Dream A Little Dream

boydrj

boydrj

New member
Hello everyone,

I have a new one that I just finished (I think) ... any feedback would be appreciated because I'm sure I need to work on it some more ...

The song is called "Dream" -- recorded on analog (Tascam 488) and mixed to DAT


http://www.nowhereradio.com/theinside/singles

For anyone that cares to listen, I appreciate it!

Take care! :)
 
i like the intro alot......nice sounds over all....
harmonies are off a bit....at the begining....
....drums sound great tho.
the way the guitar follows the melody is a nice touch..!!
i like it......clean up the vox a bit and lemmee hear it again..


thanks
jamal
 
there are some weird arrangers around these parts...(in a good way, that is).

Nice music.. ....the singing....eh?.... like Jamal said... yank those puppies in tune, and you'll be ok.

Some really weird music ....(in a good way, that is).....
 
Hey man, I'm like batting 0% on my reviews this evening, so be warned. :D

It's an interesting tune, I dig it. The intro didn't do much for me, but see above disclaimer. I agree about the vocals being off in a few places...

I'm not sure how you're recording drums, either via midi or straight from the machine (if you're using a real kit, see above disclaimer) but in a couple of places it sounds as if you should do some quantizing - feels like a couple of fills and kick drum notes are a hair off. A good sounding mix overall though.
 
i liked the intro a lot......very unique.........if i were you i would either ditch the doubling of vocals or tighten it up.......one or the other.....i think it would be better w/ just one vocal track for the verses....maybe just use the doubling more sparingly.....i don't know...........great music.......this one's going to turn out pretty solid
 
very interesting... nice xylophone type sounds in the intro... I like the atonality that happens in there... creates an uneasy, evil circus feel :)

Seems like the opening verse could be about 10-15 bpm faster... I like the textures; drums could be a bit more adventurous, but they're not bad that way. Bass sounds good. That little xylo/piano trill now and again is very catchy...

imhop, if this song were just FASTER, it would improve the catchiness; maybe you could double the vox one octave HIGHER during the choruses. You're getting a kind of lazy, Peter Gabriel-like vocal tone.

A tighter performance, done faster, with more creative drum fills would really pull this up. Good tune as it is, tho.


Chad
 
Thanks!

Wow, I didn't realize the intro would get as much response as it has. It is actually a segue from another song that I am working on to place before this one...

Thanks for all of your feedback!

Jamal -- Thanks man! I'm glad you liked the drums. I just play the pads, but I was going for kind of a big sound. I will work some more on the vocals though. I am always glad that this forum helps to point out what needs work because after you have worked on something for so long, you start to get lax and just say "sounds fine to me" ... thanks for keeping me on my toes!

Mix -- Thanks for the listen! I am going to tighten up those vocals! I totally dig strange arranging just to keep things kind of different. Thanks again!

Jitteringjim -- Thanks! I just played the pads for the drumming so it may be off in a few places. Thanks for taking a listen!

Powderfinger -- Thanks! I'm going to work some more on the vocals. I am too into the doubling technique for my own good. I'm going to work on getting it tighter (this is always my biggest challenge) ... Thanks for giving it a listen!

Participant -- Can always rely on you for great advice! :) I actually thought about speeding this up a bit, but kind of liked the "dreamy" feel to it. It is a bit long for my taste but that is just the way it came out. I would love to get the drums just a bit more creative, but I have a tough time with the methods that I use...would love to someday record on a real kit! Thanks for your listen! :)
 
cool song.. I liked the drums for the most part..

my biggest critique would be the doubling of the vocals.. I think maybe one vocal with some chorus or something might work better.. I like the laid back feel of the tune though.. mess around some more with the vocals and this will be a lot better.. As you know I have vocal problems of my own I can't solve, so take it for what it's worth.. I like it.. :)
 
Well, excluding preference stuff (and the drums which you can't change)... the improvement issue now is vocal levels during the choruses. Carefully listen to your song by sections... loop the sections over and over if you have to, to find words that aren't heard clearly. Since it's analog, it will be HELL without automation to boost levels on the lower level vocs. Maybe an outboard compressor could help even out the levels?

The slightly quicker pace works, too... but Sam may have a point about the laid-back style... that's a preference, I guess...... harmonies would heighten the emotion

Without re-doing drums, or vocals for better pitch control and intonation, it's close.


Chad
 
Thanks Chad

Participant -- I hear you about the vocal levels. For me I need to do this by hand as I go, so it is a bit tough, but not undo-able ---

Thanks again for taking the time!

And for anyone else who has listened, I thank you!

Peace out!

:)
 
ahhhhh.... that was pretty damn cool. nice touch with the xylophone. I also dug the guitar tones. The backing tracks were just kick ass. But the vocals need to come up a lot more.
 
Really cool song Rob,I dig the chord progression!

Nice melody,has a very flowing feel to it.
I like your voice,fit's this song perfectly.

Iv'e been looping it for a while,the more I listen to it,the more I like it.
Has that hopeful,magical feel some of the sixties stuff had.
They don't write them like this anymore,and that's ashame!

Very,very nice writing and production.
I really enjoyed this,thanks.

Pete
 
Thanks!

JR -- Thanks so much! I just realized that when I remixed this I left one of the vocal tracks off -- damn! I guess I was mixing for too long and just lost track ... a stupid mistake :confused: And then, to boot, my DAT decides that it is time to peter out, so into the shop it goes :( I have to wait a few weeks before I can get it out and remix (again)...that should fix the vocal problem...Thanks again!

Muze -- Thanks man! I enjoy writing them this way. Man, you really liked the vocals? Thanks man! I just feel like such a bad singer, but I never have anyone else around to help me with it! :) Did you get my pm about your song? I have downloaded it (and it sounds so much better) ... Catch you on the flip!

Thanks again! :)
 
I'm impressed! That's a real nice sound for a cassette recorder!
Especially the bass and drums which can be a bear to get a big sound without over saturating the tape.


Twist
 
Wooo! Excellent tune! It has a kind of old Genesis (ala Peter Gabriel) vibe to it. Yea, the vocal is out a bit but the more I listen to it the more it seems to go with it. Two thumbs upand a snap.:cool:
 
Re: Thanks

boydrj said:
Based upon the feedback here, I have remixed the song, sped it up and only doubled certain parts of the vocals.
Click to expand...



It does sound a lot better, but I'm not sure if I liked it better slower.. I have found that this place is great for mix feedback etc., but you have to be careful not to change your original vision based upon 'other peoples tastes'.. Like an out of tune vocal or bad mix is universal, but the tempo shouldn't be changed because someone thought it might sound better.. unless you were unhappy with the original tempo..

anyway, just bliverin'.. :D


I like this tune, and it sounds much better overall than the original.. I give ya a thumb! :D
 
Hey Boydrj,
Ive only heard the latest version so i cant comment on the previous one. Nice song man. The begining gave me a bit of a Cure vibe. I dont know what youre recording on, but if youre capable of punching in easily, try trackin vocals line by line sometime. This will allow you to kind of catch track level problems as well as slips in key easily.... and fix em/redo em as you track (making the mix easier for you.....and thats always a good thing:) ). ...and I'll echo what Sam said regarding interpretation. Every person in here has a slightly different way of how they "hear" the song. My opinion is just that. Yours, is the one that matters. Nice song man. Great work!



g
 
Thanks Again!

Twist -- Thanks! I use an old Tascam 488 8-track which has been my pride and joy since 1995. I love that thing (and I'm surprised it hasn't given out on me yet)...Someday I'll need to go digital, but I'm fighting it all the way! lol :) Thanks again!

Track Rat -- Thanks for lending your ears to this one. I need to remix the thing but I have to wait for my DAT machine to come out of the shop ... I really like Peter Gabriel's stuff as well! :)

Sab -- Thanks for taking a second stab! I'm glad it has improved. I hear you about artist integrity and all that, and I actually was going to keep this slow, but I liked it better after speeding it up. Usually I just go with my gut, but this one sounded like it moved a little nicer so I kept the faster version. Thanks again!

Guernica -- Thanks for your listen! The vocal track got a little bit messed up because when I mixed it I left a track turned off accidently, and then didn't realize until later (fried ears, man!) ... So I will take another stab when my DAT is working again.

Thanks again everyone! Your feedback has helped me tremendously!

:)
 
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