Johnbee58

Hi synkro! Your's snuck in while I was typing the last post. Thanks for taking the time to listen. 😀JB

So nice of you to say all of this, and yes, you can call me John.😀 You're so right that the music is something that when it's in you, it won't be silenced. I was talking to somebody else about this yesterday. Music is like an internal drive that, just like sleeping and eating, can't be easily suppressed. Sadly, a time will come in all of us when we'll have to give it up just due to getting too old. But I think of old Gordon Lightfoot. He had such a great and strong voice in his prime. He's 80 years old now and still singing. He struggles, but you can tell he still loves it, and his fans still love him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3bgFN7qLvs&t=1168s 😀

Thanks Gary and Lynn @garybrunI use some compression. Mostly the Red Compressor that came with my Focusrite Scarlett. @LynnI came up with such ambitious music for this that I guess I got carried away with the melody. I generally don't like melodies that come too easy, especially in this day and age when everybody is becoming lawsuit happy, at least in the music industry. If you have to work at developing the melody to the point of having to chart it out with a piano at least you know it's yours. 🙂 Regarding my voice (again). In addition to the above mentioned Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, one of my favorite songwriters is Joe Jackson. He's a big influence on my writing but his singing voice is kind of mediocre. I guess I can take some inspiration from him in this as well. But I've always loved that vulnerability in his voice. So, I'm happy if I can liken my voice to his. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7IGRNWVQkc Fact is I used to have a good voice years ago and I've been taking notice over the years that it's been faltering. In another couple of years I doubt I'll be able to sing at all, so I feel like I have to get the tunes in me out before the pipes quit for good. I used to have a fair falsetto, but that's gone for good. I can't even come near being able to kick it up into my head at all now. It's so sad that when I had a good voice the technology wasn't as good and as affordable as it is now. And now that the gear is cheaper and better my pipes are falling apart. I envy you younger dudes for that. You're at the right time and the right place for the gear and the "goods" 🙂JB

I never used the word "trippy" as an adjective before. I hope it's still in vogue. 😎JB

Trippy! I really like that synth at the beginning. It almost sounds like a human voice. If this is a WIP it's coming along nicely. Everything clicks great. Neat tune. 🙂John B

Relinked https://www.soundclick.com/html5/v4/player.cfm?songID=13891166 Thanks for your patience.

Yeah. I'll fix it a bit later.😀JB

I appreciate that❤️, but the question I posed above is a sincere one. I really, really tried to improve it by redoing it and it just got worse. Seriously wondering why this happens and if it happens to anybody else and if so, how they approached it. 😀JB

Can anybody tell me why when I try to re record a vocal on a song like this, I only make it worse?! I made a pre recorded vocal warm up track and spent a considerable amount of time warming up as per every tipster and vocal coach I've ever heard. It would make sense that I should be able to get it sounding better, but I only manage to sound more like an idiot than before! I must be an untalented POS! I try. I really do. I guess it's time to give it up! 😞

I could feel my blood pressure subsiding when I listened to this. Fitting title too. Very pretty. 🙂John B

Excellent cover. mix is great. Everything sounds very pro. Well played, sung and recorded. 🙂John B

Thanks Emerald Tom and Doug. Good point regarding Dylan, Reed, Waits & Cohen. You could say they have their own styles vocally. I have a "novelty" type of soul voice which I've used on a few tunes that people have made favorable comments on. Maybe I should use that voice permanently, but it doesn't fit every style of music. It wouldn't fit this one well. It's kind of like if you ever heard heard some of Billy Joel's songs like "52nd Street" (the title track of the album). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6sEc_WsoeA&list=RDO6sEc_WsoeA&start_radio=1Regarding my insurance, I retired early 4 years ago and my union gave a 50% discount which in April they saw fit to take away so now I must pay full price. I managed to get an Obamacare plan, but that will cut into next years tax return. Only 13 more months till good ol' Medicare. I can't wait. But I don't want to make this a thread about health insurance. I get by OK but the voice lessons would be a bit much. I looked at some of the Roger Burnley videos that Christian sent me and they look impressive, so I think I'll give them a go. 🙂JB

Thanks Christian. Your response is very encouraging. I didn't know about the YouTube vids regarding vocal lessons but I'm going to look for them. I'm also going to re sing this song. Fact is, I love this song and it deserves a better vocal performance. I think a lot of my problem is how I go about it. First of all, I break a very important rule regarding singing-I sit down to sing! Pros tell you NEVER to do that! A vocal performance should always be delivered standing up. But the reason this happens is because I use the DAW as a writing tool. I sit and write the lyrics line by line and record them line by line. This results in the sometimes "unsure" sound of how I want the melody. What I should do is continue to do what I'm doing but only to write my words and craft my melody as a rough track. Then when I'm sure how I want it (like I am now), set it up, rehearse it a few times and then record it proper, standing up with the full lyric sheet in my hand and concentrating on delivery as a whole instead of the line by line. I should do vocal warm ups before I record (which I don't bother with now). I know how to do warm ups because I remember how from when I took voice lessons years ago. In this way, I can utilize the valuable Comping tool available in CbB. I CAN do this. It's just that I'm always too much in a hurry to get a song out. I take my time establishing the song up until the vocal track. I should take this final step with the vocals to get them as good as I can. Thanks again for your tips 🙂JB

Seriously, you didn't offend me. I just wish I had it in me to be at least as good as you guys, or at least as good as I was even 10 years ago. You said it was constructive criticism, and it is and it's good, but only for people who have potential, which I don't anymore. I feel like Keith Emerson must have felt when he had to face not being able to play keyboards anymore. I used to have a good voice and people told me I did. Professionals told me I did. I took voice lessons in my 20s and my instructor told me I had a unique "lyric tenor". But time takes away those things. Somebody suggested voice lessons now and I looked into them. But around here they get $30.00 a half hour, which is probably not unreasonably high for this day and age, but that's $120.00 a month. I'm retired on a fixed income and my health insurance just doubled so voice lessons are out of the question. There are really no options for me so maybe I should just stop embarrassing myself. I like to write and create music and unfortunately, I'm the only "singer" I know. I know you mean well and I appreciate it, but if I can't cut the mustard among just regular guys like on this forum there's no point. 🙂John B.

Yeah. I know I'm not a professional singer. I just do this for fun. I know my voice is terrible in this (as usual). Try to look beyond that if you can and try to enjoy the song for what it is. Just produced by an amateur who loves to make music, if that's possible. I keep thinking that perhaps one day some company will come up with a software program that will allow you to create voices that you can make perfect and unique. Then people like me who can't sing anymore but love to make music will be able to create songs and nobody will ever know of their "weakest link". Cheating? Perhaps, but we already have drum machines and keyboard programs some of us use to make us sound better than we really are. I don't think I'll ever see it in my lifetime, so I'll just have to live with what I got. Either that or give it up. Thanks. 😀JB

Kloon, martins, bjorn, Doug, and Grem (again)- Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and reassuring me that the mix isn't as bad as I was originally thinking. @Grem- After listening to various setups I have at my disposal, I have to say I agree with you on the "whisper" assessment. I'll have to revisit that next session. 😀JB

OK. I made some changes to the mix and song. I compressed the bass much more and the drums a tiny bit, I changed the kick drum to a softer one. I'm hearing an over compressed bass note at about 2:34. How does it sound to you? Does it stick out like a sore thumb? I changed some of the string arrangement close to the end. Added a whisper to the "and slowly fall apart" at the end. Let me know what you think. 🙂JB

It has a nice feel to it. Relaxing with a great message. 🙂John B.

What! No music?! Shoot, I was hoping to hear a song from you!😉 🙂JB

Thanks MR & Grem! The bass in the mix is kind of a boogaboo. But I think I'm gonna cut it a bit anyway. Like you've experienced, MR, it sounds different on different playback gear. I did this mix on cans but I'm going back tomorrow and listen to it through my LSRs. MR gave me an idea on the whisper thing I might try. Not exactly what he suggests but something similar. I have to be truthful here. I'm not "playing" the piano. I wish I was but I'm not that good. I used the EZ Keys browser function, although I input my own chord changes with the help of a program called Scaler. I wasn't consciously thinking along the lines of George Harrison's song when I did this, but that way of thinking could certainly apply here. George's guitar weeps. My "piano" sings. 🙂JB

"She" is a piano. Needs a few tweeks yet. Do you think the bass is too hot? At least it's not political. Hoping to hear from more of you on this one. Thanks! New link below https://www.soundclick.com/html5/v4/player.cfm?songID=13891166 🙂John B

Pretty cool. Is the baritone sax real or virtual? Sounds pretty real to me. Love the singing and the lyrics. 🙂John B

This is very pretty. Reminds me of the guitar intro to Genesis "Blood on the Rooftops". 🙂John B

Exceptional quality in the song, arrangement, performance and recording. 🙂John B

Thanks Jessie. Truth is there isn't much of my family left. 😀JB