AndyB01

I started with SoundCloud (still on it). I had a paid plan but they started posting ads on stuff so I thought well if I have to put up with ads, they can shove the paid subscription and I've reverted to a free account. It's a good layout and there are some incredibly talented musicians on there, I get fed up of the spammers and other idiots (some blocks and reports required). I recently started using Bandlab, I like the private track function but I dislike the way versions are posted (I seem to end up with lots of multiple versions instead of overwriting the original). I don't sense too many soulmates on Bandlab (a lot of stuff on my feed I would never listen to). I'm not sure about forking either (not really my thing) but can see the attraction of that feature for others and you can turn disable it. Same issue as SC with spammers and idiots, but they do seem to block accounts on report. Not tried any others, some of the Bandlab issues I have are probably due to my inexperience with the platform and I'll probably fully migrate off SC to BL at some point. Agree about YouTube, but I just don't have the time or patience for making videos as well - kudos to those that do. Andy

8.5" but it's what you do with it that counts ? I'll see myself out...

I've lost stuff in CbB before now - usually because of my own poor workflow hygiene. I always make a habit now of hitting Ctrl-S before I do anything I consider to be significant - that might be quantizing, doing a bounce, synth freeze or a mix export - even adding a significant effect or inserting a new VST. It takes seconds to do it but it has saved me in the past but YMMV. Ultimately your call I guess but I get the frustration - I've been there - but you have to find a way to work around it or switch DAWs I suppose. Andy

Another top-notch production Nigel, dark stuff but great work all round. Website looks great btw. Andy

I enjoyed that, terrific laid back song - some great lyrical craft too - really drew me in; especially with the video. Great job! Andy

That's a rockin' little foot tapper right there Gary - what a great song. As for nits and crits - I might have lifted the guitar solo just a touch but hey that's just me. Loved it! Andy

Vocals are good - so back yourself and go for it! Mix sounded good to me but there are wiser heads and better ears on here than mine. Well done, I enjoyed the listen. Andy

Yep, that was it - cheers. All fixed. ? Thinking back, I don't know why I used a send and an FX track for an amp sim either. ? Andy

Thanks, that could well be it. I will rain check that and post an update if that's the fix. Cheers Andy

Right chaps - technical question: I'm trying to improve my rudimentary mixing skills by following Mike Enjo's excellent videos. I have created sends for my FX and buses for the instrument tracks, done the gain staging and have ended up with a half decent mix (well to my ears). However, I think the lead guitar is just a tad too hot, but when I try and trim the level in the relevant bus fader it has zero effect. The guitar track in question has two sends to a delay and amp SIM and outputs to the bus. I'm clearly missing something really obvious and/ or doing something really dumb, but I just can't land where I'm going wrong here. Anyone care to have a crack at solving this one? I'd be extremely grateful. Thanks in advance Andy

Mike's videos are superb, he deserves all the accolades. I've learned more from him in six months than I've learned from fiddling around with DAWs for the last ten years. Andy

Ah that's it then - I got all mine in one hit ? I rely on your timely updates to ensure I haven't missed something - please keep up the great work. ?

Cheers Larry - I had eight EzKeys midi packs to update and one update for EzMix2, although to be honest, I have never been able to detect what these MIDI pack updates do or change - I don't think they add any new midi tracks so far as I can tell. I am sure the Toontrack Meister @Bapu would be able to enlighten me ? Andy P.s. my curiosity got the better of me, so I checked one midi pack as a before and after and it has added one new MIDI track - so now you know. EzMix seems to have a new UI, with an added FX rack and an updated tiny non-scalable main window and text so small I'm now struggling to read it - even in my very best specs - nice big step backwards there Toontrack - cheers guys ?

? I've warned you about that...

Wow - what gorgeous vocals, you nailed the piano sound and even the guitar solo with the modulation in the chorus at the end. Fabulous ❤️ Andy

Says to me there's a lot of hype out there and a lot of people spending hard earned $ on strings they don't need. On acoustics, I think the decay is a genuine thing (as demonstrated) but on electrics - nah - I'm less convinced. A quick rub with some metal polish every few weeks and my strings are good to go. ??

Very good and really captured the mood you were after I think. Feels to me like this should be the start of a much longer piece - you could really develop this in a lot of different directions. You should definitely give that some serious consideration. Andy

I'm a huge James Taylor fan - Mud Slide Slim is such an iconic album - this is an exceptional cover. Well done! Andy

Killer track and groove - brilliantly executed as always. Would have loved one of those fast licks followed by a hard stop at the end but that's just a fave trick of mine (like Anita Baker's Fairy Tales where the jam session at the end is the stand out part of the track). Loved it Andy

This is a WiP??? Rex, take a break mate and give the rest of us time to catch up... ? On a more a serious note - another absolute belter - such a big Eagles vibe for me (and I mean that as a BIG compliment) I LOVED it - keep up the great work! Andy P.S. I have the same questions as @David Sprouse - what are you doing with these songs as they really deserve to be performed and heard?

Good old Bert I think he limited a lot of musical ambition - mine included - although my lack of practice and failure to apply the required technique might have also been contributing factors ? A

I've just been up in the loft checking out some plumbing repairs and loaded mouse traps (don't ask) and stumbled on an old folder of lots of old lyrics and sheet music from what must be over forty years ago. Some old songs I penned back then, the lyrical naivety is both charming and slightly cringe inducing at the same time - all that teenage angst I guess. ? As I recall, one of them even won second place in a local song competition. I might dust a few of these down and see what I can do with them (if I can remember how they go). Not sure I can do much with Bert Weedon's Rock and Blues Album for Guitar course though - they were the days... Andy

Nice trem effect on the chorus harmonics (superb attention to detail) and that driven guitar riff is spot on. Bass could come down a notch for me as well but that's a really minor crit - this is brilliant work. Well done! Andy

Tom Visuals are stunning! Are the horns a smidge too hot? Yes - imo - but please don't change them because they work really well. Can I have a crit? I'm with @Wookiee on the vinyl scratch thing - didn't need it and at first I thought it was my cranky old MD7506s. ? Overall great work all round. Andy

I sometimes write lyrics in complete isolation to the music track - so you're essentially writing a poem. Themes that I use to help me form and tell stories: Real life experiences - the more painful the better. People and places I have met/ been but change/ invent what happened. Things I read in the media that catch my eye - build a story around it. Things you'd really like to say to someone but you can't articulate it directly to their face. The music can follow the words, I also use songwriting tools like Toontrack EzKeys and Scaler2 to help me create new musical ideas. Might not work for you, but you were after ideas... Hope some of that helps. Andy