Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
User Showcase
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,933
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,933
Hi Folks.
Here is one of the latest tunes that I have done in collaboration with Ray (Rayc on forum). This was recorded in January, but was not fully complete and shelved for health reasons.  I finally got around to re-recording my vocals and work on the mix . Still a bit too dynamic, because of blend of synths and Real Tracks, but more or less audible. Constructive critique is always appreciated.  Thank you for listening!

How Did We Forget

Lyrics:
How did we forget,
How to share bread  with the needy in sorrow.
A walking heartless clone.
Blindly searching for our gods
In empty houses of stone.

Chorus
You know there was a time
When time was all we had
When we laughed aloud
When time was all we needed
With hopes unbowed
When time and time again
There was a time
Yes, there was a time


All those things we said
Striding recklessly through ages
Turning pages
Now silence stalks the space
Between the closing walls.

Chorus
You know there was a life
When life is all we had
when we talk out loud
When words were all we needed
Self belief unbowed
When time and time again
There was a life
Yes there was a time


How did we forget
How to laugh and how to smile
Darkness hides facts
We ignore the closing door
In detention camps they’re packed.

Chorus
You know there was a time
You know there was a life
When we laughed aloud
When love was all we needed
With hopes unbowed
When time and time again
There was a time
Yes, there was a time

How did we forget
how to care for one another:
Sisters, Brothers
Look... Eternity is laughing
 from dark skies

Tech stuff.
Lyrics & Vocals: Ray Cochrane & Misha.

BIAB:
 2958:Bass, Acoustic, SmoothCoolNeil Sw16 075
3526:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm GospelCool Sw16 075
1829:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopModernGrooveBrightArp Ev16 075
Loop in Song: Chillout\Chillout - day dream_80_percussion_g_minor ev16.wav
3750:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopFunkySoulLowSingleNoteChorus Ev 095
3751:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopFunkySoulRiffsChorus Ev 095
RealDrums: NashvilleSwing16^1-a:Snare, Hihat , b:Snare, Ride
Extensive use of new BIAB feature Utility Tracks to audition and generate tracks.

vArranger MIDI, Synths of Kontakt and Halion. Mixed in Cakewalk.

Last edited by Rustyspoon#; 03/03/21 03:41 PM.
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,081
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,081
Great lyrics, as always. Cool music. The chorus reminds me of David Bowie. Very original and well produced song.


My music can be heard at: The Cracks
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,381
An interesting dark tune, but maybe with a glimmer of hope. I'm not very taken with the overabundance of the delay/echo on the spoken word portions. It's not that I don't "like" the effect or the artistic reason for it, as I might faintly understand it. It's just that I think the passage might be better served by the effect enveloped up & down to be less pronounced on certain words and more pronounced on others. You'll either agree or not. It's constructive critique. You have no need to explain your rationale, just understand it didn't move this listener.


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: Dec 2011
Posts: 7,703
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 7,703
Very cool tune. Loved the different effects. Really cool production. Super vocals Misha and Ray


Scott Collingwood
https://soundcloud.com/scottt709
https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,615
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,615
Nice work Misha. Enjoyed my listen.
Rob4580

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 708
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 708
Good to see so many collaborations happening. Very creative work by you both on this very well written song, but I must admit there's a little too much echo on the spoken vocal section for my taste.
Regards,
Leon

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,019
Veteran
Online Content
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,019
I like the groove, but the vocal is a hard to make out. Definitely "immersive" - sounds cool on my headphones. Interesting ending.

OK, listening a second time through, this time reading along with it. Funny how - when the lyrics are in front of me - I can hear the words clearly. crazy

Cool song. smile


-- 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: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,316
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,316
Man, such an imagination!

I agree with the other comments, I think it would be a stronger piece if the spoken word bit wasn't drenched in delay, it should be clear and distinct IMHO. But! That's an easy fix wink

Just a brilliant piece of music, well done Misha and Ray!

User Showcase
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,738
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,738
Man, if you guys came out with this in the 60s, there would've been a lot of hippies that wouldn't've survived. But, since I did, I listened again. Then again. That's wild. I tried to understand the words the echoy chorus, and learned the trick --course it helped when you have them written for me to cheat. I really like the lyrics, and the production (as mentioned) was quite engaging. "Eternity is laughing"
from dark skies


Enjoy whatever happens!
marty

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub
and https://soundcloud.com/babumusic-5080285
Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 11
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 11,991
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 11,991
Misha,

I always look forward to hearing your creations. Your musical imagination is to be envied by all! (I also enjoy ray's contributions).

Cool sounds and rhythms that keep the ear engaged.

I listened through once without reading the lyric and had a hard time understanding many of them. A lot happening in the mid-ranges. Listened again, reading. Excellent, interesting lyric, as always...

fj

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,729
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,729
Yep, as Floyd said, without the lyrics I would have not been able to understand the words at all.

It's a cool, creative song. But right now, you have some mix issues to fix. I'll give you my two cents for what it is worth.

The synth that starts it tends to be a bit loud in the song. I turned the volume down thinking maybe that would help.... not much. Lower that synth in the mix.

On the vocals, they could come up a bit but they really need to be thinned out and de-muddied. Try setting an EQ slope to a high pass, starting at 100hz on each vocal track. Make it steep. That should eliminate a lot of the mud that is making it hard to hear the vocals clearly. You might have to experiment a bit to see if the cutoff needs to be higher or lower than 100hz. Right now, there's way too much going on in the mid range of the vocals. It sounds like there's two voices happening in the chorus.... pan them and high pass them both. You might even consider an old time telephone voice on that part. It was really hard for me to hear exactly what you had going on in there. I'd also back off the reverb or echo a bit when you are reworking it. Dry it up, and then add it a little at a time until you get to where you think it sounds good. Get good separation and intelligible lyrics and then add the FX back in.

You can also consider.... although I did not hear this as a problem, but it could have been contributing to the mud..... you can do a less extreme high pass on the bass. Something in the range of 40 to 60 hz with a less steep slope. It removes the rumble and low stuff that contributes nothing useful to the mix.

Hope you find this useful. Play with the mix a bit more, and repost the next version.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,608
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,608
We had no problem understanding the lyric. The effect makes you
focus more on them actually. Mission accomplished.

"How did we forget,
How to share bread with the needy in sorrow."

That had us locked in from the get go. Excellent write.

And speaking of excellence we'll include the vocal performances,
the band (nice synth use), the arrangement and the mix.

Great listens,

J&B

PS Video coming?
PPS Great that you beat C-19!


You can listen to our catalog on Apple Music or Spotify by searching on Janice Merritt
Our Videos are here on our website
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 420
G
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
G
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 420
A wonderful synergy of sound that only the inventive meeting of minds of a Misha/RayC creative collaboration could produce. I love this quirky , out of the box production which I certainly won't forget !
cheers
Gary.

ps Wishing you a speedy recovery Misha.

User Showcase
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,933
Veteran
OP Offline
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,933
jptjptjpt,
Thank you for listening and your feedback!

---
Tangmo,
If I was a crybaby, I would not request a critique smile
First of all, Thank you for listening! And a BIG thank you for truthful and constructive critique!
---

Scott,
Thank you for listening and your feedback here and on SC!
---
Rob,
Thank you for listening!
---
Leon,
Thank you for giving this time, your feedback and truthful critique. Much appreciated!
You are right, some fantastic collaborations are happening lately.
---
David,
Thank you for tuning in and your comments! Reading feedback from different people gives a MUCH better sense what has to be adjusted.
---
Dave,
Thank you for listening and your helpful feedback! Got carried away with FX a little smile
---
Marty,
Thank you for listening and your fun and constructive comments!
---
FJ,
Thank you for giving this time and your helpful comments. I appreciate it very much!
---
Herb,
Wow! Thank you for taking time to listen and detailed suggestions. Took me several reads smile Many are right to the point!
Great stuff! "old time telephone voice" interesting thought.
---
J&B
"The effect makes you
focus more on them actually." LOL You are being extremely polite. Thank you for giving this time and your awesome and kind comments!
---
Gary,
Thank you for listening and your feedback!
P.S. I am out of it for the most part, just minor side effects persist.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With good amount of constructive feedback, I spent some time today, remixed tune and replaced it on Sound Cloud (March 2). Thank you all who contributed, hopefully re-mixed version is a bit clearer

Misha.

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,316
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,316
Yeah! Love the new mix, Misha.

Man, what a song!

User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,974
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,974
The mix is great. The message too.
Good one.
Vic

User Showcase
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 1,572
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 1,572
Hi Rustispoon,

Well-written lyrics with a deep theme. The double voice lends itself wonderfully to the melody. The orchestration is well done and pleasant. I appreciated.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alais JaniJackFlash


Kindly regards
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 11,991
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 11,991
New mix sounds really good. Night & day. Great job.

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,939
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,939
This sounds like an 80's song, my favorite decade, I cannot explain exactly why, but the spoken chorus and chording sound bit like Pet Shop Boys style. The instrumentation has very nice textures, rhythmical changes and interesting details in the mix. I like the melancholy nostalgia in the lyrics. Very good ending. Pleasure to listen to this great collaboration and immerse myself in your musical vision.

Janne


Hear My Music:

Soundcloud
YouTube

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,729
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,729
That's a HUGE improvement over the first one. You took the advice and wow.... what a difference!

I could hear that main vocal and the second vocal clearly. And the spoken part.... not quite telephone but far enough from the singer's timbre to really stand out nicely.

This has some serious Bowie feel to it. And a very nice job.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2

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
New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!

With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!

Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Watch the XPro Styles PAK 7 Overview & Styles Demos video.

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!

Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!

In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.

Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!

Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!

Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!

In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.

Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!

With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!

Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Watch the XPro Styles PAK 7 Overview & Styles Demos video.

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

Video - Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6 for Mac®: New Features for Reaper

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 includes built-in specific support for the Reaper® DAW API, allowing direct transfer of Band-in-a-Box® files to/from Reaper tracks, including tiny lossless files of instructions which play audio instantly from disk.

We demonstrate the new Reaper features in the Band-in-a-Box® VST DAW Plugin 6.0 in our video, Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6 for Mac®: New Features for Reaper

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac® - Update Today!

Already grabbed your copy of Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®? Head to our Support Page to download build 803 and update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 installation with the latest version developed by our team!

Learn more & download now.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac® Video - Over 50 New Features and Enhancements!

Read all about the 50+ newest features in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®, or you can watch our video "Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®: Over 50 New Features and Enhancements!" to see it in action!

Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics82,939
Posts751,337
Members38,950
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
Umberto, Frederick marvin, ryand1959, Real Deihl, Karim Buzdar
38,950 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 102
rsdean 101
Al-David 101
DC Ron 91
BYOBand 81
vicarn 66
Today's Birthdays
Bvtch!
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5