The Wagtunes Corner (Featuring My Best Yet)

[noiseboyuk]

Wags - in fact this is my first foray into the Music Cafe at all in think. I'm here because you mentioned it in the other thread in Instruments.

Of course you're entirely free to disregard all my thoughts - for reference i have some orchestral stuff here - https://guyrowland.bandcamp.com so you can gauge if I have any insights worth listening to. (Appreciate that there's no pop with orchestral elements there, I do have something somewhere I can dig out if you're interested). But otherwise I won't comment here again as I'm not sure I'm helping.

[wagtunes]

Wags - in fact this is my first foray into the Music Cafe at all in think. I'm here because you mentioned it in the other thread in Instruments.

Of course you're entirely free to disregard all my thoughts - for reference i have some orchestral stuff here - https://guyrowland.bandcamp.com so you can gauge if I have any insights worth listening to. (Appreciate that there's no pop with orchestral elements there, I do have something somewhere I can dig out if you're interested). But otherwise I won't comment here again as I'm not sure I'm helping.

I always like listening to other people's music. I went to your page. You're very good. Now I understand where you're coming from.

Doing these kind of arrangements for pop songs requires more work than I want to put into something at this stage of my life.

If I may ask, what orchestral libraries are you using?

I'm not blown away by their sound but you're so good with the orchestration that they do in fact sound much better than what I did with VSL. I'd have to be stark raving mad not to admit that.

As you know, orchestration is a bitch. And for a pop song, to put in this much work, I'd have to have my head examined. It's just not worth it.

You must do a hell of a lot of automation on these pieces. Of course that also depends on how easy or difficult it is to work with the libraries themselves. VSL is much harder than EWQL. And quite honestly, I'm not sure I care enough to put this much time into it. Lots of volume control on these things. Your CC lane must look like a jigsaw puzzle. I can only imagine.

I tip my cap to you. This is great stuff.

I am not in your league, nor do I have any desire to ever be in your league.

[wagtunes]

Wags - in fact this is my first foray into the Music Cafe at all in think. I'm here because you mentioned it in the other thread in Instruments.

Of course you're entirely free to disregard all my thoughts - for reference i have some orchestral stuff here - https://guyrowland.bandcamp.com so you can gauge if I have any insights worth listening to. (Appreciate that there's no pop with orchestral elements there, I do have something somewhere I can dig out if you're interested). But otherwise I won't comment here again as I'm not sure I'm helping.

I just finished listening to your entire Grace CD. You're obviously an accomplished orchestrator. I can't do what you do. I don't have the training and at age 60, I don't have the desire to first learn how to do a "legit" orchestral score.

Your comments now, though they're still beyond my ability to use them constructively, make sense. Most people this talented can't articulate problems in mathematical terms so that the person on the other end can take the comments and "apply" them to the problem in order to come up with a solution. Case in point, your "GM" comment. I didn't understand what that meant. But I think now I do. It has nothing to do with the actual sound source but the way it's played. Like simply just holding down a note and then releasing it. Nothing in between. That produces a very static performance.

In theory, after listening to what you've done and being a pretty decent chameleon, I can probably struggle though "imitating" what you did because, if nothing else, I can hear where volumes rise and lower and where instruments come in and go out and things overlap and it's like an ocean that is constantly moving. But my attempt would probably still sound like crap because it would be done by wrote. And nothing good is ever done by wrote. That much I've learned over the years. You either have talent or you don't.

And that has pretty much been the story of my musical life. Where you probably do this for a living, were it not for my own love of music and doing this for my own pleasure, I'd have pretty much nothing to show for it. And rightfully so, as I have very little talent, if any at all.

This has been yet another humbling experience in my musical life.

I'm sure it won't be the last.

[noiseboyuk]

I think you've got it about motion - so important. And of course it can be overdone, but I totally agree that this is the main thing in think you are missing, and some richer textures.

And goodness me, every one of us is always learning. I'm a chancer with no formal training... I am incredibly aware of my limitations.

Onwards and upwards to us both i say.

[wagtunes]

I think you've got it about motion - so important. And of course it can be overdone, but I totally agree that this is the main thing in think you are missing, and some richer textures.

And goodness me, every one of us is always learning. I'm a chancer with no formal training... I am incredibly aware of my limitations.

Onwards and upwards to us both i say.

Well, you're very gracious given what a jackass I am.

Do you have any other pieces I can listen to? I'm not sure it'll do me any good, but it's always nice to listen to good music.

Oh, and what libraries DO you use? Just curious.

[noiseboyuk]

There's a couple more albums on Bandcamp (RHS of the page), delighted if you had a listen.

For Grace, strings are mostly Spitfire Sable (now re-christened Chamber strings). Brass is I think CineBrass & Pro, maybe some VSL on some solo instruments, woods VSL, piano Soundiron Emotional Piano i think. Tiny bit of EW harp and HZ01 percussion (again I think). Other stuff will have CineStrings, LASS, Symphobias, CinePerc and various other bits and pieces.

So for me, I've never found big problems with blending libraries, just making judicious use of Early Reflection and Tail reverbs for the libraries that need it. Its not very purist but seems to work for me.

Anyway, enough jabber from me - your thread!

[wagtunes]

There's a couple more albums on Bandcamp (RHS of the page), delighted if you had a listen.

For Grace, strings are mostly Spitfire Sable (now re-christened Chamber strings). Brass is I think CineBrass & Pro, maybe some VSL on some solo instruments, woods VSL, piano Soundiron Emotional Piano i think. Tiny bit of EW harp and HZ01 percussion (again I think). Other stuff will have CineStrings, LASS, Symphobias, CinePerc and various other bits and pieces.

So for me, I've never found big problems with blending libraries, just making judicious use of Early Reflection and Tail reverbs for the libraries that need it. Its not very purist but seems to work for me.

Anyway, enough jabber from me - your thread!

Actually, I welcome your input. I doubt it will help as I'm pretty much a lost cause but maybe something will click one day.

I can only hope.

Will give some more of your stuff a listen when I get a chance.

[wagtunes]

Another one from my CD "Pop Madness"

On Tenth Avenue

Walking down the dark dirty streets
Blisters on your hands and your feet
All alone sends chills down your spine
Fool yourself to think you are fine

On tenth avenue
It's a horrid view
Nothing you can do
On tenth avenue

Careful now the slugs creep around
You won't know they don't make a sound
Gangs with guns are waiting to strike
Til they do don't know what it's like

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... va-on-lead

[wagtunes]

Another one from my CD "Raising Kane"

Frying Pan Into The Fire

Too hot
Too hot
Too hot
Too hot

Such is life we all get burned
And for some a lesson learned
But to those who chance the flame
They soon find a deadly game

From the frying pan into the fire
The flames are gonna get higher
And your life will expire
It's too hot
Too hot

Dangerous the chance we take
And mistakes we're sure to make
But the bad ones we get baked
Pray to God for heaven's sake

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... ising-kane

[wagtunes]

12th and final track from my CD "Pop Madness"

My thanks to Noisy for pushing me to work on my orchestral work. I had a lot of fun doing this one, going for a kind of "live stage" sound.

The Last Pop Song

And so It goes by the wayside
Right down the drain
The end of all your delusions
Stuck in your brain
Don't try to fight it
Will just come out wrong
This is the last pop song

Believing that it will matter
Won't change a thing
Reality is your downfall
Heartache it brings
Don't try to fight it
Will just come out wrong
This is the last pop song

So let's cut to the chorus
Cross the bridge with a friend
It won't matter at all boy
When you get to the end
This is the last pop song

So wave goodbye
Think of me and do not cry
This is the last pop song

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... lead-vocal

[wagtunes]

From my CD "M"

This song was a turning point in my life. Until, and including this song, I played kind of sloppy and didn't bother quantizing at all. Well, it really shows on this track. The timing is awful. Someday I will go back and quantize this thing. Musically, I love it, which is why I am so bummed about this recording. It could have been so much better. But it did finally get me to get off my lazy butt and quantize my music. So no more timing issues.

The Girl With The Curl

You never looked at me twice
Baby that ain't very nice
I can do most anything
If you let me wear your ring

Just look over here
I'm so near

I'm the girl with the curl
In the middle of her forehead
Looking at me like I'm layin on the floor dead
What do I have to do to get you to look at me

I'm the girl with the curl
Falling heavy into your arms
Trying so my hardest teasing you with my charms
What do I have to do to make your blind eyes see
Just let your mind go free
I'm the girl with the curl

You never thought me that way
Baby that ain't very cool
I can turn your head around
I can really make you drool

Just look over here
I'm so near

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... eim/sets/m

[andrelafosse]

Any reason you didn't quantize in the past? And/or, anything that compelled you to start doing it?

[wagtunes]

Any reason you didn't quantize in the past? And/or, anything that compelled you to start doing it?

Why I Didn't: Laziness, plain and simple.

Why I Do Now ALWAYS: Tired of people telling me how bad my timing is.

[NystagmusE]

I like https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... et-to-plow
clever title. The tune would make a good themesong to a comedy sitcom. It's cheerful and decent.
Maybe you already get to make tunes. It sounds professional already.

You can actually sing pretty good. In this tune, you kinda remind me of some good stuff by The Monkees.
That's a compliment.

[wagtunes]

I like https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... et-to-plow
clever title. The tune would make a good themesong to a comedy sitcom. It's cheerful and decent.
Maybe you already get to make tunes. It sounds professional already.

You can actually sing pretty good. In this tune, you kinda remind me of some good stuff by The Monkees.
That's a compliment.

Ah, the Monkees. I remember them well. My days as a pre teen. They were a favorite of mine. I used to do a mean Davy Jones impersonation singing Daydream Believer, but those days are gone.

Honestly, I really don't like my voice in some spots on this one, mostly the high notes. Dreadful.

As for the title, it came from a woman I used to know back in the 70s. She had this saying. You can't dance and it's too wet to plow. Essentially it meant, nothing you can do about it. It became one of my favorite sayings ever until finally, recently, I wrote this song based on the saying. I just can't believe it took me all these years to do it.

But my singing pretty good? Thanks, but ugh.