Lynn Wilson

Short but poignant!

John, I have been having my own problems with the Start Screen, too, so I think there may be something to this. It only started a few versions ago and coincided with a Windows update, so who knows? I'll be paying attention to this.

I'm a member of this school of thought because I'm a do-it--yourselfer, and, for me, mastering begins with tracking. It starts with choosing the right mic, preset, amp, plugin, drums, samples, instruments, arrangement, etc. Get it as close as possible, but don't worry too much until the tracking is complete. Then I do as much as I can in the mix to make it sound polished and balanced by treating the individual tracks and busses. I then create a 24/48kz mix without compression, but with an image widener and EQ (to reduce mud) added in the master bus as needed. After that, I run that mix through a limiter to get the volume at a commercial level and dither down to 16/44.1kz. I don't disagree with any other method, it's just that this works for me and saves time, and it may work for other do-it-yourself artists. It would be a different set of rules if working on someone else's material recorded in a different studio as mine.

John, thanks for your time and kind words! I wasn't aware that I gave two descriptions of this song, but both events coincided, and I finished and posted this song on my wife's birthday, so there you go. Glad to hear your new song and hope to hear more!

John, this is terrific! Very sophisticated, cool jazz with an amazing vocal performance that has a place in the Steely Dan neighborhood. Your mix is well panned and arranged. I don't know of anybody who could have done it better. The lyrics are very nice, too. Nice going!

I love this! It's always fun to see your videos. Rock on!

OK, where do I go to edit this?

Thanks guys for your response. Steve, I tried it with a new project, saved it, closed CW, and when I reopened CW the new project was there. It must be a plug-in causing this behavior, perhaps a Waves plug. They have been somewhat problematic lately in other regards. I've dropped all my 32 bit vst's, so I know it's not that. Even though the start menu has been acting up, my last projects always show up under the file tab, so it's not crippling.

This just started happening since the latest update (2020.11 build 99). Yesterday I worked on a song all day, and at the end of the session, I saved the song both as a project file and bundle file and closed the program. Typically, I would expect when opening CW today, the start menu would have both files listed, but neither showed up. This tells me that the start menu hasn't updated itself. This happened each time I worked on a project since the last update. Is anyone else seeing this?

As others have said, this is a well crafted pop tune with a very good mix, which is your trademark. I'm so glad that you list your tools because it shows what they can do in the right hands. I do find it a little different when hearing self pity lyrics in this type of vehicle. I could easily hear a harmonica in this somewhere, but I'll take it as is. Keep up the good work, Douglas! You inspire all of us.

This is a good rendition of an epic track, Gary. It takes a lot of nerve to do a song so many people are familiar with (like covering the Beatles). So, you're using a ribbon mic? Your voice is fabulous, so you're doing something right! When are you coming to Nashville?

This song is very nostalgic for me. I, too, had my San Francisco period in the early '70's, though I never put the experience to music like you did. Besides your impressive vocal, your guitar playing is what turns me on about this tune. I have no crits, and applaud your dedication to your craft! Keep it up!!

At last! I think I found Major Tom! This is music straight from the netherworld. It's like comfort food with a slight uneasiness. May I have a blood sample, please?

OK, Barry, you're on to me I like to play with DNA sometimes, and crossing Joe, Steve, and Alvin seemed like a winner. Don't try this at home unless you have the proper equipment! I agree with you about "ghost" and "exposed", but it's probably more bloody than brilliant.

Wow, that's a terrific review! Much appreciated. The chipmunk part resulted from my attempt to mimic a trumpet. It comes from a plug-in called Soundshifter (Waves). I'm glad you like the song, which encourages me to move forward.

Reece, thank you for your kind words and ears! When I hear this, I feel like I'm headed in the right direction. Thank you Michael! It's gratifying to hear this from you, knowing that we've all made great strides over time merely by hanging out here. And, well done to SG for your prolific work! Gary, it's good to hear from you! Thank you for your time and effort; it's really appreciated. Stay safe!

Forget what you think the peaks should be. You can pull all your tracks down by 20db and still have a ton of signal to noise ratio to make a good mix. This works! Even if you lower the volume of everything to get the vocals to sit right in your mix, you can raise the volume back up to commercial levels when mastering the mix. You have more headroom when lowering the volume than raising the volume even if you have an average converter.

Hey Paul, thanks for taking the time to listen and reply! That wah-wah is an auto-wah from TH-U. I was very impressed with it, so I used it. Glad you enjoyed it.

Tom, thank you so much for your kind words! I guess I was thinking unconventionally in these unconventional times~~~ Thanks, again. Kenny, hearing this from you is very gratifying! You and several others on this site have helped push me in the right direction for so long. Maybe it's starting to pay off.

Very nice, Glenn. It sort of sums up my feelings, too. This is fun to listen to, and the mix is very good. Well done!

Jesse, thanks a million for your kind words. I appreciate the way you noticed the drums in this, as I wrote the song around the drums presets from the SD3 Fusion Pack. I believe in a solid foundation!

I love the dynamics in this piece! In a short time, you've gone a long ways to making this sound complete. This is truly epic.

Bjorn, you have really mastered the art of writing well crafted instrumentals that stay with you for a while. I'm inspired to try something like this, but I know it doesn't come easy. You have a deep well of creativity that never gets tiring. You give this Celtic tune a touch of the blues while keeping a traditional sound, thus, making it more interesting. Well done, my friend!

I love doubleheaders! You hit the jackpot with these two songs. In the Santa song you deliver a great PSA while backing it up with your usual panache. I hope that people listen and heed your advice! The second song and video is a homerun all the way. It is swampy (in a good way), bluesy, and well played and well sung. Your rock-a-billy guitar has never sounded better. I always look forward to hearing new songs from you, and you never disappoint! Stay healthy, Freddy.

What a pleasure to see you perform! This is a terrific song that features your smooth, melodic voice, combined with a bit of sadness, that is very convincing. And, that, to me, is the hallmark of your music; your conviction. You can't fake that. What a great start to my day!