Being There's Enough - Folk/Pop

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JNeffLind
Posts: 976
Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: So. Illinois, USA
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17 Apr 2015

So once again, I didn't do any EQing and my mix is ballpark at best but hopefully the writing and arrangement carry the song. I took a few chances with the production so if something irks you, don't be shy (but try not to be mean.)

(And if you didn't know "Orbison" refers to Roy Orbison who sang "Only the Lonely" and "Crying" among others.) 



BEING THERE'S ENOUGH
I first got my heart broke at ten years young./ The girl I loved denied my kiss in front of everyone./ when my daddy saw me, all he had to say./ Was let’s put on some Orbison and let the music play.
At seventeen our family dog, met her peaceful end./ I’d loved her since a puppy. She was my truest friend./ My daddy helped me bury her beneath a magnolia tree./ Then he said let’s sleep outside tonight, we got some stars to see.
CHORUS: Often times the right words ain't easy to find./ But words ain't always needed to ease a man's mind./ My daddy never said much when times got tough./ But sometimes being there’s enough.
My daddy got sick after my mama passed away./ Wrapped in sheets of white, his skin going gray./ And I searched in vain for words while sitting next to his bed./ And that old man read me like a book and this is what he said.  
CHORUS:

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Benedict
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17 Apr 2015

I don't get that there are no takes on this. This is a lovely song.

With this and the Red, White & Blue song you have something amazing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise (even by their silence).

Sure someone will point out how there are rough edges in the mix but that isn't the point.

:)
Benedict Roff-Marsh
Completely burned and gone

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eusti
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17 Apr 2015

I agree with Benedict! You are on a roll here! Second one in a row that is really strong now!

Again, just me: I hear at times some chorusy / Cher-like autotune thing going on in your voice that I feel takes away from your real and raw performance. I know you have issues with your voice healing up... So, only you can decide if a little less of that effect would work as well...

Anyways: Sorry, I had missed this! Strong track! Again! :)

D.

PS: Regarding the production: I think a little less wildness in the pan department would help.

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selig
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17 Apr 2015

JNeffLind wrote:So once again, I didn't do any EQing and my mix is ballpark at best but hopefully the writing and arrangement carry the song. I took a few chances with the production so if something irks you, don't be shy (but try not to be mean.)

(And if you didn't know "Orbison" refers to Roy Orbison who sang "Only the Lonely" and "Crying" among others.) 



BEING THERE'S ENOUGH
I first got my heart broke at ten years young./ The girl I loved denied my kiss in front of everyone./ when my daddy saw me, all he had to say./ Was let’s put on some Orbison and let the music play.
At seventeen our family dog, met her peaceful end./ I’d loved her since a puppy. She was my truest friend./ My daddy helped me bury her beneath a magnolia tree./ Then he said let’s sleep outside tonight, we got some stars to see.
CHORUS: Often times the right words ain't easy to find./ But words ain't always needed to ease a man's mind./ My daddy never said much when times got tough./ But sometimes being there’s enough.
My daddy got sick after my mama passed away./ Wrapped in sheets of white, his skin going gray./ And I searched in vain for words while sitting next to his bed./ And that old man read me like a book and this is what he said.  
CHORUS:
Wow, I don't think I've ever heard your voice before, but it's a lovely and unique (in the best possible way) voice that's a pleasure to listen to. Love the song as well, very nice lyrics. Nothing negative to say that's not just personal opinion - keep it up!
:)
Selig Audio, LLC

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JNeffLind
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Location: So. Illinois, USA
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18 Apr 2015

Benedict wrote:I don't get that there are no takes on this. This is a lovely song.

With this and the Red, White & Blue song you have something amazing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise (even by their silence).

Sure someone will point out how there are rough edges in the mix but that isn't the point.

:)
Thanks so much for the enthusiastic support, as well as the feedback here and elsewhere. I really appreciate it. I'm going to try to continue putting something up every few days. I've written about 70 songs in the last six months (half on guitar, half on piano) and am starting to realize how nutty it is that I'm not sharing what I do. So we'll see how long I can stay focused and motivated on recording. (I much prefer writing.)

Hopefully the quality stays high and you keep tuning in.

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JNeffLind
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18 Apr 2015

eusti wrote:I agree with Benedict! You are on a roll here! Second one in a row that is really strong now!

Again, just me: I hear at times some chorusy / Cher-like autotune thing going on in your voice that I feel takes away from your real and raw performance. I know you have issues with your voice healing up... So, only you can decide if a little less of that effect would work as well...

Anyways: Sorry, I had missed this! Strong track! Again! :)

D.

PS: Regarding the production: I think a little less wildness in the pan department would help.
Thanks for the input man. I could maybe get away without the pitch correction but I come from a family that is absoutely crazy about pitch. Every single one of my aunts and uncles will yell "Sharp!" or "Flat!" from the next room if they hear you singing and get the tiniest bit off, or give you a hard time for sliding into notes, etc. Since these recordings are for them as much as anyone, I'm probably worrying about it too much, but perhaps if I keep getting such nice responses I'll build up the courage to give a completely unprocessed vocal performance. Also, I could once sing with pretty close to perfect pitch if I focused on it and I think I'm slowly getting back there. Not sure if I'll ever get back to "perfect" (not perfect, but close enough to keep my family from cringing), but I'm trying.

I got another response from a set of ears I trust that took issue with the massive amount of delay I had going on the guitar. I'm guessing that's what you're speaking to? (I didn't actually pan anything, just scrolled through pre-sets until I found something interesting and I believe I must have picked an Echo patch that had the ping-pong effect going). I'll probably let this track sit for a few weeks and come back with fresh ears, but I save all comments/critiques in a word document for reference. Thanks for listening and thanks for the support!

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JNeffLind
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18 Apr 2015

selig wrote:
Wow, I don't think I've ever heard your voice before, but it's a lovely and unique (in the best possible way) voice that's a pleasure to listen to. Love the song as well, very nice lyrics. Nothing negative to say that's not just personal opinion - keep it up!
:)
Thanks man. Very kind of you. I'm starting to get used to the idea that people might enjoy my singing voice. In the past I always compared myself to a couple family members who could belt, sing amazing runs, sing with absolutely precise and perfect pitch, etc. not to mention sing in the sort of sweet folky way that I do.  

I hope I don't come off as insecure, since I'm actually a pretty confident person, just expect a lot of myself I guess. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. Stay tuned. I've got a ton of material backlogged that I've resolved to get off my hard drive and into the ears of others. 

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JNeffLind
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18 Apr 2015

selig wrote: Nothing negative to say that's not just personal opinion - keep it up!
:)
By the way, all opinions are welcome. While I feel like I have a decent handle on arranging (not a master, but competent), my production and mixing skills are rudimentary at best and I need all the help I can get.  I pretty much feel like a kid at one of those ice cream places where you get to add your own toppings, and the kid ends up with a scoop of ice cream they can't even taste because it's piled high with gummi-bears, nuts, hot fudge, sprinkles, etc....

Ice cream is my game. I'm the Ice Cream Man. (Tom Waits anyone?) Sometimes I just can't resist all the extras...

And for what it's worth, feedback on arrangement or lyric/melody/chords are always welcome. I've yet to write the perfect song, but it is my ambition.

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Soft Enerji
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Location: East Lismore, NSW Australia

20 Apr 2015

Finally got to sit down and listen to this and I'm very much impressed. Another top vocal performance.........your phrasing is spot on.

So what if there is some roughness with the production........it doesn't matter. Your writing and arrangement get this over the line. The rest will come, I have no doubt of that.

Wonderful work!

Cheers

Mark

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JNeffLind
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22 Apr 2015

Soft Enerji wrote:Finally got to sit down and listen to this and I'm very much impressed. Another top vocal performance.........your phrasing is spot on.

So what if there is some roughness with the production........it doesn't matter. Your writing and arrangement get this over the line. The rest will come, I have no doubt of that.

Wonderful work!

Cheers

Mark
Thanks a lot man. The real question, is where I'll be able to find a new pair of headphones that will fit over my ever growing head.  (haha) Don't worry though. I just need to go into the kitchen and kill a couple cockroaches and it deflates back to manageable size. 

Yonatan
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Joined: 18 Jan 2015

26 Apr 2015

Very nice honest tune! I´m just listening on a crappy laptop, but it comes through really well as a more laid back singer songwriter folk song. 
The vocal performance is cutting through nicely still feeling natural. What is your method when recording and mixing your voice, to get that closeness and and presence? Any tricks besides having a great warm "Cat Stevens" type of voice?

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JNeffLind
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26 Apr 2015

Yonatan wrote:Very nice honest tune! I´m just listening on a crappy laptop, but it comes through really well as a more laid back singer songwriter folk song. 
The vocal performance is cutting through nicely still feeling natural. What is your method when recording and mixing your voice, to get that closeness and and presence? Any tricks besides having a great warm "Cat Stevens" type of voice?
Hey man. Thanks for the feedback and the support.

As for recording, it's actually a bit embarrassing how simple my set up is. I have a USB mic stacked on a bunch of milk crates (so that I can sing standing up). Room is completely untreated so there may be some natural reverb in the mix. Not sure if that has an effect. I get as close to the mic as I can (about six inches [15 centimeters] between my lips and the mic) then just do a lot of takes and use Reason's composite editing to stitch them together. This means a lot of breathing sounds that I have to edit out, but that's just a bit of work.

As for my vocal effects chain, I believe the Selig Leveler is doing a LOT for my recordings. Though I've been writing in one form or another my whole life, any kind of producing or recording is completely new to me and I can't tell the difference between most compressors or reverbs or whatever else, but the Leveler is so dramatic that even I can tell it's making a difference. So I set that (used a 28db curve on this one) and then add a little bit of reverb, probably 15% wet on the dry/wet knob, and on this track I used Chenille's deep space reverb, but I don't know if that's any better than the RV7000 or whatever else, especially since it's primary use is as a chorus device. Just happened to try it and liked it. Then it's a simple matter of parallel processing, with the Pulverizer on the "Vox Pumper" preset on one side.


TLDR: USB mic in untreated room with very close distance between mic and lips.

Then Parallel processing: One channel with Leveler + Verb. One with Leveler + Verb + Pulverizer "Vox Pumper" preset.

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submonsterz
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26 Apr 2015

pity you wasn't writing and producing back in say the 60`s to mid 70`s era this would had gone down a storm at that period.
this one I really liked A LOT
the red white and blue no that just made me switch off sorry to say.
but this definitely went down a treat . and I like the rough feel to it sounds more pure and authentic .
beautiful song and music :thumbup:

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JNeffLind
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Location: So. Illinois, USA
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27 Apr 2015

submonsterz wrote:pity you wasn't writing and producing back in say the 60`s to mid 70`s era this would had gone down a storm at that period.
this one I really liked A LOT
the red white and blue no that just made me switch off sorry to say.
but this definitely went down a treat . and I like the rough feel to it sounds more pure and authentic .
beautiful song and music :thumbup:
Thanks a lot man. I appreciate the kind words. Unfortunately, if I was born back then, I wouldn't have all the medication that keep me from going crazy and would probably be getting shock treatments. (kidding, sort of...) I understand about "Red, White, and Blue." It's the kind of song that could be seen as pandering or as cliched. I'm fine having some of my music connect with different people under different circumstances though. I'm just glad you found something you liked. Hopefully you enjoy whatever comes next.

Yonatan
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Joined: 18 Jan 2015

27 Apr 2015

Thanks for sharing your setup. Will have to try these patches you describe. yes, Leveler is great for this kind of job.  
The importance is that it sounds good, not how one go about it, just like in filming movies, you dont show the backstage work to the audience.

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