Here’s a new version of something from my port-a-studio days (guessing some of you might recall those). My wife is in an upcoming production of Macbeth, and she recently asked me about letting her director hear this song for their somewhat playful take on the famous “Weird Sisters”
Rather than digging out the old tape, I just spent the last week or so re-doing this in Cubase 11 Pro. You’ll hear real guitars, bass, and vocals all done through the Helix Native plug in, along with Groove Agent, Halion, and Padshop softsynths. I’m doing all of that myself.
If you’re kind enough to listen, please realize this is tongue in cheek, and based on something that really happened to me once when driving. A fuller story and lyrics are there on the bandcamp page if you care to follow that link.
Thanks for listening and for any ideas/suggestions prior to it being possibly heard by theater goers later this month in my part of the world.
John
Pretty cool stuff! If I had to make any suggestions (since that is what you asked for 
), it would be that the vocals seem to be a bit hidden in the mix. I know it’s tough to hide a beautiful arrangement, but the listener wants to hear those words. That’s what a “song” is to most people, I’m afraid. The vocals sound good! Pump 'em up! 
For some reason this reminded me of Steely Dan. That’s a good thing, in my opinion .
I constantly fight the ‘vocals vs. “instrumental” situation’ …
Thanks for listening, and the Steely Dan reference. I guess I was channeling my inner Donald Fagen now that I listen back to my vocal phrasing. I agree that a comparison to them is a fine thing, and I’m happy with it.
Interesting point about the vocal prominence. I played an early mix for my wife who said you couldn’t hear the words well enough. I then did this mix, and she said I’d diminished the rhythm track too much by putting the vox this far forward. Tough balance to reach indeed, and a definite reason why Producers have been paid their big bucks through the years to make those kinds of calls for people.
John
I think(!) you’re the first I’ve heard on here that doesn’t use pitch correction on your vocal.
Anyway, it’s a good song, so all I’d say is from a mixing perspective, there’s a lot going on in the same space. You just need to give the elements a bit of space. Like that main chorus melody (the portamento’d synth), that is a great hook, and it should be standing out with a bit of reverb and separation. When you widen the instrumental space, the vocal should also sound a bit clearer too. The only other thing is the drums are a bit weak, but that can also be fixed with effects.
Anyway, I like it as a song.
Thanks for listening to this, as well as for taking the time to comment. Sorry for my slow reply.
A common response to the music I put up here is that “lot going on at the same space”, as you’ve said; or at “the same time” as others have said with some other songs of mine. I struggle with that, and that’s a big challenge for me in doing these pieces of music by myself. I usually try to go to school on these bits of advice, and I’ll hopefully get better with that all in time.
Glad that you seemed to like the song and “hook”. I just listened to this last night for the first time in a while and did think that I could improve the mix, so I’ll get to that at some point. I had thrown this together quickly for that production of Macbeth mentioned above, so it was recorded pretty quickly. A bit more time with it is warranted.
By the way, I’m not a great singer, but will never use pitch correction. I see it as a bit of a gimmick (Cher and Believe), or crutch for some people who probably don’t have much business trying to sing. I think of not great famous singers in rock and folk all the time that could still get a song across-Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Ringo Starr. Can you imagine them with pitch correction? I shudder at the thought, and I hope the day comes (soon) when pitch correction will “date” music and make people shake their heads the way electronic drums from the 80’s or overdriven guitars from the 90’s do.
John
I agree with ‘Scab’ about the vocal, it’s really a fine line to get the balance right. Just an increase, or decrease, of a fraction of a db can make a big difference.
Playing and vocal performances are fine and I enjoyed the piece, nice.
Very good song, I like it, unconventional in a good way. Humour, too. References to Mr. Fagen are spot on. This song reminds me of an SD tune ‘Things I Miss the Most’ (and many others ).
I like your style. Moar!
Cool stuffs, I like the vocals effects, like pitching sensitively… or is it your voice? 
Arimus,
Thanks for listening and the kind comments. I definitely listened to and absorbed a lot of Steely Dan stuff over the years, but I never set out to make this in their mode. It’s very interesting what influences might come out of us when we create music. A positive comparison to them is definitely something I’ll take as a good thing,
Kenka, I don’t use any kind of pitch shifting or correction on my vocals. I recorded them using the Line 6 Helix Native plug in and some effects there run through a DI model. Those effects did double my voice, but didn’t alter anything melodically or through harmonizing.
John