Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,915
D
Deej56 Offline OP
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
D
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,915
HI, all:

Here’s a first time collaboration with TuneMonger, who penned the lyrics. First off, much thanks to Tune for his patience with me on this one . . . and more so for his many listens and thoughtful feedback along the way. I’m sure he’s as sick of listening to this as I am by now. smirk Truly, he was a pleasure to work with!

With regard to the tune, I’m certain there’s much in the mix that needs fine-tuning, but I find when I’m at that point where I’m fiddling with no specific purpose and at risk of mucking it up all the more, it’s time to let it go, warts and all. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. A little bit more of an ambitious arrangement and different sound (for me at least), which made it fun to do. We hope you enjoy it!

Here’s the song:

THE MOON HAS LOST ITS GLOW

Here are the lyrics:

Moonlight was my whole world,
swaying to Glenn Miller,
then her hair came uncurled
when I had hoped to thrill her.
It’s hard to face the night I know;
who needs all the extra woe—
it seems the moon has lost its glow.

Ain’t no say or play about it,
love just hit the rocks—
all its pieces fit
on display within a box.
It’s hard to face the night I know;
who needs all the extra woe—
just seems the moon has lost its glow.

Well, it seems the moon has lost its glow;
city lights lost power.
Where's a couple gonna go
when he wants a chance to wow her?
Well, it's hard to face the night I know;
who needs all the extra woe—
just seems the moon has lost its glow.

I spend my nights in neon bars
where shadows hide the lonely.
But it covers up all my scars,
so here's my number, phone me.
Yeah, it's hard to face the night I know;
who needs all the extra woe—
just seems the moon has lost its glow.

How many fell in love by moonlight?
How many wished upon a star?
Where in the world is my true love so right?
Why does she seem to be so very far?

That clarinet blew oh so sweet,
everyone got up to dance.
What a brilliant way to meet;
what a moment, what a chance.
But I'm alone and very low.
It seems the moon has lost its glow.
It could be me, alright, I know—
Am I the only one with woe?
Yes, it's hard to face the night I know;
who needs all the extra woe—
it seems the moon has lost its glow.

And here’s the band:

RealTracks 519: Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 120
RealTracks 884: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasBluesRockLowA-B Ev 165
RealTracks 882: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasBluesRockHighOffbeat Ev 165
RealTracks 502: Electric, Rhythm, StoneZ Honky
RealTracks 2151: Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm NewOrleansBoogieKevin Ev 165
RealTracks 715: Sax, Tenor, Soloist Rock Boogie Ev 160
RealTracks 686: Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 120
RealTracks 1967: Clarinet, Soloist DixielandMediumA-B Sw 110 (Bluesy)
RealDrums: NashvilleEven8^8-a:Snare, HiHat Open , b:Snare, Ride

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 7,742
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 7,742
Very cool collaboration. Another super vocal and loved the lyric. Excellent backtrack. Loved the bass runs and the drums were perfect.


Scott Collingwood
https://soundcloud.com/scottt709
https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,081
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,081
Wow! A big production. Great 50s Rock and Roll swing. Great lyrics. Nice recording. Good job to both of you. Well done.

Last edited by jptjptjpt; 10/21/20 03:54 PM.

My music can be heard at: The Cracks
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 708
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 708
Excellent collaboration, guys. Big, toe-tapping sound, super vocal performance. Much enjoyed.
Regards,
Leon

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,596
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,596
Big.
It's a strange melange of sounds but it works a treat.
As always a melody with your voice is always going to sound cool.
TuneMonger's rhyming of woe is a treat too- nice narrative.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
PG Music Staff
Offline
PG Music Staff
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 3,414
Really enjoyed this - it has a uniqueness to that I found appeal, and the lyrics are top notch. Love the groove as well and thought the vocals were delivered well. Thanks for sharing smile


Cheers,
Deryk
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,082
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 12,082
Deej & TM,

A lot of good things happening here.

The lyrics are colorful and unique, original.

The BAND is full and Rockin'. The piano and sax are notable.

The vocal is energetic and powerful. Lively.

All good stuff. But, I thought there was a real disconnect between the lyric verbiage/story and the music. I listened several times to "give it a chance" and I just couldn't get over the they-don't-work-together feeling. I'm obviously an outlier in that regard - everyone else seems to love the combination.
The mix was good level-wise and instrument-wise, but to my ear (on detailed speakers) it was overly bright-EQ'd. The piano brightness was good to help it cut through the mix, but the rhythm guitar was bright, too, so there was a lack of "balance" there. And the sax had a "brightness" as well. All that brightness competed with the vocal (which had an excellent tone - the right amount of "bright").

Good to see you guys hook up - both talented music makers.

fj

User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,749
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,749
Nice to have a collaborating partner.

I'm torn.
On one hand, the massive instrumentation with the vocal bouncing around on top of it, kept me listening.
On the flip side, I have to agree with FJ, there's not much tonal separation making it a little harsh listening.

I fully understand the mixing fatigue that can cause unnecessary adjustments.
Stick with it.
My recommendation is, find a few good reference tracks with the same vibe and try some critical listening against those to guide any improvements.

Last edited by CaptainMoto; 10/22/20 04:15 AM.
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,915
D
Deej56 Offline OP
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
D
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,915
Hi, all:

Thanks all for the listen and thoughts.

A quick comment here on the mix based on the feedback above. I just went back into my DAW and realized that either I had never EQ'd the guitars and sax or somewhere along the line the program dropped it. I'd like to blame the latter however unlikely, but it's more likely an oversight on my part. I'll see what I can do to tone down the brightness a bit more on the guitars and sax, which might help address some of the concerns above.

Unfortunately, I can't do much to address Floyd's other feedback regarding the style of music relative to the lyric . . . just they way I went with it, and that lies with me, not TuneMonger. I'm happy enough with the combination, but appreciate Floyd's thoughts and reaction.

I'll circle back shortly with, hopefully, a slightly better mix, if my limited skills can pull it off.

Deej

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 723
Journeyman
Offline
Journeyman
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 723
Deej, I can see you've been hard at work. I love the 50s upbeat swing sound. I do agree doesn't exactly match the lyrics which seem to be brooding and sort of sad, so a slower more moody match would have told the story better IMHO. An Andy Williams or Frank Sinatra crooner style.

However, I thought it would have been interesting to have the verses tell the lost my lover story with a slow, moody type sound and then the chorus, amp it up with a but I'm so glad she's gone and I don't care if the moon lost it's glow, let's party.

Would be a lot of contrast there. But great job you both, the lyrics are well written and interesting and your music is still a good song and production. I do agree with Floyd, just doesn't mesh well with the lyrics.

User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,357
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,357
Deej & Tunemonger,
The storyline is fun and well developed with those cute rhymes, like these:

I spend my nights in neon bars
where shadows hide the lonely.
But it covers up all my scars,
so here's my number, phone me.

The pace of the song had me listening close to keep up, but you sing with great energy and clarity.
You already have lots of feedback on the mix; I enjoyed this as is and will be interested to hear a redo if that`s where you take it.

Robert

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,915
D
Deej56 Offline OP
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
D
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,915
Scott, jpt3, rayc, Deryk, Floyd, CaptainMoto, Belladonna, and Robert:

Thanks again, all, for the listen and great feedback. More to my note above, I've jumped in and done a "quick" EQ fix on the guitars and sax, and a few other minor adjustments. The link should go to the tweaked version. I'm not sure that's made a great difference, but hopefully better. Quite frankly, I need to step away from the mix at this point and come back at it with fresh ears in a week or so.

Floyd and Belladonna,

Appreciate the thoughts on the lyric/music match. The bones of it is what I came up with when I picked up the guitar--and, again, that choice was mine, not Tune's. I'm hopeful it works for most . . . but, if not, then if nothing else we have a great lyric looking for some musical backing, and some musical backing in search of a lyric. And that's something, at least, LOL! smile Again, appreciate the honesty.

My best to you all,

Deej

User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 294
B
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
B
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 294
Hi Deej56,

When I saw the lyrics "Glenn Miller", I wasn't expecting this song to be such a rocker! The sax added in kind of hints at Glenn Miller Band at times.

You've got a fun arrangement with that cool break.

At times, it kind of reminds me of a Sha-Na-Na song, especially with the piano and sax playing at the same time.

I can't really pin down the era, but at this point, it don't matter. Good music is good music and brother, this is a cool rockin tune. Good vocals and nice write.

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 1,677
Hi Deej & Tunemonger,

great collab. Couldn't keep my feet from tapping. Good sound, good vocals. A real, real, real good lisen!

Cheers,

Stefan

User Showcase
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,816
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,816
Deeej & TuneMonger, this is a very cool collab. Man, those lyrics are sooo good. What a wonderful production, and use of instruments. Excellent voice, and I know what you mean about mix fatigue, Deej.


Enjoy whatever happens!
marty

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub
Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 11
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,167
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,167
I just want to say I'm really happy with how the song turned out. Deej involved me throughout, even though I was just the lyricist. I heard it when it was just his voice and an acoustic guitar, all the way to the final production and was thrilled with it. I still am. It was a fantastic experience collaborating with a talent like Deej and I would do it again in a heartbeat.


Windows 10, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 6i6, Komplete keyboard, Sony Acid Music Studio 11, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,370
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,370
Good song, guys!

TuneMonger certainly has some seriously good writing chops, and I thought you did a good job bringing the words to life with the music you created.

Enjoyed.

User Showcase
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,210
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,210
Good job! Deej's writing, voice, the brilliant lyrics by Tunemonger and that PG Music piano in the background make this song, for me. Not to forget Deej's interpretation with a good dollop of a sense of a humour in it! By the last stanza, I was actually dancing (attempting to, at least). That stanza took it to the level before and then some :-)

On my second listen, now - but, if I may be allowed to say this, this is vintage Deej. One of his best - making the very best of these great lyrics. Bravo to both!!!

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 6,992
G
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
G
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 6,992
Fun song!! Clever, fun lyric and a nice upbeat musical accompaniment!! Really cool collab guys!! Take care. Greg

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,707
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,707
We liked the juxtaposing of big band era references set to a rock groove.

The story line is timeless ... dancing to a big band or rock. And DJ put his rock
vocal stamp on it big time. Great collab.

That number of tracks is above my mixing pay grade but it all laid out well on the monitors.

TM said, "Deej involved me throughout, even though I was just the lyricist." Well that "even though"
is a huge part of the song. There are a lot of folks who would love to be just the lyricist if they
could write like you.

Good one y'all!

J&B


You can listen to our catalog on Apple Music or Spotify by searching on Janice Merritt
Our Videos are here on our website
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Generate Lyrics for your Band-in-a-Box songs with LyricLab!

Need some lyrics to complete your Band-in-a-Box song? LyricLab is here to help!

LyricLab (by Joanne Cooper) is an AI-powered tool designed to quickly create lyrics and chords to fit your music. Just enter a rough idea of your lyrics, and let the AI bring them to life. Once you're happy with the results, simply import the LyricLab file into Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or newer. From there, you can pick your style and generate melodies to match your song’s chords!

Learn more about LyricLab here!

Watch the video.


Band-in-a-Box 2024 Italian for Mac is Here!

Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!

Tutti Pacchetti | Nuove Caratteristiche

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Mac Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK & 7, Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, und mehr!

Paket | Was ist Neu

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 French for Mac® is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6 & 7, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, et bien plus encore!

New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!

With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!

Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Watch the XPro Styles PAK 7 Overview & Styles Demos video.

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!

Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!

In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.

Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!

Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!

Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!

In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.

Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics82,872
Posts752,854
Members39,021
Most Online3,932
Nov 19th, 2024
Newest Members
Uke Berlin, Rodion Shynharov, davesbass, million, momo25
39,021 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 155
DC Ron 104
rsdean 85
dcuny 83
jpettit 68
Today's Birthdays
Fred Marzin, kindofblue, philncookie
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5