(Synthpop/modernized funeral song) Märk Hur Vår Skugga

[jappe]

Hi all!

Third piece in my Retro Rhyme project, where I use old lyrics and poems from different countries and present them in a synthpop/80's vibe context.

This time I've used the lyrics from a well known Swedish funeral song by Carl Michael Bellman (1740-1795): Fredmans Epistel N:o 81 - Bellman, a k a "Märk hur din skugga".
My son sings the first verse.

I'm pretty sure this mix has plenty flaws, so all feedback welcome.



Some important things used:

Selig Leveler
4Dyne multiband compressor
Bitleys 80's sound libraries
RE 200 Bass Enhancer
RED 70 Synthesizer
Antidote
Viking Synthesizer
The Animus shimmer verb
Steerpike BBD Delay Ensemble
Emastered.com
--------------------

My workflow was roughly:

1. Turn on the metronome and experiment with chord sequences, make a few segments
2. Make some segments of basic drums that fits
3. Vocals
4. Loop 1-3 a lot
5. Tweaking/replacing sounds
6. Go through each track in solo to look for flaws
7. Listen to groups of tracks to see if tracks are competing with each other
9. And now an iterative process identifying the weakest part, and adjusting it. For example if something could be added to some part to make it more interesting.
10. Listening on different devices

...and most of the above in a loop when needed

This time I tried to fix things Beethoven style - almost deaf on my clogged left ear.

[mimidancer]

cool vibe, I speak several languages but Swedish is not one. Still very enjoyable.

[jappe]

cool vibe, I speak several languages but Swedish is not one. Still very enjoyable.

Thank you!
I think next time I'll try something in a language I don't understand at all.

[WolfZeit]

Thats the most uplifting funeral song I've heard! I really like the way the vocal weaves about in the melody. And the delays/reverbs on the vocal throughout the track are excellent. I listened to it first on headphones and thought the vocal could be lifted a tiny bit in the mix - but then I turned on my speakers and the vocal sounded just right. You're lucky to have a willing, talented vocalist at hand!

The 80s sounds are perfectly judged, while still sounding fresh. A lovely production. I enjoyed that a lot.

[tomusurp]

The quality is really good in terms of the mixing and sound selection. Can't say this is my vibe, but I will say the vocals are very good especially after the 1 minute mark, I'm guessing this is you singing. Overall interesting listen, chill vibe and dance-friendly. I'd imagine if we collabed, me on a synthwave 80-90's beat and you on the vocals we could make a hit

[guitfnky]

very nice! wasn't sure what to expect from a synth-pop funeral song, but it was a very fun listen. keep up the good work!

[raymondh]

Very cool. I concur with the other posters, it sounds uplifting and captures the 80s synthpop vibe really well.

[jappe]

@wolfZeit:
Thank you for the kind words! I'd like to explore some alternative mixes for this with regard to the vocal tracks, when my hearing get back to normal.

@tomusurp:
Thanks! The thing with my vocals is that I'm unfortunately not a well trained singer. I'm trying to compensate by limiting range and melody lines that works better - the simpler the better. There's some strange ruleset for which transitions work and which don't for my vocal chords. And cherry picking from plenty takes + post processing.
I could give it a go if you have some suitable Syntwave snippet.

@guitfunky:
Thank you for listening! Juxtaposing major key with a funeral theme was fun to do. Maybe I'll try the saddest melody for a wedding song next time.

@raymondh:
Many thanks!

[tomusurp]

@wolfZeit:
Thank you for the kind words! I'd like to explore some alternative mixes for this with regard to the vocal tracks, when my hearing get back to normal.

@tomusurp:
Thanks! The thing with my vocals is that I'm unfortunately not a well trained singer. I'm trying to compensate by limiting range and melody lines that works better - the simpler the better. There's some strange ruleset for which transitions work and which don't for my vocal chords. And cherry picking from plenty takes + post processing.
I could give it a go if you have some suitable Syntwave snippet.

@guitfunky:
Thank you for listening! Juxtaposing major key with a funeral theme was fun to do. Maybe I'll try the saddest melody for a wedding song next time.

@raymondh:
Many thanks!

For sure I can whip up some synthwave style for you soon and I can release it on the streaming platforms if you're down, I'll PM you in about a week when the beat is ready