Good afternoon folks, The merits of working with the Merritts are many and varied.
I recently had the opportunity to write a song with Janice and here it is, fully formed and wonderfully informed by her voice & melodic sense, for your ears & eyes. It's a finished piece, mastered et al, but ANY feedback is most welcome.
RECORDING DETAILS: Janice tracked & treated by Bud. The vocal FX chain: Izotope Breath Control > Nectar EQ > Nectar Compression > Nectar Reverb The slight reverb is an EMT 140 Plate Reverb sim.
The band/instruments: 735 Piano Acoustic Rhythm Jazz ballad Hipass filter Real Drums Jazz Brushes - sticks 1065 Trumpet soloist smooth bluesy w slap back delay, quite a bit of Multiriffing as well as cut n paste work.
The additional stuff: Bass - Emperador semi acoustic flat wound strings BDI21 HEAVILY compressed Guitar - Bruno Royal Artist semi acoustic, neck pickup DI hipass + trem
Mastered by Fran Ashcroft at HappyBeat Studio.
Words (because they do matter to some folk) Back in your arms I'd Learn, listen & grow, There was purpose in the meaning I'd have to take it slow. I'd learn through living They'd teach me with pain. I'd take the experience They'd each leave a stain. Look around you and know where you stand. Be sure that the soil Is part of the land.
But be careful of The seed that you sow Be certain which fruit Is going to grow We want no death in the soil, No blood at the root, no!
Back on the farm they'd Reap, tend & sow, There was effort in the weeding But some would have to go. They'd avoid using poison As that'd taint the soil. They'd put in the hours They'd put in the toil. Look around you and Know where you stand. Be sure that the soil Is true to the land.
But be careful of The seed that you sow. Be certain which fruit You've chosen to grow We want no death in the soil, No blood at the root, no!
SOLO
Back in time they'd Learn, listen & grow. The fear on which they're feeding And their anger would glow. With their bread they were learning Old lies, oh so plain. Old newspapers said There'd be nothing but pain. They looked around and, Took up flame & gun. Assured that their victims Had no place to run.
But be careful of The seed that you sow. In choosing which fruit You've elected to grow We want no death in the soil, No blood at the root, no!
Last edited by rayc; 08/15/2311:41 AM.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
This is an exceptional piece of music... The writing, performance, video and production is of the highest caliber. The RTs sound tremendous - what a great jazz band.
I am truly blown away by the vocal - no one does this type of music like Janice. Her performance is superb - controlled, emotional and recorded perfectly.
AWESOME collaboration! Would also love to hear this in a SoundCloud link if possible.
Oh, I already told you how much I love this song. What a great sultry feel, and Janice is the perfect choice. Oh, man, it's all so good. It's a really good video, too. Such a good write, and the best band mixed so well. Very interesting changes with a strong Blues melody. Doesn't get any better.
This is an exceptional piece of music... The writing, performance, video and production is of the highest caliber. The RTs sound tremendous - what a great jazz band.
I am truly blown away by the vocal - no one does this type of music like Janice. Her performance is superb - controlled, emotional and recorded perfectly.
AWESOME collaboration! Would also love to hear this in a SoundCloud link if possible.
Bob
Bob, I truly appreciate your music and that makes your comments about my performance even more meaningful. Thank you, Janice
Dark and powerful lyrics, real nice chord changes and melody, well sung and produced. The video was interesting, I listened to it with and without watching.
Very interesting composition...very well arranged and performed...love the trumpet solos and Janice's vocal was spot on with the wandering melody and the bluesy feel of the entire piece...well done to all!
www.soundclick.com/firesong BiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10
You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
Talents collide! Haunting, dark and beautiful. Unusual, emotional music, double edged lyrics amplified by deep Janice's vocals. Cool experimental tune. Ray, bass is great, guitar a little quiet. It's done professionally and listens well. I am a fan of old time imagery, I found video interesting. Congrats to all participants and thank you for sharing.
Well, Ray. I must admit I never got Jazz but I can appreciate the work involved, lyrics and all. The only thing I found slightly irritating was the too up front, upright bass. Clever stuff.
I found there was a lot to process in the song. I wasn't sure if the song was meant to be more metaphor than actual event, but kept wondering what event that might be. So when I heard "they", I kept wondering who that could be referring to.
I figured it was likely metaphor because you generally don't sow fruit. Then it mentioned a newspaper and victims having nowhere to run, which sounds far too specific to be metaphor.
Bouncing between those two was just confusing to me.
The use of jazz also threw me, since that particular style is usually for an entirely different subject matter.
So while it was well done it didn't draw me in emotionally because I kept thinking about the form and content.
But there's nothing the matter with music that makes me think, so I can't really complain.
My only real nit is that Janice's voice feels a bit muffled, like someone cut the high end off. It's not the plate reverb, since I can hear that.
Ray, Janice & Bud, This is an exceptional piece of music... The writing, performance, video and production is of the highest caliber. The RTs sound tremendous - what a great jazz band. I am truly blown away by the vocal - no one does this type of music like Janice. Her performance is superb - controlled, emotional and recorded perfectly. AWESOME collaboration! Would also love to hear this in a SoundCloud link if possible. Bob
Thank you Bob, a very generous appraisal and one I'll bank any day. Soundcloud link added as per your request.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Oh, I already told you how much I love this song. What a great sultry feel, and Janice is the perfect choice. Oh, man, it's all so good. It's a really good video, too. Such a good write, and the best band mixed so well. Very interesting changes with a strong Blues melody. Doesn't get any better.
Thank you Marty, the changes are me shuffling around in A again though with some influence from God Bless The Child. Yes sir, Janice is as you describe.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
I hear your writing style in there. I hear Janice singing the way she does the best. Nicely done to both of you and everyone else involved in this project.
Thanks, Yes, my stain is hard to miss but Janice's top coat makes up for an awful lot of my bad brush work.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Dark and powerful lyrics, real nice chord changes and melody, well sung and produced. The video was interesting, I listened to it with and without watching.
Thanks for going the extra kilometre Elliott. There's an audio link in the O.P. now.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Very interesting composition...very well arranged and performed...love the trumpet solos and Janice's vocal was spot on with the wandering melody and the bluesy feel of the entire piece...well done to all!
Why, thank you sir.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Janice, Ray, and Bud, this is one outstanding collaboration. Janice's vocals are always top shelf. The mix is spot on. Fantastic trumpet leads. All I can add is WOW!
Ta Mario, I had the trumpet in mind from the get go - given the major influence on this song is Elvis Costello's Shipbuilding and Lady Day's Strange Fruit.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Talents collide! Haunting, dark and beautiful. Unusual, emotional music, double edged lyrics amplified by deep Janice's vocals. Cool experimental tune. Ray, bass is great, guitar a little quiet. It's done professionally and listens well. I am a fan of old time imagery, I found video interesting. Congrats to all participants and thank you for sharing. Misha.
Thanks Misha, My guitar playing isn't really up to the standard the RT & Janice set but I gave it a bash and set it at a level that didn't damage the rest.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!
His latest video, Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!
Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 und mehr!
Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
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.
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!
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."
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