Barry Seymour

Man, this is STELLAR.  (Get it?) Great vocals, compelling lyrics, an ethereal sound.

I hear a LOT going on in here, but to your great credit it doesn't get crowded. Along with all the synths, I'm hearing grand piano, acoustic guitar, even a Fender Rhodes with that sweeping stereo sound that was so popular back in the day. I love that sound of acoustic 'real world' instruments in there. Very nicely done. (Of course I'm guessing those are VSTs as well. I'm thinking of one of my favorite jokes - "Honesty and sincerity are the most important things; if you can fake that, you got it made!" 😆)

Only two small quibbles. First, the song needs to build longer. It starts easy, adds a bit in complexity, but then it stays at that level for the rest of the recording.  Recommend holding off on one or two of the atmospherics until the second verse, then add more in third, etc. etc.

Also, the fade out at the end seems rather abrupt. You could smooth that out by fading over a longer time period.

But these are minor quibbles.  I normally wouldn't even mention them, but everything else is so top notch here. 

Please convey my compliments to the singers, too.

Beautiful stuff!

Hey everyone! Here's a new one, we just added human horns to it. There is still more work to do but I'm open to feedback.

EDIT: I added a new thread... this one was so old it was getting lost.
 

7 hours ago, Lynn Wilson said:

Wow!  This is the song that I've been waiting for, Barry.  I can hear every road trip in your voice.  The mix is great!  Your voice sounds fabulous in this song, and it conveys the lyrics perfectly.  Major league!

Very kind, thanks!

YouTube vid here:

New mix up top.

Okay, I listened to this in the car and did NOT like it.  It seemed like every track had a different idea of how the entire song should sound.

So I started over. Muted everything, then un-muted and tweaked each track one at a time. Adjusted volume, EQ and pan, took out unneeded compression in many cases. I'm a lot happier with this one.
 

This other supergroup is fun, but I have my solo career to think of too...

Here's my latest.  Suggestions welcome.

Edit: Released! YouTube video here:

On 5/30/2023 at 1:24 AM, Wookiee said:

Thank you, sorry about the knee hope the surgery goes well, trick knees are not fun had problems with mine for years.

No worries! It's well past time. And your song didn't REALLY cause it. LOL

On 5/29/2023 at 3:14 PM, FreeEarCandy said:

Yeah. I never heard this tune and strangely it brings back memories. I can't hear any issues. Well done, Barry!

Thank you so much! This is actually quite a profound thing for you to say.

On 5/29/2023 at 7:06 PM, jwnicholson78 said:

Wow, that was so smooth.  The horns sounded incredible.  Personally I would have loved to hear them a little more forward in the mix.

I'm thinking the same thing. Thanks!

On 5/25/2023 at 4:16 PM, Ross Smithe said:

Nice catchy, hooky tune! Solid performance and production value. As has been said, definitely reminds me of early Chicago stuff, especially the horn solo. Vocals are fantastic too. All around great job, congrats on this.

"Reminds me of early Chicago stuff" ... mission accomplished! Thanks!

On 5/26/2023 at 1:21 PM, Paul Bush said:

Hi Barry , Loved the vocals, always look forward to your songs  .... Ok this is just me but there ´s places where you sound a tad like my hero Chris Rea if you get the chance check out his ``shamrock Diaries´´ album ...pre road to hell  personally I though the horns overtook the limelight from the  song ..but hey thats just my take on what is anothe super song sung briliantly ...check out shamrock diaries  cheers p

"Fool if You Think It's Over" Chris Rea? I haven't heard that name in a while, thanks!

I know the horns overtake things, but that was my intent. This is my high school jazz-rock band, back from the dead after 50 years; I want to celebrate these guys, they're still kickin!

Thanks for the kind words.

8 hours ago, DeeringAmps said:

Mostly I’m glad I can’t remember what I wrote in ‘67 🙃 This is great Barry!

t

I have others I only remember bits of - and it's better that way. Ugh.

But for some reason I got it right on this one at the tender age of 15. When the guys asked me if I remembered the song, well, I did!

Thanks!

- Bear

On 5/3/2023 at 11:50 AM, FreeEarCandy said:

Sounds pretty much like a bunch of different interpretations of the same thing  being squeezed together.  In my opinion, for whatever its worth,  there are areas of tension between all these interpretations that may need to be sorted out. In other words, you could look at what you have and decide which interpretation will dominate any particular area of the composition at any given time.  The drums and bass are going to serve as the backbone, so your choices between which interpretation will dominate should only involve the other elements. The vocals treatment also needs some attention.  Its a good start for now. That's my inflated 2 cents, Lynn. Always glad to listen and be helpful if I can.

I have to agree about the vocal treatment. Should be a touch more spacey at the start, maybe a bit more reverb to match the music.

Yeah, da broads in the background really shine.

Me parients are from Wales, they'd have loved this.

Good mix, the choir is appropriately heavenly.

I tried to dance to this. My knee replacement is scheduled for late June.

At first I thought it was something I did with my mouse wheel. 🤣

It was such a relief when Pink Floyd came in.

Good Stuff!

Here's the new one. Written by 15-year old me over 50 years ago! I think it came out pretty good when we recorded it 51 years later!

Let me know any suggestions you may have, and thanks!

Rain.mp3

The final mix done, the song and video are out!

22 hours ago, DeeringAmps said:

You can have links to both. 
And I agree that leaving the prior mix up is a good idea. 

t

As to editing the title (had to jump in the way back machine to find a thread I started).
Hit the "edit" cue.
The "Title Box" will be at the top of the page, type in the new title.
This is only available on the initial post; simples!

Yeah - when I went to edit the first entry in the thread, I was able to edit the thread title.

1 minute ago, treesha said:

Really well done, great song, great arrangement, love the vocals and the horns are very cool, all the instruments sound great and the story is timely and clever. As for any nitpicking, the body odor lady comes in a little louder than its surroundings when she comes in.  I enjoy that addition, I just would turn it down a bit. Around 3:10 something with the horns sounds a little off, not sure if this is what you fixed after Lynn’s comment or if it is what he heard? I clicked on the version in your Thurdsay 10:26 post. Really very good song !

Thanks! Yes I fixed the glitch at 3:10 and have re-balanced I.R.L.E.N.E.' s sound levels. Final mix coming in a few hours.

And don't worry about 'nitpicky,' that's what I'm here for! After months working on this song, one's ears tend to get a little stale. Always appreciated.

Thanks for the feedback and the kind words!

4 hours ago, DeeringAmps said:

It's coming together nicely Barry. Sounds like you're doing one more mix.

I would suggest when you post it:
   1) Edit the title to the thread to reflect that there is a new mix.
   2) Put the new link in the opening post so people find it. (I would also put the new link in a fresh post, like you did with 03.23
just my nickel98, too often those who have already listened and reviewed don't go back to the thread if there is nothing new noted in the title...

t

I always thought it was considered polite to leave prior mixes in their original location; one doesn't want to be seen as 'rewriting history,' Plus someone might want to compare the new and old mixes? I dunno.  But going forward I will do as you suggest.

As for changing the title of the topic, I have not found how you can DO that.

I'll have a final mix up in a few hours (pesky day job), at which point I will both replace the original mix and attempt to re-title the thread.

1 hour ago, Lynn Wilson said:

Wow, this is good!  To me, it has a Steely Dan/Donald Fagen type of story and vibe, but you've always had a knack for stories yourself, and this is all you.  The second version is a big improvement overall and is close to stellar.  Though panned well, I still hear it as being a bit narrow or center-centric.  Perhaps if the guitars in the side channels were a touch louder to compete with the excellent horns.  Btw, at 3:08 there sounds, to me, a trumpet slightly out of tune which could be tightened up with Melodyne or similar app, unless that's by design.  Either way, refer back to my first sentence   Good songwriting!

Dang! You have a real ear for detail! You're right, at 3:08 Trumpet 1 had a clunker I missed. I copied another lick to fix it.

I already boosted the rhythm guitars - maybe a bit more...

Thanks for the feedback and the kind words.

Here's a new mix.

• Reduced or eliminated phasing effect on all vocals
• Set up a single "Global Reverb" bus and routed everything through it (except for I.R.L.E.N.E)
• Boosted the rhythm guitars and the voice

I think this one is getting close.

https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/irlene-20230323?si=5404bf6681f64d4593c7e2490ac5f7d5&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

 

8 hours ago, markno999 said:

+1 on DeeringAmps suggestion for Sunset Studio, you can use the Live Rooms or Chambers to put all the players in the same space. 

Your song is really good, well produced and superb groove.     Agree the vocal effect is a little phasey, would definitely back that effect off.  Nice listen.

Regards

I get the concept, but didn't get too far through this as it wasn't Cakewalk. I can create reverb on the master bus, but am unsure of how to set separate pre-delays for each channel. I'm gonna play around with this tonight. Thank you!

3 hours ago, AndyB01 said:

Definitely a bit of phasing on the vocals but - with a groove like that - who cares. 😄

Lots to enjoy here.

Andy

It was on purpose - Acor Digital Multiply - but I'll be backing that off. As mentioned above, trying to make it sound like everyone's in the same room.

7 hours ago, DeeringAmps said:

Whole lot of things to compliment here Barry.
As always, your storytelling is top shelf.
Much impressed with the horn arrangement; very nice.

What's the fx chain on the vocal? Is the "phasing" I'm hearing on purpose?
(or is it my knackered ears? yikes!)

Not to send you off on a buying spree, but I've had pretty good luck with IKM's Sunset Studio.
I usually set one up on an aux buss for the guitars and another aux buss for the drums.
If you're tempted, WAIT; IKM runs sales all the time.....

👍's 👏

t

I added a vocal muliplier on that channel - Acon Digital Multiply. But I think it's a bit much, so in my next mix I'll be backing that off.

Thanks!