Re: Lonely Side of the Tracks Again

bluezcruizer · Post by **bluezcruizer** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:51 pm

Hi songwriter -- I really like the song. One note; recommend bringing the drums up a bit...seems to get lost in the mix. The very last bass note seems to leave you hanging as well; almost like it's not meant to be there or there's a missing note.GREAT song though. I REALLY love the vocal work you did.bluezcruizer

Casey H · Post by **Casey H** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 3:22 am

Hi SongwriterNice song! I hear everything from 60's pop to Sting and ColdPlay... I really like the way it builds toward the end. I really like this song! The only POSSIBLE suggestion is to change the 2nd "lonely side of the tracks again" and "Go away..." in the chorus to different linesLonely side of the tracks againGo away you gonna run anywayxxxxxyyyyyLonely.....This is a big maybe and I can't really tell without hearing it. You write some really excellent songs! Casey

Casey H · Post by **Casey H** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:43 am

Quote:Good ideas Casey. I will give those a try and see how they fit.Your comment on influences is appropriate as I listen to a lot of music including the artists you've mentioned. The only problem with that is that I think this sort of music is difficult to pitch since it does not focus on a specific niche, current or otherwise.Maybe not so... There is so much being requested in film/TV that it's hard to say. The general quality of the production and engineering is a big key and I'm not the one to give any feedback there... You are correct that the more it sounds like something specific, the better for replacement tracks. You could produce a version more like a specific band such as Coldplay...Great stuff! Casey

horacejesse · Post by **horacejesse** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 9:06 am

Good song. Two questions: In the intro are you fingerpicking or flatpicking? What instinct decided to accent beat 3?

johnhampt · Post by **johnhampt** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:25 pm

Definite Coldplay influence. Not too often I hear a song I think is hooky but this one is. I only listened to it once (which I think is the best way to give an honest opinion) and nothing struck me as bad or out of place. It really is a pleasant little tune. Good job.

rnrmachine · Post by **rnrmachine** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 8:20 pm

I really like it, good song there songwriter. It has the potential to go into a number of styles with different producers imho. I can hear it staying eactly how ya put it together or more in the genre's I tend to gravitate towards which would be much heavier. Although I like so many styles it gets confusing when asked what kind of music I like. lol

ciskokidd · Post by **ciskokidd** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:42 pm

Hey Michael,It sounds much more contemporary now (less U2 sounding). I would like to here even more of a Coldplay vibe to it. If you could amp up the guitars even more in the chorus it would really take off.Great writing as usual, buddy.Cisco

dougstronach · Post by **dougstronach** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:26 pm

Hi Michael:I like the song and your voice. Drums just don't work for me -- I'd say make the hi hat a broken 1/16th groove -- 1 +a2 +a3 +a4 +a, etc,......... (to fit with the guitar work). kik and snare are fine being simpler (version 1).In this world of computer grooves you have to be a pretty strong drummer to compete with them. Try some groove quantize on the drum tracks -- time consuming but once you find the right part would be worth it for a song like this. good luck. Nice vox.doug s.

ciskokidd · Post by **ciskokidd** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:00 am

Hey Michael,Now that's what I'm talking about! That chorus really catches me now. Sure the guitars could be more "real" sounding, but you have the idea down solid. I loved the way the chorus took off and then resolved itself back into the verse. I didn't get a chance to listen to the whole track yet as I a wanted to write this to you before I forgot the impression it made.I am assuming you are using guitar samples, right? I'll get back to you on the rest of the track.Cheers,Cisco

davewalton · Post by **davewalton** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:47 pm

Quote:Hi Cisco - yes, samples and guitar rig 3. I need to redo the guitars from scratch I think, but at least you can get a feel for what this would sound like. I had such a hard time getting the guitars to fit that I ran them all through a single multi-band compressor to squash them into the mix. If anyone has tips on working with this much guitar sound in the mix, I'm all ears. I'll keep working on this and see if I can do better.All I have is Steinberg Virtual Guitar (the original version). Mostly I use combinations of guitars or strums, rarely just one guitar or one strum. Also I make sure to pan each guitar to a slightly different place. There's a setting for tight to loose rhythm, I set each one slightly different.