operatic rock :)

[sgs4u]

sheesh Aub, that's already fabulous! You work so fast! Did you do this one all by yourself? What instruments are you playing? Live drums too?My only possible note at this point is that - it's really complex, with maybe too many cool sections. But you sure nailed the spirit of the listing, IMO.steve

[davewalton]

Quote:Too tired to type much-- long day/night... first mix here:The MazeNo need to type many words... the music speaks for itself. I knew it was going to be good before I even listened for some reason. It just had that Aub creativity written all over it.

[hummingbird]

Quote:Too tired to type much-- long day/night... first mix here:The MazeHey Aub... I agree with everyone... IMO fits right in with the listing - very Queen-like, with the vocal harmonies & spoken parts. Great playing! I wish I could play electric guitar like that! Yeah!In comments of the mix - on my monitors the lead vocal sounds a little muffled and could be a little further out front. Otherwise vocals are fab.H

[aubreyz]

I'll reply more in detail later--- but have two TV spots and a video VO to get out by end of day. From the feedback and fresh ears, here's the latest-- which will be submitted:The MazeAm I awake or am I sleepingIt's hard to tell the difference anymoreI was counting sheepbut now I think they're plotting things against meThey're coming to take me awayThey're coming to take me... away from myselfWhen I was a little boyI misplaced my favorite toyCouldn't find the nerve to look under my bedNow they say I am a manBut I still can't find the planHiding somewhere in these mazes in my headThey're coming to take me awayThey're coming to take me awayClosed my eyes on the roller coaster ride(But the gravity of the situationExceeded all his expectations)Ran to the fun house to ease my mind(Somewhere in the smoke and mirrorsHe got lost and could not clearly)See the way out anymore (He's just a sheep who lost his way)Somebody please show me the door (He's just a creep who really should be locked away)They're coming to take me awayThey're coming to take me... away from myselfLiving here inside the mazeEvery turn is just a phaseTo go through until you finally reach the dead endAnd they come and take you awayI will not go quietlyI'm not gonna lay down and dieGo ahead and take your best shot at meCan't see through the hazeEverything is cloudy now in the mazeI will not go quietlyI'm not gonna lay down and dieGo ahead and take your best shot at meI'll leave you in a dazeIf you try to find me in the mazePlease wake me up if I'm not sleepingThere's a different knocking on the doorSo don't count on meI think they're here to take me away...Words and Music Copyright 2007 by Aub Delane and Ponco Satrio

[aubreyz]

Okay... the day is winding down. Thanks for all the comments-- and yes Randy, definitely a part of the album. That's what it was written for anyway.To sum up the questions about instruments and workflow, Ponch and I have developed a pretty decent system. As far as writing-- we're a 50/50 team no matter who does what. It varies, sometimes he throws a riff or two at me, or I throw a melody and lyrics at him-- then we tweak out chords/melody/structure/lyrics together. On this particular one, I wrote the song in one sitting a couple of months ago (I think I may have posted it)-- and then we worked it out (fixed it) together for this listing. We compose/arrange often on the phone or by ichat-- we're only about 40 minutes apart, but schedules sometimes force us to be creative in our communication.Everything is virtual but guitar and bass (and the occasional kazoo). Ponch writes the drum parts with notation in Logic, and I import the midi file into Pro Tools, map the sounds, tweak velocities, etc. to make them more real. We use a combination of drum samples from DFH and Culture for our "signature" kit. I used to think that getting virtual drums to "feel" right was mostly about humanizing the rhythms--- that's important, but it is velocity and sample selection, combined with a great drum pattern, that really makes it sound real.All things with frets/strings are him. I play a little bass, and have played on a couple of tracks in a pinch, but he's the king and I'm a court jester in the instrument department.All things electronic -- keys, etc are mostly me, though he does play some melodic lines when needed. I'm a programmer more than a player, and sometimes he can nail a complex melody rhythm faster than I could "fix" my attempt.BGV we usually share in the ooh and ahh department, but sometimes I have to do all of them because he's only on ichat. Although we prefer to work together here in the studio, there have been several songs we've completed without ever being in the same room. That 22hour dispatch was one of them. He records guitars in logic and we ftp the files, and sometimes he'll be on ichat while I'm cutting vocals to offer input - and we bounce rough mixes back and forth.We've become very efficient over the past few months. We were laughing last night about how long it took to record our first song together-- and even with all the time we spent, it's still not finished One key to efficiency is that we each focus on our strengths and multi task- for guitars, drums, etc.., I kind of play the role of producer--offering input, and he plays the role of producer for vocals and lyrics, and we keep working on things until we both agree.It's really an amazing collaboration we have going. I've never worked with anyone like Ponch - and he would say the same (though maybe with a different inflection). He has the most natural sense of melody and rhythm of anyone I've ever known. I can't say enough about how much his talent has added to my production arsenal. But the coolest thing is that I'm having more fun making music than ever before. There's no ego. No games. No agendas. It's quite remarkable actually-- I'm still a little bit in shock about how easy this is.So even though I'm the one posting, I'm only half of this story-- maybe even less than that btw- I should mention that the world of production for advertising is a great school of efficiency. When you have deadlines, you have to meet them-period. We've used that same mindset for listings. You can't use a deadline as an excuse to cut corners, but you're always looking for a faster way to produce the same quality.Aub

[kg]

Just got to listen now and I won't ramble long, but it's great! Love the guitar between the quietly's. You two do an amazing job together.

[daniel481]

I got a forward for this one, too, with a song called "Escape". You can find it on my page at taxi.com/dandiaz if you're interested! I didn't think it was terribly operatic, but apparently they liked it....

[kg]

Quote:I got a forward for this one, too, with a song called "Escape". You can find it on my page at taxi.com/dandiaz if you're interested! I didn't think it was terribly operatic, but apparently they liked it.... Nice, Dan. Very cool track. I was totally singing along.