My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far”

Author
RobWS
Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 84
  • Joined: 2013/01/29 10:16:50
  • Status: offline
2017/05/08 14:06:12 (permalink)

My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far”

I have been a Sonar user for many years but this is the first song I’ve recorded.  Prior to this, I’ve used Sonar as a midi sequencer for a rack of midi sound modules and Roland keyboards fed into a Roland VS-1680.  That was my work flow for quite some time.  I’ve also used Sonar to do some audio editing for videos.  I finally decided to get rid of all the old hardware and work exclusively in the box.
 
“You’ve Gone Too Far” is a song I wrote in 1981 while playing with a Philadelphia area pop/rock cover band.  We had done a few originals from time to time and this was one of them.  So here it is, 36 years later and the song I chose to record first.
 
I would appreciate as much critique as possible.  Yes, I would gladly accept your compliments, but I will learn much more from what you hear should be improved.  Doing things wrong is a great way to learn.  Just ask Thomas Edison.  “There’s a way to do it better – find it”, was one of his quotes.
 
To be honest, I can tell you right now what I think should change, but I want to hear from all of you first.  So fire away, be as critical as possible, and thanks so much for your time.
 
https://soundcloud.com/user-126757021/youve-gone-too-far
 
Rob
 
#1

11 Replies Related Threads

    Wookiee
    Rrrrugh arah-ah-woof?
    • Total Posts : 13306
    • Joined: 2007/01/16 06:19:43
    • Location: Akahaocwora - Village Yoh Kay
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/08 14:56:25 (permalink)
    Mix and arrangement do not sound bad here, perhaps make a little more space around each of the parts so you can hear/see them in the sound stage.  The little breakdown towards the end was a nice touch, though I thought the crash ending was somewhat predictable and a tad to quick.  Some of the FX were a little to prominent for me.

    Thanks for sharing and welcome to the forum.

    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.
    Primary, i7 8700K 16Gigs Ram, 3x500gb SSD's 2TB Backup HHD Saffire Pro 40. Win 10 64Bit
    Secondary  i7 4790K, 32GB Ram, 500Gb SSD OS/Prog's, 1TB Audio, 1TB Samples HHD AudioBox USB, Win 10 64Bit
    CbB, Adam's A7x's - Event 20/20's, Arturia V6, Korg Digital Legacy, Softube Modular, Arturia Keylab-88, USB-MidiSport 8x8 
    #2
    Lynn
    Max Output Level: -14 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 6117
    • Joined: 2003/11/12 18:36:16
    • Location: Kansas City, MO
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/08 16:29:53 (permalink)
    Rob, this is an excellent production.  This mix is panned wide, which I like, and it sparkles.  The dynamics are there, and your vocals are recorded and performed very well.  In spite of the fact that it was written in '81, it has a timeless quality to it.  Encore!

    All the best,
    Lynn

    my songs
    www.soundclick.com/lynnwilson

    www.youtube.com/lywilson
    my videos

    Cakewalk by Bandlab| Sonar Platinum @ 64bits| i7 860 | 8 gigs ram | W10 @ 64 bits | RME FF 400
    #3
    daryl1968
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 10984
    • Joined: 2010/06/01 22:51:43
    • Location: Englishman in deepest, darkest Wales
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/08 20:00:53 (permalink)
    Good stuff Rob - full of energy - it sounds like you enjoyed the process
    #4
    FreeEarCandy
    Max Output Level: -87 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 181
    • Joined: 2015/06/19 19:54:27
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/09 00:46:55 (permalink)
    Hello Rob. Welcome to the forum. I'm relatively new here as well. I like the tune and energy. For the most part I have little I can critique on, but starting at around 2:18 I'm losing the drums. There is a lot of synth going on in this area. It starts out ok, but as it builds the drums become faint and to the back. That's all I have for this one on my first pass. You are here for all the right reasons. Thus far, everyone here has been great and constructive. A lot of talent here too. My only regret is that I didn't join sooner. 
     
    Looking forward to more of your work.
    Dean.

      !!!))) @(~..~)@ (((!!!
    ***FreeEarCandy***
    #5
    emeraldsoul
    Max Output Level: -56.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1858
    • Joined: 2009/01/02 23:16:43
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/09 03:22:42 (permalink)
    Not bad! So what if Reagan was President!   :)   Way to resurrect it.
     
    I'd volume automate a little, when the singer is singing, drop the bass, and maybe the rhythm guitar riff thing, maybe a half a db. Then your verse vocal would stand out a bit further in front.
     
    I agree with Lynn's comment about the width of the soundstage, that's very cool! The drum fills have plenty of movement. Nice!
     
    To modernize it further, you might take some reverb off that snare and dry it up a little. 
     
    I liked that portamento synth part, a nice flavor.
     
    cheers,
    -Tom

    A work in regress:
    www.studiusinterruptus.com
     
    Cornbread - video   audio
    A Very, Very Troubled Soul - video   
    Kilometers Davis - video   audio
    Mayans (Face in the Crowd) - video  audio
    The Sweet Slow Fade - video
    #6
    jamesyoyo
    Max Output Level: -40.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 3460
    • Joined: 2007/09/08 17:50:10
    • Location: Factory Yoyo Prods Ltd.
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/09 14:31:23 (permalink)
    It is super wide, but not surprisingly there is little in the middle.
    Good track, great energy!
    #7
    dcumpian
    Max Output Level: -34 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 4124
    • Joined: 2005/11/03 15:50:51
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/10 13:06:01 (permalink)
    Low end on the drum kit could be a little beefier. Other than that, this mix is pretty darn good. I too lost the drums here and there, but some judicious fader rides should fix that.
     
    Well done song and performances! The vocals are perfect!
     
    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.    
    #8
    stevec
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 11546
    • Joined: 2003/11/04 15:05:54
    • Location: Parkesburg, PA
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/11 19:06:23 (permalink)
    Good pop tune and mix!  Clean and clear.    Yeah, maybe a bit more bottom end punch and some automation on the drums as mentioned above, but overall it works nicely. 
     

    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
     
    #9
    Johnbee58
    Max Output Level: -72 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 946
    • Joined: 2014/06/21 10:45:53
    • Location: Reading PA
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/12 03:13:35 (permalink)
    Wow.  Nice!  Love it!  Especially love the synth (horn) work and the vocals.  I've heard of the Roland VS 1680.  That was a nice machine for its time.  Wish I could've afforded one.  Your debut here started you off with a bang!
     
    John B.

    Lenovo Core i5 4460 Desktop PC (Windows 8 64 bit), Focusrite Scarlett 6i6, Nektar LX61 Keyboard MIDI Controller, Avantone Pro CV-12 tube condenser microphone, JBL LSR308 8" active monitor speakers.  Cakewalk by Bandlab, Reason 7,
    NI Session Strings Pro, NI Strummed Acoustic Guitar, Miroslav Philharmonic, Auturia DX7 V, Garritan JABB 3, EZ Keys, EZ Drummer.
     
     "I will create music the way I want to whether a million people are listening or no one is listening."   Dan Fogelberg, Singer/Songwriter-1951-2007
    #10
    RobWS
    Max Output Level: -89 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 84
    • Joined: 2013/01/29 10:16:50
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/15 14:05:25 (permalink)
    Thank you to everyone who posted a reply.  I would like to respond to each one of you, but I might prefer to keep this shorter.  I have learned from each one of you posts.  To be honest, I didn’t think I would fare as well which makes me believe I’m on the right track with what I’m learning.  But even with the encouraging remarks, I know there’s still a long way to go. 
     
    The best thing about this Songs forum is having access to fresh ears to hear a piece for the first time.  I know I lose perspective after spending weeks on one project. 
     
    I mentioned in my original post that I know what I think should change, but I wanted to hear from others first.  I’ll just touch on one aspect.  I know that what everyone is listening for is more technical oriented.  After all, this is a Cakewalk forum.  What I want to mention concerns the arrangement.  I need to hear more tonal colors change throughout the song.  Verse one is static.  And after the harmonies come in on verse two, that remains static as well.  Something, even very small needs to appear in the middle of each verse.  I am very much aware that a song needs to be captivating from beginning to end.  Just listen to classical music.  The colors are frequently changing.
     
    What I hope I didn’t experience here with this first song is beginner’s luck.  The real test will be with my second posting, sometime this summer.  Then we’ll see if the sophomore jinx hits.
     
    Thanks again for all of your comments.
    #11
    Serious_Noize!
    Max Output Level: -72 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 950
    • Joined: 2013/03/31 12:02:47
    • Status: offline
    Re: My Sonar Debut Song “You’ve Gone Too Far” 2017/05/22 19:09:06 (permalink)
    This sounds great! Not much more I can say except that I enjoyed hearing this very much and WOW the MIX for me sounds great!!!
     
    Bobby
     

    Dell XPS 8700, 16GB's Ram, Sonar Platinum.
    #12
    Jump to:
    © 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1