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Hi everybody, the end of the year is already in sight, so here’s my last 2018 post. Those of you who have watched any of my videos might think that I’m always having the time of my life, but as you know: Where there is light, there is also shadow. And I’m sure that those of you who are 65 or older know that life isn’t all beer and skittles all the time anymore. I wrote this song about one year ago and it refllects the way I felt then: Man, I’m getting really old and there’s not much I can do about. So, it’s not one of my fun songs, but luckily I wrote quite a few of those after that dark period. And you will soon understand who's the one who makes me appreciate every single day regardless of all health problems. When I made the video to it, I thought that I should add some positive aspects, so it’s got a somewhat lomgher (sorry, rayc) and funnier intro and I managed to integrate some bars of the very first song I ever wrote (must have been in 1976). Which gave me the opprtunity to also show some of the members of my then band as they look now. So, if you’re not feeling like watching the whole thing and want to get right on to the beef: fast forward to 2:00. Nothing's Easy Anymore (video & lyrics) Nothing's Easy Anymore ((MP3 & lyrics) Nothing's Easy Anymore (MP3 on Soundcloud) Before I get to the musical details of it, I’d like to say some very personal things: I’m pretty new to this wonderful forum and although it has turned out to be a very time-consuming job to keep track of all those excellent songs and lovely posts, it also turned out to be one of the best things that happened to me in 2018. I’m not only pleased and impressed by the sympathetic, positive and constructive way you all communicate, but also by the impartiality towards any genre of music that’s being presented here. Not only have I got to know very sympathetic and likeable songwriters and musicians of almost consistently very high standards, I have also learned an awful lot by listening to your songs and reading your posts carefully - I’m really grateful for that. And I’d also like to thank those of you who took the time to give my songs a listen and their always very kind comments. So I’m really looking forward to the year ahead which will undoubtedly bring another giant basket of great songs of all genres. I really wish a very Merry Christmas and all the best to all of you. Stefan -------------------------------------------------------- Now here are the musical details: Style is _SHOUT.STY ( Big Band Shout 11-part Horns) RealTracks in style: ~~481:Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Ballad Sw 085 RealTracks in style: ~~487:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Ballad Sw 085 RealTracks in style: ~~557:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Ballad Freddie Sw 085 ('B' only) RealDrums in style: JazzBrushes: a: Brushes Swirling b: Brushes Busier As you will probably notice I did not use the BigBand track the way it was generated automatically. Instead, I re-generated it over and over again, cutting out small snippets and then put them together. Took me days before I was halfways satisfied - my mom would have called it ‘a task for people who killed their moms and dads’ - something like a chain-gang job... But, man, did I like it! Unlike it’s shown in the video where I gave an old Framus semi the chance to at least be visually presented, I recorded the guitar solo using my Fender Jeff Beck Signature, that old tiny Fender amp and increasingly arthritic fingers. Like always my treasure Maha took care of the sound and the mixing - I don’t exactly know what she did, but I sure like it! And I’m very grateful for her sensivity towards my songs. I’ll be very happy if you enjoy the song and/or the video at least a bit - thanks for listening and watching.
Last edited by Crossroads; 12/21/18 03:00 AM.
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Well, that was 11 minutes and 5 seconds well spent!
Wow, just an excellent job on this from start to finish, including the intro. Good song, the writing hit home. Loved the alter-ego guitarist, he can play! Great feel and choice of notes! Read your note about the Jeff Beck strat too, very cool.
Yeah, I can relate to the age thing, I'm 64 (there is a song there someplace!)
Always enjoy your productions, and looking forward to seeing/hearing what you come up with next year!
Best to you and yours for the holiday.
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Stefan, that was exceptional. The whole performance was captivating. The great write was so well complimented by the creative video and the spot on production. I have to say I don’t recall ever seeing a guitarist bend a single string with his pinky. Super solo. I loved everything about it. Happiest of holidays to you and the gang, Tom
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Amen
nothing is easy anymore, boy can I relate
(same age as Dave)
excellent mix and arrangement
great solo
enjoyed the listen,
Kenny
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Stephan,
That was quite enjoyable - both the listen and the "watch"...
Awesome job with the horns! They were perfect.
Really nice guitar solo.
The song was good. Loved the chorus melody - had me singing along by the end. Very melodic.
The mix is really good. Tight.
And a nice video.
fj
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Stefan
Amazing video as usual and an excellent song (agree with Dave's review). Really nice tone and playing on the guitar. Seriously good.
Peter
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Nice wee thing and it was great lyrics.
wee Nit.. At times I thought you had added the lyrics to fit the backing tracks, as though you had no control over the arrangement of the backing ?.
Was it a backing track sent to you pre done etc ?.
Probably just me !!.
Last edited by beatmaster; 12/21/18 10:54 AM.
win 10 64 bit 16gb,i7 chip, ssd 500gb, m-audio air, ,Roland BK-7M, 1000,shure sm7b,sonar,acid,mixcraft, variety of plugins.Sample tank 3,Kontakt. TC Helicon Voicelive 3 2 . https://beatmaster1.bandcamp.com/releases
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As usual, a complete package of entertainment. Well done everything.
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Wow! Great work on this Crossroads! Really enjoyed the arrangement on this. Well done!
Cheers, Joe
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Stefan, I never tried beer with skittles. You got me intrigued! That was a nice blues. Everything sounds perfect. Seems you can do this with your eyes closed I know it is very labor intensive "to make it sound easy". My father in law is 82. I can see that some things getting harder and harder for him, but once he grabs his bayan (button accordion), he becomes a young man again. Let music keep your spirits up! Happy holidays and Skittles with some good, dark German beer to you. Cheers! Vielen Dank!
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Hello Stefan,
WOW! Everything about this is just so good! Love the video - particularly how you superimposed behind you. You're right - nothing is easy. We;;, except listening to your songs and watching your videos. - and the other folks on this forum, too.
Not only is your singing to[ notch, your guitar playing is really, really smooth. I enjoyed every second of this. This is my third time time watching and listening. And you have such a great command of the English language.
What a treat!!!
Merry Christmas to you and Maha.
Alan
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Ain't it the truth! You have been consistent with you quality of your song posting. The song may have been longer than most posts, it didn't seem long at all. Thank you for the captivating entertainment.
Merry Christmas to you!
Scott Schwarz
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Great song!! Yes, I can relate!!! I have thought about writing a song of this theme. I had a lyric idea......from taking drugs for getting high, to taking drugs for getting by. Getting old is a tricky business! Great work on this! Awesome vocal. Killer job all around!!! Take care. Greg
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Stefan, I can say without any hesitation that you produce some of the finest work presented on this forum! There is nothing "off" sounding in this! It's just perfect! You vocal, guitar, mix, everything are top notch! I really like it! Thanks, Torrey
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Well, that was 11 minutes and 5 seconds well spent!
Wow, just an excellent job on this from start to finish, including the intro. Good song, the writing hit home. Loved the alter-ego guitarist, he can play! Great feel and choice of notes! Read your note about the Jeff Beck strat too, very cool.
Yeah, I can relate to the age thing, I'm 64 (there is a song there someplace!)
Always enjoy your productions, and looking forward to seeing/hearing what you come up with next year!
Best to you and yours for the holiday. Dear Dave, thanks a lot for that very nice comment - I am really happy you enjoyed the project. And I hope that you will enjoy any of my future postings as well. And as much as I always enjoy yours! And long as we continue with our music I'm sure that 2019 will be a great year even for us 'Grey Panthers'. All the best, Stefan
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Stefan, that was exceptional. The whole performance was captivating. The great write was so well complimented by the creative video and the spot on production. I have to say I don’t recall ever seeing a guitarist bend a single string with his pinky. Super solo. I loved everything about it. Happiest of holidays to you and the gang, Tom Dear Tommy, thank you very much for your kind words - I really appreciate them. All the best to you and yours, Stefan (formerly known as 'Steely Pinky')
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Amen
nothing is easy anymore, boy can I relate
(same age as Dave)
excellent mix and arrangement
great solo
enjoyed the listen,
Kenny Hello Kenny, I was surprised that you're (almost) one of us seniors (how I hate that word...) - you look younger on the pic... Thanks a lot for your kind review. Take care, Stefan
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Hi Stefan, All seems so easy in this song in your way of singing and in the quality of the orchestration. Very good job on this song ! I wish you a merry Christmas. Christian
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Joined: Feb 2016
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Stephan,
That was quite enjoyable - both the listen and the "watch"...
Awesome job with the horns! They were perfect.
Really nice guitar solo.
The song was good. Loved the chorus melody - had me singing along by the end. Very melodic.
The mix is really good. Tight.
And a nice video.
fj Hi Floyd, what more could I ask for than have you singing along to a song of mine...? Thanks a lot for your positive review, I really appreciate it a lot. I will pass your positive comment on the mix to Maha who will be happy to hear it. All the best, Stefan
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Joined: Feb 2016
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Stefan
Amazing video as usual and an excellent song (agree with Dave's review). Really nice tone and playing on the guitar. Seriously good.
Peter Dear Peter, thanks a lot for taking the time to watch the video and listen to the song. As you can imagine a positive comment on any guitar solo counts double, so you made my day. Thank you for your kind comment. Take care, Stefan
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!
If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
Happy Easter! Holiday Hours...
2024 is well underway - it's already Easter Weekend!
Our Customer Service hours this weekend are:
Friday, March 29: 8-4
Saturday, March 30: 8-4
Sunday, March 31: closed
Regular hours resume Monday, April 1st - no joke!
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
Video: Volume Automation in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®
Video: Audio Input Monitoring with Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®
Video: Enhanced Melodists in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows®!
We've enhanced the Melodists feature included in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows!
Access the Melodist feature by pressing F7 in the program to open the new MultiPicker Library and locate the [Melodist] tab.
You can now generate a melody on any track in the program - very handy! Plus, you select how much of the melody you want generated - specify a range, or apply it to the whole track.
See the Melodist in action with our video, Band-in-a-Box® 2024: The Melodist Window.
Learn even more about the enhancements to the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/manuals/bbw2024upgrade/chapter3.htm#enhanced-melodist
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