Barry Seymour

The new song is out! It's at the top of the page. Thanks, everyone!

I'm using a plugin called - wait for it - "Wider." It's quite remarkable, actually; it splits the sound without any chorusing or flanging effect. I used it on the bass and the vocals. It has the unique effect of making it sound more intimate; instead of the voice being 20 feet in front of you, it's like you hear the voice in each ear from much closer. It's fascinating. And it's free. Highly recommended. https://polyversemusic.com/products/wider/ As for the drums, I just panned the instruments a bit to left and right, nothing fancy. Thanks for the positive feedback!

Now I gotta learn about sidechaining.... thanks for the link.

Just heard both mixes, second mix is better by half, and I'd post that second mix confidently as a link at the top of your first post in this thread. Thanks! Why is the second mix better? Less vocal reverb, I think you did add some predelay? I am not sure what predelay is, so I suspect I didn't use it. And the bgv's are a must have for this song, I'd get them louder in their spots. Thanks, still fiddling with volume and mix. I may even add in a few more aahs. Your second mix solved a lot of problems that I heard, so well done. I'd say one area might remain to be addressed, and that is your snare is masking the vocal a bit when the snare hits. I don't know if you have already, but I like the snare's sound - just volume automate by hand a little dip in snare volume whenever it happens to beat down on a lyric. That should only take you another 10,000 hours, but well worth it. I'm pretty fast on a computer. I bet I could get it done in 80 hours. Lyrics are great. As for your hyper self-awareness of the vocalists' age, hey if your going to mention James Taylor and Dire Straits then we expect a seasoned vocalist. I think it works a treat. I guess I still worry about younger folks listening to this. I'm thinking I should cut that out. OK, so you aren't 38, but this is Special! I get that reference! p.s. your wife is right about Bruce, now I finally get it about that dude! I'm not telling her that. I'll never hear the end of it. ?

Try now.

Okay, here's a new mix for 23 August. Background vocals! https://soundcloud.com/barry-seymour/katie-tuning-in20220823

So I've been thinking about the whole 'sound of my voice' thing, and I'm starting to think it's the sound of my diction. Which raises an interesting side question. My wife cannot stand Bruce Springsteen, because "he's from New Jersey, but he sounds like a cowboy." She sees that as insincere, as fakey. I get what she's saying, but at the same time it seems to me a singer can tell a story and use the voice of the character(s) in the story, so I don't have as much of a problem with it as she does. As for this song, it sounds to me like someone with good diction, careful enunciation and a college education is trying to sing a rocker. ? Heck, maybe I should try sounding like a cowboy, or at least someone who's more rough and tumble than I am. (I've worked in radio and voice over for decades, it would be quite doable.) I mean, I'm a nearly-retired old guy, but the protagonist of this song is a young guy going out on tour to forget an indifferent lover, only to find her indifference continues across state lines. Maybe I need to change things up a bit? Any thoughts? Just thought I'd spark a discussion whilst I refine this song. (Harmony vocals on the way!)

Thanks for the kind words.... but now I have a different, perhaps more awkward ask. The more I listen to my song, the more it sounds like the singer is not in the right genre. That this guy should not be singing rock. That this guy sounds like someone's grandpa, trying to be cool. Twice now I've borrowed a friend's rehearsal studio to sing this song. Originally this song was a step lower; after I sang it and started reviewing the recording, it felt like I couldn't push hard enough, couldn't push properly, since it was comfortably within my range; that the level of effort wasn't credible. So I rerecorded all the audio a step higher, and sang it again. Thankfully, since I was in a rehearsal studio, I was able to cut loose and sing loud, so I feel like my singing is better in many ways, more on pitch, certainly, but still... I sound like some old man. Of course, I am an old man, but I don't want to sound like one. Please feel free to be as honest as possible. I'm actually thinking of finding a younger singer to sing this. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

WONDERFUL sound, very appealing composition!

Yeah, the harmony vocals have a 60s tone quality, and everything else is very slick, as mentioned above like Steely Dan. Love the pizzicato strings, nicely played and placed. Electric piano is smooth. Very nice! So when was this originally recorded?

So sorry about your brother! Man, that's gotta be hard. Condolences. You did a good job cleaning this up. Bass sounds rich, which is especially hard with old tapes. Nicely done.

Scrambling to get this one out before my shoulder surgery in September. Looking for mixing advice. Not sure I'm quite getting the polished sound I want from this. Thanks in advance for any input you may have. EDIT AGAIN: It's out! Thanks everyone, for the feedback.

Very kind, thanks.

Thanks, Jim. Much of my recorded output (since February 2020, when I finally figured out Cakewalk) has been more rock oriented. Barry Seymour Music on YouTube I did do more than a few solo acoustic gigs back in ancient times, however. The strings are the BBC Orchestra Discover plugin, which I found for free. https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/bbc-symphony-orchestra-discover/ I think it sounds marvelous! Thanks for the kind words.

Regarding the pitch problems, I just sang, sang, and re-sang until I got them close enough. I don't have the effortless control I did when I was younger. As for 1:22, yes, I split the acoustic guitar, clipped out the first verse and panned that hard right. The first track stayed center until the second verse, then I panned it hard left using automation. A nice little build on the second verse, without too much work. You have a good ear!

Man. This sparkles. This soars. Great playing, astounding sound! Question: How the heck did you put together this 'quick background vid for it this morning to use on YT?" It's pretty cool.

Released!

This was my first attempt ever at recording a song in 3/4. There are no grooves for this in MT Power Drum Kit, so I ended up doing it super-simple by hand. (I'm no drummer.) Thanks for the good feedback.

Thanks, Marky Mark. ? Since the shaker was digital, I suspect it was the rest of the musicians ( i.e. me) who may have been off a bit. I'll take a look. It may end up being easier to move the shaker, ha ha. As for the lead break, it was a steel string, my old Goya, my chum since the 70s! I recorded it on an Electro-Voice ND 457 microphone, another piece of my 'vintage legacy' (read 'old') gear, my favorite live gig rock mic dating from the late 80s. (I'm not even sure you can find/buy these any more.) I really struggled getting a sound for the rhythm acoustic guitar that I considered acceptable, but in the end I got it, using my wife's Takamine guitar and an Audio Technica P46 Cardiod Condenser microphone. After that, the usual tricks - BREVERB and TDR Kotelnikov for the audio effects on the rhythm guitar. Thanks for the kind words.

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words. I feel I'm continuing to improve in my efforts to record my own music. I also got some good suggestions from a Michael West on the Creative Sauce group on Facebook, suggestions I've implemented with really good results. He recommended a free plugin called 'Wider' (https://polyversemusic.com/products/wider/) which adds a sort of stereo effect to a mono signal without any phasing or chorusing. The result is really quite striking, taking a voice in the center and moving it to each speaker / earpiece, making it sound closer and - fascinatingly - more intimate. I have a new mix I'll post later today, but I pretty much feel like this is the last piece of the puzzle. He also recommending adding a little more 'beef' to the bass drum kick, which I've done. I'll have it up soon.

Catchy and sweet. I hear a little Alan Parsons in there. Can't hear anything to criticize in the mix. Neat.

Here's the new one. Some of my friends say this is a departure for me. Maybe more like a return to my roots. Anyway, mixing suggestions welcome.

Agreed, you're not the first to say so. I very likely will do another mix. Thanks for the kind words.

Thank you. Very kind.

Yeah and every time you put up a track on SoundCloud - every time - some account with a picture of a cute looking chick likes your track within minutes. Go to that account and you see a pitch to let them 'submit your tracks' for you to artificially gain (buy) followers. Gah.