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Hey Passengers,

I have a "work in progress", where I think the structure and vocals are there, in relation to the below listing. There is a little more that I will add, however, I just wanted some general feedback for polishing the track to make sure I'm on point and on target.

To be clear, I am going to add a little bass, and a little pad into the track; and still need to properly mix.

What I was hoping for a little feedback on:

1) The first two verses - does that really low vocal work? I was trying to capture a little of the reference low vocals...but I'm out of Scotch and don't smoke. =P
2) Is the song on target with the listing? I think it is, but thought I'd ask.
3) Vocal Performance - good, bad, ugly?

Second Life

As always, feedback is much appreciated!

Thanks,
Brad


REFLECTIVE, ACOUSTIC-Driven INDIE SINGER/SONGWRITER SONGS with Male Vocals are needed by a Music Library with a great history of TV placements!

Please submit Songs that could fit on a playlist with the following reference we got directly from the Library:

"To Leave Something Behind" by Sean Rowe
To Leave Something Behind

Please submit well-produced Indie Songwriter Songs with a serious, reflective vibe and sound that's in the general wheelhouse of the reference. Your submissions should have captivating melodies, memorable choruses, honest lyrics, and super compelling, well-performed vocals. Simpler, more stripped-down performances will probably be most appealing to this Library. Authentic-sounding acoustic-based instrumentation is a must for this pitch, so if you're planning on using any virtual instruments, they need to sound like the real thing. Your production should be top-notch, as well.

Lyrics that avoid references to specific names, dates, times, brands, and places will make your Songs easier to place. Do NOT copy the referenced example in any way, shape, or form. Use it only as a general guide for tempo, tone, texture, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

Brad, one thing: the guitar is waaay too far in front of the vocal. Can't understand the lyrics. Maybe mellowing out the guitar's freq response would help too. It sounds a bit more cheerful (the guitar I mean) than the ref track. I hope to hear the track again, when I can hear the message. Other than that It sounds like a fit.

Thanks Alan,

Yeah, I hear that too. The two are competing, and the guitar is too loud....and a bit too happy with that capo'd chord at the start. I'm thinking I'll re-track with greater dynamics in the acoustic performance, a little less bright, and trying not to hit that high "C" note.

Cheers,
Brad

BradGray wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:20 pm

Thanks Alan,

Yeah, I hear that too. The two are competing, and the guitar is too loud....and a bit too happy with that capo'd chord at the start. I'm thinking I'll re-track with greater dynamics in the acoustic performance, a little less bright, and trying not to hit that high "C" note.

Cheers,
Brad

Can't take it down a step or two?

Good suggestion, I can always do that too.

I did experiment with it in several different keys, and did prefer this one, but can certainly shift lower. I think the brightness of the strings, and the high chord voicings are certainly playing a role in that.

I'll do some experimenting in the lab, and see what I can come up with.

Thanks Alan!
Brad

Hi Brad - Do you ever do sidechain ducking? In this case, you'd sidechain the vocal to a compressor on the guitar, so the guitar would vary inversely with the vocal -- i.e. guitar gets softer when the vocal gets louder. Not sure what DAW you're using, but if it's any of the popular ones, you can probably find a tutorial on this on youtube. We use Reaper and got the step-by-step from Kenny Gioia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tt5yWOxB2E You could probably translate the instructions to whatever DAW you're using.

===
Michael

Thanks Michael,

I do use sidechaining, and it can be quite handy. It's so very easy in the plugin world.

I think the thing is the more I listen to it, the more I'm not fond of the performance and tone of the guitar. It's okay, but should be more dynamic and expressive, and warmer than what I've tracked. I can quickly get lost in automation, compression and eq to make it better, but if the performance is not quite there, it will still miss the mark.

I appreciate everyone's time to check out the track. I find I get focused on other details, which is why I enjoy posting on the forums.

I will revise later today.

Cheers,
Brad

The structure of the vocal (stopping early on the phrases, starting late) makes it so that there are several sections where all that's left is the guitar just strumming a single chord (for example, 0:25-0:33 and 0:50-0:58). You either have to make these more interesting, or cut them short (leave a bar out?).

The low vocal sounds fine to me, but the vocal overall needs much more production, like a short delay, targeted compression, EQ, de-essing, and ideally detailed pitch correction as well. I also agree that is too far back in the mix. A more confident delivery overall would help, try recording them again in a less dreamy, more "statement" way.

But the seed is absolutely there!

Yeah I feel like the guitar is way too bright and strident, especially when compared to the ref track. It's a good tune but not sure your vocal, in it's current state, will make the cut.

Hi Brad I am without headphones on vacation. I think this might be my first listen to just the puter speakers. The guitar brightness isn't that pronounced this way. ha ha It sounds a bit like a capo'd up taylor to me. I really like the feel of this. Came across slightly Dillonish to me. I liked your lower register vox actually better than the later higher stuff. Might have to change up that continuing axe riff once in awhile slightly for variety. It did reflect for me...JS