MCi
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Better Man
Hi, I hope your all doing well. This song started life on a electric guitar in A minor. When learning how to sing the song better I regularly practiced on a acoustic and it evolved to a major key with a capo on the third fret which was the key I felt the most comfortable for the vocal. There is no drums or bass, just acoustic guitar, strings and synth. Once again my wife one out as she likes acoustic versions of my songs. This song is definitely not about her and not inspired by any true event. The song maybe a bit long nearing 5 minutes but for some reason it was a story I wanted to tell. Better Man https://soundcloud.com/mceye/better-man
post edited by MCi - 2016/05/20 19:52:46
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Beagle
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Re: Better Man
2016/05/20 12:19:34
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Hi MCi,
I've never heard your music before.
acoustic guitar playing is nice - well recorded. sounds good.
I'm not fond of the vocal treatment at all. too phasey sounding. you should consider removing all of the FX you're putting on them and run them "acoustic" as well.
I'm also not fond of the sweeping and pulsing synth. this would be MUCH better, IMHO, with a nice string section sound - even if it's keyboard than this synth sound.
just my 2 cents.
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Wookiee
Rrrrugh arah-ah-woof?
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Re: Better Man
2016/05/20 13:40:05
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Have to agree with Beagle the vocal FX is a bit over kill, your voice sounds like it does not need it.
Will look back for the remix thanks for sharing.
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
Karma has a way of finding its own way home.
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MCi
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Re: Better Man
2016/05/20 19:33:30
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Thanks Beagle and Wookie for your comments. I was probably hoping this song would pass muster and would not have to do anything to it but in reality it needs work. The problem I have is a few months ago I had a meltdown of my main hard drive and the first two songs I created in 2016 are lost and this being one of them. I am still working on a way to recover that drive. I have a poor back up regime and paid the price. I will take note of the vocal treatment for future songs as I tend it hit it pretty hard because I think my vocal sounds a bit rough without it. Probably a confidence thing. I will certainly do some tweaking of this song when I get the data off that drive.
post edited by MCi - 2016/05/20 22:13:55
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thepogue
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Re: Better Man
2016/05/20 21:27:55
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thanks for sharing...
I think you hit the nail on the head saying "I think my vocal sounds a rough without it. Probably a confidence thing"
It took me quite a while to stop over processing my vox but I think you've got a good solid vocal base in pitch and tone...so over time i think you'll see that as well.
good job!
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stevec
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Re: Better Man
2016/05/23 14:56:50
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+1 to the comments above - the song is there, it just needs you to let it be comfortable in a more "natural" state. Oh, and a vocal harmony or two on the "ma..a.. an" tag lines might work. 
SteveC https://soundcloud.com/steve-cocchi http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=39163 SONAR Platinum x64, Intel Q9300 (2.5Ghz), Asus P5N-D, Win7 x64 SP1, 8GB RAM, 1TB internal + ESATA + USB Backup HDDs, ATI Radeon HD5450 1GB RAM + dual ViewSonic VA2431wm Monitors; Focusrite 18i6 (ASIO); Komplete 9, Melodyne Studio 4, Ozone 7 Advanced, Rapture Pro, GPO5, Valhalla Plate, MJUC comp, MDynamic EQ, lots of other freebie VST plugins, synths and Kontakt libraries
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mgh
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Re: Better Man
2016/05/23 15:18:14
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i don't mind the vocal treatment actually, gives it a Beatles-esque feel. However you can clearly sing so don't be worried.
indeed the whole song has a 60s feel including the synths. i like it.
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dcumpian
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Re: Better Man
2016/05/23 20:12:31
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Sometimes intent should be shared along with the song so that we know what you meant to accomplish. In the modern day, the vocal treatment probably isn't appropriate, but 40 years ago, this would have been normal. It's not enough reverb to be Shoegaze, so I'm guessing you were going for a 60's sound. If so, I'd replace that synth with a mellotron sound to dial in that vibe.
Your song is nice, but the production could use a few more things to keep it interesting. That never-changing guitar gets a little lonely after a while. Some drums (or percussion) and bass would dress it up a bit.
Regards,
Dan
Mixing is all about control. My music: http://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian Studiocat Advanced Studio DAW (Intel i5 3550 @ 3.7GHz, Z77 motherboard, 16GB Ram, lots of HDDs), Sonar Plat, Mackie 1604, PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL, ESI 4x4 Midi Interface, Ibanez Bass, Custom Fender Mexi-Strat, NI S88, Roland JV-2080 & MDB-1, Komplete, Omnisphere, Lots o' plugins.
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