MichaelJohn 33 Posted October 31, 2022 (edited) "SECRET PLACES" Children will find secret places to hide out, because they need refuge and to feel free from the outside world. But there are also 'secret places' we keep in our heart... I began working on this piece in 2009 when Barry sent me lyrics about his beloved cat that had passed away, and asked me to compose the music. We completed a song called "Nine Times". I then wanted to make a new song in a more general theme and asked Lisa if she would sing. I sent her a melody made with a flute sound. She returned the vocal you hear here. I've made dozens of revisions and remakes since 2009 but was never quite satisfied. I was attempting a complex arrangement and production. I decided to try again last week, and it finally came together after 6 more remakes. I believe I've worked on this piece of music more than any other I've made. I believe all the instruments are from one my workstations, the Roland or Yamaha, not sure which. Made in Cakewalk at that time. This was made in Cakewalk by Bandlab. Hope you enjoy. NEW MIX 11.7.22: Edited November 8, 2022 by MichaelJohn replaced video with improved mix 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Larry T. 348 Posted November 1, 2022 music: great tones, production, mix....the piece is expansive and varied.... the writing diverse, confident and nice to listen to....Lisa did a great job on the vocals....great work there!!!! 🎶🎶🎶🎶 video: compliments the song perfectly, nice to see something with old fashioned heart and soul 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bajan Blue 1,393 Posted November 1, 2022 Hi A nice track - thought the mix worked well Great work Nigel 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KSband 431 Posted November 1, 2022 Beautiful piano playing, sounds like something Bob James might do. My only crit is the vocal seems a bit low, maybe needs some compression to be more up front? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Asato Maa 23 Posted November 4, 2022 Easy, beautiful, gentle composition! The video corresponds very much to the music! The only point is that the bass guitar can be directly accentuated. You can almost not hear it. Thank you for the music! 🙌 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RikF 71 Posted November 4, 2022 Hi Michael, this is very nice, vocal could be a bit more up front imho. Rik 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
noynekker 459 Posted November 6, 2022 Oh yeah, this one is easy on the ears, gentle and reflective. You have mixed that vocal more as a background effect, not sure if that was intended. Everyone so far has wanted more vocal volume, me too . . . no need to hide what sounds so beautiful. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bapu 6,298 Posted November 6, 2022 Yup, raise the vocal by at least a db (maybe 1.5db). Too beautiful to have in the background. Othe than that, wonderful song. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MichaelJohn 33 Posted November 8, 2022 You guys were right. I've remixed the song with the vocals more up front. And a few other improvements. Video in OP looks the same but has been replaced. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wookiee 2,063 Posted November 11, 2022 This is good stuff, though I suspect you still have not truly surrendered it. Well played and captured, nice open airy mix here on the Adam's . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeeringAmps 2,063 Posted November 11, 2022 Much enjoyed! t Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lynn Wilson 742 Posted November 14, 2022 It takes a lot of skill to handle delicate music like this, and you did a great job with this production! I guess I heard the latest version, as the vocal is at least equal with the other parts of the mix. It's all clean and spacious which leaves room for the listener to fill in the spaces. Participatory music, so to speak. The video is well done, too. Keep it going! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
