bjornpdx

Steve,  I always look forward to hearing another song of yours and this one didn't disappoint.
Melodic 👍
Kind of sad in a good way. I think I mentioned wistful once.
Seems like drums struggling to fit in. Might be better without?
Timing off in a couple of spots,  no biggie
Abrupt ending.
Just minor nits. This is a very good song that puts me in a nice mellow mood. 

Very good dulcimer and orchestra.  
Might be just my ears but seemed like bass could stand out more.
The oooo's and aaaaah's are nice but could change up more, eg an oooh turns into an aaah within same phrase.
I like the overall buildup to the dramatic ending.
Great job on this.

It's the Freddy genre.
I barely recognized your voice at first.
Sad lyrics but clearly sung.
Really liked the guitar accomp to the singing.
The spoken comments are very good. Liked that.

Kenny,  Very good! Did you lay down the backing tracks too? I ask because sometimes you use backing tracks from elsewhere.  Whatever, I like how the layers interact so well.

Gary,I just assumed this would be you singing since you did the White Christmas cover a while ago, which is sort of in the Big Band genre. Sounds like a really good mix to me and how could it not be considering your star ship studio?  🙂 Much envy.

Sounds like a useful patch. Creating sounds is a real artform.

Great layering of arps and synth leads! Love this.  My very first synth was the rackmount ESQ-M. Sold it a long time ago and wish I hadn't just for nostalgia sake.

This could push me over to liking jazz.  ☺️

So smooth and so well arranged (if that's even done in jazz). The guitar solo is amazing. Really enjoyed this.

Marcello
I really like the hypnotic vibe. Very nice interplay of instruments.
The Cakewalk Adaptive Limiter is good, as Lynn mentioned.

A couple of things that I noticed:
The drums seemed a little off the beat starting around 2:15.
The instruments are panned too far right and left.
The mix seemed okay to me, but I'm no audio engineer.

Good job on this and thanks for posting.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Wookie -  I'm finding more and more to like about the Z3TA+      Why did I buy all those other expensive  synths? 😄

I like the laid back vibe on this one, Wookie.
Nice gradual filter knob tweaking at beginning.
Arp bass works really well with the piano on top.
One of your best I think.

Keith, I like it. It's a very toe tapping and head nodding tune. I was waiting for a solo instrument to come out into the spotlight, like a trumpet or something in a higher range. There's a guitar bit around 2:25 that could have worked, but too short. But that's just my opinion. Great job on this!

-Bjorn

Doug, I don't have any suggestions for you except keep up the good work.  Well, actually I was kind of expecting a little delay fx after  the   Stay  Forever  words  but that's just me.

-Bjorn

On 12/24/2020 at 5:44 PM, DeeringAmps said:

So there is something "special" about a Vangelis bend?

BTW, 👍

t

Hey tom,   I've always liked the bendy notes Vangelis plays,  like in the Blade Runner soundtrack.   IDK,  something about the  sound of the effect  just appeals to me.

Kurt
Listened thru headphones. Sounds very good, but maybe could use bit more stereo spread?
Really like the guitar playing.   I didn't understand the "midi guitar"  that you mentioned. Is that the Jam Origin Midi Guitar software?

I've made a few music videos using dedicated video editors (Vegas Pro, DaVinci Resolve, HitFilm). Never tried or even thought of using Power Point. I don't know what kind of animation functions there are in PP but you could probably do the same in a dedicated video editor. If you're looking for special effect stuff I'd suggest Hitfilm since it seems to lean in that direction.  You could get the demo version of Hitfilm or try Hitfilm Express which I think is free.
Anyway, I liked your video. Great soundtrack!

-Bjorn

Steve - thanks for your comments, especially on my newbie guitar playing. Very encouraging!
Jack C - thanks for commenting. I'm not set up for pop filter at the moment. On my to do list.
Doug - Thanks for your kind comment on my singing. I think everyone is their own worst judge on singing. I pretty much cringe everytime I listen to myself.
John B -  I scanned  hundreds of my parents' old photos recently and repaired a lot of them via Photoshop. Nice to rescue those old pictures and I hope my son and my nieces will want to keep them.
Kurt - Thanks for listening and taking the time to comment. Appreciate it.

On 12/27/2020 at 9:24 AM, emeraldsoul said:

I highly recommend the fretless bass and the duduk.

 

Ditto, as well as his Acoustic Guitar, also excellent.   I just picked up Irish Whistles which I've been looking at for a while.

Antique Store Photos

I've been learning guitar for a while and gotten competent enough for simple fingerpicking.
So this is the 1st song I've posted here where I actually play a real instrument, a Taylor acoustic. I'll admit the playing's a little sloppy, mainly due to recording anxiety but it's not too bad IMO.

There's a RealGuitar strum track mainly for keeping time.

This is a work in progress. I need to get a better voc track and I need to get the guitar timing down a lot better. Anyway, thanks for listening.

-Bjorn

Faded family photographs
At the antique store
Tossed into a cardboard box
A dollar gets you four  

Clothing quaint and curious
Posed in black and white
father mother and children there
They look a bit alike

they passed away a long time ago
but now they're looking  at me
a stranger holding all that's left
a forgotten family

once a treasured memory
an heirloom thru the years  
but as the generations passed    
no one's left who cares

the camera caught one moment
of lives in their heyday
their turn in the sunshine
'til their day faded away

once a treasured memory
but time has been unkind
stored in someone's attic  
'til it was left behind

And all that's left is a photograph
a faded memory  
I wonder..  in a hundred-years
what will remain of me  

Eno-esque
Love the synthy voices. Change to minor tone ~3:00   Very good
Boy this is really good. I could listen to this all day.

Mark, love the mandolin Timing seemed okay to me, but the snare needs to be toned down a bit imo.
Beautiful song. Well worth the time you put into it.

Definitely cinematic tho I think it needs a fuller sound. Maybe add some/more reverb or slight delay? Double tracking?
Drums need to make their presence known - more boom!
Evokes a nice dramatic scene, like marching soldiers.

The intro is too long. Kinda lose interest after a while.
I like the robotic voice. Lyrics are a bit heavy handed, tho the "anger in control of me" is effective.
I'd suggest adding another synth track or two for interest.  

Putting my lockdown time to good use by working on some old songs.
I finally (finally!) finished this one.
All VSTs

Thanks for listening.

-Bjorn

Paul, your voice fits the genre well and production is good but I think it needs a stronger hook to stay with the listener for a while.
I like the song but it would really stand out if you had bit more melodic element in there. This is probably more a matter of taste I suppose.  Just trying to offer something constructive from one listener's take FWIW

-Bjorn