AndyB01

It's a journey in percussion for sure - definitely on the experimental side - but the mix was fine. Andy

Oh my - that vocal starts and I'm gone. Can't say I was a massive fan of the synth sound in the instrumental but this is simply a matter of taste - fabulous work as always. Andy

Paul I hear the timing issues - do you need a drummer that can follow your timing instead of you following theirs? If so, I can absolutely identify. 😂 Rhythm issues aside - I like the groove on this - guitars sound great (might come up a hair) and the vocals are also sounding good; bass maybe down a tad and perhaps roll off some of the low end as there's a bit of mud down there on my Sony cans - other ears may hear it differently. I'm the worst at playing in time and what I have started doing is trying to follow a really simple drum pattern - like a click track but using drums instead of the monotony of a metronome - it helps but I'm still not the best. In my experience you're never going to fix this in the DAW - however much you quantize it - you'll just end up making it worse (well that's what happens to me, as quantizing is a dark art I am yet to master). So unless you get advice on here from a quantizing wizard (I am sure there are some), you're either going to have to re-cut it until you're happy or learn to love it as it is. I do find it hard to follow more complex drum tracks and stay in time, but a simple kick and snare I can usually follow relatively well - I bin it afterwards and replace it with the drums I want. Another good piece of advice I was given is to practice it until you can virtually play it blindfold, then on takes you can focus on the timing and not worry about spotting the right notes and chords (easier said than done though). Have you tried comping the guitar and looping around five takes then you can switch sections in and out to try and get the best overall result - might help. You can always fix vocal timing in Melodyne to a degree (but don't push your luck) so there's always that. I hope at least some of that helped but - all that aside - I really enjoyed the listen so give yourself some credit; good song. Andy

The sax is the stand out - the classical guitar could maybe use a slight lift? I don't know, it sounds a little lost in the mix on my headphones - perhaps a touch of reverb would give it some more presence but these are very fine margins. An extremely well done piece - very enjoyable listen. Andy

Great chops and each instrument seems to have its own space - I'm not finding anything to crit here - great work.

Take a bow mate - that was awesome - stunningly good and a lyrical dexterity I can only applaud. 👏👏👏👏👏 Definitely the #1 best kazoo solo I ever heard. 😉 I hope you're on the mend Andy

Very clever David and super inventive, I wasn't expecting the transition at around 1:15 but it all gelled together very well. Enjoyed the listen Andy

Wow Jesse that's amazing mate, I would never post my raw vocals - especially without backing - you can really feel the emotion coming through. Terrific stuff - loads of light and shade - well done 👏👏👏 Andy

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ What he said The words: 'barge would a pole not with touch' come to mind. Caveat emptor

Percussion reminds me of an Eagles track (Last Good Time In Town) - agree with Wookie, some variation would add an extra dimension; mix sounded good. Andy

Sounded pretty good to me on my old Sony MDR-7506s - great stuff as always - loved the solo. Andy

Love the lyrics - made me laugh out loud in parts - paints great pictures. Mix sounded pretty good too. 👍 Andy

Great job - really excellent cover 👏👏👏 Andy

Music is my therapy and I've been playing guitar since I was ten (nearly 50 years). I'm a bang average guitarist, considerably less talented on piano and was well down the line when vocal talent was handed out. Doesn't stop me writing songs and publishing them to SoundCloud and BandLab. Do people like them, I'm not really sure (I guess I care but I don't obsess over it). I sometimes get a few strange spam comments and the odd like from all sorts of strange and exotic creatures, but I just delete them and carry on. I'm not interested in monetising what I produce (as if I could) 😂 but I love engaging with the folks on here - the feedback is almost always constructive and I've learned loads from the super-talented people on this forum. However, if you're not feeling the love then stop doing it. My other favourite hobby is fishing but I only go once in a while - too often and it becomes a chore and I end up resenting time sat by a lake that could be better spent doing other stuff. Each to their own I guess, I hope you find your answer. Andy

+1 to all the above - top work all round. Andy

Wow the background sounds are powerful - reminds of watching my kids play in the park when they were small - you can be kind of 'in the moment' and 'not in the moment' at the same time. Andy

Hmm very nice, I like the stripped back nature of it so not sure I'd be looking to add a lot more to this. Great job. Andy

So many genres at once in here - great production - really well done. Andy

I've had this dream: the one where you're floating and then falling to Earth at terminal velocity - you'd better hope you wake up before impact! 😂 You paint a great soundscape, almost orchestral in parts and I love that didgeridoo type sound in the background - doing the job of both bass and rhythm. Great stuff Andy

Have you tried Mike Enjo's YouTube channel @Creative SauceMike's videos cover a lot of bases and give excellent advice and instruction for novice and experienced users alike. Andy

Ok, well each to their own I guess, thanks for the listen Allan.

Happy Birthday! I'll be joining you in the sixties club later this year but I can still run a 10k in under 60 minutes (just about) and I never imagined doing that in my sixth decade! Just shows how times change and you can do this stuff if your body and attitude allows. I'm not trying to prove a point though, it just helps me stay sane. Loved the sentiment and song, I'd bring up the BGVs a tad and the guitar solo - one crit: did you really have to mention the prunes... ☹️🥴😝 Andy

Freeware is always a potential target - I recall when CCleaner was used in an attack, so all these freebie utilities have to be used with care. Often the malware is geofenced so as to protect devices in APT states such as Russia and China. Personally I try and limit my exposure to this kind of software and if you do use it, always download from a reputable source and never update based on a pop up or email. Also, turn off auto update if that's a feature, do it on your terms. Check all downloads with AV endpoint detection before installation (although that won't always protect you) and don't upgrade at the bleeding edge - let the update roll out for a while - if it's dodgy the Internet will soon let you know. Finally, have a proven and robust backup regime so you can recover if the worst happens. Be careful out there. Andy

The Melodyne question is an interesting one and I think I've seen Allan state before that he prefers not to use pitch correction. Personally, I'd never inflict my raw vocal on anybody 😂 but I have nothing but complete admiration for anyone prepared to put their singing up for critique on a public forum - whether they choose to use pitch correction or not. Ultimately I think we have to leave it to the artist to choose but I would agree with John that Melodyne is a highly capable bit of software in skilled hands; but it's easy to overcook it. Andy

Thanks Tom, appreciate your ears and thoughts as always. A piano part sounds cool 🎹 - it is a simple construct: AABABA so who knows what a bridge or an instrumental might add. I think it would sound great played on a real 12-string, as opposed to my faked version. That said, its simplicity is part of its overall appeal (to me at least). Andy