KVR sweetie: a new call for solos! <<Update: beta mix>>

[Watto]

Watto, what are those mics saying?

Actually, they're back, but I'm really obsessing about my new website designs at the moment

I'll try to do it tomorrow

[morelia]

jakob, I hate to say this but... my part is in the wrong place
It starts too early,

I guess I should add at this point that my part is good for me now. Thanks Jakob.

[dalor]

I broke all the rules: I didn't make a solo, didn't upload a single track, hell, I didn't even do the entire lenght Instead, i've uploaded a kinda baby-drum'n'bass-wannabe-remix of kvrsweetie_testmix_hellbilly_drums.mp3
download (click on the top right the big button "Click here to start download..")

[jakob]

@Watto: cool, mate! Can't wait! (Well, OK I can wait a little bit )

@gsoto: LOL! I promise I did listen to your initial mix... once. But it just fit sooo perfectly the way I aligned it. I just love the hand-off from the piano solo to your rhodes - it's one of the highlights of the song to me - please allow me to keep it that way!

@daro: hehe, good job, but don't count on me integrating it into the final mix. Glad you had fun with it!

[gsoto]

Haha, oh my. Sure, you can keep it the way it is. It's just that the final part doesn't make much sense to me. Promise me that you will listen my mix once again, maybe you like it more that way.

[jakob]

Oh, I did listen to it again, twice! I will listen to it again, but I really love the way the rhodes come in immediately on the first beat. Maybe I can add a measure of rest somewhere (or duplicate something and modify it) so the end lines up better (sounds fine to me... )

[gsoto]

I've uploaded an almost identical line that starts in the first beat. Use the one you like most.

[jakob]

Thanks gsoto, got it, now everyone is happy!

... well, at least the two of us

How about another solo from someone? Or some feedback on the mix or the song in general?

[Piktor]

Thanks for starting this project Jacob. It has been interesting to listen to everyone's interpretation of your chord progression and I appreciate your work in bringing everyone's contributions together.

I did have some thoughts about the piece.

I think that the key that the piece is written in presents a little bit of a challenge. Wind players, for example, often tend to be most comfortable in flat keys.

As interesting as some of the players' parts might be, there are, to my ears, a few rhythmic issues. I even think that I rushed a bit in a couple of spots.

I would agree with gsoto about the flute; it does sound a bit dry relative to the rest of the piece.

My biggest concern is with the way that the piece hangs together. It seems to me to be more of a jam session than a song. If that was your intention, then it is successful. However, you might have other intentions. I can hear that there is melodic movement in the piano part in the opening chorus, but I'm not sure if you intend for that to be a melody, or if that is just the upper voice of your chords moving about. If it is your melody, I feel that, because of where it is in the mix, etc., it comes across as a bit too tentative. Where I am coming from (literally), a song needs a tune and everything supports the melody in some way (including solos that are improvised on a given melody). Maybe that's an old fashioned idea(?). Would you consider playing the melody a second time at the beginning? You could introduce some variation (maybe doubling the piano melody with another instrument). Then the melody could return at the end, or there could even be fragments of the melody played under or between solos.

I like the change in chords after the synth solo, but I think that the string section could actually start a bar sooner. Would you consider composing a bridge melody for that section? That part has an odd structure. It is a seven measure chord progression that repeats, but drops the last measure on that repeat. There seem to be mostly chords with alternate bass notes. After a quick run through, I think that the chords are:
A/D E/F# | D/A D/C | F#min7/B F#min7/G | Dmaj7/A Bmin7/E | B/F# B/A | D/C Cmaj7/F |Dmaj7/G Emaj7/A | (Hopefully, the composer will correct me where I'm wrong.)

That chord progression presents some challenge for writing a coherent melody, but I know that there are people who could do it.

Anyway, that's just what I think.

[jakob]

1st of all: a big thank you for taking the time to pour some thought into this song.

I did actually think of it more as a jam session, but of course, if I did manage to give it a melodic theme, it would be even better. Let's see if I can manage to do that (mostly a time issue).

I find it interesting that you think the string section should come earlier. I intentionally added 1 measure to aid the transition (not a great one, I admit). So you think it doesn't need that transition?

Also, I am the one who cut off the last measure That was a silly idea, all I wanted to do is match the length of the regular part. I do like the fact that this part is more "open spaced", without a coherent melody (doing some kind of distorted melodic thingy on the repeat, though, hope you noticed ). Of course, anybody is still very welcome to experiment with that part!

Thanks for taking the time to figure out the chord progressions. Frankly, I doubt the person had any kind of chords in mind, it seems really random.

I'll revisit the solos listening for rhythmic difficulties. Thanks for pointing that out.

Thanks again

[jakob]

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo, after 1.5 months of letting this piece rest and germinate a bit, I have finally gotten back to it.

It took quite some mental effort, and I hope I didn't handle it too harshly, but this baby wants out. After Watto had shifted priorities a bit (web design instead of music, what is that? ), I was really lacking some solo to give it the last finish. So, I said to myself, I just got a half decent mic, might as well use it and bless the world with my wonderful voice . I was also a bit frustrated that this piece didn't really have any melodic theme, so I just kind of sang some "oooh" "aahh" "yeah" and you'll hear that melody played by flute, oboe and shakuhachi all over. Maybe it's enough to create some consistency. Heck, I even played a bass solo... a real bass - no way, who do you think I am? Careful note-by-note placing, that's the way to improvise these days!

I almost want to publish this as the final version, but I thought why not open it up for critique and thus total overhaul (right, haha). So, have a listen, identify the trouble spots and then let's have this done with. (To quote Max el Belga "Another one in the bank - next song, next song!").

KVR Sweetie Beta Mix

[gsoto]

Tha Sweetie is back!!!
Honestly, I thought it had died a long time ago.
I just listened to it once and liked it; more comments later, maybe, after a little more listening.
For some reason I'm likeing that strings part XD.
Oh, and nice vocals.

[liqih]

nice nostalgic intrumental, reminds me a lot Dark Side Of The Moon, mainly for the piano, but it's more lounge than rock, I like all solos but the best one is the 3th for me, is it a synth?
the voice is ok but a bit nasal for the song IMHO

[jakob]

I like all solos but the best one is the 3th for me, is it a synth?

It's a rhodes epiano (well, a VST plug I guess), played by gsoto. I also really like it.

the voice is ok but a bit nasal for the song IMHO

Nasal, yep that's me

[gsoto]

(...) I like all solos but the best one is the 3th for me, is it a synth?

Thanks!
It's sfz with learjeff's rhodes soundfont + a little of xhip compressor and xhip chorus I think + whatever jakob did to it.