The Wagtunes Corner

[Halonmusic]

8th track from my upcoming CD "Holidays"

I really needed to just do something stupid. This is my thumbs down to Labor Day.

Labor Day Blues

I go to work
My boss is a jerk
My name is Dirk
I got the labor day blues

I work nine to five
But I don't feel alive
That ain't no jive
I got the labor day blues

Every day is labor
Every day's a grind
I work until I'm bleeding
I work until I'm blind

I ask for a raise
I ask for days
But it's all a haze
I got the labor day blues

Instrumental Break

Repeat B Section

I know I should quit
Cause my boss is a twit
That ain't no shit
I got the labor day blues

Outro Fade

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/labor-day-blues

This is why i love your music. Great use of instruments, great mixing and a unique voice. Keep it up! Sorry that i havent posted here in a long time though, been a bit busy tbh. Anyway, i am going to listen to your latest contributions from now on. I'm sure i'll love them

[wagtunes]

8th track from my upcoming CD "Holidays"

I really needed to just do something stupid. This is my thumbs down to Labor Day.

Labor Day Blues

I go to work
My boss is a jerk
My name is Dirk
I got the labor day blues

I work nine to five
But I don't feel alive
That ain't no jive
I got the labor day blues

Every day is labor
Every day's a grind
I work until I'm bleeding
I work until I'm blind

I ask for a raise
I ask for days
But it's all a haze
I got the labor day blues

Instrumental Break

Repeat B Section

I know I should quit
Cause my boss is a twit
That ain't no shit
I got the labor day blues

Outro Fade

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/labor-day-blues

This is why i love your music. Great use of instruments, great mixing and a unique voice. Keep it up! Sorry that i havent posted here in a long time though, been a bit busy tbh. Anyway, i am going to listen to your latest contributions from now on. I'm sure i'll love them

What you call a unique voice many have called cringe worthy. LOL. I'm no singer but then I never wanted to be. But thanks for the kind words. I'm currently working on a song about Election Day, another stupid piece of art. I think I'm in a mood. LOL.

[Halonmusic]

8th track from my upcoming CD "Holidays"

I really needed to just do something stupid. This is my thumbs down to Labor Day.

Labor Day Blues

I go to work
My boss is a jerk
My name is Dirk
I got the labor day blues

I work nine to five
But I don't feel alive
That ain't no jive
I got the labor day blues

Every day is labor
Every day's a grind
I work until I'm bleeding
I work until I'm blind

I ask for a raise
I ask for days
But it's all a haze
I got the labor day blues

Instrumental Break

Repeat B Section

I know I should quit
Cause my boss is a twit
That ain't no shit
I got the labor day blues

Outro Fade

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/labor-day-blues

This is why i love your music. Great use of instruments, great mixing and a unique voice. Keep it up! Sorry that i havent posted here in a long time though, been a bit busy tbh. Anyway, i am going to listen to your latest contributions from now on. I'm sure i'll love them

What you call a unique voice many have called cringe worthy. LOL. I'm no singer but then I never wanted to be. But thanks for the kind words. I'm currently working on a song about Election Day, another stupid piece of art. I think I'm in a mood. LOL.

Dont listen to the haters. You DO have a unique voice, atleast to me really. I'm looking forward to you next release Steven

[wagtunes]

10th track from my upcoming CD "Holidays"

This one requires some explanation.

Originally, I was going to do Veteran's Day but the truth is, it's too similar to Memorial Day, which I had already done, so I decided to go with Election Day instead.

That was my first mistake

Then I wanted to do something like Alice Cooper's "Elected" but my voice just can't pull off that kind of vocal. So the vocal execution just falls flat on this rather generic rock tune.

The intro and outro are cool but the rest of the song, mostly due to my singing, is disposable. Though, again, the song itself is pretty generic.

In short, on a scale of 1 1- 10, I give it a 6 at best.

This CD itself has been very difficult to do. Pigeon holing myself into this Holiday theme has been stifling. So this is the last of my theme albums. Starting with the next album they're going to be called "Stevie W & The Vocaloids Volume (whatever) and that way I can just write what I want without having to worry about themes.

Anyway, here is my latest trainwreck.

Election Day Chaos (Get Out The Vote)

Don't be a chump...Don't vote for Trump
Biden is cool...He ain't a tool
But whoever you vote for
Be it red or blue
Whatever you do

Get out the vote
Get out the vote
Get out the vote
Get out the vote
Get out the vote
Avoid election day chaos

The turtle he lies...And Lindsey he spies
Hawley's a traitor...Bet your alligator
But whoever you vote for
Be it red or blue
Whatever you do

Repeat Chorus

This is one holiday
Where you get to have your say
So don't let them take your vote away

Instrumental Break

Repeat Chorus

Outro

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... t-the-vote

[aaron aardvark]

wagtunes,
Now reviewing "Election Day": this song rocks harder than anything I've heard you do in quite some time. The guitars sound real if they are not. Pretty unique distortion sound. Vocals are good, and so is everything instrumentally. Nice song!

[aaron aardvark]

wagtunes,
Now listening to "Halloween Hell": this really put a smile on my face! Some of the lyrics cracked me up, in a good way. Nice synth sounds! Very good melodies. Has an 80's sound, which is fine by me. Really liked this song.

PS: not to be a bummer, but a friend of mine (about 14 years old) died in a small plane crash (along with his pilot father) on Halloween night in the mid 70's.

[wagtunes]

11th track from my upcoming CD "Holidays"

In my typical over-the-top fashion, I ran this one through, not one, but 4 tape decks. I think I'll call this Waggy's Wall Of Sound.

Enjoy!

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Turkey time pumpkin pie
Look your mother in the eye
Here we go again Thanksgiving day
But the restaurant's closed down
And poor Alice has left town
There really isn't much that we can say

So time to pack your bags and move along
You can't make it right when it's all wrong

Cause the writing's on the wall for all to see
It's clearly spelled out just for you and me
You can search for all it's worth
You can comb the whole wide earth
You can pray to God that you won't end up poor
Alice doesn't live here anymore

Every year it's the same
When you play this silly game
Here we go again Thanksgiving day
But the restaurant's closed down
And poor Alice has left town
There really isn't much that we can say

Time to toss those promises you've bought
Time to realize that it's all for naught

Repeat Chorus

Another holiday
Another's lost his way
And you stare at the sky and start to pray

But the writing's on the wall for all to see
It's clearly spelled out just for you and me
You can search for all it's worth
You can comb the whole wide earth
You can pray to God that you won't end up poor
Alice doesn't live here anymore

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... re-anymore

[ChameleonMusic]

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - love the intro / beginning...works very well!

Once more you've got - simple / catchy / hooky melodies nailed above appropriate and well constructed harmonies.

I would've liked the vocals to be a little more forward in the mix maybe?

[wagtunes]

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - love the intro / beginning...works very well!

Once more you've got - simple / catchy / hooky melodies nailed above appropriate and well constructed harmonies.

I would've liked the vocals to be a little more forward in the mix maybe?

I'm glad you brought up the vocals and the arrangement. I could talk about this arrangement for days. In fact, it took me 19 days to do this song.

Listen to Dan Fogelberg's Netherlands album. His engineer wanted to bring the vocals up more. Dan said no. He wanted it to be more like a symphony where no one instrument was dominant. I think Dan made the right call on this one as Netherlands is one of my all time favorite albums.

If you listen to my arrangement, you'll notice that not even the screaming lead guitar is dominant in the mix. At times, you can just about hear it. The vocals, IMO, are clear enough to get all the words. That's all that mattered to me.

I'm partial to those type of arrangements. Some of my favorite songs have somewhat quiet lead vocals with a big arrangement in the background. But I get that it's not everybody's cup of tea.

Anyway, thanks for the listen and the feedback. I really enjoyed doing this one.

[donkey tugger]

If you listen to my arrangement, you'll notice that not even the screaming lead guitar is dominant in the mix. At times, you can just about hear it. The vocals, IMO, are clear enough to get all the words. That's all that mattered to me.

I'm partial to those type of arrangements. Some of my favorite songs have somewhat quiet lead vocals with a big arrangement in the background. But I get that it's not everybody's cup of tea.

Anyway, thanks for the listen and the feedback. I really enjoyed doing this one.

If you can hear all the words the vocals are too loud...

Anyway, I agree with you on this. Although I do make a conscious effort to turn the vocals up a bit these days, I still always veer towards back in the mix rather than upfront.

My Bloody Valentine - one of my fave all time bands. Still have absolutely no idea of 99% of the words....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpoOjoiYcWY

[wagtunes]

If you listen to my arrangement, you'll notice that not even the screaming lead guitar is dominant in the mix. At times, you can just about hear it. The vocals, IMO, are clear enough to get all the words. That's all that mattered to me.

I'm partial to those type of arrangements. Some of my favorite songs have somewhat quiet lead vocals with a big arrangement in the background. But I get that it's not everybody's cup of tea.

Anyway, thanks for the listen and the feedback. I really enjoyed doing this one.

If you can hear all the words the vocals are too loud...

Anyway, I agree with you on this. Although I do make a conscious effort to turn the vocals up a bit these days, I still always veer towards back in the mix rather than upfront.

My Bloody Valentine - one of my fave all time bands. Still have absolutely no idea of 99% of the words....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpoOjoiYcWY

DT, that's too funny. Thanks for the listen and the feedback. FWIW, I think your vocal arrangements are perfect. But we probably have the same taste in that area as far as loudness.

[ChameleonMusic]

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - love the intro / beginning...works very well!

Once more you've got - simple / catchy / hooky melodies nailed above appropriate and well constructed harmonies.

I would've liked the vocals to be a little more forward in the mix maybe?

I'm glad you brought up the vocals and the arrangement. I could talk about this arrangement for days. In fact, it took me 19 days to do this song.

Listen to Dan Fogelberg's Netherlands album. His engineer wanted to bring the vocals up more. Dan said no. He wanted it to be more like a symphony where no one instrument was dominant. I think Dan made the right call on this one as Netherlands is one of my all time favorite albums.

If you listen to my arrangement, you'll notice that not even the screaming lead guitar is dominant in the mix. At times, you can just about hear it. The vocals, IMO, are clear enough to get all the words. That's all that mattered to me.

I'm partial to those type of arrangements. Some of my favorite songs have somewhat quiet lead vocals with a big arrangement in the background. But I get that it's not everybody's cup of tea.

Anyway, thanks for the listen and the feedback. I really enjoyed doing this one.

Yeah, mixing balance is often down to personal taste without a doubt and there was nothing at all 'wrong' with the balance here as such - agreed 100%!

I'm mildly obsessed with the 3D soundstage (probably comes from teaching the subject for too many years) and tend to get very precise about placement of sounds!

[ChameleonMusic]

If you listen to my arrangement, you'll notice that not even the screaming lead guitar is dominant in the mix. At times, you can just about hear it. The vocals, IMO, are clear enough to get all the words. That's all that mattered to me.

I'm partial to those type of arrangements. Some of my favorite songs have somewhat quiet lead vocals with a big arrangement in the background. But I get that it's not everybody's cup of tea.

Anyway, thanks for the listen and the feedback. I really enjoyed doing this one.

If you can hear all the words the vocals are too loud...

Anyway, I agree with you on this. Although I do make a conscious effort to turn the vocals up a bit these days, I still always veer towards back in the mix rather than upfront.

My Bloody Valentine - one of my fave all time bands. Still have absolutely no idea of 99% of the words....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpoOjoiYcWY

Hiya DT, yeah it's all down to personal taste - agreed as I said to Wags above.

MBV - it's one of the reasons I can't listen to them much at all! The difficult to hear vocal lines drive me nuts!

[wagtunes]

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - love the intro / beginning...works very well!

Once more you've got - simple / catchy / hooky melodies nailed above appropriate and well constructed harmonies.

I would've liked the vocals to be a little more forward in the mix maybe?

I'm glad you brought up the vocals and the arrangement. I could talk about this arrangement for days. In fact, it took me 19 days to do this song.

Listen to Dan Fogelberg's Netherlands album. His engineer wanted to bring the vocals up more. Dan said no. He wanted it to be more like a symphony where no one instrument was dominant. I think Dan made the right call on this one as Netherlands is one of my all time favorite albums.

If you listen to my arrangement, you'll notice that not even the screaming lead guitar is dominant in the mix. At times, you can just about hear it. The vocals, IMO, are clear enough to get all the words. That's all that mattered to me.

I'm partial to those type of arrangements. Some of my favorite songs have somewhat quiet lead vocals with a big arrangement in the background. But I get that it's not everybody's cup of tea.

Anyway, thanks for the listen and the feedback. I really enjoyed doing this one.

Yeah, mixing balance is often down to personal taste without a doubt and there was nothing at all 'wrong' with the balance here as such - agreed 100%!

I'm mildly obsessed with the 3D soundstage (probably comes from teaching the subject for too many years) and tend to get very precise about placement of sounds!

I'm curious. Do you own Vienna's MIR soundstage? I think it's quite realistic. If you don't have it, you might want to look into it.

[ChameleonMusic]

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - love the intro / beginning...works very well!

Once more you've got - simple / catchy / hooky melodies nailed above appropriate and well constructed harmonies.

I would've liked the vocals to be a little more forward in the mix maybe?

I'm glad you brought up the vocals and the arrangement. I could talk about this arrangement for days. In fact, it took me 19 days to do this song.

Listen to Dan Fogelberg's Netherlands album. His engineer wanted to bring the vocals up more. Dan said no. He wanted it to be more like a symphony where no one instrument was dominant. I think Dan made the right call on this one as Netherlands is one of my all time favorite albums.

If you listen to my arrangement, you'll notice that not even the screaming lead guitar is dominant in the mix. At times, you can just about hear it. The vocals, IMO, are clear enough to get all the words. That's all that mattered to me.

I'm partial to those type of arrangements. Some of my favorite songs have somewhat quiet lead vocals with a big arrangement in the background. But I get that it's not everybody's cup of tea.

Anyway, thanks for the listen and the feedback. I really enjoyed doing this one.

Yeah, mixing balance is often down to personal taste without a doubt and there was nothing at all 'wrong' with the balance here as such - agreed 100%!

I'm mildly obsessed with the 3D soundstage (probably comes from teaching the subject for too many years) and tend to get very precise about placement of sounds!

I'm curious. Do you own Vienna's MIR soundstage? I think it's quite realistic. If you don't have it, you might want to look into it.

MIR (I know Jan on KVR uses it a lot) - I demo' d it for 30 days some time ago now...massively impressed by the results, but...

I really needed the full version for my orchestral work and at $600 x 2 PCs it was far too much, especially when you add in the individual room packs etc.

It def works with all VSTs, but is very much tailored to Vienna products which I don't use at all.

I also tried:

SPAT - fantastic, but even more expensive and extremely complex!

Virtual Soundstage 2 - very good indeed, but has a weird issue with reverb that I could never sort to my satisfaction.

I've developed my own 3D soundstage template / approach that I use now...bit clunky as it needs serious tweaks for some projects, but I've got used to it overall.

Good call though...I'll have a 2nd look at MIR and the alternatives to see if they've changed / updated etc since I last looked!