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#679380 - 10/26/21 11:53 AM
[User Showcase]
Mercy
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Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
Expert
Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
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New song. Thanks for listening and for all your comments! https://www.beatstars.com/beat/mercy-9666703MERCY There are times I sit down by the river And I beg, I beg the Lord to be merciful to me, There are times I sit down by the river And I cry until I can no longer see. "Why, oh why Lord, do I suffer?" Does the sound of my cries bother you? The pedestrians pass by, life gets rougher, My sighs, by now, to them are nothing new. "Mercy, mercy, Lord", we all cry, In the hope of a better tomorrow, "Mercy, mercy, Lord", we all sigh, From the depths of our deepest of sorrow. "Why, oh why Lord, do I suffer?" Does the sound of my sighs bother you? The pedestrians pass by, life gets tougher, My tears, by now, to them are nothing new. *** There are times I sit down by the river And I beg, I beg the Lord to be merciful to me, There are times I sit down by the river And I cry until I can no longer see. ****** Song Summary ************* Title: Mercy - 26 October 2021 File:Mercy - 26 October 2021.SGU Key=C , Tempo 85, Length (m:s)=3:00 No intro. 60 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 60. Repeat x1 chorus No Melody No Soloist track. Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0, Style is _HEART.STY (Heartfelt Gospel Ballad) RealTracks in style: ~700:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 085 RealTracks in style: 2813:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm GospelSlowBalladMike Ev 085 RealDrums [in style:PopRock8ths^04-a:Closed Hat, Sidestick, b:Closed Hat, Snare ******************* Voice recorded and mixed in Mixcraft Pro Studio 9, with added reverb, radio spot effect for the voice track, and spectral balance effect.
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#679390 - 10/26/21 01:09 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 12/27/03
Posts: 16631
Loc: Hamlin NY
Veteran
Registered: 12/27/03
Posts: 16631
Loc: Hamlin NY
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James, this is excellent!
Your voice is perfect for this song. Loved the mix and the lyrics.
Outstanding job!
_________________________
I don't like to brag about expensive trips but I did just return from the gas station.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB and RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software and some hardware
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#679485 - 10/26/21 08:40 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 08/12/04
Posts: 731
Loc: Christchurch, New Zealand
Journeyman
Registered: 08/12/04
Posts: 731
Loc: Christchurch, New Zealand
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Hi James,
Nice song and I quite like the spoken vocals (not whole song). However it would be improved by rolling off the vocals at around 130 Hz - they are very boomy.
No need to re-record - just a 2 minute tweak in your DAW.
Best Regards
Nigel
_________________________
Nigel Spiers
Christchurch, New Zealand
info@nzacoustics.com
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#679498 - 10/26/21 11:36 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
Expert
Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
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Mario: thank you so much. What more can a songwriter ever expect than that kind of glowing review? especially as it comes from someone as good a musician as you. Thanks! :-)
Nigel: thank you! I've just edited it, as you suggested. One question: how do you know exactly which frequency to roll off, etc.? You went straight for the 130Hz and, to my ears (when I went to edit it), it made a massive difference. How does one learn to know exactly where to go, frequency-wise, when one wants to edit a track like this? Thanks!!!
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#679577 - 10/27/21 08:19 AM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 01/06/20
Posts: 1451
Loc: Illinois
Expert
Registered: 01/06/20
Posts: 1451
Loc: Illinois
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Nice write, well put together and performed.
Hope the character portrayed in the lyrics is not expressing your personal suffering.
moto
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#679590 - 10/27/21 10:09 AM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 10/02/19
Posts: 294
Loc: Aberdeen, NC
Apprentice
Registered: 10/02/19
Posts: 294
Loc: Aberdeen, NC
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Hi James,
Really good musical arrangement and heartfelt lyrics. It is kind of your trademark to have spoken lyrics instead of singing them and it fits your prayerful theme well.
Psalm 56:8 says "You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.".
Yes, he hears your cries and your sighs. And you can find comfort in God.
Take care and God bless!
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#679650 - 10/27/21 05:14 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 12/08/11
Posts: 6271
Loc: Edmonton, Ab, Canada
Veteran
Registered: 12/08/11
Posts: 6271
Loc: Edmonton, Ab, Canada
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Excellent tune James. Super backtrack and your vocal sits just right in the mix. Well done
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#679787 - 10/28/21 09:59 AM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 12/05/11
Posts: 11194
Loc: GA USA
Veteran
Registered: 12/05/11
Posts: 11194
Loc: GA USA
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Well done James. We anticipated a glimmer of hope but upon a second listen feel that the mood was too well established to break. Sad indeed. Nice vocals, track choice and mix. FWIW, re your comment about EQ I have no idea what fx package you are using on your vocal; however assuming you are able to save your fx settings I would establish an EQ that you and others agree works for your vocal and use it as a starting point each time with any needed variances dictated by the mix. I've used the same EQ on Janice's vocal for 10 years and rarely ever vary it. Others will likely disagree with my approach  Enjoyed it, J&B
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#679878 - 10/28/21 04:25 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 07/11/15
Posts: 3811
Loc: Missouri
Veteran
Registered: 07/11/15
Posts: 3811
Loc: Missouri
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Nice job on this James! Sad lyrics that I hope you aren't living out at the moment but if so, hopefully won't last long! Take care, Torrey
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#680026 - 10/29/21 01:45 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
Expert
Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
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Captain Moto: thank you so much for your kind words. Thankfully, I'm not actually living a period of personal suffering myself, although, of course, every song I write is drawn at least partially from personal experience - in this case, memories (thankfully).
Bawb: thank you. Beautiful Psalm - I'd forgotten about it. Thanks for quoting it to me!
Scott: thank you. Really appreciate it that you take the time to listen to my songs ... so genuinely grateful.
Janice & Bud: thanks for your kind comments and for your EQ suggestions. Yes, I try to do the same: save an EQ preset and then play with it, tweak it from song to song. Trouble is: every song is different, so I find that every song needs its own tweak in order to sound at its best. Argh :-) but that's just life. In any case, yours is a great idea - I'll try to make sure I refine my own starting point, even ... and then it's just a question of adapting things to each individual song, I feel ... right?
Torrey: thank you. Like I said, above, to Captain Moto, I'm thankfully ok ... but yes, my songs are drawn, at least partially, from personal experience - otherwise I wouldn't be able to write at all, I feel! Thankfully, this is not current experience, but thanks so much for asking! Take good care and thank you for listening!
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#680066 - 10/29/21 08:10 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 04/13/16
Posts: 3805
Loc: Cooran Queensland Australia
Veteran
Registered: 04/13/16
Posts: 3805
Loc: Cooran Queensland Australia
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James,
This is begging for you to add some melodic variation to the vocal.
A sad story needs a little bit of sad melody too.
Nice arrangement, good re EQing too.
_________________________
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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#680090 - 10/30/21 02:18 AM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 09/30/16
Posts: 1359
Loc: Netherlands, Haarlem
Expert
Registered: 09/30/16
Posts: 1359
Loc: Netherlands, Haarlem
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Hi James,
This is a wonderfull song, with impresive lyrics!
Ad the good part of it all is that you sing/tell it in that specific way that characterizes you.
As I can recall we all gave you advises on how to improve your presentation, but in this song I heard that you don't need to. This is you!
Hans
PS: I tried to write something on that site you're on, but that failed.
Edited by Birchwood (10/30/21 02:20 AM)
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#680476 - 11/01/21 01:39 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 08/10/12
Posts: 9807
Loc: Florida
Veteran
Registered: 08/10/12
Posts: 9807
Loc: Florida
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James,
A nice backing track. Good song. Would have liked to hear you singing this one.
Your vocal sounds good. Might be your best ever (no "boom-i-ness" heard here). Good job.
fj
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#680708 - 11/03/21 03:37 AM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
Expert
Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
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Ray: I WAS going to sing, but it got too difficult, so I decided to speak it, instead - argh, right? :-) So lazy of me. But THANK YOU for your kind comments!
Hans: that site is capricious at the best of times, but the sound quality on there is good, I find, so ... :-) THANKS for such nice comments, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. The mix was Nigel Spiers's suggestion, so I can't and won't take any credit for it - but, otherwise, all BIAB and me :-)
floyd: thanks. If you're happy with a song, I'm happy, too :-) Yes, maybe I should have sang it ... yes, the mix is good thanks to Mr Spiers' idea, not mine ... but I'm glad you liked it anyway. Thank you!
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#680985 - 11/04/21 04:19 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 09/02/18
Posts: 1616
Loc: Virginia USA
Expert
Registered: 09/02/18
Posts: 1616
Loc: Virginia USA
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Love the piano accompaniment and chord changes. Fits right with this.
I agree with Ray. Singing these lyrics would be a plus. I hear a melody that goes with this when I listen.
Great lyrics!
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#681001 - 11/04/21 04:57 PM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 12/21/13
Posts: 6554
Loc: Davis, CA
Veteran
Registered: 12/21/13
Posts: 6554
Loc: Davis, CA
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Nice one James!!! I really like the band you picked and the progression you wrote! And, technically, the production is one of your best, maybe number one!! Take care. Greg
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#681062 - 11/05/21 06:35 AM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 05/27/19
Posts: 1493
Loc: Dallas, PA, USA
Expert
Registered: 05/27/19
Posts: 1493
Loc: Dallas, PA, USA
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Excellent, James. I really like your voice. It's perfect for these wonderful songs you write. Sing or speak and it cuts to the soul. Still, I often sing the apparent melody along with your spoken words. You write some nice melodies.
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#681390 - 11/07/21 02:54 AM
[User Showcase]
Re: Mercy
[Re: musician17]
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Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
Expert
Registered: 05/05/18
Posts: 1278
Loc: United Kingdom
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Ezekiel (and everyone that suggested I sing): First of all, thanks Ezekiel for such kind comments! Yes, I ought to sing these, I agree. The reason why I don't is simple: if I sing, I feel I have to write down the sheet music first, in notation format. Otherwise, I forget which notes I'm supposed to be singing! haha ... especially at the speed of recording. I'm incredibly lazy, and therefore I just speak it. But yes, one of these days I shall give myself a well-deserved kick up the so and so, and do a proper job of it, singing and all. Until then ... I can only embarrassedly apologise :-)
Greg: thanks! The production is good thanks to Nigel Spiers of this website - he deserves the credit, not I :-)
Marty: THANK YOU. Your words mean more than you may imagine.
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