stevec
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New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
Hi All, In my quest to keep on mixing it up, this time around I have a fairly straightforward pop/rock/ska tune as opposed to my typical electronics or prog-rock type stuff. It's certainly not the norm for me, but hey, I still had fun doing it!  https://soundcloud.com/steve-cocchi/and-i-know-that Edit: Mix 2 at the same link above.
post edited by stevec - 2015/11/16 15:36:23
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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ohgrant
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/09 17:53:43
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Sounds like maybe the love child of the B-52's and Devo. I thought it sounded fun and whimsical. Some really cool Jazzy parts in there and sweet solo work keep it interesting and entertaining. Not what I'm accustom to hearing from you. This one reminds me of the happy dance I do when I get something real good, real cheap. Like BFD3 for $99. I think this will be my next happy dance anthem.
Nice sounding production brother
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emeraldsoul
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/10 00:47:29
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Full marks for originality. I'd bring the vocals up and the bass down. Or maybe narrow the toms a little with some eq? I think the bass is eating up some energy and leaving less for your sparkly upper register stuff. To me the tambourine felt like it was being featured, like a main course. You might try is as parsely . . . maybe drop it a db?
That ending is pretty tight! Well done!
cheers,
-Tom
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dcumpian
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/10 09:15:03
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Steve,
You are really moving in many different directions! Interesting tune, I like Grants categorization of B-52's and Devo. Mix is really very close, but I'm not sure the hi-hat sits all that well. You should also maybe pan the tambo away from the hi-hat so it is clearer when it is playing and when it is not.
Everything else is pretty darn good!
Regards,
Dan
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stevec
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/10 12:35:39
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☄ Helpfulby ohgrant 2015/11/10 16:08:18
Grant - thanks! I never would have pictured B52s + DEVO but what the heck... I'll take it! It is supposed to be a fun tune (or at least not very serious) so I'm glad it's coming across. And the solo was a fun one too. Huh, I never thought I would have a happy dance anthem. Tom - thanks for the detailed critiques, definitely appreciate it. No arguments on the bass - I had actually made it bigger just before mixing down but now realize I may have gone just a bit too far. Then again, Bapu may disagree.  For the toms... yeah, I did catch that after the fact but figured I'd wait and see what others thought. And yes, the ending was my little slice of "something more" in an otherwise intentionally straightforward tune. Dan - ditto, thanks! Yeah, it is a stretch for me but I like the challenge of keeping things more simple. I'll have to revisit the hi-hats since nothing really jumped out at me before. And since both you and Tom mentioned the tambourine I'll have to re-listen to the whole kit... there really aren't that many hits that it should stand out. Maybe something between the hihats and cymbals is going a little funky, not sure. But I appreciate the comments since I really did miss that completely! One of the downsides of being too close to a mix... 
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daryl1968
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/10 13:12:19
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Love me some Ska.
Great song and instrumentation. The offbeat guitar needs to either have some top taken off it or come down in the mix imo. Very cool though Steve.
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jamesg1213
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/10 14:23:04
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Nice one Steve, showcasing your formidable versatility. Catchy tune too, I was reaching for my imaginary pork-pie hat and skinny tie
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stevec
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/10 16:41:23
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Daryl - thanks! I've always liked that Ska feel even though I don't really know all that much about the genre. So I figured maybe doing a song would help with that - Google was my friend when it came to "how to play a Ska drum beat". EQ on the offbeat guitar part - added to my to-do list! James - thank you! I've always liked when people have a certain recognizable "style" since I can never seem to stick to any one thing for long. So I guess at least some level of versatility is the only thing I can fall back to! In this case it includes a pastry hat and fashionable neck-wear. 
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Starise
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/14 20:12:42
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Sorry it took me awhile to get back here. I'm glad I dropped by...great song!! I especially like the way you synced your vocals to keep with the beat. Very creative and original I think. Just the right touch or horns in there too! Excellent work!
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stevec
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/16 15:25:28
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Thanks, Tim! I appreciate the comments. The vocals did take a few tries to keep up the pace though. ...And with that said, I've uploaded a slightly reworked mix based on the comments above (including swapping out Rematrix for the new Valhalla Plate verb on the vocal bus).
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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wogg
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/16 17:18:05
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Greetings Steve! I'm not at a decent set of speakers, but the tune itself is quite good. I'm a huge ska fan, love the 2-4 upstrokes, they just feel bouncy and make me happy.
It's good to play new styles :)
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stevec
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/16 23:39:58
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Thanks, Paul! This is my first time attempting to do anything resembling this genre, so I am glad to see the happy/bouncy feel is coming through - that's a vibe I've always gotten from it as well.
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mikeinFL
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/17 10:51:55
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I enjoyed this retro pop/rock song with a funky bass. I hear influence from Beatles to Chicago...classic stuff. Keep that bass up in the mix, I like it! Dig the brass! Slick intro/outro sections. Thanks for comments!
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stevec
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/17 13:09:58
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Thanks, Mike! I am glad you liked it and appreciate the comments. Nice influences included.
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Mesh
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/17 19:16:37
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Oh Yeah Steve!!! Nicely done and I too like ska!! Your first time at this??? No waaaaay!! Really good!! Since I like a big lower end, that's all I'd suggest for this.....a bigger lower end....but, that's just personal taste. I totally enjoyed this tune.....well done Stevie boy!!!
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Guitarpima
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/18 14:55:23
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This is very cool! There are lots of influences I hear but definitely a fresh take.
Very well done!!!
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stevec
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/18 17:28:13
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Thanks, Mesh! Yeah, this was my first attempt at anything resembling ska. A little while ago another SONAR user posted an album he had done with a ska band and that was my inspiration to do something similar. Horns included, of course, since I think they play a big part. Regarding the bottom end.... eh, I blame Tom. Thanks Robert! I am happy to hear that the influences are there but that it's also a fresh take at the same time. That's a definite compliment in my book.
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SGodfrey
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/18 19:18:13
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I thought it was very catchy. Liked the drums especially. Would have liked a bit of just-escaped-from-an-asylum attitude on the vocals, just picturing Buster Bloodvessel in my head! But that's nit-picking, it's a great, fun song. Thanks for sharing!
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Wookiee
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/19 11:04:08
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I quite enjoyed that as it was ska but not if you get the drift of my furry brain, (If you do can you explain it to me ), nice done Steve I only heard the second mix. Thanks for sharing you varied talents.
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stevec
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/19 15:25:32
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Thanks, Simon! The drums were one of my favorite parts to do, being a key factor to ska (as per Google ). I'll definitely have to keep that asylum aspect in mind though... I do vocals infrequently so it's always an effort just to get something passable (thanks, Melodyne) but I really like the idea of something like that Buster B character. That could be a song... Thanks, your furriness! And yes, I do get the "ska but not" part and I completely agree. Though I'm not sure if I can explain it. Or can I... Anyhow, thanks again and I'm glad the mix is working!
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whack
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/19 17:53:28
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Brings me back to my time in Wellington, NZ. Really well executed and fresh for the forums. The intro off beat guitar was great, why, cos it was on its ow. They say its knowing what notes not to play than the ones to play.
The repeating riff at the end was great as was that tight finish!
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stevec
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Re: New pop/rock/ska song - "And I Know That"
2015/11/19 22:13:54
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Thanks, Cian! I appreciate the comments. I often find it difficult to keep things that simple, but the intro guitar part just needed to be what it is. So I figured it was OK to have a little balance it during the outro.
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