She Moved Through the Fair

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim Lad
  • Start date Start date
Ah, Jim Lad.
I'll not offer you pieces of eight!
A lovely piece nevertheless.
In the 1st few lines I noticed a little extra sound around your voice - not sure if it was pumping compression, a tiny bit of reveb or something that recorded in with your voice. It appears to disappear a moment after you voice stopped - did you zero faders after each phrase? I'm wearing head phones so the sound was more apparent taht through speakers I'm sure.
I LOVE the drone - what did you use?
There were a couple of spots in the melody from the flute/recorder/whistle where it seseemed to max out - wolf tones from wind instruments?
Regardless of the nits, (& I only offer them because the piece is soo good I figure a little tweaking will make it PERFECT!), this is a lovely piece dripping in regret and melancholy but NOT sentimentality.
 
Ray: Long time no C.
I just came upstairs from listening with headphones for the first time and noticed some of the same things.
A punch mark of sorts. Some weird hiss that stops abruptly.
Brenda didn't like my opening line and I had to change it.

I noticed a little extra sound around your voice

That comes a bit later. I remember fumbling with my headset at one point and reminding myself to look out for that. I'll bet that's it.
Thanks. I'll fix that in the morning.

I used 2 notes in Accordion 2, (Mixcraft's virtual instruments) for the drones.
Seems to work if I keep them down.
I've stretched the drones out to 30 minutes and transposed them into every key (in .wave form) so I'll never have to do it again.
Also, going to fade the drones out differently. Panning them off to the right like that is too corny.

wolf tones from wind instruments?
On fade out, I'm doing a progressive increase in Reverb Length & wetness decreasing the Pan% and volume. I'll back off on that a little.
 
Unfortunately I had to listen quietly so I couldn't catch all the nuances

....but wow. Amazing song.
 
Very very nice. Though I'd bring the vocals down or the drone up - I know the instrumentation is supposed to be subtle but I think you could get away with bumping it ever so slightly without it sounding like Liam O'Flynn :) I agree the samples sound great though, very authentic.
 
May be an "old song" but it's new to me. Very haunting and beautiful. After the "accapella" singing, the subtle introduction of the "bagpipe" sound and the following flute solo is wonderfully effective. In its entirety the arrangement of the song gives one the feeling of a long journey (in a relatively short time.) Really great stuff, very inspired IMHO.
 
Thanks for the feedback.
I'm de-noising it right now but if that doesn't work, the drones can easily come up and drown the noise floor.
I really should use my headphones more.

Just a quick explanation of the lyrics.
The song is about "Consumption". (Tuberculosis)
In the first verse "She laid her hand on me" signifies the passing of the disease to her young lover.
In the closing verse, her spirit returns to tell him that they would be together soon.
Just a little insight into what I'm trying accomplish with the drones and flute, coming and going when they do.
 
Jim lovely song. I agree the drone could come up just a bit, so it's easily identified as a drone and not background noise. I love the brogue in your voice. My ancestors came to the U.S. from Scottland, the McQuiston family in the late 1800's, and I've always wanted to visit there some day. This song is just what I imagine I might hear as I walk in to one of your pubs.
 
Thanks. It's Irish, by the way but you will here it in the West of Scotland.
I'll either sing it again or bring the drones up.
 
Thanks. It's Irish, by the way but you will here it in the West of Scotland.
I'll either sing it again or bring the drones up.

It always struck me as having Eastern undertones...possibly due to the drones.
 
Listen to some Middle Eastern music some time.
There are similarities.
 
I've changed it up.
The drones come in for 5 seconds and play right through the song.
Seems to work for me and unless any of you think it sucks, I'm happy with it.
Thanks for all of your help.
A very worthwhile exercise. :)
 
Great work. Served neat.

I think the sibilant range could be bumped 3bd...I had trouble making the lyric in some places.

I'm not so much digging the samples. I think some real pipes in the drone...a little organic variation of air pressure on the bag...swell and wane...would be really nice. And a real flute... :^) The vibrato is regular, and it got no air and pitch approach and decline. A bit stiff and un-emotional.

And a little more ambience reminiscent of valley walls , wouldn't suck a lot.

I love this stuff. I'm an Iberian Irish Kelt cousin. Stirs me, too.

Early in the vocal, there's one spot where a high, sustained note goes a little sharp beyond comfort.

Other than that, all good to my ears and for my soul.
 
Thanks. It's Irish, by the way but you will here it in the West of Scotland.
I'll either sing it again or bring the drones up.
So you're a Scot with an Irish brogue living in Canada. Now I'm really confused.
 
I moved but I don't have an Irish Brogue, which incidentally refers to the Dublin accent.
I did spend four years in Australia when I was younger though.
 
Hmm, the Irish & Scottish accents are cruelly twisted in Oz - it's all that effort we put into not moving our top lip.
I like the changes.
 
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