Hi all. Long time no post owing to real life schedule.

I wrote this nearly 3 years ago about the value of friends.
Thought I'd get another vocalist to sing it. What do you think?

Vic
https://soundcloud.com/vic-arnold/what-are-friends-for-version-2.


What are friends for © Vic Arnold 2018
V1
Bad luck. Break up. We can help you raise up.
Confidence is what you lack. Put you on the right track.
Break time. Take time. Everything will be fine.
Friends say "No big deal".
Friends say that "Time heals".
Pre ch.
We're just a call away.
So pick it up ... pick it up, pick it up.
Chorus
What are friends for? What are friends for?
What are friends for?
What are friends for? What are friends for?
What are friends for?
Inst.
V2
Gonna drown? Come around. We won't let you go down
Things are out of whack. We can get your cool back
Wake you up, shape you up when it gets too tough
Friends can understand
Friends can hold your hand
Pre ch.
And so another day.
So pick it up ... pick it up, pick it up.

Chorus

Vic...I love the feel and easy groove of this...I really like the melody especially of the chorus...very easy to listen to and great subject matter...vocals are super!

I really, really liked Jack's voice on this. He reminds me of a beefier Passenger. Very, very cool. Of course, I know your voice and it would've been very good on this as well. Nice song, excellent work!

Nice voice BUT there're some plosives and essing to be dealt with particularly in the 1st stanza.

Hi Vic,

This is a very nice song, well played and well sung. Also the mix is good.

I agree - the vocal plosives need a little attention. I would do them manually in your DAW - just blow the vocal track/s up to a very large size and you will see the plosives very clearly and can edit them out with a drop in volume of around -5 to -7Db. I have found this method superior and less intrusive than trying to fix them with a plugin.

Maybe add a little lead break in the middle for light and shade and these steps would take this song to a new level.

Well done.

Best Regards
Nigel

With you 100% on the manual method.
In REAPER the Pref FIX volume Automation is the best option...if there's a spectoral view it's even easier to learn to recognize the issues visually as well...The BIG thing is to be careful with the degree of attenuation...too much and the singer sounds like they have a lisp.

I like your songs Vic and this is another good write.

It's earthy and honest and makes me want to pick up my acoustic guitar and strum a few songs.
Sincerity, integrity and passion in a vocal are far more interesting to me than note perfect singing. For that reason I always prefer a song sung by the person who wrote it. Having said that, your singer did do your song justice.
Enjoyable listen.
regards
Gary.

Thank you Tunemonger.
Glad you liked it. My voice has gone croakier in the last year. Maybe hay fever.
Jack did a good one on it though.

Vic

YES!! Great write. Yes, Jack does a good one for sure. This is a song that needs to be said and heard. The lyrics grabbed me so much that I didn't notice any of the vocal anomalies, and I've followed Ray's advice and it's the best method. Still, when you write a song this good...

Hi Ray.
Thanks for that observation.
I don't often notice things like sibilance. Maybe my ears have lost their ability to listen for high frequencies and I mix for the older generation :-). I have adjusted them now and I always adjust manually, not with a de-esser as they always alter parts I don't want altering.

Vic

Thanks Nigel.
That's the way I usually do it but as I said to RayC, sometimes I don't notice them myself.
It's a good thing people on this site do.
Vic

I nice write.
Love the little bit of grit and breathy vocals.
The harmony fits nicely.

Well done!

moto

Hi Vicarn,

What do I think? I think you did an excellent job on the vocals. This is a very easy song to listen to. Not complicated, good write and sweet playing. Thanks for posting, I enjoyed the listen...

Vic

Very pretty, and a catchy chorus.

A nice enjoyable song.

Peter

Vic,

This is brilliant--truly. Jack does an great job on the vocals--rich, depth, resonates--but that said, I could hear you singing this and doing a great job too. The write is just so good--sweet and engaging message--and those internal rhymes aren't easy, to make them connect and deliver. But you do it here so well. That stop on the first "pick it up"--genius. Great harmonies to compliment Jack's vocal. I didn't notice the plosives and essing when I first listened to this a day or so ago, but like you, I don't always pick up on that stuff. On my own tunes, I have to make sure I go back at the end and focus on them in particular (in large part because I know rayc will call me out on it, rightfully so, if I don't, LOL!).

I don't want to diminish all the great work you've done to date, but this is close to tops in my book. I could easily see this on a movie soundtrack. Great stuff!

My very best to you,

Deej

Thank you Gary.
Pick it up then and play a few. It does you good.
Jack had my original from Soundcloud to work by.

Vic

Thanks for your support, Marty.
You made my day.

Vic

Thank you Moto.

Vic

Thanks Peter.
Glad you enjoyed it.


Vic

Vic,

Nice song. Catchy. Enjoyed the listen.

fj

Hi Deej.
Nice to hear an old face or see an old voice.

I did record this myself three years ago and it’s still on Soundcloud.
Sent Jack the instrumental and he sung to it along with his backing vocalist. I re-mixed and tweaked here and there.

Thanks a lot for your input and support as always.

Vic

Cheers Floyd.
Good to hear from you.

Vic

Vic,

I like this song a lot. A really good vocal from Jack.

Bob

Vic,
Nice modern sounding singer-song writer tune. I believe vocalist(s) did a fine job. Good set of lyrics. Overall mix is very clear, but I agree with Ray that it might benefit d-esser. I listened on Sennheiser Momentum headphones, which are a bit "bark" and bass rich, still sssing comes through noticeably. Enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Thanks Bob.
Good to hear.

Vic

Hi Misha.
I must have a higher tolerance to the sss’s but I will take another look at it.
Thanks for your input.

Vic

Very cool tune Vic. Loved the backtrack and super vocal and lyric. Well done.

I like it!

As Misha said, a modern sound, but with a mellow sensibility.

Love the message, too.

Thank you Scott.
I’m quite happy with it.
Vic

Hi David.
“Modern” is quite an achievement for me.
Thank you.

Vic

I agree, this has a modern sound to it. And that is something I am unable to do. I guess I'm stuck in the past.

Good write. I enjoyed the listen!

Mostly, I'd rather be stuck in the past too.
Things seemed more interesting then.

Thanks for the comment.

Vic

Well written and an excellent lyric for these times.

Jack did a fine job and hinted of your voice to us.

The production and choice of Biab tracks sounds very good...well mixed!

Enjoyed it!

J&B

Hi J&B.
Good to hear from you.
Thank you for the appreciation.

Vic

Wonderful song!!! The groove is infectious!! Vocalist did a fine job!! Nicely done all around!! Take care. Greg

Great song. The groove was very catchy and solid throughout the song. Super guitar. I'm I to assume that your are responsible for that? The vocals were spot on as were the backing track and mix.

Two thumbs up.

Hi Greg.
Thanks. Glad you liked it.

Vic

Thank you Mario.
The guitar is BIAB, chopped, twisted around and slid into place.
Thanks also for the two thumbs.
Vic