'All It Takes'

So nice to hear Tim again, really a great song James.

Booteeefull.

The time signature/rhythm immediately catches me.  I am drawn into the piece.

The vocals are great.  I wish I could hear them a bit more.

This is a wonderfully constructed work.

Regards,
Lance

James,
I only have one crit.  I need more!
I liked everything about this.

Robby - thanks, he writes some good 'uns eh?

Duane - thanks very much, glad you liked it

Ed - most kind, thanks

Lynn - thanks a lot, and I agree about the lyrics

Lance - thank you very much, I'll see if get the vocals a little clearer

Tim - glad you liked it, thanks. Can't do much about the sibilance, because the vocals and guitar are on the same track

Bruce - thank you so much, that's nice of you

Philip - as always, thanks for your support and for your interesting descriptions

Gosh, what a sweet sound.  Love the guitar.

Frank - can't help but agree, the boy comes up with the goods everytime. Thanks for the kind words on the strings, I used Garritan Pocket Orchestra 'long & short bows' from the section strings for chords, then added a legato cello and a legato violin. Spent a bit of time with volume automation to try and get that 'rising & falling' effect. Sent them to a bus with a touch of reverb to try and match the room ambience on Tim's parts. Panned the strings slightly left and moved  voice and guitar about 10% right.

Olemon - thank you, Tim will be pleased

Gary, wow thanks, those are huge compliments

jamesg1213


Frank - can't help but agree, the boy comes up with the goods everytime. Thanks for the kind words on the strings, I used Dim Pro 'long & short bows' from the section strings for chords, then added a legato cello and a legato violin. Spent a bit of time with volume automation to try and get that 'rising & falling' effect. Sent them to a bus with a touch of reverb to try and match the room ambience on Tim's parts. Panned the strings slightly left and moved  voice and guitar about 10% right.

Thanks for the details James...  very helpful, and inspiring...

Hi James - A masterclass in how to write, perform and produce a stunning song. The song itself is wonderful and your backing strings are perfectly judged. Listening to other people's work here is a real education to me in how I should do it and your music is most definitely in the top ten of my "must listen and learn" list. Stunning.

really nice work James & Tim!  I do wish he had recorded vox & guitar on separate tracks so you could EQ better and help with some of that sibilance (and maybe cut the high end just a tad on the guitar), but I know it is what it is!

that's the only problem I hear with the mix.  everything else is just absolutely wonderful.  the lyrics, the vocals, the guitar, the strings all fantastic!

jamesg1213


Paulo - thanks a lot, Tim will more than likely smile at that comparison

'Cos he admires him / hates him / has never heard such a ludicrous suggestion in his whole life / gets told that all the time / is actually him in disguise ?

* delete as applicable

Very well done!  I'm back into music after a 25 year hiatus and find lots of inspiration here.  This song grabbed me at the beginning and held me to the end.

I agree with the comments about recording the guitar and vocals on separate tracks...he can still play and sing, he just needs to have the right mics and placement (making good use of the directionality to control bleed).  There is some string noise that grated on my ears, at :38 and especially the one at :54.  Now I understand that some is necessary for the 'organic' sound, but those two seemed excessive...otherwise a stellar piece of work!

This is a great howto on recording a singer/guitarist

jamesg1213


Paulo - thanks a lot, Tim will more than likely smile at that comparison

Frank - you're welcome

Daryl - thank you, glad you liked it. Not sure what you're hearing, I haven't automated any panning on the tune at all

Malcolm - well we can't ask for more praise than that, thank you so much

Bill - another great comparison, and thank you for the kind words

Reece - Tim likes to record both together to get the 'ebb and flow' of the performance - he doesn't play to a click and you'll notice he slows down and speeds up deliberately, so overdubbing is tricky. I might be able to roll off some high end though, which may help the 'ssss'

I have a client who does the same tning.  I tried to get him to record them separately one time and it was a disaster.  rolling off some of that high end might help.

Hi, James,


This is truly a fantastic and very beautiful song!


Tim's vocals are as wonderful as ever, and the guitar and orchestration sound perfect in the crystal clear mix.  This is absolutely top notch, all the way around.


Excellent to hear something new from Acrobat's Supper, great work by both of you!
Bob

Well, I have my mic in my hand heading for the trash  can.  One of the most beautiful voices I've heard up here, anywhere for that matter. Just beautiful and I think that whoever said you left room for his guitar and vocal yet filled beautifully, nailed it.  The two of you created a beautiful piece of music here!  Thanks for sharing.