PhonoBrainer

yes but do they carry Blind Platypus?

Like a hummingbird feeder for kids.

Lots.

Another cool song. Not surprised! Mix-wise, you might check the bass guitar's interaction with the lowest guitar note. Sounds like they are covering the exact same territory. I'd agree a little raising of a high pass eq on the guitar might be worth a try. Bottom on that might be 400hz or some such, sounds drastic, but maybe try it? Another approach, preferable perhaps, is to change the bass line altogether. If you give the bass something else to play, it won't mimic the guitar strum so much. BGV's are killer, dude. Really nice. Lead vocal is always a pleasure to hear. I liked the sustains at the ending, cool progression of fading parts. Yup, another songwriting winner. cheers, -Tom

They got me. Looks like I'll have to advent more excuses not to buy stuff.

Oh god that was so great. Nice job!

No brainer at this price.

This one sounds very accessible yet kind of post-modern classical? Neat combo. The avant-garde is never too far away. It's lovely, and challenging. We might be listening to more stuff like this in 100 years. Or? This music would also fit underneath the dialogue in a Robert Altman film. Not that there will likely be more of those. cool beans bro. -Tom

I half expected one of those "DWTS" dancers to start slinging their own feces. Sorry, that's what commentary you get when you juxtapose things of that nature. Songwise it's exceptionally pleasant and vibrant. It's a happy listen. Nothing stands out as wonky in the mix, to my ears. Very well done! cheers, -Tom

I took a shower, and still like your song! Thanks for the timing info. Cool stuff dude.

Cool song and video. Best of luck with the project! -Tom

I never said you were "wrong" for using EZ Toontrack, or for any other musical preferences you have selected. Did I? Did the person you called a "snob" actually put you or your EZ Toontrack down? Were they really "questioning your preferences" ? Or did they just offer their opinion of alternatives? Kind of like you might expect someone to do, given the title of your post? I in fact notice a difference between EZ Drums and SD3, and to me it's not a small sonic difference. EZ Drums have a lot of pre-mixed effects baked in. I'm glad you are good with that, and I for one am not attacking you for being a happy camper . . . Especially on Thanksgiving!

The vocal is a little too bright, because he has a "bright voice" which is really friggin good, and there is a bunch of cool chorusy processing which also sounds great . . . but just a few initial transients of some words give a bit of a clipping sound, and that might be a too-hot compressor? Hard to tell. OK, the drums? It never gets kicked into the hard-driving section. Full snare, full kick, . . . cranking bass guitar? Dire Straits redux ? Just me waiting. Oh, no problem . . . Subdued all the way through is also good. I get it. Still, I can dream. This is a really good song and such a cool voice! cheers, -Tom

I'm thankful as all get out. Larry, you are the man. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

The title to your thread is "Are we only as good as our samples" - that's an intriguing notion and could be a very worthy discussion. The content of your responses, however, leans towards calling people "Snobs" who have (arguably) better or more expensive sound sources than you do. wtf? If you just really want to pull the "snob" trigger, then that is class warfare, not a thread about sound source quality. If you want to generally lament about your lack of dinero and the limitations it enforces upon your music, I think that's completely fine here. We all make do with what we've got - everyone makes do with what they've got. By all means, complain about your finances. People might offer suggestions. 1) credit card? 2) political affiliations? I mean, if a politician was offering "Free Kontakt for All Who Want It", or a cool free "$1,000 a month" minimum income, you might vote for them? Beyond that, when people try to be helpful, maybe don't call them names like "snob" Good luck in your endeavors. -Tom

Dark era is the only one I wanted. Ha!

@Wookiee- thanks, I can't think of if and where the piano line came to me from. Hopefully original? Glad you liked it. The polish is coming . . . of course I always say that. @daryl1968- I prefer to visualize your comment as literal, instead of figurative or metaphorical. So literal dancing monkeys it is. So very glad they dug it, and thanks for the comment! @David Sprouse - if you only knew the horrorshow of details in my songwriting brain. Too many notes. Thanks so very much, glad you appreciate it! @Douglas Kirby - thanks, man. The clav was fun. Maybe I should quit while I'm ever so slightly ahead. Thanks for the listen! @bjornpdx - yes, the volume especially on the horns is a bit low in spots, plus I want to dry up some of the horn reverb. And on it goes. Thanks very much! @freddy j - yep I think a guitar solo or suchlike might fit the bill. I love 1940's tunes so maybe that crept in the side door somewhere. Thanks again!

Wow. Killer chops with killer tone, and killer just-behind-it delay. Really awesome job, dude. -Tom

Loved it. Heard some panning fun. Love that you are getting cleaner and more hi fi with some mixing trickery. It's really working. Drums this time sound top notch in the clarity dept. Time signature might be 4/6? Waaaay cool. Look out world. cheers, -Tom

What, more spitfire strings?

. . . and I could easily be wrong about the tuning. I didn't scope it. Thanks for sharing your excellent songsmithery!

just plain great. Love how the vocal is up front. Drums are plainly in the pocket, and maybe a few more fills? Do I hear a fill in the middle of a verse, as opposed to more conventionally at the end? This one is suh weet. Ending is a chop-off . . . maybe let it all ring and sustain out after the last chord? cheers,-Tom

@thegaltieribrothers - thanks Paul, just thinking about someone grooving on a sunny morning in a different country made me happy. Thanks for the thought there! @Andrew Ball - so glad you liked it and hopefully we'll both like it more when it's finished up, someday . . .! @garybrun - thanks, yes to bongos up more. That hand percussion in general sometimes takes the most editing effort, and you can always add more. The piano is a felt piano, this time Patrik Herman's "Frozen" piano which is quite nice to my ears. @Johnbee58- on my list, very cowbellesque, is a healthy dose of upper eq woodblocks. Gotta find the right patch somewhere. Many thanks, glad you liked it! @macce- thanks, groove is so important, isn't it. In all music, I think. Thanks for the comment. @DeeringAmps - hey fellow Tom!!!! Bass line as lead is my comfort zone, but for a whole song, it might be guitar solo or sax solo time. Thanks for the kudos! I am tempted to leave as is but I know I'm gonna fiddle with it more, and hopefully not muck it up too much.

Did you by chance post this earlier? It's great! To the Paul Simon I might add Harry Nillllsssssson. Or I might not. Thanks for that one, a really great listen. -Tom