Hi all,
Here’s a song I produced for a friend of mine. She wrote the song and did the vocals and piano, everything else is me.
I’m personally really happy with how it turned out (and so is she).
As always, any pointers/tips would be greatly appreciated!
enjoy: SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds
edit: new version:
https://soundcloud.com/strophoid/it-is-done-3/s-cL4qI
Really love it! I think you are close to finished on the mix. A brief change up somewhere near the middle would help refresh the last third. I really like the pulse.
Thanks RickerHart! Glad you enjoyed it.
I know what you mean. The track is a long buildup, but it’s mostly more of the same. The arrangement could use a bit of a twist to break it up halfway through.
I like the song, it is deep and touching. Piano and vocals are very good.
What could be better imho is the sound:
I can visualise this being played by a praise band, with a big screen of lyrics behind. Knocks the spots of some of the Hillsong stuff!!
Can’t say too much about the mix 'cos I’m only listening on cheap pc speakers, but I like the track.
Only criticism if you plan to take it further is that the verses seem too rushed at times. What I mean is there are too many words crammed into some of the lines. The choruses (chorii?) are fine but if you dropped a few “ands” and “so I’s” from the verses it would balance better, especially if you want a congregation to join in.
More like this would be nice and it does come at Praise Band lyrics from a fresher angle.
Neil
Thanks for listening! I can relate to most of what you say. If by flat you mean not very bright, then yes, that’s true. It’s on purpose, but if it doesn’t sound right to you I may have to change it 
.
Thanks a lot Neil. I totally agree that the lyrics would be too fast for singing together, we didn’t actually plan on using it for that but now that you mention it, that could be interesting 
There is certainly more like this to come, we’ve got a whole bunch of songs lined up, I’m hoping to push one out every few weeks!
If you get the chance to listen to the track on a good sound system mix feedback would be appreciated too.
Thanks again both!
A good praise song.
The vocal is particularly roomy (for me) and “live” sounding.
Just personal taste, of course. I’d like to hear something more
platey and rich.
The drums and bottom end (“bass”? drone) are not carrying
the tune yet. Perhaps you wanted a non-invasive sound,
but for me the kit seems unbalanced, with no real kick.
That brings me to the lack of bass. There is a pad drone going on but not sure
if that is your pseudo-bass/bottom or not. So, for me, this domain
is undefined, like the tune has no anchor. But I’m not sure what
you were aiming for.
Right at the end there seems to be some breathing/pumping of the pad,
like a slow compressor release or noise gate.
A beautiful song and tastefully produced, my only comment would be to introduce a slightly different reverb and a very subtle 8th delay on the vocal during the chorus…otherwise this is top stuff and very radio friendly…
Great feedback guys, thanks so much.
I’ll put some more time into trying out your suggestions at some point!
Even though you didn’t particularly like it, I’m really happy you thought the track had a ‘live’ sound, because that’s exactly what I tried to achieve. Whether or not that was a good choice remains to be seen, but at least I did that right
With some of you mentioning the drums I’ll definitely have a look at them again. I’ll probably end up changing to another kit entirely with more top end attack to make it more defined and less of a mush. It doesn’t seem to achieve what I was after.
When you say
That brings me to the lack of bass. There is a pad drone going on but not sure
if that is your pseudo-bass/bottom or not. So, for me, this domain
is undefined, like the tune has no anchor."
Can you clarify? Do you mean you’d like more rhythm or melody from the bass, or just more low end in the mix?
I actually experimented with a delay on the vocal during the chorus, and found it didn’t work very well with the reverb I have on the backing, but if I’m changing that up I could very well bring that delay back in
With the kit not being strong in the kick dept
and there being no bass that works with a kick…I was
just trying to understand what your aim was
with what I call “the bottom/anchor” domain of
the recording.
I see, thanks for clearing that up.
I’ll see what I can do. Really appreciate your time and feedback!
Hi Strophoid, I’ve listened a couple of times. I do like her voice, and appreciate what she’s trying to achieve. From a mix standpoint, I do agree with others above that the bass is somewhat weak, and the vocals have a very live quality, which is subject to your preferences. Anyway, great to hear a new one from you!
Thanks Early!
I made a new version with different drums, slightly changed reverb and more bass synth in the mix.
Still no ‘anchor’ as you’d maybe like it Jet, but I’m really looking for a cinematic, thunderous bass, and less of a groove. If I could somehow have both I would be all for it, but I haven’t found a way .
Anyway, I’d love to know if you think this is an improvement! (I think it is)
Yeah I think that’s much better.
The drums are more effective now and the kick
has some depth.
So long as there is no bass track, then you
can only do so much with the pad approach.
But this is a lot better.
Maybe cut some of the cymbals?
But if Al Friesen saw me write that, he would
laugh.
Hehe, thanks Jet!