Just thought I'd share my latest project with you guys, since I haven't had much to post about lately. This time around, it's an actual song for you to listen to. I wrote this as part of the "Song That Never Was" event for Twestival, with vocals by Imogen Heap. Comments/criticism/etc welcome. 8)
Wow. Fantastic! I was listening to this and it reminded me of Dido mixed with Han Zimmer's grand finale from Gladiator. Very awesome stuff, Erik.
"Is that fire burning towards the propa-- oh shit!" - Jason Kelly
Solid orchestral arrangement, as usual. Your compositions and sound library are at a level where they sound consistent and professional.
One possible variable for the song might be some reverb on the singer's voice, to allow for some more separation from the backing track. It's not a necessary thing, just an idea. Good job!
midnightsunent.com
Thanks for the comments guys!
Mike, are you referring to the singer separating from the backing vocals, or the instrumental section? I did try to intentionally keep myself from using too much reverb on the vocals. I didn't want to get the sound too "wet", since I love the clarity of her voice and didn't want to really bury it in reverb. I appreciate the suggestion though, I'll keep it in mind next time around.
Who's John? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: I have to chide you, since my moniker is my name.
I didn't mean drowned in reverb, but just a slight amount for separation. There were a couple of verses where I was trying to hear the voice, but it was certainly easier to hear than a lot of other songs.
midnightsunent.com
*slaps head.
Sorry Mike, not sure how I screwed that up.
Ok, I see what you mean about the reverb now. Perhaps instead of more reverb, a 1-2db push might help?
It's a beautiful piece of music, Erik, and it's now on my iPod.
I had a little trouble understanding what she was saying so I tried looking up the lyrics. Couldn't find them... but a virus almost found my pc. Maybe you could post them?
Thanks for sharing... it's good to know that you're still feeling creative.
"No one act big. No one act small. Every one act medium." Sign on a kids clubhouse door.
Sounds great...
but definitely did not get to hear what she was singing, just enough to know that she's got a great voice.
I think it's not just a matter of reverb though...
maybe some volume adjustments as well, I mean, the higher range of some of the instruments is matching her tones a little too closely and are washing her out.
Could be reverb though...
what do I know?
I'm a visual guy. LOL.
Hang in there,
LW
.
I didn't mean drowned in reverb, but just a slight amount for separation. There were a couple of verses where I was trying to hear the voice, but it was certainly easier to hear than a lot of other songs.
He was thinking of me because I have so many projects to finish and get his way...LOL
I'll give it a listen soon.
John C. Sheetz
Writer / Director
Sail Away Piicures
Bee, I don't know what the exact lyrics are, sorry. The lyrics and vocals are all Imogen's, I just did the orchestrations and mixing.
Hmm, strange that you all seem to have difficulty with the level of the vocals. I tested the mix on 3 of my speaker setups, and they all sounded good to me. But, maybe it's just because i listened to them 1,000,000 times already and I knew what to expect, lol.
Hmm, strange that you all seem to have difficulty with the level of the vocals. I tested the mix on 3 of my speaker setups, and they all sounded good to me. But, maybe it's just because i listened to them 1,000,000 times already and I knew what to expect, lol.
The level of the vocals, to me, was great. I have Logitech speakers, Z4 (2.5 speaker setup). *shrugs*
I liked the piece, but not as much as most of your other works. But that's just because my preference is "EPIC", which seems to be your strong suite (or at least it seems that way to me).
Edit: The vocals are found here
http://www.twestival.fm/?page_id=195
This is my signature. Copy it if you like.
Glad the mix sounded good to you Skye. Yeah, this isn't really as "epic" as some of my stuff, I was shooting for something like the sound of the closing songs for the "Narnia" films.
You might target the lowest common denominator with regards towards speakers and sound...my home music studio made this sound great but on the iPod, Zune, PC, etc...vocals got flushed.
Otherwise, sounds great.
.
Oh C'mon, LW. Just get the Logitech Z4 speaker setup.
Just kidding of course. I was listening on pretty decent Sony headphones and the voice does gets lost in the mix. (though not badly) My comments about reverb were to add a little reflection and put the voice in its own space, so that it stood out. I wasn't talking about big hall reverbs, just a touch of room space.
midnightsunent.com
Alright, I made a few adjustments. Boosted the volume a few db and added a touch more reverb. Let me know what you think.
It's Alright
I think that is much better!!
All singers have their own range, frequency-wise. Sometimes it's not so much boosting their voice in loudness, but in their range. At the same time, you cut some of that same EQ range coming from the instruments, so that they don't compete for the same space.
Anyway, what you changed totally works.
midnightsunent.com
Much better, indeed. The music really compliments the mood her voice sets. You should find yourself a girl who can sing.
My ears are probably the lowest common denominator amongst the humans (?) who gather here. Feel free to call on me anytime you want to run something by me for the hard of hearing set.
"No one act big. No one act small. Every one act medium." Sign on a kids clubhouse door.
Cool Eric!
Sounds good to me.
How have you been doing in the land of the ice and snow?
Cool, glad the adjustments helped.
Richard, it actually got up to 65 here a week ago. Then it got back down to the 30's - not much snow right now, just windy and damn cold, lol.
Kinda strange winter out your way, but hey take that 65 whenever ya can eh?
I'll take 50s - 70s all winter long, thankyou.
:twisted: (another nudge to get Erik to move west)
midnightsunent.com
Gonna be 70 tomorrow... planning a nice motorcycle ride
and when Erik moves out here we'll get him a motorcycle too... then we'll all meet up in Las Vegas for a MT Charleston ride on a nice sunny warm day
Mike - yep, I still want to do that... you and Sheila up for that sometime maybe THIS summer?
That would be great! Of course, it just depends on our cashflow. The Hondas are in need of repair.
midnightsunent.com
Bummer about needing repair, and I definitely understand about the cash flow. We'll see what kind of condition we're both in come warmer weather.
Erik, you up for something like that?
Awesome track man! As a Frou Frou fan I definitely appreciate the vocal work as well.
I have a subwoofer with my pc speakers and I thought it was perfect with the first one. Can You email me the song? My programs just don't cut it with downloading.
I think it is a great song.
That anonymous comment was mine.