I have been out of commission for the past couple of months. Overwhelmed with work, and then I have had a strange infection in my head/sinuses that caused me to lose almost all my hearing for a few weeks. I'm doing better now, so I wrote a new song. The guitar and bouzouki are RealTracks. The piano and all the other orchestration are all EastWest sounds. I recorded this one in Studio One, and did the mix in Harrison's MixBus 32c. I hope you like it!
(I will try to get to some of the great songs on this forum, and comment on them in the next couple of days - I have really missed you guys!)


The Lessons We've Learned



The Lessons We've Learned
©Stephen W. Young

He stares at the face in the mirror
And he swears it could be the old man
He's forgotten the last words that were spoken
Can't remember how it got out of hand

After years of regrets, he thought it ended
When they told him the old man was dead
They found a letter his daddy had written
Never sent, he wept as he read

I hope you will come when you're able
Maybe Autumn, when the leaves start to turn
We'll laugh and forget all our troubles
And remember the lessons we've learned
Remember the lessons we've learned

Now, it could be pride or foolishness
Keeps a good man from doing what's right
In his heart, he knows of forgiveness
But it's so easy to keep it inside

I hope you will come when you're able
Maybe Autumn, when the leaves start to turn
We'll laugh and forget all our troubles
And remember the lessons we've learned
Remember the lessons we've learned

Now the memories and pain fade away
As he kisses his little baby's head
Asleep in his arms, in a moment of grace
He whispers the words that he read[b][/b]

Steve,

Oh my goodness... this is such a wonderful journey in lyrics and music. I found myself sitting here and just staring at the monitor when the song had finished. Absolutely everything about this is outstanding. So much skill and talent radiating from every aspect of this production.

You've created something very, very special with this composition. The arrangement led me along like I was travelling on a boat drifting downstream. I love the way that you've shaped the emotional contour of the instrumental backing so that it frames the lyrics, the melody and your singing for maximum impact.

(AGAIN!)

I'm heading back for a few more listens, now!

All the best,
Noel

Steve,

This is beautiful and the mix / vocal is outstanding... So nice to hear from you!

Bob

Hi Steve,

There have been lots of excellent songs on the forum recently, but this
stands head and shoulders above them all. It's simply in a class of it's own.

I called my wife in to listen to it and we both sat there with tears in our eyes.
So emotive, so beautiful.

I don't think there's anything more I can add.

ROG.

Steve,

How do you do it with every song you write/sing??

3.33 the crash cymbal was perfect, absolutely perfect.

Yes there are some great songs on the forum these days and this is at the top

good to hear you again

Alyn

What a beautiful song You really did an amazing job with this. It sounds sincere and lush. The kind of tune you can close your eyes and get completely lost in. The lyrics too - oh boy, I can imagine this being played live and there not being a dry eye in the house.

You should be really proud of this one - thanks for sharing!

A beautiful piece Steve in all respects, oozing sincerity and meaning. A perfect vocal. And impeccably arranged and engineered as usual. Above first class.

I'm glad you're on the mend Steve.

John

Lush and lovely.

It's a wonderful write and it would be hard to imagine anybody singing this other than you. Each listen takes one on a remarkable four minute journey.

The theme of the lyric, your vocals and the crystal clear production are ear candy of the highest order.

Congrats on a stunning production. Wow!

J&B

PS It's great to see you back here and we hope the sinus issue doesn't linger (Bud has experienced a similar issue).

You really should warn a guy. You made my driving a bit difficult.

What an amazing song. The chimes, strings, cymbal swells were all perfection.

The lyric and vocal go without saying.

...and mixed SO well.

Don't make me pick a favorite part. I would rather pick a favorite Grandma kind of thing.

This song truly moved me.

Thanks you for such a wonderful perspective.

What a beautiful song. The vocals were especially brilliant. Thanks for taking the time to share!

Love it!

The writing is amazingly good - each verse gives the chorus a different meaning, and you've built a story arc of redemption out of a minimum number of words. The opening of stares/swears is nice.

Great orchestration as well, and as always, heartfelt vocals. Soooo good.

Sorry to hear about the hearing issue - hearing loss is always frightening for a musician! I'm glad you're doing better.

It's always a treat to hear one of your songs, and as impossible as it seems, you just keep getting better.

Beautiful, Steve.

A thoughtful, touching write. Extraordinary arrangement and mix (as always!)

You always "make it look easy". Everything in the perfect place...

Your vocals are SO well recorded. I would love to hear what your equipment is AND how you process them. I'm sure everyone else would, too. I recall you wrote up a Mixing Tutorial years ago - if it is in there, perhaps you could just point to that here again?

fj

+1

The Mixing Thread is here:

http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=162045#Post162045

I bumped it in the Tips forum - worth another read (or a first read for those who haven't seen it).



I believe that is everything you wrote about vocals. Good information, but I'm not sure it tells "why do Steve's vocals sound "SO RIGHT"???". Clean, clear, natural... Are your mics going directly into the Focusrite and straight to your DAW (no other outboard equipment)?

Steve

Beautiful work - a truly lovely composition. Superb arrangement and an excellent vocal.
Deserves all the accolades from others.

Peter

Beautiful song, a super write

and your vocals and mix are so good!

enjoyed the listen very much

Kenny

Steve this is simply beautiful. Gorgeous arrangement, and great lyrics and vocals. Extremely poignant.

I am sorry to hear you weren't feeling good but it's great to see you back in the game!

That is some nice work.

The lesson here, from the song, is, don't put it off.

I enjoyed that.

Hi Steve, Great work on this! I enjoyed the overall tone of this and find the chord progression wonderful. Great use of EFX on vocals too. Glad to hear you're feeling better!

Thanks, Noel! I always look forward to your comments. They are always so uplifting. Very much appreciated, my friend!



Bob, it is always a pleasure to hear from you! You are one of my favorite writers, and an inspiration to me. Your kind words mean a lot to me.



Rog, thank you so much for sharing that with me! I have always had a lot of respect for your work. As a writer, particularly of this type of song, it is my greatest desire that the song would touch people's hearts like you have described. Thanks again!

==

Steve

In response to Floyd and HearToLearn about how I record and mix my vocals. First of all, I am by no means an expert. I'm a learner, like all of us here. If anything I share is helpful, use it. If not, ignore it. So here goes...

Nothing fancy to it. That "tutorial" Floyd mentioned and shared a portion of was written several years ago. Like most of you, I have changed some of my ways of doing things over the years, but the most important thing I have tried to hold onto is this: Use your ears.

My Saffire 6 bit the dust a couple of years ago, so now I use a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 that I picked up in a pawn shop for $150. I recently stumbled across a Shure SM27 at the same pawn shop, that I picked up for about $180. I don't have any expensive equipment. The mic is run straight into the 6i6, and from there, straight into the computer.

I bounce back and forth from Logic Pro, Studio One, and occasionally Reaper (mostly just to keep it interesting, and it helps me to keep learning different ways to do things).

Everyone's voice has its own characteristics, so there are no hard and fast rules. I've found for my voice, I cut the low ends (usually below around 150-200hz - really depends on the song), and slightly boost the upper mids, around 1.5-2k. I usually will stack 2-3 compressors to level everything out, and bring out different characteristics that the compressors have to offer. I try to be careful not to over-compress, and by using multiple compressors lightly, that makes it easier. I also will use multiple reverbs at times (sometimes in bus, and sometimes in the vocal channel, itself) - sparingly, unless the song calls for more. And also the same with delays.

The foundation of the voice is in the eq and compression. Reverb and delays are for enhancement, not foundation (unless the song really calls for it).

Another thing that is easy to overlook is the arrangement. I try to arrange the instrumentation so that is doesn't compete with the lead vocals. The song is usually about the vocals, not the instruments. When the arrangement is not competing with the vocals, people actually notice the arrangement more (positively). If everything is competing, people usually don't notice anything at all.

Also I try to arrange/mix so that frequencies don't compete too strongly with the lead vocals. All of this takes practice and thinking. But it's really pretty simple...
Record your voice in a quiet environment, at a good (not too hot) level.
Eq your voice to suit your "sound" - flatter your voice with the eq.
This will take practice to get it to sound natural (not too harsh, not too muddy).
Compress (lightly) your voice to level it out, and bring out its character - even its flaws can be positive if done right.
Enhance the voice with a touch of reverb/delay to bring it to life.
Arrange the backing around the voice.

Most importantly - use your ears.
Mix at a lower volume. Don't wear your ears out with only one listen!
AFTER you are happy with the mix, turn it up and check it out.

Obviously, there is more to this to make a good vocal mix, but this is the foundation, at least for me. Again, if any of this is helpful to you, good. If not, no worries. The main thing is to keep on writing and playing your music - for your own enjoyment primarily. And if others enjoy it as well, there's nothing wrong with that!

Thanks for putting up with me!

Steve

Thanks for posting that Steve. Your vocals and entire productions have always been high bar setting for us. The more we read, listen and experiment hopefully the more skilled we become. "Use your ears" is so important. There's not a lot left to mine but I try to approach each tune as unique and listen to Janice's vocal in the context of it and go from there. I think your above post is more than worthy of a re-post in the production forum.

Bud

Everything is top quality here: touching lyrics, clear vocals, melody, arrangement, especially the orchestration is amazing, it works very well even without the vocals.

Janne

Excellent song. Write, performance and recording hit on all cylinders. very pro. Thanks you for sharing. It was a pleasure listening to this.

Dave

Steve, this is REALLY REALLY lovely. Do you mind if I play it on my hospital radio show ?
Wonderful lyrics and superb melody

WOW Outstanding the lyrics !! I am speechless.

This song should be a hit, If there is any justice in the music world.

Well done beautiful song, singing, and instruments awesome.

Hello, Steve

Wonderful orchestration!
The charm of the EastWest orchestra is fully demonstrated.
The way to use each instrument is exquisite.
And strings, woodwinds, horns know each other without excess or deficiency.
Tubular Bells and Cymbal rolls around the ending are also very effective.
The piano is played very beautifully, your vocal is really comfortable and the melody is also excellent.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Alyn, you are too kind! Thanks so much for the nice words. Much appreciated.



Thanks so much, Deryk! I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment. It's always encouraging to have PG staff supporting us.



Hey, John! Always good to hear from you. I am a big fan of your music and productions. Thanks so much for the kind words and well wishes!

===

Steve

Here is a link to the song on Soundcloud for those who would prefer to listen to it there...

The Lessons We've Learned

Thanks!

Steve

Beautiful. It's nice to "meet" you this way.

Hi Steve,

I think you have no idea what a special song you have created and shared with us. To fully describe this would bankrupt the English language of all it's best superlatives. I'll admit to wiping a tear from my eye about 2 minutes in - and one a few seconds ago.

My father died in 1969, 2 years after I returned from Vietnam. We didn't have a very good relationship. Your song puts that into a comfortable perspective for me - a way to make peace with it. Thank you.

Alan

Steve,

Glad you're feeling better, your presence in the forum has been missed.

It is difficult to add anything to what has already been written. This song is an instant classic that should be added to every playlist. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Wow, what a song!

Steve in all the years I've been around here, this is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Awesome brother - straight to the heart.

Glad you are feeling better.

J&B, it is always so good to hear from you. I'm sure you know, I am a big fan of your work. Your generous comments on this song are very appreciated!



HearToLearn, thanks so much for taking the time to listen and to comment! I'm so glad you like this on. Be careful with your driving!



Thank you very much, Ember! Really appreciate your comments.



Floyd, I always appreciate hearing from you. You are a real standard bearer for the forum here. You consistently raise the bar for all of us here. Really appreciate your generous words!

===

Steve

Thanks a bunch, Peter! Appreciate your nice words!



Kenny, I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment, and appreciate your kind words. Glad you enjoyed this one.



It's always good to hear from you, David! I really enjoy your creativity. I'm a fan of your work. Appreciate your comments on this one!

===

Steve

Played this on hospital radio last night Steve

Hi Steve, thanks for your great song, fine arrangements and beautiful vocal.

Steve this one slipped by me. What a lovely song. As with all your songs your vocal is superb. Loved the story in this lyric. Very heartfelt. Loved the production on this song. Sounds very cool on the headphones. Well done

Everything about this is PROFESSIONAL and simply couldn't have been done better!
The piano and orchestration are exceptional, so are your vocals!

Beautiful Steve!!! What an incredible combo of music, lyrics, and production. A very moving song done just the right way. Congrats!! Take care. Greg

Steve, this is simply one of the greatest songs ever posted on this forum (that I have heard).I don't make that statement without really thinking it through and meaning it! To start with, the lyrics are very poignant and full of meaning for so many who will hear it, it will strike a nerve with so many! The arrangement is absolutely awesome! You have done a top level job with the work on the strings in this. Your production here is top level also and the excellent vocal is the icing on the cake! I always enjoy your work and look forward to more! Thanks, Torrey

Steve, the intro shows your expertise in arranging. The strings sound fantastic. I think this is my favorite of all your great writes. It is delivered with emotion and conviction. An absolutely exquisite production. It doesn’t get much better than this. I continue to be one of your biggest fans, Tom

Steve, just thought I'd let you know publicly that I woke up with this song in my head this morning. I couldn't remember all the words, but the melody was there, verified by another listen, and I remembered "the lessons we've learned".

That doesn't happen with every new song encountered, and, for me at least, proves just how good this song is. Thanks.

hi steve great production beautiful mix very crisp and clear super engaging hope your doing well love your songs they always leave a in pression on me thanks for sharing eric

Just adding to all the other comments. What a beautiful tune and fantastic singing. The arrangement is wonderful, the highs and lows, emotional rise and fall. Really outstanding.