"A Song for Holly" Critique

  • Thread starter Thread starter K-dub
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K-dub

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Hi folks - This is a new work under development ... I think I have the mix fairly close ... I'm wondering about whether or not to put some 10cc (a la "I'm not in love") style lush ahhs in behind ...

The link is on my Work In Progress page on my site:

Kev's Work In Progress Page

Just click on "A Song for Holly" and the tune will stream.

Any and all comment about anything that strikes you is warmly appreciated.

Best,

Kev
 
I must apologize.

Has anyone had this happen?

I posted up a version of this mix; but in that version of it, I initially noticed that the snare track (which included a stick hit) was accidently deleted beginning in the last verse ... although I've not a clue when that occured in the DAW.

Okay, that's bad enough ... but ...

Then I add the stick part back ... and because I work in Sonar, where you can do track folders and minimize everything, I then subsequently fail to notice that my l/r toms tracks were also nixxed ... presumably at the same time.

Believe it or not ... because of the bleed into the surrounding tracks, I simply don't realize that all this deletion has occurred ... until I go to make adjustments to the toms ... and I note while observing the aux buss, that there's no reading on the meters.

"That's weird." I say to myself, "Why aren't the two tom tracks feeding this aux buss?"

My first thought is that Sonar 5 isn't working right (being a new program issue) and that something in the transfer from Sonar 4 to 5 has triggered a problem. I simply have not a clue why I don't immediately just blame myself first when these things happen ...

...so I go to the track channel, and I raise and lower it, and I turn it off and on, and I wait for some response out of the aux buss ... but nothing comes. Eventually it occurs to my feeble brain that I'm not noticing any clips for the toms are appearing in the tracks themselves ...

DOH!!!!

Yes, I am just ignorant. I can't believe it.

Please don't go to the above link and listen to the oddity I posted. I'm not going to do anything about it tonight. It's my birthday, and I'm just going to ignore it.

I have already launched on a better, newer mix, but it will all have to wait ... (not that it sounds terrible as is ... I'm not overly deaf, only somewhat compromised).

Yet, in the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon!!!"

Kev.
 
Mix has been fixed ... above link is still good to connect. Thanks for the patience!!

Best,

Kev.
 
I got a note to the effect that "there might be more comment activity with a direct link" -- versus having to link to another page first.

So for those who prefer to click only once, here is a direct link to the song:

A Song for Holly

Hope this helps ... now the song can be heard via either route.

Best (and thanks!),

Kev.
 
I really like the drums on this... it's nice to hear real drums on it. Beautiful vocal tone each time it gets to "Holly Linda". Piano part has a good rhythmic feel to it but its tone doesn't quite fit the realism of the other parts, to my ear. The instrumental interludes are very well done. Good arranging there.

EDIT: Oops. Took out the "Welcome to the forum" bit ...had thought this was your first post here for some reason. :)

Tim
 
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Hi Tim - Thanks! Your insight is dead on ... and you hit upon the sticky wicket of this work.

I've been struggling with the tone of the piano (this is version #3) ... and I vacillate between whether to go with brighter or darker tones for it. As is, I selected a slightly darker, woody tone for it ... but it still slightly sticks out as "different" -- and as such, doesn't blend in as being "real" quite the way I want it to ... and I can't identify exactly why not ... for in other works, the tone fits quite well. Here, it's not as good.

Which is why these types of forums are essential for ideas and feedback ... if anyone knows of a good sample for piano for this, I'm wide open for suggestions.

Thanks for your help!!!

Kev.
 
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