The BiaB/Vocaloid is pleasant, but there was little in terms of the instrumentation to differentiate one section from the rest, which would have made the song much better.

The Vocaloid is well done, but has a lot of nasal buzziness in the resynthesis. There were some parts in the first half where some phrasing sounded wrong, because each syllable started with a strong emphasis. But this was largely absent in the second half, and the breaths really helped "sell" the idea that there was a real singer there.

The Vocaloid held notes are pretty static - the vibrato increases, but the volume remains pretty much the same. That makes them a bit robotic.

The song is pitched a bit low, so I was curious to hear how the singer would deal with the range.


The live version started with strings, which really made a difference, with subtle guitar. I though the drums were a bit harsh in the mix, but that's just how I want drums to sound.

The singer did a nice job in the lower range! Loved the string runs!

The oboe worked really well. Even a single additional woodwind makes the sound more orchestral.

Bringing the bass up at the end helped give a bit more "lift" to the song.

A few minor thoughts about the strings. For the most part, I really liked what you did with the strings. But there are some parts that - to my unprofessional ears - came across as less successful than others. There's a figure at 2:57 that appears several times, and it feels like the strings never quite perform it the way it was intended. It sounds a bit sluggish, or perhaps the register is low.

At 3:16, on the descending string part, it feels like the strings are a bit disconnected from the rest of the instruments. It's like they can't be lush and precise at the same time, and they're missing the downbeat. A more contrasting texture - like giving the strings a trill on the strong beat, and then a short accent on the second - might have been interesting here.

The guitar takes the ascending chromatic line at 3:27, but it would have been nice to hear the strings something dramatic here also. You're saving it for the big build at 4:03, but something else, like a quick descending chromatic line to contrast with the strings might have been cool.

In general, it would have been nice for the strings to have a few more different types of articulations. Sure, they're background instruments. I'm guessing that you had limited rehearsal time, so making sure that you didn't write anything too difficult so that it would be played well is the key to a good arrangement.

Vocally, the "high point" starts at 2:27. The range goes up, and I can hear the singer coming closer to their upper register. There's a bit of melancholy in their voice. But it doesn't feel like he's giving it all - he's still holding back. This is the place where he's supposed to be breaking my heart. I would have been nice to hear a bit more of that in his voice. laugh

In contrast with the Vocaloid, there are no audible breaths. That makes it lose some of the "sighing", sad quality that the first had.

I really like this song. laugh

-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?