Hello everyone,

We all become extremely creative nowadays. The virus does good things as well, thought I can think of less extreme ways to learn us how...

I made a new song, like a lot of us do. I hope you can find the time to listen to it. It's not an ordinary song. It's also not in Dutch. I was reading about all the stress that the measures around the virus caused to a lot of people and thought maybe I can help a bit in a way
https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/ripples-and-thoughts

I used a loop for a special effect somewhere around 2/3 of the song. I also used a Shakuhachi, a synth with the sound of a flute or recorder for the dreamy first part. Then a second drumkit for the rest of the song.
And I tried to make a special effect with 8 voices towards the end. because I post the song I think I did it right, but tell me if I don't. And be as honest as I know the most of you!

Nice day,
Hans

The songbuild:
Style is _AIRDUO.STY, Tempo 95.

RealTracks 1: 2937:Bas, Fretless
Realtracks 2: 2325: Bas el.
RealTracks 1 :2870:Piano, Ac
Realtracks 2: 1276 Piano ac.
RealTracks: 1814:Gitaar, Ac, Fingerpicking
RealTracks: 2328:Shakuhachi, Synth
Loop: World\Bollywood - party_80_basses_staccato_e_flat_minor.wav
RealTracks: 2687:Gitaar, El., solo
RealDrums 1: NashvilleBrushesEasyBluegrass: a: Sidestick, Brushes b: Brushes, Stick
Realdrums 2: PopModernGroove

The RT's numbered 2 were used in the second part, instead of the numbers 1.

The lyrics:

Ripples and thoughts
(c)HwBerkhout, 190420

Silently, you lay your head down
And close your eyes
Ripples in the water
They form your cradle in disguise

Ripples in the water, so intensely
But let yourself drift along
Feel the waves, float on them
You are so strong

chorus
Oh hear the wind blows
And see the clouds chase
Watch the birds fly
Hear the rustling of the trees
Don't wonder why

Ripples in the water
I can see your pain they symbolise
Ripples in the water, so intensely
You can't ease them, so don't try
Let yourself drift along
You are so strong

chorus
Hear the wind blows
And see the clouds chase
Watch the birds fly
Hear the rustling of the leaves
Don't wonder why

solo

So hear the wind blows,
See the clouds chase
Hear the rustling of the trees
Yes watch the birds fly
Can the ripples of your mind freeze?

chorus
Oh hear the wind blows
See the clouds chase
Hear the rustling of the trees,
Watch the birds fly
Hear the rain falls
See the bending of the reed

Harmony - chorus
So hear the wind blows
See the clouds chase
Hear the rustling of the trees
And watch the birds fly
Hear the rain falls
See the bending of the reed

So hear the wind blows
See the clouds chase
Hear the rustling of the trees
Hear the words fly
The ripples in the water are your thoughts
So hear the wind...

Hans,
Very well written song! Interesting acoustic -> electric transformation Staccato works very nice. Liked it! Vocals sound and seated well in the mix (!). The one only thing in reply to your: "be as honest" is Shakuhachi. It is beautiful instrument and you used it tastefully, but actual "tone" is a bit dull compared to everything else. Perhaps some EQ and reverb will help or maybe swap synth. I like ethnic wind synths, and I know shakuhachi is one of the most tricky ones. Good one Hans.
Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Hans,

WOW! This is OUTSTANDING!

This opening is so inviting. The guitar and flute are are a nice combination.
The piano comes in perfectly.
Your vocal is excellent. The soft, breathiness suits you! It sits in the mix just right.
The additions of the drums is nice.
The use of the staccato strings is such a nice change.
The solo guitar works really well.

The extra vocals panned either side adds nicely to the build.
The main vocal at that point is slightly "too crisp" (but not by much).

A really nice lyric. And a beautiful melody. Terrific write.

This is truly enjoyable music.

Well done!

fj

Wow, there's so much in there, Hans. I really like how you developed this song --great dynamics. Very graphic lyrics, and your voices are exceptional. The guitar, the staccato strings, the change in instruments. Very very creative. and I agree with Misha about the Shakuhachi needing something, but its statement is well played.

Beautiful melody and you are singing so softly which is very nice for a change.
Simple arrangement with creative breaks of instruments. What a unique atmosphere those selected instruments create. It is easy to notice and enjoy all those nice details.
Shakuhachi and the loop work very well, giving nice eastern vibe. Drums and the solo guitar add energy but not too much to disrupt the mood.
I have read that that it is easy to fall asleep by thinking about sounds of nature, I have tried by imagining the sound of water, so this song is kind of similar mantra, gets me into a dreaming state.

Janne

Well, wow. Meditative, reflective and softly sung. Superb job. I was glued to it from the first second to the last. I didn't see any problems with the Shakuhachi, personally - enjoyed the nuances it gave to the song. Really beautiful lyrics. Well done.

Hi Hans,

Man! You have outdone yourself with this one!

I agree with everything floyd says above.

Great build! And this has to be your best vocal yet. I think you are using less vocal effects than you normally do? Sounds great, lots of passion, great tone.

My new favorite from you, really good!!

This is one of my favorite songs of yours Hans. So gentle and delicate. Beautiful vocal and lyric. The piano and acoustic were such a nice touch to the song. Well done

Hans,
Such an adventurous arrangement! The build is very good, from folk ballad comfort to quite intense with a rock feel.
I enjoyed the message and the melody - it has a lovely flow and your vocal is your best to date imo (you are capturing the power in your voice with less effects I think here and it sounds great).
Excellent work!

Robert

Hans,

Lovely piece of music.
I agree with floyd's thoughtful comments.
On of the best pieces I've heard from you.

Peter

How cool!
Love the way this builds and shifts the mood.


I think the choice of instruments is brilliant.
The layered vocals sounds good.

I would agree with a previous comment though, It might be a good idea to take a little edge off the lead vocal.

Thanks

Hi Misha, Floyd, Marty, Janne and Dave,

Thanks for your praising comments. It was beyond my expectations to receive such nice words from all of you.
That's why I introduced it as 'something different'. I feared the meditative aspects in the song were 'too heavy' for a lot of you. But it turned out I was wrong on that. So thanks for that feeling too!

I want to create this sphere and 'play' with different instruments and the vocals. I also wanted to create a repeating chorus where -in the apotheosis- more and more voices get included. But I didn't went further than 8 voices. I thought more would mess up the mix, at least with my skills.

I had 3 d-essers included and the EQ a bit downwards in the high ends in the mix and the masteringproces to get rid of the sibilance some of you mentioned. But the problem was persistent. I mixed and mastered it again some time later, I also included a high cut and a down shelf as well, though now I had to take care about the result of it all. That stayed allright, but some sibilance remained as well.

The sound of the shakuhachi, as Misha mentioned, was intended. I needed this simple sound and the acoustic guitar as a contrast for the rest of the instruments. So sorry, misha, I will not change that ;-(

Have a very nice day!
Hans

Really, really pretty song Hans!! So peaceful and dreamy.....you're right....everyone needs an escape these days, and this was a very pleasant one!! Take care. Greg

WOW Hans this is fantastic! Loved the guitar flute combo. Your vocal was perfect, the lyrics outstanding, and the mix was perfect.

IMHO this is your best to date.

Wow Scott, you gave me mixed feelings with your answer. Feeling proud and feeling puzzled, because of my other songs.
But I go for the first feeling now. Thanks Scott!



Hi Robbert, you gave me the same mixed feelings as Scott did. But I like the compliments more! The effects I used for the vocals are roughly the same as in my other songs. Sometimes I had too much reverb and/or delay in them. In early songs I used Nectar effects as well, but now mostly An EQ and Compressor from Native Instruments (NI) and a reverb from softube (Tsar) and that's it. Well... sometimes 'Raum', also from NI.




Hello Peter, you did the same with my feelings as the gentlemen above. But you know what surprised me the most? I thought this song would be too slow to do anything on the Forum. I liked it of course, but when reading your compliments I was really surprised! Thanks for that.
Don't be amazed if I come with a Dutch song again because of this 'cultureshock'. ;-)




Hi Captain, Those are nice words you used to describe this song. And what you said about the edginess of the vocals is true. I changed some of the settings, added 3 (!) D-ess plugins, but it stayed. Then I altered something in the Mastering. To me it improved. I hope for you as well.



Hey Greg, thanks a lot for your reply. I had some doubts about the composition. I thought it would be too difficult to enjoy all what happens in it, but I was clearly mistaken. Thanks for that!




Hi there Mario, you too gave me that mixed feelings about your compliment. Still prefer the compliments more. The way you putted them nearly made me blush. But they also gave me a broad smile on my face for a day or two.

So thank you all for your effort to reply and to do that with those very nice words,
Hans

Hans,

Very pretty tune . . . nice use of the shakuhachi synth, just the right touch. And I like those chord changes in that last line leading to the chorus. Might think about changing the title of the song to just “Ripples” or “Ripples in the Water”—just a thought. Love what you do on the last third of the song from a production standpoint—artfully changes the mood of the song, transforming it in a really positive way. Terrific tune!

All my best,

Deej

Hans, we are late to the party and all of the wonderful
accolades have already been offered. Suffice it to say
that we agree with ALL of them.

This a lovely production in write and performance and
the arrangement is outstanding...particularly the
layering of the vocals.

Ethereal, dreamy and cinematic....

J&B

Originally Posted By: Scott C
This is one of my favorite songs of yours Hans. So gentle and delicate. Beautiful vocal and lyric. The piano and acoustic were such a nice touch to the song. Well done


Wow Scott, you gave me mixed feelings with your answer. Feeling proud and feeling puzzled, because of my other songs.
But I go for the first feeling now. Thanks Scott!

Please go with the feeling proud. I love all your songs. I felt this one was very special.