New Song Video "Listen"

[Top Cat]

Just finished this last week and the video today.
Hope you enjoy, thanks for watching.

[battema]

I really dig the outtro in particular on this one, Richard

[Czyszy]

I like the production. It has a certain level of professionalism not always found in indie releases! :3 The keyborad textures you used are really interesting, I especially dig the synth harpsichord. I feel like it harkens back to the old school keyboard setups, eg. Rick Wakeman's vintage rig. I know this song isn't prog, so the comparison might be forced, but hey, we're on a prog forum. :P

Some parts need a tiny dose of editing/alignment tho, because there are spots in which the guitars and synths flam a little against the rhythm section.

The vocals remind me of, I shit you not, Rednex! x'D (Yes, that pseudo-band that brought us Cotton Eyed Joe and Old Pop in an Oak). haha

[Top Cat]

I really dig the outtro in particular on this one, Richard

Thanks for listening John, glad you liked it and especially the outro.
The second section of the song almost didn't make it. The original piece was an improvisation and the instrumental section in the last half was all over the place. I thought the song at that point was too long and experimented with cutting it after the middle section and move the ending up to it. But it didn't work, so I worked on putting more melodic parts in their and slowly built it up and then realized I could put some vocals and lyrics over it.
Don't laugh, but at first I thought of attempting a Jon A type vocal, and after numerous attempts(after watching the cat run under the bed), I bailed out on that idea, and tried to find a pitch I was comfortable with. I've been recovering from surgery and didn't feel a lot of strength in it, but made it through.
Thanks again John, your continued support means the world to me.

I like the production. It has a certain level of professionalism not always found in indie releases! :3 The keyborad textures you used are really interesting, I especially dig the synth harpsichord. I feel like it harkens back to the old school keyboard setups, eg. Rick Wakeman's vintage rig. I know this song isn't prog, so the comparison might be forced, but hey, we're on a prog forum. :P

Some parts need a tiny dose of editing/alignment tho, because there are spots in which the guitars and synths flam a little against the rhythm section.

The vocals remind me of, I shit you not, Rednex! x'D (Yes, that pseudo-band that brought us Cotton Eyed Joe and Old Pop in an Oak). haha

Thank you so much for listening, I appreciate everything you've written.
Also thank you for the suggestions and tips on things I should try while mixing, every idea goes in to the pot, and makes me more aware next time. Hopefully we grow more each time.
I'm not a fan of quantizing, anything..I probably should use it at times, as it's a useful tool. I also suck at finding proper drum parts, although EZ Drummer 3 has made it easier, it's still a struggle for me, and probably the weakest part of my recording process.
Because of an injury to my thumb, I've been using software guitars, as well as samples on my Yamaha Montage for leads and acoustic parts. I'm a big fan of the acoustic/electric guitars in NI Kontakt player.
The strumming /rhythm patterns are often hard to sync up perfectly when you are changing chords, so I guess quantizing them would probably help.
I have a beautiful Ovation Elite 12 string I recently purchased, and can play it for awhile, but not enough to be proficient enough to record, so I'm looking forward to using that with my Takamine Legacy acoustic.

I have to laugh, I never heard of Rednex and Cotton Eyed Joe, so immediately ran off to Youtube to watch the song...love these folks! that's a LOT of energy going on in that song, but I really like it.
And since it's 8am here, I'm not sure whether to thank you or not, because the song is playing over and over in my head. lol

Thanks again, when I get some free time, I'll check out your music too!

[battema]

Don't laugh, but at first I thought of attempting a Jon A type vocal, and after numerous attempts(after watching the cat run under the bed), I bailed out on that idea, and tried to find a pitch I was comfortable with. I've been recovering from surgery and didn't feel a lot of strength in it, but made it through.

No laughs at all! I think the approach you chose worked really well

[Czyszy]

The Rednex comparison was not meant to be negative. Just an observation. Your vocals are good! <3

[Top Cat]

No laughs at all! I think the approach you chose worked really well

thanks John..I thought it was funny because I knew how bad it sounded.

The Rednex comparison was not meant to be negative. Just an observation. Your vocals are good! <3

Oh, no worries, I didn't take it negatively, and really did enjoy their video and the song.

[clivey]

thanks John..I thought it was funny because I knew how bad it sounded.


Oh, no worries, I didn't take it negatively, and really did enjoy their video and the song.

Enjoyed again this evening. The whole production is definitely better with the video. Aye there may be a couple of instances where the guitar almost clashes, but all considered it's a fine music video.
Re. Rednex . Well . So your voice is very similar, but since you probably owned that particular instrument for probably twice their duration. That's really their problem ha ha ha.

I have to take my hat off to the folks able to produce works of this complexity . Feel free to tell me more about the process. If you have the inclination. Otherwise well done Richard.
Clivey.

[Top Cat]

Enjoyed again this evening. The whole production is definitely better with the video. Aye there may be a couple of instances where the guitar almost clashes, but all considered it's a fine music video.
Re. Rednex . Well . So your voice is very similar, but since you probably owned that particular instrument for probably twice their duration. That's really their problem ha ha ha.

I have to take my hat off to the folks able to produce works of this complexity . Feel free to tell me more about the process. If you have the inclination. Otherwise well done Richard.
Clivey.

short explanation because we've got a homemade pizza in the oven, and beer on ice before hitting the turntable with the wifey.
I'm surprised to hear about production because I'm constantly disappointed at the end result, and have to physically tape my hands to the chair or I would try fixing stuff until the cows came home.
I'll share my work process when I have more time or I'll send you a PM Clivey.

Thanks again for listening and for such positive comments, you folks have made my day.

[mozo-pg]

The video is interesting and the music is decent.

[Top Cat]

The video is interesting and the music is decent.

Thank you mozo-pg, appreciate you taking time to listen and comment.

[Top Cat]

Enjoyed again this evening. The whole production is definitely better with the video. Aye there may be a couple of instances where the guitar almost clashes, but all considered it's a fine music video.
Re. Rednex . Well . So your voice is very similar, but since you probably owned that particular instrument for probably twice their duration. That's really their problem ha ha ha.

I have to take my hat off to the folks able to produce works of this complexity . Feel free to tell me more about the process. If you have the inclination. Otherwise well done Richard.
Clivey.

Funny you mentioned the production and the video...between the time I posted the Soundcloud version and the video, I redid the "light" post mastering on the video version.
While I favor an audio track only over a video version(because I prefer the listener being able to create their own movie in their head), I still like doing a video version. It's easier to embed in Facebook, which normally only allows links to YT, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, etc.

I love your comment about having owned that particular instrument for twice their duration(being 76 makes that highly likely).lol I really did enjoy the video for that song.

I've thought about your question regarding the process, and it's difficult for me to describe since I don't think too much about it.
I just start adding parts as I go, and add or delete as I go, depending on if they work or not. My ears generally tell me if it's what I want or not.
A big NO NO, but I mix on headphones. I've always done that, tried smaller studio monitors, but after decades of having one or more other people in the house, it simply doesn't work.
I tend to play stuff over and over and over until I get what I want, and that's not fun for others to hear, so the privacy of headphones became my workflow.
Before commtiting a song to release, I burn a cd and we'll listen to it on the big stereo, and see what might need fixing...repeat process.

I tend to record at lower levels, because the more tracks I add the more the stereo buss starts getting closer to going over 0. Because I like to add a touch of Mastering on the final mix, stereo buss it helps to give room for the boost in level that often happens.
Most of the time I take the mix track and save it, then open a new project with the stereo track, still at 44/24 and apply the Mastering software on that.

I've really been happy with Ik Multimedia's Mastering Suite. Sweetwater had it on half price several years ago, and I jumped on it.
Lots of options with compressors, eq, limiters, etc. Mix and match, however you want. Presets to start, and then create your own flavor.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...software-suite

Thanks again for your interest and comments Clivey.