AndyB01

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

16 hours ago, PhonoBrainer said:

I picked it out on piano and it's fun to play! It might need a "C" part to make it 7:30, though. 

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

1 hour ago, jack c. said:

beautiful.did ya use a high past filter on total song.sounds a little boomy to me?jack c.

I did use a high pass on all the vocals and guitars Jack yes, it does have a lot a reverb on it (I have dialled it down quite a bit) - did you listen to the new mix or the old one?

I was after that sort of late 70s feel (you know, when Melodyne wasn't invented and all vocalists had was reverb and delay to spare them from their blushes); so it is kind of meant to sound that way. That said, I may have still over-cooked it. 🙂

There are multiple guitar tracks on here (three recorded as separate takes) and then two duplicates of each one to create a faux 12-string effect using Melodyne - one track to duplicate the top two strings and the other to octave the bottom four (it's a bit homespun but it kind of works). Those lower strings on those three tracks might not be helping matters in terms of the boominess you can hear but I was trying to create a really lush guitar sound.

Andy

Agreed Simon, EzKeys 2 is the one that really needs the update. It'll be interesting to see what ED3 can do, I still find ED2 works pretty well for my needs. Upgrade pricing is a tad ambitious but I guess they reckon most will cough for it.

Andy

"The 1980s - when minds were simple"

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

This is right up there with 'Tin Foil Hat' as one of my absolute faves of yours.

Big shout out to your son btw - excellent vox.

And the read noises of the floppy disk - now that was a touch of class.

The video is going to be awesome, I can just feel it - all round brilliant!

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Andy

Cheers David and Jesse - it's a tricksy one to play this. Not especially difficult, but trying to keep the triple-tracked guitars together is a challenge.

I'm a sucker for a good lyric and I really like the sentiment in this one - I always thought it was clever writing.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Andy

Right, fixed a few things and have updated the mix so thanks for your help - I had left the reverb effect much higher than I intended on the vocals so I have dialled that off quite a bit - I think it sounds a little better. I know covers don't get much traction on here but I hope nobody minded me posting this one - something of a labour of love.

Thanks to those who commented for the nits and crits.

Here's the new version

Andy

Beautiful - stripped back and simple - just as it should be. The recording and placement of the percussion on the second part is exceptional - I can literally visualise them being played.

Terrific stuff.

Andy

Perfect for a Sunday afternoon chill, sounded great on cans as David says. Nice guitar work too.

Andy

Very enjoyable groove, the vocal style was somewhat unexpected but once you get used to it - it's a good fit.

Bass is a stand out for me - excellent work.

Andy

Like this a lot - chorus is really sharp and comes together well. Reminds me a little of late Genesis (the Invisible Touch/ I Can't Dance) era.

Well done

Andy

Cheers guys - I did high pass the verb (at least I thought I did), I'll look at that. You won't find much online about Neil, one YouTube video I think and a couple of obituaries. He was a talented guy for sure.

Appreciate the listen.

Andy

Great guitar work (as always) and the drums sound good on my Sony cans. Harmonies must have taken some work. Good stuff.

Andy

Cool guitar riff Jack - keep on rocking 🙂

Andy

Great song John - cool ending - love the tape original too, it has a really authentic feel. 🙂

Andy

Afternoon All 

Another song from The Lost Attic Tapes Project. This is a real old favourite of mine - not written by me I hasten to add.

So this is another one from the Lost Attic Tapes project, dating back to the late 1970s and early 1980s. This song was written by a hugely talented Welsh folk singer, name of Neil Lewis. I first heard Neil perform this around 1980 at a concert in Birmingham, where he played backing guitar to the Welsh comedian and folk singer Max Boyce (a name that will likely not resonate with anyone outside of the UK). Neil did a short set as the 'support act' and this was one of the songs he did - I was so completely knocked out with this song, I bought his album (who goes to a gig and buys the album of the support act)? I no longer have the album, as I sold all my vinyl years ago.

Anyway, all these years later I found the chords and lyrics buried away in the loft that I had 'worked out' all those years ago and scribbled down on the back of something or other in felt pen (as you did in those days), so I decided I'd try and do a new take on it,

Sadly, Neil Lewis is no longer with us, he died in his fifties in 2009 from a long illness, but he had a successful career in South Wales, Canada and Bermuda of all places. Anyway, it's my tribute to a very talented songwriter - I hope I've done it justice. Neil was a much better guitarist (and vocalist) than I am, but I've done my best with it. I'm not super happy with the mix (I think I recorded the guitars and vox a little hot) and I know there a few timing issues in the doubled vocal and BGV tracks that I really do need to fix, but it sounds kind of authentic so I left them in - things can be too perfect don't you think? 😉 

Anyway - it's mercifully short so enjoy. Nits and crits welcome as always.

Andy

https://www.bandlab.com/andyb01/see-you-around-sometime-guitar-track-only-405b95e3?revId=71a588c4-97b2-ec11-997e-0050f280f352

Just so long as it doesn't have a 'shart' setting 😂

I published a private video on YouTube of Bach's Prelude in C and got slapped with a copyright notice for Ave Maria. I successfully contested this on the basis that (a) it's long out of copyright with Bach having been quite dead for well over two hundred years and (b) - critically - my version was based on the original sheet music whereas Ave Maria includes the Schwencke measure which my version did not.

I was really pissed off about this (as you can probably tell) but - to my utter amazement - they withdrew the copyright claim. I mean it was a tutorial video for my sister and wasn't even a public listing. 🙄

Sometimes the little guy can win, so good luck with your challenge.

Now, as to the track in question: I wouldn't have picked up in that similarity had it not been pointed out - very subtle. Some clever lyrical craft in there and very tight - perhaps a touch overly so - did you quantize it? I can detect occasional bits of vocal processing (I sometimes get that when I overcook Melodyne) but it's a fine line to tread when refining vocals and if you're happy with it - you should be the final judge. I'd have liked a touch more variety in the drum track, but overall you did a nice job on this.

All the best with your dispute.

Andy

Clever lyrics and I like the inspiration - one suggestion - this is crying out for some blues harp don't you think? 

No crits otherwise, great job.

Andy

Fabulous track, so much to like, no crits.

Loved it.

Andy

I'm late to this thread John, sounds good to me, enjoyed the driving rhythm which was perfect for the song. Great job.

Andy

Definitely one to pass on for me - dig those Bontempi piano sounds (not). My son would love this, me not so much. 

I wish Toontrack would focus more of their coding efforts on updating the EzKeys interface to full screen. 🙄

I know, I sound like a broken record...

I am most definitely not in da house on this one 😂 but enjoy if it's your thing. 🙂