Lynn Wilson Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Hello to all my CW/Sonar friends! Here's a tune that I've been working on for months, and I've now reached a point where I'm comfortable sharing it with you. I wrote this on EZKeys 2 with a little help from MidiGuitar 2 and Superior Drummer 3. This was recorded in CW and mixed in Sonar. This is a little outside my comfort zone, so I look to you for your good ears and advice. As always, many thanks for your contributions! It can be found here: https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=14650032 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack c. Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 nice chord changes.nicely done.jack c 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Wilson Posted May 8 Author Share Posted May 8 I appreciate your kind words, Jack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bajan Blue Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Hi Lynn Thought this was really good - the change up at 1.50 was excellent though I did think the guitar cut off a little abruptly into the verse - personally I would have liked some more guitar!! Apart from that really good Cool Nigel 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supa Reels Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 I really liked this one especially the chord change and vocal mix. That said, I think the break is too harsh and isn't as professional as the rest of the work. bring the guitar further up in the mix so as to match the urgency of the vocal ... to, what sounds like a Lennon 'Oh ya .. and back to the meat and gravy, the main song. There's a bit of kit made by Softube call TAPE it's a plug that emulates a reel to reel and could be used to join (if that sounds right) the break back to the song ... just an idea 🤔 Wishing you and your lot well Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve@baselines.com Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 I love superior drummer 3 and it works well here. I like the changeup at about 2:30, very cool. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Walsh Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 (edited) Hey, Lynn, really like this one, nice way to stretch your legs. The mix is damned nice. Really like the vocal treatment and the lyrics are great. I liked the break too and the lead work is great. Really like the overall vibe and the arrangement, it's a good song. One nit is that, to me, the vocals feel like they're sitting on top of, and separate from the rest of the mix. I admit this is my personal preference for how vocals should blend with the instruments so take that with a grain of salt. If you feel that's the case too, here's the two main things I focus on. Please excuse me if my amateur advice is a bit presumptuous, and of course, you're probably already doing something like this anyway so feel free to ignore me. First, I like to put a side-chain compressor on the instrument bus and do a send on the lead vocal to the input. Then I can drop the vocals into the mix volume-wise without losing definition. Play with the compressor threshold to avoid pumping on the instrument mix. I'll also sometimes put Izotope's vintage limiter (with the analog glue preset) to get a nice cohesive mix. When it works right it's magic. The second thing is that I tend to do some mild eq cuts on the vocals at various points on the low and low mids (varies with the vocal performance) to avoid clashing with guitars, bass and keys. Mind you, the song is good as is and doesn't really cry out for anything else. Thanks! Edited May 10 by Kevin Walsh 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjornpdx Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 Hi Lynn, Vocal stands out nicely as does the background accompaniments which you do so well. I was expecting the chorus a little earlier but that's just me. Well done. -Bjorn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSband Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 It's a cool song. Was the piano the midi guitar? Jam Origin, how do you like it? I found the transition from the distorted guitar back to piano kind of jarring, maybe that's what you were going for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Wilson Posted May 12 Author Share Posted May 12 On 5/9/2024 at 7:10 AM, Bajan Blue said: Hi Lynn Thought this was really good - the change up at 1.50 was excellent though I did think the guitar cut off a little abruptly into the verse - personally I would have liked some more guitar!! Apart from that really good Cool Nigel Thank you, Nigel, for your suggestion. That was one of the many choices I had to make in regards to the arrangement. It is something that I will consider for the next mix. On 5/10/2024 at 9:57 AM, Supa Reels said: I really liked this one especially the chord change and vocal mix. That said, I think the break is too harsh and isn't as professional as the rest of the work. bring the guitar further up in the mix so as to match the urgency of the vocal ... to, what sounds like a Lennon 'Oh ya .. and back to the meat and gravy, the main song. There's a bit of kit made by Softube call TAPE it's a plug that emulates a reel to reel and could be used to join (if that sounds right) the break back to the song ... just an idea 🤔 Wishing you and your lot well Steve Thanks for your keen advice, Steve. Juxtaposing that break with a piano ballad was jarring to me, as well. It's the result of combining two songs into one. You've given me food for thought. I do have a tape emulator, so I'll have to give that a try. Appreciate the idea! On 5/10/2024 at 1:14 PM, steve@baselines.com said: I love superior drummer 3 and it works well here. I like the changeup at about 2:30, very cool. I appreciate your comments, Steve! I love SD3, too, and often begin songs with its great presets. That changeup is getting mixed reactions, but I'm glad you like it. I like it, too, but it was the big question mark when I posted this. The jury's still out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Wilson Posted May 13 Author Share Posted May 13 On 5/10/2024 at 1:45 PM, Kevin Walsh said: Hey, Lynn, really like this one, nice way to stretch your legs. The mix is damned nice. Really like the vocal treatment and the lyrics are great. I liked the break too and the lead work is great. Really like the overall vibe and the arrangement, it's a good song. One nit is that, to me, the vocals feel like they're sitting on top of, and separate from the rest of the mix. I admit this is my personal preference for how vocals should blend with the instruments so take that with a grain of salt. If you feel that's the case too, here's the two main things I focus on. Please excuse me if my amateur advice is a bit presumptuous, and of course, you're probably already doing something like this anyway so feel free to ignore me. First, I like to put a side-chain compressor on the instrument bus and do a send on the lead vocal to the input. Then I can drop the vocals into the mix volume-wise without losing definition. Play with the compressor threshold to avoid pumping on the instrument mix. I'll also sometimes put Izotope's vintage limiter (with the analog glue preset) to get a nice cohesive mix. When it works right it's magic. The second thing is that I tend to do some mild eq cuts on the vocals at various points on the low and low mids (varies with the vocal performance) to avoid clashing with guitars, bass and keys. Mind you, the song is good as is and doesn't really cry out for anything else. Thanks! Kevin, your response is very welcome and greatly appreciated. I haven't really delved into side chaining, as I use other methods to avoid this technique. However, it may be time to learn this method, especially in regards to using reverb and delay. This will give me something to look forward to. Thanks for your support and knowledge! On 5/10/2024 at 6:06 PM, bjornpdx said: Hi Lynn, Vocal stands out nicely as does the background accompaniments which you do so well. I was expecting the chorus a little earlier but that's just me. Well done. -Bjorn Bjorn, it's good to hear from you! The "chorus" is really a separate song that I incorporated into this piano ballad that I hoped would fuse together into a whole. It's jarring to some, and that is one of the big questions that I have concerning this song. I'm still uncertain about this, but I'm starting to get a grip with this issue. Thanks a million for your time and good ears! On 5/11/2024 at 10:30 AM, KSband said: It's a cool song. Was the piano the midi guitar? Jam Origin, how do you like it? I found the transition from the distorted guitar back to piano kind of jarring, maybe that's what you were going for. KS, thanks for your comments and time! The piano is courtesy of EZ Keys 2; MG2 is the synth playing arpeggios in the right channel during the middle section. To answer your question about Jam Origin, I love it and have been using it for about 5 years. It's very fast and responsive, and I love to play Z3TA +2 and Rapture Pro through it. As you can see from my answers above, I'm still uncertain about that middle section, but I'm warming up to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSband Posted May 13 Share Posted May 13 I'm going to do the trial download and check it out. I've been wanting the EZ keys too. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy j Posted May 14 Share Posted May 14 You really have been putting out some excellent songs! Great lyrics and message on this song. Your mixes are really good also. As I do not know what I am doing in that regard, I won't comment on the mix but you have received a lot of suggestions above. I must agree with Steve above, I like those Lennon like harmonies" Being a guitar lover, I would agree with the comment above -more guitar. I like your style of playing. Well done pal! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Wilson Posted May 15 Author Share Posted May 15 Fred, thank you very much for your encouraging words! I had briefly considered doing more guitar in this song, but thought that it might be too obvious or overdone. Just one of the questions I had before posting this tune. It's always nice to hear people wanting more rather than less I'll put that thought into the next song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bush Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 Hi Lynn , that change worked well , loved the chord changes , I´think I would like your voice with not so much chorus on it and your harmonies are always spot on I´d like to hear more of them ..cheers P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Wilson Posted May 18 Author Share Posted May 18 18 hours ago, Paul Bush said: Hi Lynn , that change worked well , loved the chord changes , I´think I would like your voice with not so much chorus on it and your harmonies are always spot on I´d like to hear more of them ..cheers P Thank you, Paul, for your welcome words! I was hoping that the chorus (Valhalla SuperMassive vst) was the star of the show It's the first time I've ever used it, and it has much potential. As for the harmonies, I'll try to fulfill your wish in the next song Cheers to you, mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
equality Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 I really like those unpredictable harmonies. The transition to the more rocking part is nicely done. Some Donald Fagen vibes which is great but it sounds original to me. The high hat is a bit too load for my ears and I couldn't first understand the flanger effect on the vox but after some listenings I think it defends its place. Well done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PavlovsCat Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 (edited) Cool track Lynn, I especially liked the bridge where you rocked out! I didn't see that coming (I enjoy when a song throws a curve at you like that). Nice job! Edited May 28 by PavlovsCat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PavlovsCat Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 (edited) On 5/10/2024 at 1:14 PM, steve@baselines.com said: I love superior drummer 3 and it works well here. I like the changeup at about 2:30, very cool. I'm totally with you. I'm an old drummer and IMO, Toontrack did everything right with SD3. I just wish they brought the price down. Edited May 28 by PavlovsCat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makke Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Great song with nice change on middle part. I liked the orchestration and arrangements. Good vocs and sounds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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