Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

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irthlingz
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Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by irthlingz » Fri Sep 03, 2021 11:50 am

What's wrong with it? How can we improve it? Thanks!

*********************
>A Good Combine<
*********************
===
Michael & Sharon
===

CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY SONGS with Male or Female Vocals are needed for a TAXI COMPILATION going directly to a whole bunch of our favorite Music Licensing Companies, Music Supervisors, Ad Agencies, and Independent Film Makers!

We're looking for Songs in All Tempos in the general ballpark of (but not limited to) the following references:

"Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVFA5iBqMes

"If I Didn't Love You" by Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mit0hwcSG0

"Forever After All" by Luke Combs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmbLCMGtEQc

"Glad You Exist" by Dan + Shay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej8HPjxxIwo

"Settling Down" by Miranda Lambert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8NDN7k4U2E

Please submit well-crafted Country Songs with engaging rhythms, compelling melodies, and instantly memorable choruses. Your instrumentation can vary from more traditional Country instrumentation to more Pop-influenced arrangements and anywhere in between. Whichever approach you decide to take, your submissions should be rooted firmly in the Country genre and have polished production. Please don't submit demos for this. We need finished songs. If you plan on using any virtual instruments, they should be high-quality and modern. Captivating, well-performed vocals with a healthy dose of Country charm could be the cherry on top!

Our A&R team will have a simple mandate: Is it GREAT? Does it sound ready to go as it is? Would it work well for placements in Film, TV, and Advertising? Would TAXI's clients be happy to hear this on the playlist we send them? The bar will be very high for this request.

Note: TAXI has been quite successful in helping our members sign deals via the playlists on previous compilations. Our industry clients like the proactive approach :-) This playlist will be sent to dozens of TAXI's best clients!

Universal lyrics that avoid specific names, places, dates, times, brands, and profanity could increase the chances of your Songs getting signed and ultimately landing placements, but they're not absolutely required. Do NOT copy the referenced examples in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

Because the selected Songs will be going directly to many different Music Licensing Companies, deal terms may vary. However, since some of the Companies are EXCLUSIVE Libraries, we ask that the Songs you pitch for this request are NOT already signed with other Companies or Catalogs. That includes any publishing or publishing administration deals with online distributors like CDBaby, TuneCore, etc. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit. Please submit as many Songs as you’d like, online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Saturday, September 4th, 2021. TAXI # S210904CS

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by DouglasKnight » Fri Sep 03, 2021 3:15 pm

irthlingz wrote:
Fri Sep 03, 2021 11:50 am
What's wrong with it? How can we improve it? Thanks!

*********************
>A Good Combine<
*********************
===
Michael & Sharon
===

CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY SONGS with Male or Female Vocals are needed for a TAXI COMPILATION going directly to a whole bunch of our favorite Music Licensing Companies, Music Supervisors, Ad Agencies, and Independent Film Makers!

We're looking for Songs in All Tempos in the general ballpark of (but not limited to) the following references:

"Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVFA5iBqMes

"If I Didn't Love You" by Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mit0hwcSG0

"Forever After All" by Luke Combs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmbLCMGtEQc

"Glad You Exist" by Dan + Shay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej8HPjxxIwo

"Settling Down" by Miranda Lambert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8NDN7k4U2E

Please submit well-crafted Country Songs with engaging rhythms, compelling melodies, and instantly memorable choruses. Your instrumentation can vary from more traditional Country instrumentation to more Pop-influenced arrangements and anywhere in between. Whichever approach you decide to take, your submissions should be rooted firmly in the Country genre and have polished production. Please don't submit demos for this. We need finished songs. If you plan on using any virtual instruments, they should be high-quality and modern. Captivating, well-performed vocals with a healthy dose of Country charm could be the cherry on top!

Our A&R team will have a simple mandate: Is it GREAT? Does it sound ready to go as it is? Would it work well for placements in Film, TV, and Advertising? Would TAXI's clients be happy to hear this on the playlist we send them? The bar will be very high for this request.

Note: TAXI has been quite successful in helping our members sign deals via the playlists on previous compilations. Our industry clients like the proactive approach :-) This playlist will be sent to dozens of TAXI's best clients!

Universal lyrics that avoid specific names, places, dates, times, brands, and profanity could increase the chances of your Songs getting signed and ultimately landing placements, but they're not absolutely required. Do NOT copy the referenced examples in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

Because the selected Songs will be going directly to many different Music Licensing Companies, deal terms may vary. However, since some of the Companies are EXCLUSIVE Libraries, we ask that the Songs you pitch for this request are NOT already signed with other Companies or Catalogs. That includes any publishing or publishing administration deals with online distributors like CDBaby, TuneCore, etc. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit. Please submit as many Songs as you’d like, online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Saturday, September 4th, 2021. TAXI # S210904CS
Hey guys! I'm hearing a few issues with this tune. The music track sounds pretty good, but when the vocal enters the volume on the bedtrack is affected, as if you have a "ducker" on the stereo buss? The vocal performance is in the "rough demo" stage, not ready for pro use, but other than that, the song itself could use some editing to make it fit the expected song structure. Also, is a combine really worthy of a song? Is there something a bit more exciting that could be featured in terms of subject matter? Keep working and re-working -- it just doesn't sound "ready to go as it is."

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by irthlingz » Fri Sep 03, 2021 4:55 pm

DouglasKnight wrote:
Fri Sep 03, 2021 3:15 pm
Hey guys! I'm hearing a few issues with this tune. The music track sounds pretty good, but when the vocal enters the volume on the bedtrack is affected, as if you have a "ducker" on the stereo buss?
Yeah, we do. Do you think that's totally a bad idea, or did we just push it too far?

Your other comments are much appreciated, Douglas -- will continue working!

Michael & Sharon

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by DouglasKnight » Sat Sep 04, 2021 5:33 am

Do you think that's totally a bad idea, or did we just push it too far?




Yes, light compression can work on the stereo mix buss, but it shouldn't really be detectable. Ducking is only used for certain voiceover applications where you want the music to get softer when the speaking comes in.

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by irthlingz » Sat Sep 04, 2021 9:20 am

DouglasKnight wrote:
Sat Sep 04, 2021 5:33 am
Yes, light compression can work on the stereo mix buss, but it shouldn't really be detectable. Ducking is only used for certain voiceover applications where you want the music to get softer when the speaking comes in.
Thanks, Douglas!

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by feaker66 » Sat Sep 04, 2021 9:42 am

Hi The track has a real upbeat vibe. The singer is sing VERY flat. Kills everything.
Thankfully, while growing old is compulsory, growing up remains optional!

https://soundcloud.com/feaker66

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... dID=883613

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by irthlingz » Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:49 am

feaker66 wrote:
Sat Sep 04, 2021 9:42 am
Hi The track has a real upbeat vibe. The singer is sing VERY flat. Kills everything.
Thanks for the listen, the encouragement and the feedback. Really appreciate it!

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by funsongs » Sat Sep 04, 2021 12:49 pm

For what it's worth/just an Old Guy's ears' opinion - basic ideas for mix volumes:
1) set the level of your drums so that the snare is close to matching the level of the lead vocal;
2) then lock the kick & bass volume - so they sound like one.

If you're not gonna hire a proper Country demo singer, are you reluctant to use a pitch-correction device?

I think the track does fit in the New Country/Southern Rock genre.
The uptempo vibe seems to be working well.

Good luck refining up to the bar, and "broadcast quality".
HTH, Cheers.
Peter Rahill - aka "funsongs"
NOW, back on YouTube (2022)
https://www.youtube.com/@peterrahill9263/featured
https://soundcloud.com/funsongs-1
https://peterrahill.bandcamp.com/

“The future aint what it use to be.” - Yogi Berra

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by feaker66 » Sat Sep 04, 2021 1:56 pm

irthlingz wrote:
Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:49 am
feaker66 wrote:
Sat Sep 04, 2021 9:42 am
Hi The track has a real upbeat vibe. The singer is sing VERY flat. Kills everything.
Thanks for the listen, the encouragement and the feedback. Really appreciate it!

Do you want the truth or do you want fluff. I guess you can be successful putting songs together without noticing vocal pitch problems. Les face it, everything else is automatically in tune. That vocal was not that far off where melodyne could make it shine. If it is within a note and can be repaired. Not with the snap future. I said what i said because, with a vocal tuning, the track would sound 500% better. I won't comment on your posts anymore.
Thankfully, while growing old is compulsory, growing up remains optional!

https://soundcloud.com/feaker66

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default ... dID=883613

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Re: Ears please! "A Good Combine" (Contemporary Country)

Post by irthlingz » Sat Sep 04, 2021 4:43 pm

feaker66 wrote:
Sat Sep 04, 2021 1:56 pm
irthlingz wrote:
Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:49 am
feaker66 wrote:
Sat Sep 04, 2021 9:42 am
Hi The track has a real upbeat vibe. The singer is sing VERY flat. Kills everything.
Thanks for the listen, the encouragement and the feedback. Really appreciate it!

Do you want the truth or do you want fluff. I guess you can be successful putting songs together without noticing vocal pitch problems. Les face it, everything else is automatically in tune. That vocal was not that far off where melodyne could make it shine. If it is within a note and can be repaired. Not with the snap future. I said what i said because, with a vocal tuning, the track would sound 500% better. I won't comment on your posts anymore.
Hi feaker66! We have absolutely no complaint about what you said! Your feedback is very helpful! Did we say something that put you off? We did not intend to!!! We want the truth and we appreciate it greatly!!!!!!!!!

===
Michael & Sharon

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