My Latest Track: "Keepin' You Close To My Heart"

Very cool Billy....I like it. Nice melody (flows really well) and tthe mix is spot on!!
Truly enjoy your tunes!!

Sounds excellent Billy, really moves along nicely. You have the makings of a fantastic chorus/hook in there, hope you find a vocalist.

James

Works quite nicely, I agree with James a little vocal might just add something.

I was looking for a track to test my sons suspect flaky Miller Kreisel sub (hope it is not flaky cause I might just be tempted if it is OK), this along with a couple of others from here might just do the trick.

Thanks for sharing.

Billy this is the first piece of yours that I've heard, and I really like it.  Nice synth textures and a good build up into a very lively chorus.  Nice work.

FYI - I just put up a new mix with a bunch of tweaks, a little less muddy mix, so I hope you all enjoy!

Billy
I like very much...I was going to ask if that ws a Z3ta patch that opened the work but I guess that you've already answered that....

I love your snare sound.....I am working on one right now and I've spend at least 10 hours working on the snard sound alone and still am not there yet...I have a sound that will "work" but still yours would sound just perfect......and that was Machine eh?

I love the way it "HITS" and your parts flow in ans out......

my only crit are these.....

your leads need to come a little more forward (now remember I am on cheap PC speakers and may be way off!!!! ) they are a tad bit back in the mix.....

your break down I like and it works ....but I did not see it happening at that point or at least to "ME" it felt that you did not lead me to it...

but these are minor....the mix sounded really good, the work is great! the melody line is perfect.....it is just a very good work....... It it were mine I would be doing the boogie dance around my studio.....no two ways about it!!!!!!!

Clifford

Really strong Billy.

Truckermusic


Billy
I like very much...I was going to ask if that ws a Z3ta patch that opened the work but I guess that you've already answered that....

I love your snare sound.....I am working on one right now and I've spend at least 10 hours working on the snard sound alone and still am not there yet...I have a sound that will "work" but still yours would sound just perfect......and that was Machine eh?

I love the way it "HITS" and your parts flow in ans out......

my only crit are these.....

your leads need to come a little more forward (now remember I am on cheap PC speakers and may be way off!!!! ) they are a tad bit back in the mix.....

your break down I like and it works ....but I did not see it happening at that point or at least to "ME" it felt that you did not lead me to it...

but these are minor....the mix sounded really good, the work is great! the melody line is perfect.....it is just a very good work....... It it were mine I would be doing the boogie dance around my studio.....no two ways about it!!!!!!!

Clifford

Clifford, thanks for listening and commenting.
 
Re the Snare ...  I used 3 different snares.  One as the main, another more fat snare for the fills and in the choruses, and a third for icing on the cake here and there.    Any good drum module could do it -- I just happen to LOVE Maschine because it's like an instrument.  Very playable/tweakable/flexible.  Aside from the amazing sound libararies it comes with, it is an open architecture so you can use any samples such as wavs and rex, etc.
 
Other than the specific samples I chose, some of it has to do with EQ and compression of course.
 
It's funny how there have been 2 comments about the lead parts needing to come up in the mix.  I do think I mix with a vocal in mind and that influences how I place things.   But I'm going to try one mix with the leads up anyway.
 
Again I thank you for your comments.
 

timidi


Really strong Billy.

Thank you Tim :)
 

Billy,
     I really like how this flows along.
You changed up instruments but kept the core going.
That kept me interested all the way through.
I also thought the guitar patch was a nice touch as well.
Nicely done!

Thatsastrat


Billy,
     I really like how this flows along.
You changed up instruments but kept the core going.
That kept me interested all the way through.
I also thought the guitar patch was a nice touch as well.
Nicely done!

BTW, I like a lot of your stuff too.  Nice guitar playing indeed.   Do you do everything yourself as well?
 
 

timidi


if I understand correctly, the guit line is basically the vocal melody correct?
If so, i wouldn't bring it up.
What are the lyrics?

Heh, well, there are no lyrics.  Just the title ("Keepin' You Close To My Heart").  Much of the guit lines are where I hear the melody - in the chorus.  But the pre-chorus (part b of verse, if you will) only hints at what I hear for the melody.
 
And I think bringing up the guit lines is definitely in the cards.
 
Vocals make such a difference in the way people listen/hear music.  This is definitely a prime candidate for a vocal, but alas, I don't have a vocalist to go with it lol.  But I still have to make music even when it's not 'work/for hire', with or without vocals/lyrics- and hope it stands up either way.
 
 

whack


Oh the production on this is sweet, this is what I aim to achieve with my mixes. My type of song too, poppy!

Billy if your itching for a vocal for this, I wouldnt mind having a pot.Have you come up with a vocal melody yourself yet or lyrics?

Cian

Hi Cian,
 
Thanks for your comments.
 
I definitely hear a sketch of how I think the vocals should sit melodically and feel wise.   The chorus guit line are mostly what I think would be the melody as well.    As I think I mentioned originally, I definitely heard more of a female voice - ala Ke$ha, Katy Perry and the like.  They're a little rock-ish but with that top 40/pop attitude.  
 
Listen to "Your Love Is My Drug" by Ke$ha you'll see what I mean.  I love that record anyway.
 
HOWEVER - that being said, I'm very open to other approaches as well.   Ya never know what could be until ya throw it out there.
 
So I would say just go for it if you want.  The guit lines are the 'basic' melody lines (though there are none in the first part of the verse, that's wide open to go wherever one takes it).
 
And the title obviously is in the melody in the chorus - I'm sure you can hear that already.
 
Let me know what you need, if anything.
 
Thanks.
 
 

Thatsastrat

ba_midi

Thatsastrat


Billy,
     I really like how this flows along.
You changed up instruments but kept the core going.
That kept me interested all the way through.
I also thought the guitar patch was a nice touch as well.
Nicely done!

BTW, I like a lot of your stuff too.  Nice guitar playing indeed.   Do you do everything yourself as well?
 
 

It's just the three of us.
Me. Myself, and I

Haha, for me it's 4 ... me, myself, I, and "who the hell was that!?!?!" ;)
 
Do you play the drums or are yours mostly plugins?  If so, which one(s) may I ask?
 
Thanks.
 

Thatsastrat

ba_midi

Thatsastrat

ba_midi

Thatsastrat


Billy,
     I really like how this flows along.
You changed up instruments but kept the core going.
That kept me interested all the way through.
I also thought the guitar patch was a nice touch as well.
Nicely done!

BTW, I like a lot of your stuff too.  Nice guitar playing indeed.   Do you do everything yourself as well?
 
 

It's just the three of us.
Me. Myself, and I

Haha, for me it's 4 ... me, myself, I, and "who the hell was that!?!?!" ;)
 
Do you play the drums or are yours mostly plugins?  If so, which one(s) may I ask?
 
Thanks.
 

I either use Jamsticks 3 or Session Drummer 3
90% of the time it will be Jamsticks. I bought the XL pack, the Bonzo pack, and the Metal pack.
It has great sounds, and I like how Jamsticks locks in to a song all on it's own, make a few edits, and you have a solid drum track without a lot of work.

Thanks.  I like the sound you get...  and you play all the parts real well.
 
I would have loved you to play guitar on this track:
 
http://www.ba-midi.com/music/files/Billy%20Arnell%20-%20Pensive.mp3
 
It takes awhile before the guitar(s) enter, but I think you might like it.