Johnbee58

I agree with bringing up the bass. In some spots the cymbals are a bit too over powering. Other than those two issues, it's a killer song and recording! ?John B

Ingenious and ambitious piece of work. ?John B

The epiano sounds a bit muddy by default, so I brightened it up by boosting the high end 12db @10k. On most anything else that's a pretty big boost but it gave the piano more presence. I also brought the flutes down a bit in volume and rolled off a bit of mid on them. The free dizi flute is a great plugin (especially considering it's free) but it can be piercing, especially on the higher notes. Thanks for responding! ?JB

Thanks, Kenny! My last words to Ginger were "I love you" and I remember the look of pain in her eyes but I could still see the love in them. Makes me cry every time I think of her. I had to go through it twice in my life (with a pet). I lost another dog previous to her in 2003. Same way, same reason. Pets should be able to be with us forever. ?JB

So, this is the official amphibian of my home state? You'd think that Pennsylvania's officials would be able to come up with a more attractive amphibian than that!?? Neat use of the bass. Love the percussive stuff, At first I thought it was a clavinet, or something. ?John B

This is the kind of music I need to fall asleep to. Not saying it's boring. It's relaxing. ?John B

If you mean something like comparing my stuff to, say, Steely Dan, I'd say no worries. Happens all the time on forums like this. Just don't compare my stuff to the Six* Pistols. ? ?John B * change the i to an e.

I think I got the final mix. I put a third harmony to the first string part and ended it a bit differently. I also brightened up the e piano by boosting the high end and the second string part was brought down a bit in volume. Of all the tweaking I tried on it, this is the best I can get it. ?JB

I gotta let my wife hear this. She's a country music fan. I've heard this song several times on the local country station. Josh Turner has a nice rich baritone voice that catches one's attention quickly. You've done an extraordinary job capturing the same feel he has. ?John B

Bjorn, Joad, amiller and Grem- Thanks all so much for listening and commenting. I just did a second mix. I usually go by how it sounds on my Walkman w/ my Beats headphones. I have to give my ears a rest over night and listen on my morning walk tomorrow. The first mix had the flutes MUCH too loud so I brought them down and also rolled off some upper mid range. I also re did some balance on the first string ensemble and added a few notes to that. I may do another mix if my ears dictate it. Thanks for your observations. I will take them into consideration as well. Yes, @amiller -Losing a pet is exactly like losing a family member because they are family members. I love dogs. All kinds of dogs, big and small. I'm a dog fan for sure (but I love pussycats too). My little Ginger graced and blessed my life for almost 15 years. I feel as if I owe her much more than this song. @GremThanks for the kudos on the bass. Actually, it's a Trilian bass module but I've kinda mastered the use of the slide (after three years of using it). ?JB

Kinda looks a bit like Pro Tools. Neat. ?John B

Ted, I feel your pain in the frustration of wanting to create but having to deal with the PITA technical issues. I hope you find a successful answer quick. All I can tell you is my system still works fine. Something you changed recently, perhaps (Windows Update, maybe)? ?JB

Daryl and Freddy- Thanks for the re assurance and listening. ?JB

A song for my late doggie. I just lost her in January. I miss her terribly. ? I don't know if I'm happy with the mix. I just got the Electronic piano expansion pack for EZ Keys. I started the idea with acoustic grand piano but I thought I'd plug in the electronic one to see how it works. Not sold on it yet for this one, but changing out this one for the acoustic one is a very easy task. My problem with it is it seems to get extremely loud on the last verse. Open for suggestions to tweaks. Just don't expect me to hire a real orchestra for the "fake sounding strings". I just got Session Strings Pro 2 and there's a learning curve to it. EDIT-Made some adjustments to it this morning (6/27/19). So if you checked it out prior to 6/27/19 @ 8:55 AM EST, it's (a little) different now. ? https://johnbowen.bandcamp.com/track/gingers-song ?John B.

Both are lovely. Beautiful arrangement. ?John B

Kind of like a small tour of different sounds and layers. Neat. ?John B

Goes through a lot of interesting changes. Interesting sounds, your voice included. Very progressive. Nice! ?John B

No, please don't call me Merry!? There are two Joe Jacksons that are in the public light. One is Michael's father and the other is a British singer/songwriter who's had hits like "Steppin Out" and "You Can't Get What You Want Till You Know What You Want". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJwt2dxx9yg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGqmiT7JJVg He just put out a new album this year called "Fool" and it has some great tracks on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvaBODjYN6Q Definitely one of my heroes. ?JB

Hi synkro! Your's snuck in while I was typing the last post. Thanks for taking the time to listen. ?JB

So nice of you to say all of this, and yes, you can call me John.? You're so right that the music is something that when it's in you, it won't be silenced. I was talking to somebody else about this yesterday. Music is like an internal drive that, just like sleeping and eating, can't be easily suppressed. Sadly, a time will come in all of us when we'll have to give it up just due to getting too old. But I think of old Gordon Lightfoot. He had such a great and strong voice in his prime. He's 80 years old now and still singing. He struggles, but you can tell he still loves it, and his fans still love him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3bgFN7qLvs&t=1168s ?

Thanks Gary and Lynn @garybrunI use some compression. Mostly the Red Compressor that came with my Focusrite Scarlett. @LynnI came up with such ambitious music for this that I guess I got carried away with the melody. I generally don't like melodies that come too easy, especially in this day and age when everybody is becoming lawsuit happy, at least in the music industry. If you have to work at developing the melody to the point of having to chart it out with a piano at least you know it's yours. ? Regarding my voice (again). In addition to the above mentioned Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, one of my favorite songwriters is Joe Jackson. He's a big influence on my writing but his singing voice is kind of mediocre. I guess I can take some inspiration from him in this as well. But I've always loved that vulnerability in his voice. So, I'm happy if I can liken my voice to his. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7IGRNWVQkc Fact is I used to have a good voice years ago and I've been taking notice over the years that it's been faltering. In another couple of years I doubt I'll be able to sing at all, so I feel like I have to get the tunes in me out before the pipes quit for good. I used to have a fair falsetto, but that's gone for good. I can't even come near being able to kick it up into my head at all now. It's so sad that when I had a good voice the technology wasn't as good and as affordable as it is now. And now that the gear is cheaper and better my pipes are falling apart. I envy you younger dudes for that. You're at the right time and the right place for the gear and the "goods" ?JB

I never used the word "trippy" as an adjective before. I hope it's still in vogue. ?JB

Trippy! I really like that synth at the beginning. It almost sounds like a human voice. If this is a WIP it's coming along nicely. Everything clicks great. Neat tune. ?John B

Relinked https://www.soundclick.com/html5/v4/player.cfm?songID=13891166 Thanks for your patience.

Yeah. I'll fix it a bit later.?JB