Posted By: Brandow
I completely agree with Deryk, it sounds really cinematic. But that was the point I guess. Thanks for sharing Alan.


hello,

First,welcome to the PG Music Showcase Forum. There are many fine and talented people here.Hope you enjoy your time listening to their great creations as I have. Also, it's good to get constructive feedback from other forum members.

I appreciate you very nice comments and encouragement. And yes, i wrote this specifically with the intent of creating a film soundtrack piece. I write in many genres and Film/TV is one of my favorites.

Again, welcome and many thanks. Wishing you well. It's always a little special to be the recipient of a new member's first post!

Alan
Posted By: BlueAttitude Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/03/17 07:22 AM
Yeah! Nice one, Alan, you set a great mood with this piece. Trumpet is the cats meow! Strings sound perfect to me in the mix, but I'm no expert when it comes to strings.

Man, that midi piano sounds great! Which VSTi are you using on that?
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/03/17 08:00 AM
Originally Posted By: BlueAttitude
Yeah! Nice one, Alan, you set a great mood with this piece. Trumpet is the cats meow! Strings sound perfect to me in the mix, but I'm no expert when it comes to strings.

Man, that midi piano sounds great! Which VSTi are you using on that?



Hi Dave,

Thanks so much for the listen and those great comments - they put a smile on my face! I'm happy you enjoyed your listen. I didn't have to mess with the trumpet track too much - it fell into place pretty quickly, other than the significant volume fluctuations. That was quite a chore!

The midi piano is an indigenous BIAB track, as follows -Instrument: 1 Piano. I worked it over in Audacity for quite some time but was happy with the results. I EQ'ed with emphasis on the middle high range, dropped the lower EQ a slight amount and added some plate reverb. It took me multiple attempts to get the right mix of those things.but, I think it was worth the time and effort.

Again, many thanks for kudos! Best to you,

Alan
Posted By: 44kfl Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/03/17 01:13 PM
Nice job,

very relaxing and smooth sound

love that piano sound, nice tickling gain' on

I find that I have to "ride" volumes on many guitar parts

you da the man!

Kenny
Posted By: Rob4580 Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/03/17 07:22 PM
Can hear how hard you worked on this.
Midi is always a challenge to get it sounding right.
However you succeeded with very well with this work.
Could see this in a movie.
Rob
Posted By: ROG Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/04/17 09:56 AM
Hi Alan.

Been missing over the summer, but back now and it's great to listen to the showcase again.

Well, this would be worth the listen just for that piano solo. I can see why you're pleased with the sound, but on top of that I just loved the blues timing. Anyone who's ever tried to play off-the-grid timing like that will realise what an art it is. It's similar to Albert Collins on guitar.

But the piano is just part of it. The trumpet is inspired and the whole atmospheric feel is pure cinema. Personally, I couldn't fault the mix.

Loved it.

ROG.
Posted By: David Snyder Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/04/17 12:14 PM

Another great one.

When you you sleep man???

smile
Posted By: animarorecords Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/05/17 02:58 AM
Hello, Alan

Very nice film music!
Trumpet solo and piano solo are both really pleasant.
The chord progressions are also very nice.
Particularly I like where it goes from Cm to Db and returns to Cm.
Where it goes from Cm to Abmaj 7 via II-V(Bbm7 - Eb7).
And how to use G7(#9).
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/05/17 05:18 AM
Originally Posted By: 44kfl
Nice job,

very relaxing and smooth sound

love that piano sound, nice tickling gain' on

I find that I have to "ride" volumes on many guitar parts

you da the man!

Kenny



Hi Kenny,

the intent was for it to very slightly eerie with a dose of sadness, yet relaxing. I guess I got close to my goal! Woo Hoo! And yeah, the midi piano was a very pleasant surprise. I had to massage it a bit in Audacity but it ended up sounding pretty decent.

And I know what you mean about riding the guitar gain. I'm playing through an Ibanez Les Paul knock-off with really got pickups. It'll crank out some chicken pickin' and stout rock, but when it comes to Smooth jazz and Smooth RnB, I have to really back off to a point where any less fades it out but any moreoverrides everything. it's a tough spot to find sometimes.

Thanks again for the great comments. Much appreciated.

Alan
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/05/17 05:24 AM
Originally Posted By: David Snyder

Another great one.

When you you sleep man???

smile


Hey David!

Sleep? I've heard of the concept. I also hear some folks do it and enjoy it!.

Actually, I do not sleep a lot - perhaps 5 hours a day with the exception I almost always stay up all night one or two nights per week. I've done that for many years. I typically got to bed about 5:00 am and get up between 10:00 and 11:00.

When I was undergoing the chemo, I was too ragged out to do much of anything physical, so BIAB and I became frequent buddies. During the eight-month ordeal, I composed over 60 instrumentals. My left hand was almost completely numb, so guitar pickin' was out of the question. I still have 45 - 50 instrumentals I've not posted and some new ones waiting in the wings.

I like to put a little time between posts so as to not hog the board. I wait at least 3 or 4 days between new posts ... or ... until the last posted one falls off the front page.

Wishing you and yours the very best. Di says "Hi David!".

Alan
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/05/17 05:31 AM
Originally Posted By: animarorecords
Hello, Alan

Very nice film music!
Trumpet solo and piano solo are both really pleasant.
The chord progressions are also very nice.
Particularly I like where it goes from Cm to Db and returns to Cm.
Where it goes from Cm to Abmaj 7 via II-V(Bbm7 - Eb7).
And how to use G7(#9).
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi



Hi Shigeki,

It's always a pleasure to hear from you. I'm glad you enjoyed the song. I've always liked the sound, as an example, of the the C minor followed by the Db maj 7th. It's usually not expected but works well because it'mildly abrupt, and at the same time, casual. The Cm to Amaj7 is a subtle change but brings a new element to the melody that enhances the richness of the melodic flow (in my opinion). I tend to use flatted 9ths more than sharp 9ths but in this case, the sharp 9th was a good fit.

I look forward to the insight you offer in each of your reviews. Thank you! Wishing you the very best.

Alan
Posted By: floyd jane Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/05/17 06:07 PM
Sounds good, Alan. Everything is nicely balanced.

A good listen.

fj
Posted By: MarioD Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/05/17 07:18 PM
Super cool song Alan.

I could picture a smoky jazz club with a few patrons sitting at their tables, tapping their feet to the beat while some people dance. Yep this is film music.

Two thumbs up.

PS - great piano sound!
Posted By: Greg Johnson Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/06/17 03:37 PM
Cool song!!! Such a strong mood in the trumpet and piano parts. I'm going to have to play with those RTs. Mix is excellent! Great stuff!! Take care. Greg
Posted By: Noel96 Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/21/17 06:15 AM
Alan,

This is incredibly vibrant. It's the kind of music that gets leaning back in my chair, closing my eyes and just enjoying. You've done an excellent job creating this. It's sophisticated, driven and oozes with musical talent!

Loved it!

Best wishes to you and both smile
Noel
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/21/17 08:12 AM
Originally Posted By: floyd jane
Sounds good, Alan. Everything is nicely balanced.

A good listen.

fj



Thanks, Floyd! Glad it was an easy listen for you. I always appreciate your input. Best to you and yours,

Alan
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/21/17 08:16 AM
Originally Posted By: MarioD
Super cool song Alan.

I could picture a smoky jazz club with a few patrons sitting at their tables, tapping their feet to the beat while some people dance. Yep this is film music.

Two thumbs up.

PS - great piano sound!



Hey Mario!

Thanks so much. I had a movie going in my mind as I wrote this. Nicole Kidman was making some guy's night with a sweet, sultry dance. Most of the lighting was alcohol signage and a light haze of smoke caressed the neon beams. The other guys were at their tables, some ignoring their dates/wives, wishing and having tantalizing thoughts. Well, something like that.

Thanks again, my friend.

Alan

Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/21/17 08:19 AM
Originally Posted By: Greg Johnson
Cool song!!! Such a strong mood in the trumpet and piano parts. I'm going to have to play with those RTs. Mix is excellent! Great stuff!! Take care. Greg



Hi Greg,

Thanks so much. And yeah, I could hardly believe what I ran across with these tracks. The piano took a little coaxing but finally got to where I wanted it. Wishing you well.

Alan
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/21/17 08:22 AM
Originally Posted By: Noel96
Alan,

This is incredibly vibrant. It's the kind of music that gets leaning back in my chair, closing my eyes and just enjoying. You've done an excellent job creating this. It's sophisticated, driven and oozes with musical talent!

Loved it!

Best wishes to you and both smile
Noel



Hi Noel,

As always, your comments are always among the ones I give more than a second look. The word "vibrant" hadn't come to mind, but I think it's very appropriate as i was trying very hard to set a mood - smoky, late night, sexy and a sensual static in the air.

I appreciate your kindness.

And we both wish you the very best.

Alan & Di
Posted By: Tyler - PG Music Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/21/17 07:22 PM
Great song Alan, I enjoyed listening to piano in this song! Thank you for sharing.
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/22/17 05:44 PM
Originally Posted By: Tyler - PG Music
Great song Alan, I enjoyed listening to piano in this song! Thank you for sharing.



Hi Tyler,

Thanks for dropping in and taking a listen - much appreciated. You folks at PG Music are the best!

I'm delighted you enjoyed it. And I was surprised how nicely the piano turned out. i worked it over pretty good in Audacity but wasn't expecting this level of sound from it. Glad you enjoyed! Thanks again for the very nice comments.

Wishing you and everyone at PG Music the very best,

Alan
Posted By: Torrey Bliss Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/26/17 08:21 PM
This definitely works Alan! I could visualize this in a film! Great definition between the instruments in the mix! T
Posted By: Al-David Re: Any Other Day - Film Music - 11/27/17 12:52 AM
Originally Posted By: Torrey Bliss
This definitely works Alan! I could visualize this in a film! Great definition between the instruments in the mix! T


Hi Torrey,

Thanks so much for those very kind words! I think the piano and trumpet are contrasted pretty nicely - totally different, yet mutually complementary. I'm delighted it came across that way to you. thanks again for the very nice comments. Best to you.

Alan
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