This is the finished version of Goin Home.

Goin' Home (feat. Mella)

I am not great at mixing and mastering but better than the previous working version. Comments and advice welcome.

This was created with the following BIAB RealTracks:
Bass 366
Drums NashvilleEven 16
Guitar-strumming 368
Pedal Steel 369
Piano- Steinway
Guitar Solo 2169
Mandolin


LYRICS:

GOIN’ HOME

Verse I

the sand in the glass keeps moving so fast
it’s like I blinked and just like that
I’m growing older & out on my own
but if the mood hits me right or
that song plays at night
I swear all it takes is closing my eyes
& I’m right there again

Pre (1)
laying in the backyard, counting those shooting stars
or pulling out the drive for the very first time
Yeah I see it all when I’m goin home

Chorus (1)
everything’s changed, but it’s all the same
the mailbox may not have my name,
but it’s where a part of me and memories are
Yeah it taught me everything I know -
So I guess in a way, I’m always gonna be
Goin’ home

Verse (2)
you hear it all the time that worn out line
home is where the heart is
while that may be true
I think there’s something to
those four walls too
No, I don’t need to move back
or walk the front path
to know that it shaped my life
thru all the love, tears & smiles

Pre (2)
in that front porch light kissing him goodnight
or seeing mom & dad waving goodbye
Yeah I see it all when I’m goin’ home

Chorus (2)
everything’s changed, but it’s all the same
the mailbox may not have my name,
but it’s where a part of me and memories are
Yeah it taught me everything I know -
So I guess in a way, I’m always gonna be
Goin’ home

Bridge
What I’d give to touch the ole cracked wooden fence
or climb that backyard tree like a kid again
I know it’s only a hundred miles
but it seems so far away
I wish I could turn back time to yesterday and see that…

Chorus (3)
everything’s changed, but it’s all the same
the mailbox may not have my name,
but it’s where a part of me and memories are
Yeah it taught me everything I know -
So I guess in a way, I’m always gonna be
Goin’ home

© 2019 Robert M Poznanovich, BMI

Very pretty song. Lovely vocal and lyric. Mandolin sounds great playing of the vocal and keeping the melody locked in. Harmonies were very cool as well.

Very pleasant mix...
Like I said before...
I think you got the makings for a pretty cool country song...
Though I'm no expert, now it sounds radio ready...
BTW... Tell Mella she has a beautiful voice.

Hi Bob ...

Oh yeah ... I really, really like this! A really great song and your mixing was spot on. I wouldn't change a thing. Mella gave you a very nice vocal - super sweet! And the harmony is so dang good!

That was such a pleasure to listen to. Love the bridge - a real nice separation from the rest of the melody but a perfect fit for the contrast. It reminded me of some the Dixie Chicks later ballads. Regardless, it sounds stellar! I'd pay to hear it in concert!

Wishing you the best ...

Alan

Thanks everyone— this forum is the most supportive and helpful of any I have ever participated in. THANK YOU ALL

Bob,
Sounds more wholesome than previous version, more brushed and settled.
I am not a professional at mixing or such, but here is an opinion of "average" ear. I think balance between mandolin and vocals a little strange. Not sure how to explain it...Ok, seems like vocals are a bit too compressed like... production level compressed, but mandolin is wide and acoustically different from the rest.

Your mix is excellent, just speaking out loud

Thank you for posting!

Misha.

Hi Bob,

That was I very nice track to listen to. I really like the overall vibe of the song and the vocal is just good!

It is the first time I hear the song, so I cannot compare with previous versions, but I do like it as it is now.

Would I have mixed it the same way? Probably not, but that is very much a matter of personal choice and taste.

Thanks a lot for sharing! It is a very good song!
Will

Lovely voice sing a song that suits it well.
Lovely narrative too.
The mandolin is a little loud against the vocal and, maybe, the kick drum is a little aggressive for the song.
Is the pedal steel leaning over towards the mandolin?
There seems to be a little imbalance against the piano.
Lovely song.

Thanks I will remix with your thoughts in mind RayC

I Liked the selection of instruments on this.
The production is very well done. Great folk tune.
Congrats to all. Rob

This song was very pretty to listen to, and almost had a subtly sad hint to it. I can't tell if it's from a sense of nostalgia for something long past or from something else, but either way I really enjoyed the sadder tone to this song that I got from it. Thanks for sharing!

Ember---interesting take on your emotions. I wrote it while feeling somewhat sad. I took a ride past my old house and that inspired me. I sat for a few minutes and just thought about the memories and then noticed that someone else's name was on the mailbox/

Definitely a Dixie Chicks feel and a very current Americana vibe also.

Mixing is never finished...just abandoned.

J&B

Wow - just wow! You guys nailed this! It really tugs on the heartstrings and flows beautifully well. The progressions and the vocals on this are both attention grabbing and memorable. And you did a truly excellent job with the mix. It sounds crisp and professional.

I wouldn't bat an eyelash if I heard this on the radio - thanks for sharing

That sounds so heart-wrenching! My parents have lived in the same house since I was little and my sister and her two kids now live there, so it seems it'll be staying in the family with any luck! Just from my own experiences I can see where that might evoke a sense of sadness, and I definitely feel that came across in your song.

Thanks Ember.. Cool that you kept it in the family

Janice and Bud said this sounded like a Dixie Chicks song. They are back in the studio so I am working on pitching this to them.

Very nice, I especially liked the 'mailbox may not have my name' line. That opened up your song in my mind.

Really excellent work on the write and melody. Well sung, and the instrumentation is nice.

As far as suggestions, I think the vocal on the first verse is too quiet in comparison to the remaining verses. The volume dips particularly low on "I'm right there again." For the remainder of the vocal, it's much better, but the volume isn't consistent. And at times, it feels like the guitar is overwhelming the vocals on the verses.

Compressors are the typical tool for fixing this, sometimes chained together. There are also vocal riders that are basically specialized compressors for vocals - set the volume, and it'll automatically "ride" the fader so the vocal stays at a constant volume. I don't know what DAW you're using. There's a vocal rider from Waves, although it's currently listed at full price Waves is always running sales, so the current $90 "sale" price isn't really much savings.

If you've got Reaper, you can rig one up for free.

Personally, I prefer to slice up my vocals at the syllables (or smaller), and normalize them (skipping the sibilants and plosives), but that's more than a bit extreme.

Looks like I missed this the first time...... beautiful song!!! Very engaging melody, and a wonderful arrangement! Very touching! I think I would have processed the vocals a bit differently.....warmer/wetter. Take care. Greg

thanks Greg and David - I will work on the vocal processing

Hi Bob,

This is a really lovely song. The writing is very strong and the presentation is excellent.

I notice that some people have commented on the vocals. It is because of this that I mention the following in case it is useful information.

A vocal processing technique that I picked up a little while back is presented below. Even if you don't use Reaper as your DAW, the technique will be able to translate to other software.



DIRECT LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj14aKySE-4&rel=0&width=960&height=540

I have found that, like the video shows, manually adjusting volume before adding a compressor is definitely the way to go. It usually takes me an hour to get done but, for me, it's time well spent. During this process, I also modify the volume of those words that are not loud (e.g. or, and, with, in, etc.) so that they sit at appropriate conversation levels with the surrounding words.

Once I have the vocal track sitting at a good volume with prepositions, conjunctions, softer syllables on multi-syllable words, etc. adjusted to reflect conversation levels, I add a hint of compression.

I hope the above information is of some help in some way.

At the end of the day, I really enjoyed listening to your creation. It is a real credit to your strong songwriting abilities.

All the best,
Noel

Thanks Noel

Still a lovely song.

thanks for the feedback on this. This is one of my favorites

The original link to SoundCloud is broken-- I have asked the PGMusic staff for their help.
Bob

Thank PG staff for fixing the broken links to SoundCloud

Another great song. Well done

Beautiful song. well done!


-rob

Thanks Greg.

"I'm not great at mixing and mastering" he said, moments before blowing the audience away

Man, that was AWESOME! Reminiscent of Miranda Lambert's HOUSE THAT BUILT ME, in terms of the underlying message. You benefit from the strong emotional bond felt by everyone who has ever invested years of their life in a place, with all the attached memories... then moved away. Part of the song writing process involves finding ways to get the listener to identify with your song, but in this case you just sort of inherit a ton of that from your topic. Well played, my friend... well played.

I've used BIAB long enough to know that its rare to press a button and generate what you hear in your head. The tasty presentation of each instrument suggests to me that you put some time into this, and it shows.

Nice! I look forward to hearing more from you.

Wow Pat. Thanks for taking time to share your feedback. Very much appreciate it.