RexRed Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 New song Cakewalk peeps! Best regards! RexRed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garybrun Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 (edited) Nice song Rex and well sung. Guitar mix was very clear. I found the drums to be a little on the flat side. well done. Edited December 12, 2019 by garybrun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexRed Posted December 12, 2019 Author Share Posted December 12, 2019 I will work on the the drums more, thanks Gary. Their tone is perhaps not deep enough. I will look into some other kits I have, experiment. The rolls sound nice but the tone of the beat seems a bit weak. I used the Black Velvet kit from Addictive Drums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPAK Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 Some how, and although I believe this is one of the best love songs I've heard from you, for me it doesn't quite work. As Gary commented, the drum pattern is too mechanical .. flat is a good way to put it. Your vocal work (as always) is great but the song needs more feeling and possibly a less staccato rhythm regarding the guitar work. I really like this Rex and although it doesn't sound like it given my comments. Perhaps a little less 'up front' with the beat with maybe a string pad and harmony on the main lyric 'This love' bit ... looking forward to the revised version ... if it comes. Well done for a good bit of work ALB Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexRed Posted December 13, 2019 Author Share Posted December 13, 2019 I am really divided on the drums here in this song. I agree they are flat... I like the patterns but I do not really care for the drum sounds themselves in this particular instance. I am thinking more like really compressed snares and toms like Phil Collins but I need to find those sounds or create them with effects and I am not sure how to begin doing that. There are some YouTube Videos on that very subject. It might take me longer to figure out how to apply highly compressed drums to this song but it will be a lesson worth pursuing. I have the complete Native Instruments Collectors Edition package.. Maybe someone could suggest a drum kit from there that I might try instead of what I have here. I will work on the drums. They need more presence and to be melded into the mix better. Perhaps some well places cymbal crashes and a ride cymbal here and there too. That would not be that hard to do also. I need specifics here. Highly parallel compress the drums? Edit the patterns here and there. Turn up the drums here and there. Change the drum kit to such and such (suggestions)... etc Thanks, you guys are awesome! This is exactly what I need, people willing to give me critical feedback. Any more suggestions would be great! In headphones I like how the drums mingle in with the guitar rhythm, but I suppose they would mingle in equally with other sounds but have more distinction. I now have the Cakewalk project saved with a new number attached on the file name and I am open to work on the drums with a few detailed suggestions. I am totally open to any and all input. Best! RexRed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexRed Posted December 13, 2019 Author Share Posted December 13, 2019 (edited) Okay, I changed the beat, I went disco with it. I also lowered the percussive guitar rhythm as suggested. I keep it loud at the beginning but lower it once it is done the effect aspect of it. I keep it lowered at different heights in various sections after the beginning. The new version has replaced the old one, the same link above at the top of the page is the new version. You guys were 100% correct, the other drum beat was feeble. I hope this one is better and meets your standard. (I also turned down the dubbing vocals a bit on the chorus so the main vocals showed more) Edited December 13, 2019 by RexRed Forgot something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPAK Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 For me no drum beat then I'd slowly build up the pad ( crescendo ) to 1.24 and then use the trip intro drum to accentuate your chorus to the beat .. also the snare feels a little high ... but all good really and works better for my old ears ... ALB Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjornpdx Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Rex I'm more of a melody, lyrics and composition kind of a guy so most of my comments lean in that direction. I have a hard time pinpointing things like how something should be EQ'd for example. Anyway I really like this song because the melody is so so good as are the lyrics. Not sure what it is though but the vocal just needs .. something. Bit more reverb maybe? Well, I know that doesn't help much but that's how it came across to me. So just an opinion here from one listener who likes your music and wishes you the success you deserve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sprouse Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Liked this alot as is. 1-4-5 progressions are great but might want to break it up with something (substitutions?). Loved the lyrics, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Wilson Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Rex, I like this a lot, too. I think you are wise to make your voice the centerpiece of this song by arranging it sparsely. At first, I thought that if you turned your vocal up just a bit it would change people's perception of the drum tracks, but on second listen, I'm not so sure. You seem to want a highly compressed sound, but I wonder if going the other way might be what you're looking for. I think that increasing the dynamic range rather than narrowing it might work with those cool guitar tracks. Crazy me, I can even hear Latin percussion in this, BUT, don't try this at home. However it goes, this is a great crossover tune that many can relate to. Congrats! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexRed Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 If I provide the stems for this song with no effects would some of you be interested in making a mix? You can also add more to the song, whatever suits your fancy. If even one of you would like to try, I cannot guarantee you I will use it, but it could potentially be used for my upcoming release of a new album that is pretty much done. My songs do not sell that well at all so I cannot promise any revenue and I may still want to remaster your version if that is possible. I can put the stems in a one drive folder if you would like to give them a whirl. Thanks for the suggestions, they are all good!!! I could actually put this in a .bun but I am sure most of you will not have the exact array of VSTs I have used in this song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amiller Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Your vocals grabbed me right away. I really like this song...good one.?? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
congalocke Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 nice guitar playing and singing. I as well would like to hear another snare than the main one, (even though the snare hits right before the tom fills seem "normal" less thin). The chorus and your performance are really catchy and growing on me. Nice... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexRed Posted December 19, 2019 Author Share Posted December 19, 2019 I am starting to figure out maybe what is going on here. It seems that many engineers put drum tracks through convolution reverbs to create impulse spaces for them to live in. These spaces give the drums a certain character, transparency and depth so they fit into the mix better. This is probably what is setting off alarms wit your ears. Sometimes less is not better. Words like "flat" seem to describe the drums well and even my vocal seems to be missing something of a space. I am going to work on this. A week ago I bought REematrix the full version and I am still trying to learn how to use it. I am going to try some of these spaces and see if i can contour the elements in this song a bit better so to stop setting off alarms. The elements of this song need more processing and maybe the overall song will finally come into focus. Thanks for the help I will let you know when a new version has replaced this version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexRed Posted December 19, 2019 Author Share Posted December 19, 2019 (edited) [I just uploaded/replaced a new version of the song.] 12/19/2019 Changes in this version I used more convolution waves for the drums (which I am still not happy with but they are "improved") Also new convolution waves on the vocals and a few other instruments. I think the vocal have somehow become more present and fit into the song better. Many of the tracks had phase problems so I fixed them so they do not dip below the correlation trace line much. This incorrect imaging was giving the song an overall unfocused texture. I lowered the guitar substantially in several places, having it blast throughout the whole song got very irritating. I fixed the vocals in a ton of places where they were having timing issues and volume issues. I noticed I sound a little like the lead singer in the band The Kinks... haha (a little) I may revisit this song again and work some more on the drums, not sure I fixed them enough yet.. Thanks for the listens Cakewalk peeps!!! Oh, and I loaded all of the convolution impulse waves from "Perfect Space" into REmatrix, they work really nice! Gave me a ton of other great spaces to experiment with. Edited December 19, 2019 by RexRed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPAK Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Think it's done! Great work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garybrun Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Vocal is Brilliant mate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexRed Posted December 20, 2019 Author Share Posted December 20, 2019 https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiGFGjATwo6uoMZrgQKA-1r8Gl4fMw?e=9h68Ey Here is a link to a Cakewalk Bundle file for This Love I think you can send the finished file (.wav 24 bit 48 khz preferable) to this folder also. Put your name in the file name. Message me if you have any problems. Thanks! Anyone welcome to give it a remix! (I have removed all effects.) RR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottcmusic Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 Nice job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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