Nothin' Never Happens on Soundcloud
Nothin' Never Happens on YouTube

This is an original song about someone who just doesn't get that 2 negatives equals a positive. If you listen and feel inclined to comment, I thoroughly appreciate your time. Please, not to worry if it's a negative comment; they will have positive results.

QUESTION: How do you folks handle squeaks from an acoustic guitar?

Style is _MY_AMP.STY (My Woes Blues w Amplitube Bass)
RealTracks in style: 2674:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Blues12-8Brent Sw 065
RealTracks in style: 1924:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasBluesRockSlow12-8Sol Sw 060
RealDrums [in style:BluesRock128^3-a:SideStick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride
Utility Track: 2428: Piano

Dave Bell added a heavy dose of Blue Attitude with a great fills track, the perfect solo track, and by replacing the electric rhythm guitar. I played the bass and sang –again, never at the same time.

Nothin' Never Happens

While strollin' home one night, oh, a princess I did see
She spoke and set my heart a twitter. She said, Come sit here a spell with me
I tried to run away, but my body bade me stay
Nothin' in my life had ever come to me this way

Nothin' never happens for no reason. Something always seems to steal the show
How could this be my fate
This twist does not relate, cuz nothin' never happens to this flow

We sat till dawn and talked. Then I held her to me close
The morning air was cold and bitter, but she kept me warm from head to toes
She said, Let's run away. Let's find someplace to play
Nothin' I could do but just smile and say, Okay

Nothin' never happens for no reason. Something usually takes it all away
It turned out rather bad. She stole all that I had, and nothin' never happens when I pray

So every day I try, oh, to scale this slippery slope
My shoes are soaked with grease and glitter, and there's nothin' left to fuel my hope
Yet still I must endure this life so insecure
Nothin' in my life will ever smile on me, I'm sure

Nothin' never happens for no reason. Something always seems to spoil the show
I cannot stay afloat with holes inside my boat, and nothin' never happens when I row

I won't never not like this song... Not never clever ever...
But seriously, a fine production, indeed.
Very impressive playin' singin' and mixin'... Great job Y'all.

Always like the stories in your songs!
This is no exception.
Nice mix.



QUESTION: How do you folks handle squeaks from an acoustic guitar?

Many of my recordings suffer from that.
I've been told there are products you can apply to the strings to reduce that.....I have not gone in that direction.
Lifting your fretting hand instead of sliding works but,..........sometimes you just need to slide.

Here's what I do:
#1 Cut the volume/gain on those squeaks.
That can take time, as it's a rather tedious task but, it works.
I'm in Studio One V5, they added a feature called "Gain Envelope" that allows you to make gain adjustments within the track similar to volume automation.
If you zoom in on your track to locate those squeaks, you'll quickly develop an eye for identifying the squeaks in the wave form.

#2 Use an EQ/Deesser.
This may work but, if applied to the entire track, it can have a negative effect on the balance of the track, it needs to be used carefully.

#3 A combination of #1 & #2 can be a great remedy when used gently.

Very good song. Great mix. You and Dave always play well together, this one included. Good video too. You write good lyrics too:

"Nothin' never happens for no reason" - that's some kind of universal truth.

Video,excellent vox and story, Dave's great guitar playing. The whole package is very entertaining.Well done.
regards
Gary.

Outstanding vocal, bass, Dave's guitar, and the mix.

Loved it.

I leave the guitar squeaks in my songs. But if you really want to get rid of them you could try flat wound strings for acoustic guitar:

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Flatwound--6-String-Sets-for-Acoustic-Guitar.gc#narrowSideBar

not my genre...BUT...
gotta say this is a cool character song.
lots of nice lyrics and geetar licks...

nice final note.

best/happiness.
om

Well done Marty,
the song and performances are really cool and conscripting The Ringer is icing on the cake.

Fun song, and your vocals are a great match to the lyrics.


As for the guitar squeaks, the best option is probably a spectral editor like this.

This is built into Reaper, and likely to be a feature in other DAWS as well. It's not magic, but it can help a lot.

Hi Marty and Dave,

I like the way you sing these kind of stories. Always expecting something funny happens, but that is because your voice has something comical in it's tone. I like that. But I have heard you sing sad stories too and you did that very intense. So, the perfect mood is in the vocals... and lyrics of course.
And you made a good correction while singing, in the line: 'Something always seems to steal the show'by naming it 'spoil'. Makes a whole difference.

Daves' contribute to this song was very 'delicious'. That man can play that guitar so well...

About the queeks of Captain Moto: I like to keep them in the song. They make it feels so real.

Well done, Marty. I've enjoyed it.
Hans

Hi Marty and Dave
really cool song
The lyrics are very good
I like it especially because you can hear a lot of craftsmanship out of it
I think that's the only way the song works best
You both do a fantastic job again
Plus an outstanding video that makes the song even more intense
great job guys
To the initial question: I actually like it when the acoustic guitar squeaks.
Belongs somehow to it. If the squeak is too loud in the mix,
however, you can try to tone it down with a de-esser - it will never disappear completely.
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Marty,

A great listen. Such a groove!

Man! your Bass sounds good!!

Dave's guitar is excellent (as always).

Solid vocal. Solid mix.

(I found the snare sound too bright - highEQish - it pulled my ear away for a while)

never say never

fj

Thanks for your ever clever comment, bloc-head. Seriously, thank you.



Thanks, Captain!! Great advice on the squeaks too. For the most part I tend to leave them in because it gives an authentic sound, but occasionally there's one that just has to go. I usually just get in real close and delete it, but recently doing a song for a friend I had way too many in a slow, quiet song. So I went with #1 above, and you're right, it's tedious.



Thanks jptjptjpt!! Dave really does make these songs a lot more interesting. As for the title, it could also be read Something Always Happens For No Reason.



Thanks, Gary!!

Marty & Dave

A really easy listen, melodic, and fun.

Great playing by you and Dave - loved the solo.

Top notch entertainment.

Peter

Marty,

Thats a sweet sound you put together here! Your vocal really shines! You know already how I feel about your bass playing....it's always fantastic! Also, you can NEVER go wrong with Dave supplying the guitar work...it's always spot on and sounding great! Great bluesy tune! Thanks, Torrey

Wonderful blues. Wonderful vocals. Nothing I can say that isn't good about this song. Loved the humour in the story. You make it all sound deceptively easy - seriously, serious congratulations.

Very very good song!
We like the lyrics too.
Guitar is great.
About the tweaks: we use Cubase an when it's really too much, we cut exactly on the left and right of the tweak and take it down a bit.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Very nice story, keeps the listener interested and waiting for the final conclusion. You have described the insecurity of life vividly and tragicomically, I like that. I read a good advice just recently: "Don't never use no double negatives". Traditional blues feel played by an excellent and cool band with 2021 Award winning players

Funny association as a side note: after listening to your song several times, Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life started playing in my head: "Life's a piece of s*it When you look at it"

Janne

Very cool tune Marty. Loved the groove. Bass really set the feel of the song. Dave's guitar is excellent.

Izotope RX9 works pretty good for taking out some of the unwanted noises. Can get quiet surgical with it. Spectral noise and guitar denoise work ok. Hi-mids can get whacked with to much.

Thanks, Mario. I often like the squeaks in too, but once in awhile one pops out in an annoying way --especially because the squeaks are usually off the beat while the hand is moving.



Thanks for listening, OM.



Haha. Thanks, Ray. Yeah, The Ringer is a perfect moniker.



Thanks, David. I'll have to check that out. Great advice.

Clever concept, Marty, I liked it. Your singing was the highlight here for me. Really consistent, which is where I fail when I sing. Great bass, of course. And Dave's guitar is always the perfect icing. You've really been turning out some entertaining stuff, way to go!

Anti-depressing blues? Marty, you have a gift writing uplifting tunes on sad subjects. Fits perfectly with other BA collaborations. Excellent playing by you and Dave. Squeaks do not bother me at all on this, or I have to check my hearing. A+ vocals and mix. Fun video too. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

No lack of 'nothing never happening' here.

Blue Attitude certainly gave it even more attitude (no surprise there).

All wrapped up in a neat set of lyrics.

"Nothin' never happens for no reason."

Yeah, we'll stick with the ambiguity of that

Clever write and fine performances by you and Dave ... no surprise there!

Your vids are always entertaining - always supportive of the lyric.

Well done y'all!

J&B

Thanks, Hans. I like that you picked up on the "steal" to "spoil" in the show. I changed the word in the lyrics just before recording, and of course in the first verse I sang it the way I was used to so I kept it. Nice catch. As for the squeaks, I usually leave the in, but every once in awhile one seems to steal the show.



Thanks for your kind words, Andi. I haven't tried a de-esser yet, but that seems to be a good suggestion.



Thanks, FLoyd. Good critique. Drums are the worst part for me to get right (as long as Dave does the solos), which is why I was so excited about the new stems feature in 2022.



Thanks, Peter. You surely know the importance of a good solo.

Hi BabuMusic,

Very nice composition where you put your talents in the orchestration which is perfect. It's varied and well mixed. Well done. I appreciated.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Marty and Dave...you guys are such a great team...kings of the blues...the song is smart, fun and so well done...you may have played with the double negative but nothing negative can be said about your performances...Marty, I always love your videos!...so well done!

Marty and Dave,

Terrific blue tunes with a really catchy hook on that chorus. Vocals are great and Dave’s lead guitar is wonderful. Impossible for the toe not to get tapping, and the head a’bobbin’, listening to this one. Very slick collaboration—congrats!

My best to both of you,

Deej

First of all, good song! Your vocal sound good and really soars in the chorus "...seems to steal the show." Dave's guitar is sublime. Wow! Bass is excellent too.

Thanks, Peter


Thanks, Torrey

Thank you, James,



Thanks, Rob 'n' Anne-Marie. I've come to use 3 methods. 1. do nothing; it sounds fine, 2. the method you suggest, and 3. delete the intrusive ones --no one will miss them. I particularly like your use of the word "we."

Thanks, Janne. I'm glad you stayed for the conclusion.

Thanks to everyone that mentioned my part in this super cool song, and thanks to Marty for the invite. Always a pleasure!

Hey Great blues song y'all! Loved it!

Good job by everyone.

"BabuMusic'...

A nice, bluesy, sticky, slow-draggin' set you got here! I defy any listener to not dance to it. Com'ere, baby, and dance with yo daddy. You know you want to!

I found your vocal track to sound particularly energetic and passionate as you sang your story through the hard-luck lyrics.

Dave Bell, who I presume is 'Blue Attitude', teases a whol' lotta buh-lues out of his 'lectric gee-tar. Ride 'em, cowboy! The blues ain't nuthin' but 'life' mis-spelled!

Acoustic guitar squeaks? The spectral display in most DAWs will make location super easy...once you know the signature colour and intensity.
After location I've opted for pre FX volume automation in some circumstances or EQ automation in others.
It is a bit like de-essing in that you can VERY easily overdo it and make the result sound unnatural.

Thanks, Scott. And thanks for your suggestions on the squeaking. You're right, this can be overdone just like sibilance on vocals.



Thanks for such a warm and wonderful comment, TuneMonger.



Haha. Thanks, Misha. Sometimes SAD is just another way to spell HAPPY.



Thanks for listening and commenting, AudioTrack. Much appreciated.



"Something Always Happens For A Reason" Thanks, you guys!!