|
Log in to post
|
Print Thread |
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
David, you've always commented on my songs but I haven't heard many of yours until today. Hi, Ronnie! Glad you could stop by for a listen! I love this, it's mellow, and the vocals are breath taking... Thanks! Middle of the road seems to be my wheelhouse. I keep telling myself next time I'll do something more rocking, and then get distracted by all the pretty electric pianos and fingerpicked guitars in BiaB and end up writing something like this.  Thanks for listening and commenting!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
Nice one...a very cool example of the synth vocal sitting in a good song. Thanks, ray! There're a few sibilant things that could be addressed...most particularly in the 1st Sunshine. Yeah, I really should go through this and do a bit more cleanup. Part of my motivation is that I wanted to get it out the door (so to speak) and figured it was "good enough". That's not really a good reason, is it?  The other thing is that I'm a bit leery about overdoing the correction of the sibilance and end up with a bunch of lisping vocals. Since the aspiration is on a separate track, I really don't have any excuse not to apply a de-esser. I guess it's time to pull out BlockFish and learn how to use it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
Thanks, Byron. Wait! The vocals are fake? I tell you, they actually sound more real than some of the auto-tuned vocals from actual humans that I've heard. Pretty cool, huh? I used to post a bit more prominently that I was using synthetic voices, but I figured most people had figured it out by now, so it wasn't necessary. As long as they don't distract too much from the song, it's fine for my purposes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 614
Journeyman
|
|
Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 614 |
Yeah. That's a pretty amazing piece of software. Its not really obvious, but when you listen closely there is something "not quite right" about the vocals. I think it is that they are too pitch perfect and lack the various inflections that real singers have. But I also think that because they are initially generated pitch perfect they also lack some of the weird artifacts that heavily auto-tuned vocals have.
Byron Dickens BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency. https://soundcloud.com/athanorsoundlabs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
I think it is that they are too pitch perfect and lack the various inflections that real singers have. But I also think that because they are initially generated pitch perfect they also lack some of the weird artifacts that heavily auto-tuned vocals have. There's actually an option to "auto-tune" the vocals, that does the exact opposite of what you might think. In the Vocaloid and UTAU community (which is where SynthesizerV came out of) the term doesn't refer to pitch correction - the pitch is already "correct", as you hint at. "Tuning" in this context refers to the process of adding the elements of performance such as vibrato, over and undershoot, and the "imperfections" of a real vocal performance. SynthesizerV is trained on example songs in the singer's style, so it's able to apply the performance "tuning" automatically. At least, as far as the pitch is concerned. So the vocal actually does have the imperfect pitches inflections that a real singer has. There are a lot of other factors that you can control in SynthesizerV, such as Loudness, Tension, Breathiness, and so on. But there's no obvious way to observe these features - and thus train a neural network on them - so only Pitch Deviation is the only "automatic" feature in SynthesizerV. The rest would have to be tweaked by hand - which in this case, I didn't do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,253
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,253 |
I really don't have any excuse not to apply a de-esser. I guess it's time to pull out BlockFish and learn how to use it. I'd heartily recommend not using a de-esser but using a pre effects volume envelope to reduce the level of the esses. It'll take a little longer BUT the results are better. If your DAW allows spectral representation then it'd be even easier.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,385
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,385 |
What a brilliant job of creativity, David. Right from building the band, modifying the changes, picking the singer. Man, I really like the drums you've fashioned here. Terrific strings, too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,326
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,326 |
I had as much fun reading your notes in the OP as I did listening to this song. I enjoyed your blow by blow on how you did things, paying attention to the smallest details to get it right. I liked how you copy and pasted the "d" in I'd to have it sound correct. That sounds like one of my editing sessions.... "hey, that kick/drum fill sounds good there.... I'll drop that fill into THIS spot and...waaa laaa, yep, that's so much better!"
So much work went into this. I'm 100% with you on lyric writing.... to me, that's always the hardest part of any song project...so many starts and an almost equal number of dead ends. One never knows where the next flash of divine inspiration will come from.
You have become a master of the synth voice. Unless one listens closely, it is very difficult to tell this is a synth. The amount of learning to get that sounding real, is astounding.
I thought I heard a really clicky sounding drum track.... but I listened on my buds and in the buds, this sounded even better...fuller, with a nice ear candy kind of sound and the clicky drums were not in evidence. So it must have been the crappy computer speakers on this desktop.
Nicely done.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 04/10/22 03:57 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd 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: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
I'd heartily recommend not using a de-esser but using a pre effects volume envelope to reduce the level of the esses. It'll take a little longer BUT the results are better. If your DAW allows spectral representation then it'd be even easier. Hi, Ray. That's what I normally do.  But I figured I'd take this as an opportunity to actually learn how to use the de-esser, even though in the end I'd likely go the route you suggested anyway. Edit: I just watched this video showing that Reaper lets you select a time segment, and use Ctrl+Shift+MouseDrag to quickly build volume envelopes. That's a time saver I wish I knew about that'll make this much easier.  I should spend more time reading the manual, little things like this make a big difference!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
What a brilliant job of creativity, David. Right from building the band, modifying the changes, picking the singer. Man, I really like the drums you've fashioned here. Terrific strings, too. Hi, Marty. Thanks, I appreciate your positive comments! I'm still a bit on the fence about the drums, but probably too lazy to change them. After a while, things start to grow on you... even parts of the song you might not have been so keen on from the start.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
I had as much fun reading your notes in the OP as I did listening to this song. I enjoyed your blow by blow on how you did things, paying attention to the smallest details to get it right. Hi, Herb. Actually, there were a number of things that I skipped, like fixing the level of the plosives and sibilants. Gotta go back and do that now. I also didn't do the usual shaping with the other Parameters, because I was happy with the results as they are. I might go back and see if playing with those makes any difference. You know the story - you're never finished with a song, you just run out of time. I'm 100% with you on lyric writing.... to me, that's always the hardest part of any song project...so many starts and an almost equal number of dead ends. One never knows where the next flash of divine inspiration will come from. I keep promising myself I'll do it the other way round, but I never do. It feels like I don't have a natural-born storyteller bone in my body. Instead, writing is a process of refining via editing, and it takes a while to figure out what a song wants to be. David Snyder kindly gave me a chorus the other month, and I found I couldn't do anything with it. I just haven't figured out how to make my brain work that way. I suspect that a lot of it has to do with my inner editor insisting that I try to write something original, despite the fact that it's all been said before, and said better. I think one of the reason this "backwards" process works with me is that eventually my inner editor to throw his hands up in exasperation and accepts that it's OK to write a simple song. You have become a master of the synth voice. Unless one listens closely, it is very difficult to tell this is a synth. The amount of learning to get that sounding real, is astounding. I'd like to take some credit here, but a lot of it is the program. Plus, I've heard what others done that just blows me away. It reminds me that there's still a lot that I need to learn! I thought I heard a really clicky sounding drum track.... but I listened on my buds and in the buds, this sounded even better...fuller, with a nice ear candy kind of sound and the clicky drums were not in evidence. So it must have been the crappy computer speakers on this desktop. There's another place where I skimped. I've got a bunch of speaker simulations that let me test the mix under different settings. And I haven't listened to it in my car yet - the most brutal of all test for the mixes! Thanks for your in-depth comments!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 7,752
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 7,752 |
Hey man. This sounds cool. Loved that style. I will have to try that one out myself. Really nice arrangement here. On the finger squeaks, I mentioned elsewhere that I lucked into an inexpensive version of Rx9 Standard and they "have an app for that." It works really well and is super easy. I will be using it a lot. There was not enough information about your process though. Could you add a few more pages???
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
Hey man. This sounds cool. Loved that style. I will have to try that one out myself. Hi, David. Glad you could make it by! I have a feeling that your song using this style will be entirely different than anything I could imagine! On the finger squeaks, I mentioned elsewhere that I lucked into an inexpensive version of Rx9 Standard and they "have an app for that." It works really well and is super easy. I will be using it a lot. Way back when, I'd purchased Spectro for doing spectral edits. But it's now built into Reaper, so I could have used that. But why do it the right way when the quick and dirty solution works just as well? There was not enough information about your process though. Could you add a few more pages??? That's what I'm doing responding to people's comments. Can't you tell? Thanks for listening and commenting!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,752
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,752 |
Spring with quite deep melancholy, surprising combination. Not inside looking out, but outside looking in. Interesting chord progression, wasn't sure whether there was a discord, but it works anyway. Nice calm arrangement, I like especially the cello and picking guitars. Qing Su has a nice voice, little bit breathy, but doesn't bother me. And I'll be waiting for your song with a chorus in it Janne
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,073
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,073 |
Firstly we enjoyed reading the track listing, the fx section and the entire backstory.
I wish more folks would include "how it came about" and "what's in it" info.
Janice immediately noted how much she likes the prosody of this ... and all your lyrics.
We like the new singer and, yes, she does have a bit of the Vega vibe ... had to sneak in an alteration.
Nine RT's and a RD and yet the mix sets up an excellent soundstage.
That ain't easy to do in our book.
Last but assuredly not least the melody is excellent.
Dunno how you do it but you do it well and we enjoyed the listens.
J&B
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 600
Journeyman
|
|
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 600 |
Amazing vocal AI ... I have never heard a AI sound so real. Where do you get this from?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656
Veteran
|
|
OP
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,656 |
Hi, Janne. Spring with quite deep melancholy, surprising combination. Not inside looking out, but outside looking in. Well, there's a season of Lent that precedes the Easter that's traditionally a time for introspection and change. So it's sort of baked into my Liturgical calendar, even if I stubbornly refuse to make any progress from year to year. Interesting chord progression, wasn't sure whether there was a discord, but it works anyway. Good ears! It flirts just a bit with chromaticism and a bit of ambiguity of key in places. Nice calm arrangement, I like especially the cello and picking guitars. Thanks! There are some really pretty sounds in BiaB, and these are some of my favorite. Qing Su has a nice voice, little bit breathy, but doesn't bother me. I'm glad the voice worked for you. And I'll be waiting for your song with a chorus in it That makes two of us - I'll see what I can do. Thanks for stopping to comment! Janne [/quote]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,786
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,786 |
Chorus? What chorus?
David, amazing write. Neat mix of genres. Very creative stuff. Robo girl stood up well against this non-mainstream tune. Mix is excellent to my ears. Smooth listen. Good one!
Thank you for sharing.
Misha.
P.S. I have a non-BIAB musical buddy. He was playing around with vocal synths for BGVs, but when I played your last song for him, he was totally blown away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 2,789
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 2,789 |
David,
Very sweet song!
SynthesizerV: Qing Su is wonderful.
And the drum sound is so interesting.
I think that the chord progression is well devised, including the pedal point of the bass.
However, since various melody motifs come out, that is, the composition of the song is a little complicated, I am worried that it is difficult to remember all the melodies.
But the whole atmosphere is very nice. It's very comfortable.
I also think Qing's voice fits this song very well.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Best regards.
Shigeki Adachi
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
User Showcase
|
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,355
Veteran
|
|
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 18,355 |
Remarkable quality of the vocal synth, delivering a cleverly rhyming set of lyrics.
Your choice of band members sits perfectly with this song, and the subsequent 'tweaking' has provided a worthwhile result.
Nice job, no question.
BIAB & RB2024 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!
The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
This free update is available to all RealBand 2024 users. To learn more about this update and download it, head to www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm#20245
The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option
Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111
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."
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!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forums66
Topics81,620
Posts735,182
Members38,517
| |
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean