Larry T.

Hey Hi. Latest composition...this is the first song I've used the CbB arpeggiator on, created and looped an SI Bass riff through it.... kind of Chris Isaak meets Pink Floyd and ends with my tribute to the great Wayne Shorter ( i don't do him justice but here it is) may he rest in peace ???? link to Chez Café: https://larryterrano.bandcamp.com/track/chez-caf DAW: Cakewalk by Bandlab pc: windows 10, i7-4770 CPU @ 3.40 GHz, 8GB ram, acoustic and electric guitars, focusrite scarlett solo, arturia minilab mkII, arturia analog lab 5 lite, CbB effects reference speakers: M-Audio BX3

Really good stuff there. Mix is like nothing I've heard before (I say that as a compliment) with the possible exception of some of Tom Waits compositions. Very clear, clean and well balanced. The music is quirky, intelligent, humoresque and melodic. The reggae influence is clear but the horns bring a subtle New Orleans feel. Main vox is intriguing. It stands alone fine as its appeal is personality and honesty, not technical show boating. Bjorn does have a point I would agree with. Doubling certain parts would bring some variation. The background vox are great, nicely placed and delivered. Great composition treesha ????

Nice work. Vox are really good. The whole production creates and maintains mysterious yet alluring qualities. Enjoyed very much! ????

Video: interesting, well done journey Music: Really shines, slowly unraveling, you made excellent choices introducing new elements as the music moves forward. I might bring the vox down a bit as it enters the picture. Production and mix sound great ????

Nice homage to The Thrill is Gone ????

Interesting piece with a lot going on. Nice intro, doesn't really hint at what's coming next. The bass playing really stands out in a good way. The build up where the synth is playing the slow, melodic motif while everything else goes pretty much in the red is amazing. Well done ????

Yeah, really good Steve. Great production and mix. Beginning vocals, piano, bass and organ, moves the song right along so drums aren't needed. Gradual build as strings enter is perfect ????

Thanks Bjorn. Appreciate the listen and observations. The bending notes are actually midi's from my Arturia minilab mk2 running one of their Analog Lab V synth VST's and using the finger triggered pitch bend pad to create bends in the song. Wow! Thanks for such a kind compliment about listening to my compositions, that's one of the main reasons I do them. This song does have an interesting note (pun intended, lol!) to it. Out of a clear blue sky I decided to tune my acoustic guitar to an Am chord (E, A, E, A, C, E from 6th to 1st) and explore. After finding and deciding on which chords might sound good I approached it like a puzzle. Cheers! ????

Thanks Kevin. Appreciate the listen and kind words. Haven't updated the tune yet, working on finishing the latest one. Cheers! ????

Thanks Dean. Yeah, I was trying to keep the tempo/momentum going as most of my stuff is a lot slower. Trying to do some faster/upbeat things now. In reference to what you said about hearing, I've come to realize that I have to consciously alter the way I listen to music when I'm mixing. I don't listen to be entertained but to get the sounds across as clear, balanced for maximum effect and precise as I can. Also, to understand that the listener doesn't have my preconceived audio picture of what they are supposed to hear. Cheers! ????

Thanks Rik. That's a good idea. I wanted to insert the harp again but couldn't find a spot and then totally forgot about it. Maybe I can make a fit for it after the 2:30 point ????

Thanks Makke ????

Yes, I thought the velocity/volume went up, like, exponentially, once I maxed it at 127. When I'm in "that" place in the mix where I'm trying to find the right volume for an instrument at a certain moment I've found that in SI Drums I can increase the volume of a midi note by simply creating an exact copy of the note and selecting/move it on top of the existing midi note. Quite amazing, really. Shows how much thought went into giving us the ability to make some really minute adjustments.

Outstanding composing, recording, engineering and mixing. Best of luck in the Music Festival ??????

Very nice work on that. Enjoyed very much ????

Well done. Starts strong and doesn't let up ????

It works. Pretty awesome. That is some inspiring 3:08 ????

Clean, polished and tasteful as usual ????

Thanks tom. Yeah, I should have brought the cymbal midi velocity notes in Piano Roll down a bit. As far as mastering I'm really not. I just keep the recording levels above -6 with no red distortion and run aux tracks in console view to make volume and tone adjustments. This usually works but not always (the bass could have a clearer, cleaner tone). The drums in the song are from three different SI Drums loops that I luckily didn't have to modify. Appreciate the info and kind words ????

Thanks Nigel. You commented on the two things I knew needed more work, the cymbals and bass. The cymbals are part of a loop from SI Drums that sounded good on half the music systems I listened on and a bit loud/splashy on the other half. All I needed to do was adjust the velocity in the Piano Roll on them but I thought I was being too picky. The bass sound is the same situation, for some reason I couldn't get a clean tone. As I mentioned to treesha in the above post I may redo it using SI Bass. Thanks for listening and comments ????

Thanks treesha. Yes, the song doesn't stay light all the way through, I was trying to reflect the ups and downs of trust....I really didn't think a light feeling all the way through was an honest take on the reality most of us go through in matters of trust lol! You are correct about the bass, for some reason I couldn't get as clean a tone on it as usual. I may redo it using the SI Bass. Appreciate the kind comments ????

Thanks John ????

Yeah, you've done a great job on this one. The music has a chamber orchestra quality...it's like a river of sound, I'd be hard pressed to put any one instrument as central to the song, although it's probably the bass, as they all fit together so seamlessly, mix is very well done. Vox fit the song perfectly. Unique, intriguing and accessible sounds ????

Good song and performance. Being a live track it doesn't have the studio polished audio but I think it would have been a great record with all the tasty bells and whistles that studios create ????

Hello Wookiee. The tones and motifs communicate. I wish you, and all who you wish happiness to, the inner strength and wisdom to guide you all through to a more peaceful and meaningful reality ?⛈️⛅?