"When Your Heart" - adult contemporary

Very nice tune. I totally agree with Armistice RE: harmonies in the chorus. They could really help to bring out the vocals in those parts. Not that it doesn't sound good as it is, just feels like it should have a little more in there to help raise it up a level.

I love the bass tone you've got here but you could probably bring it down a gnats hair or two.

Top tune. Thanks for sharing :thumbs up:
 
Having taken many of the comments from my respected peers in this thread, and some of our own considerations and creative interests into account, here is the final version of the song.

-Overdrive rhythm guitars came down in the chorus, and the voice came up
-Simple harmonies added to specific words/phrases in chorus sections
-Some lead guitar trading off in the final, final chorus to take it home (we may tweak the level of these for a couple days)

After 6 months of recording, mixing, and mastering, the full length LP will be heading off to production for an early 2015 release. Thanks everyone for your feedback, making this great track even better!

EDIT: I'm painfully aware that there's one harmony note in the last chorus "When your heart..." that's the wrong note. It will be fixed, no worries.

EDIT2: Removed attachment. Will report back after we settle all this. See below post. Sorry guys!
 
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We've come to the conclusion that we don't like the lead guitars in the very end. We like the guitars doing their thing, but they get in the way of the great bass run, and the ear is getting pulled in too many different directions. So we're either going to get rid of those guitars or try something else. This song will be the death of me.
 
Listening to the second one you posted. It's well-played. I think the flanking guitars are a bit overbearing, though. I'd toy with turning them down and/or putting more space on them to push them back a tad.

'Way' at 2.26 could use a small nudge upwards, I think.

Nice work.
 
So here's where we're at. Chorus harmonies help the song tremendously. We're trying a subtle rock piano in the very final chorus to bring it home, but debating it.
 

Attachments

  • 02 - Escher's Enigma - WYH end piano.mp3
    7.6 MB · Views: 7
It's nice work all around. Mix is good, all the technical stuff is just fine. What sticks out in a major way is the arrangement in the verses. Or lack thereof. :) It's not working.

Rather than licks in between the chorus lines at the end, I might try a dirty organ, electric piano, synth, etc.
Click to expand...

To me, this is an absolute must throughout, but especially in the verses. I think you're on the right track: you don't need licks, you don't need much. You just need some small flashes of color here and there to break up the vocal-guitar chords-vocal-guitar chords. Subtle, strategically placed glimpses of color, could be 2-3 notes at the right time. As is, the arrangement comes off more as "singer-songwriter" than "adult contemporary". A handful of spots, tops, would add more than you might imagine.

Congratulations on your nice work, good luck with it.
 
Singing about a one-night stand? A little smutty for adult contemporary! When are those adults going to stop acting like teenagers? :)

Overall it sounds good. Wistful lyrics to a happy little tune. I'm not crazy about the one guitar tone (the one that first appears at :17), but I guess this isn't the type of song where you go for the "brown sound".
 
dobro said:
Please be my producer. :)
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I'd be honored.

NotThatBright said:
Overall it sounds good. Wistful lyrics to a happy little tune. I'm not crazy about the one guitar tone (the one that first appears at :17), but I guess this isn't the type of song where you go for the "brown sound".
Click to expand...

Yeah man, if you want the brown sound, my group's second EP "Piece of Mind" is where it's at. 80s throwback, heavily Van Halen and Extreme inspired all the way.
 
Brian Miller said:
So here's where we're at. Chorus harmonies help the song tremendously. We're trying a subtle rock piano in the very final chorus to bring it home, but debating it.
Click to expand...

It sounds great. The bass sounds a bit big to my ears, though. 'Way' still needs to be nudged up a taste. I'm talking intonation, not volume. Ditto the last sung note of the vocal. Just a wee bit.
 
And now starts the "What if" loop..... Nice new mix, but now there's a 'hole' after the intro and in the verses..... Maybe keep some of the acoustics going?.... watch the level of the 'chug chug'. stresses.
 
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