Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
#539156 06/02/19 05:20 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,732
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,732
Hi Folks.
If you can not tolerate slightly depressing song, I suggest moving to
the the next post.
Inspired by a recent song by Ray & Torrey, I decided to write a song long due.
...Once I met a man from former Soviet republic. From our casual
conversation, I understood that he was collaborating with Nazi
during WWII. It was not what he said...but what he didn't say that made me
quite uncomfortable. For a long time, this subject had hunted me, so
finally I was able to express it musically/verbally. Critique is always welcomed. Thank you for listening!

Distant Echoes

Lyrics:
Humid July
Breeze as a breath of obsidian night
Ghost from the past
Standing by fence and casting long shadow

He looked at me with sarcastic grin,
Devils dancing in his watery eyes
I could swear I've heard legions marching
Ripping throats... achtung!

Many moons had passed
Memories are fading of those-
Who stayed forever young
And those, with beating hearts
Keeping to themselves

I turned around and walk back home
Could not fall asleep in my bed
I can swear I've heard song of a hot wire*
humming in my head

Butterflies are flying on wild clover field
like the ashes twirling and falling
on burning...and crumbling Berlin

That gangrenous wound will never heal
spreading sweet scent of death...
Seems like history is moving squeaky wheel
While we forgetting our past.

Things used:
BIAB:
366: Bass Electric
686: Organ
RealDrums: CountryEven16
1004: Guitar, 12 string
2495: Pino Electric
2890: Accordion
3242: Vihuela

parts of Hitler/Stalin speaches.
Recorded and mixed in Cakewalk.

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,360
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,360
love your songs,

you were inspired to write this and it's strong

Butterflies are flying on wild clover field
like the ashes twirling and falling
on burning...and crumbling Berlin

could quote the whole song but these lines and images

struck a chord with me

nice mix and choice of instruments

Kenny

User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,357
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,357
Misha,

The jaunty music makes a good contrast with the serious subject; some telling images in the lyric and your ever theatrical delivery is entertaining as ever.
There are some places where the vocals might need to come forward (or the accordion move back )in the mix for clarity, otherwise sounds good to me.
The use of those speeches sends shivers.

Robert

User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,944
Jim Offline
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,944
IMHO You are becoming the resident poet here...
No one else (to my knowledge) writes the way you do...
Each work could well stand alone without any musical backtrack...
Yet you seem to choose musical tracks to emphasize your carefully chosen well-written lyrics...
For "Needle In Hay" you created a funeral dirge...
For this piece, the music reminds me of the Russian & Cossacks music from WWII documentaries & movies...
Well done Misha... I really admire you work!


Jim
†=☮&♥
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,031
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 8,031
Misha,

This song is incredibly creative... Your mix is tremendous - excellent job!

Bob

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,501
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,501
On Memorial Day, I watched Ken Burns' The War (12 hours) and this song was like a soundtrack to it. Great job with a difficult subject.


Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,534
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,534
Good write, interesting arrangement, well sung. I really like the song.

The drum breaks were especially effective, as are the fragments of the speeches.

Since English isn't your native language, it's a bit hard to make out what you're singing. I think the balance of the mix is good, but perhaps you need to can do some selective EQ cuts in the other instruments, or perhaps boosts on the vocal to make the consonants more distinct? Just a thought.


-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,362
W
Expert
Offline
Expert
W
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,362
Hi Misha,

It is a very, very good song and a good production as well.

I wouldn't mind if you did the singing in Russian language - it might make the song even better.

Thanks a lot for sharing!
Will

User Showcase
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,732
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,732
Kenny,
Thank you for listening and nice words!

----------------

Robert, Thank you for listening and honest review! I will try to play with vocal balance to get it even throughout the tune.

----------------
Jim, thank you for listening and kind words!
I believe you are generously overestimating my abilities smile
----------------

Bob, thank you for listening and your feedback here and on SC!
----------------

TuneMonger, Thank you for listening! It is a very powerful film, I watched parts of it.
----------------

David, thank you for listening and for honest thoughts! I believe, you are absolutely right. I mix on headphones. They are a very nice set, but a bit on a high/neutral side. When mixing, I should probably compensate for average, more bass oriented monitors so the mix is not muddy.
----------------
Will, thank you for listening and kind words! Hmmm, you gave me an idea, I might just try that one day.

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,415
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,415
"That gangrenous wound will never heal
spreading sweet scent of death...
Seems like history is moving squeaky wheel
While we forgetting our past."

WOW. THAT is powerful!! Another amazing write.

The backing tracks are the perfect vehicle.

As others have said, the vocal could use a bit of something to pull it up out of the track a little in spots.

Quite a song! Excellent work.

fj

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15,339
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15,339
My father and six uncles fought in WWII. Janice's father was a marine in the south pacific during WWII.

We will never forget. Hopefully your song will remind others not to. Powerful lyric!

Beyond the message the song is creatively composed, well performed, and the mix sounds really good on the monitors.

Thanks for sharing!

J&B


Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more.
If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks!
Our Videos are here on our website.
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381
An important subject tackled personally and powerfully. Something about that upbeat, happy sound of accordian in a minor key is always unsettling to me. I think it captures "...sarcastic grin, Devils dancing in his watery eyes..." brilliantly.

Oh well. We're all just following orders anyway, even in disobedience.


BIAB 2021 Audiophile. Windows 10 64bit. Songwriter, lyricist, composer(?) loving all styles. Some pre-BIAB music from Farfetched Tangmo Band's first CD. https://alonetone.com/tangmo/playlists/close-to-the-ground
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,910
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,910
AND AGAIN you nail it.
Deceptive backing, escaped NAZI, chance meeting, the ghostly voices of dictators/mass murderers/totalitarians bind together to remind me that the world does seem interested in avoiding the same mistakes.
Lyrics and delivery are very well thought out.
there's probably a good case for some automation of your vocal line to rid the backing - though I had no problems listening/reading/understanding.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,242
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,242
Lyrics paint a powerful picture, scary at places, true work of art. Your voice is excellent for the song. Great arrangement and mix, the backing track and your musical style reminded me of a band called Gogol Bordello.

Janne


Hear My Music:

Soundcloud
YouTube

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,327
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,327

Misha,

Really nice! Very creative.

I really enjoyed the production!

User Showcase
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,732
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,732
FJ, Thank you for listening! And special thanks for that: "The backing tracks are the perfect vehicle."
I had doubts about the "happiness" of the tracks for the subject, but then the song evolved and I felt I should leave it the way it is.
--------------
J&B, Thank you for listening and your nice feedback! WW2 chewed my family tree quite a bit. The subject is a giant bruise without boundaries. I am very curious if people who promote nationalism understand what it can lead to, or it is just a game to them?
--------------
Tangmo, Thank you for listening and nice comments. This is a very interesting thought:
"We're all just following orders anyway, even in disobedience."
--------------
Ray, Thank you! "Deceptive backing" this was not intentional, but I like how you described it smile
The only hope is that those with influence step up to cool things down. I took your advice and inserted vocal rider on vocal bus to even things a bit.
--------------
Janne,
Thank you for listening and kind words! I remember some years ago I watched movie Everything Is Illuminated with Gogol Bordello. My mother in law played on couple of soundtracks for it.
-------------
David,
Thank you for listening & nice comments here and on SC!

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,644
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,644
Hi Misha,

Man, what a powerful song! You have such a way with words, it's a true gift.

Also like your vocal delivery and the production.

Very good indeed!

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,043
G
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
G
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 7,043
Cool song!! Quite intense! Some wonderful lyrical images.....sometimes darkness must be brought to light. Really good job!! Take care. Greg

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,643
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,643
Misha

Very emotive, and a powerful write. I liked the mix and all your production choices.
Excellent work all round.

Peter

User Showcase
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,732
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 6,732
Dave, thank you for listening and your generous feedback!
---------------
Greg, Thank you for your time and positive comments!
--------------
Peter, Thank you! Still needs a lot of work, but I appreciate your kind feedback!



Misha.

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

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.

PG Music News
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support

Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins

Join the conversation on our forum.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac Videos

With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.

From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.

Reference this forum post for One-Stop Shopping of our Band-in-a-Box® 2025 Mac Videos — we’ll be adding more videos as they’re released!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!

Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.

If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 Italian Version is Here!

Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.

Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.

Band-in-a-Box 2025 - Italiano
RealBand 2025 - Italiano

Band-in-a-Box 2025 French Version is Here!

Bonjour à tous,

Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music

Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:

BIAB 2025 - francisation
RealBand 2025 - francisation

Voilà, enjoy!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 German Version is Here!

Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!

Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:

https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025.exe
https://nn.pgmusic.com/pgfiles/languagesupport/deutsch2025RB.exe

Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!

Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.

Stay up to date—get the latest update now!

Forum Statistics
Forums58
Topics84,178
Posts776,054
Members39,590
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
Logogogue, NGS, lduf, ghghtyy, ostermans
39,589 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 138
zedd 113
DC Ron 89
WaoBand 80
rsdean 78
nonchai 68
Today's Birthdays
cruiser
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5