Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,901
D
Deej56 Offline OP
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
D
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,901
Hi, all:

I’d like to think as a singer-songwriter I have a fair understanding of what I do well, and . . . well . . . what I don’t. So when I wrote this song—a throwback in the spirit of classic American Standards—I pretty much knew it would never see the light of day without some help. It needed a crooner—something far removed from my vocal styling—and I really felt it was more suited to a female vocalist . . . not to mention a better arranger and producer than I could pretend to be.

So I reached out to David Cuny, not only for his exceptional production skills, which I always admired . . . but also for his outstanding work with AI vocals (i.e., “vocaloids”). I was thrilled when David agreed to bring his immeasurable talents to bear, and tried my best to give him complete creative control over the arrangement and production.

He surprised me with his choices. He amazed me by taking the song in directions I may not have. He just flat out delivered . . . again, on a song that would never have been but for his passion and talent. My immense and heartfelt thanks to him. (And, yes, I warned him that if he let me post this song I would gush endlessly about him! No complaining, David!).

Here are David’s Notes on the production. I will refer you to the lyrics on SoundCloud, given the length of my post. Beyond that, I’ll let the song sing for itself, and hope that you enjoy it as much as I love listening to it.

My best to you all,

Deej

Here is the song:

SOMEDAY

Here are David C’s notes on the production:

The Details
Deej did all the hard work of writing the song, singing it, and creating a backing track in BiaB.
I imported Deej's vocals into SynthesizerV and manually edited it.
I added a BiaB piano part to give it some variety to the arrangement. It's a combination of the regular track and held chords.
I made a few adjustments to the drums (the kick was a bit loud in places) and bass (to remove a few beats), but nothing major.
The trumpet part was played on my EWI.
I used the Fame Studio reverb to try to place all the instruments in a "real" space, and chose the Master Buss FX to try to be sort of "vintage" sounding.

RealTracks
1386:Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Ballad Sw 085 (Very Simple)
487:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Ballad Sw 085
2804:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm JazzBalladCompOlly12-key Sw 085
JazzSwingLewis^01-a:Brushes, Snare , b:Brushes Swirl, Busy Snare

Effects Chain
Master Buss: Greg Wells ToneCentric, HoRNet Master Tool, Greg Wells MixCentric (Mix Fairydust)
Vocal: SynthesizerV (Natalie), Ghz Vulf Compressor, Greg Wells VoiceCentric (Lead Vocal)
Vocal FX: Valhalla VintageVerb (Chamber), Abbey Roads Plates (Smooth Vocal)
Piano: RealTrack, Ghz Vulf Compressor, Fame Studio (Studio Live, Piano)
Bass: RealTrack, Fame Studio (Studio A Live, Bass)
Drums: RealTrack, Fame Studio (Studio A Live, Drums)
Guitar: RealTrack, TrackSpacer, Fame Studio (Studio A Live, Guitar)
Trumpet: The Trumpet (Trumpet), Fame Studio (Studio B Live, Bass/Gtrs), Fame Studio (Chamber)

Last edited by Deej56; 08/16/24 02:47 AM.
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,606
Expert
Online Content
Expert
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,606
Fun jazz standard write, nice torch singer vocals and a super collaboration. Great arrangement and mix. Really like the comping rhythm guitar's role in the background. But all the instruments sound in place and GREAT. The mixing of holds into the piano track is a neat trick that I do with guitars all the time, but not pianos; but will think about that more now, since it sounds great. Love this!


DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
Presonus Studio One
StudioCat DAW dual screen
Presonus Faderport 16
Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 7,140
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 7,140
Deej / David,

Wow! Flat-out amazing production!

I absolutely love the authentic sounding vintage feel of this song and performance. To me, it completely captures the late 40s / early 50s period of "standard" singers & songs.

Outstanding Synth V vocal and treatment. Superb instrumentation and mix.

EXCELLENT!

Bob

User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 2,152
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 2,152
Deej...very cool song indeed...I can see Natalie crooning away at a nightclub in an old film noir movie...I use Natalie a lot and love her breathy alto voice...everything about this has an authentic sound and feel...David is a master at properly manipulating the digital voices and you have composed a perfect marriage for that with this classic sounding piece...great collab for sure!


www.soundclick.com/firesong
BiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10

You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
User Showcase
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,179
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,179
Oh my word. Oh wow. Mr. Versatile (Deej) strikes again. I never expected to hear this particular style from you, Deej. And this is a masterpiece, nothing short of it. I can see David C's magical touch in making this masterpiece shine in every note - well done, David C smile . But, in the writing, the Deej stamp is everywhere - and not least in those tearjerker lyrics. Deej is an incredible poet, as well as a top-notch singer and songwriter - how you manage to come up with those genius turn of phrases is beyond me, though I'm still under the illusion that I'm not a bad poet, myself.

This should be on the radio (or on whatever devices people nowdays listen to music on). The other thing (another Deej hallmark): the lyrics are, once more, direct and to the point. I wish I could learn how to express my own lyrics like that ... I usually meander all over the shop, before I get to the point. Long story short: brilliant song - well done, Deej, yet another classic. And yes, superb work, David C ... you've helped me with some of my songs, before, so I know first-hand how stellar your own work is, and how understated you are about it smile .

BRAVI, gentlemen (and Natalie! smile ) !!!

EDIT: listening again ... this could have been written by Willie Nelson, Nat King Cole, or someone like that. Reminds me of a combination of "Crazy" and "Unforgettable", or somesuch songs. It's (at least) THAT good, for me. And yes, "in the spirit of American classics", indeed. In a different world, who knows how famous this song would have gotten. And yes, I can hear any of the top notch female crooners singing this (Natalie Cole, etc. etc. etc.). Again, bravi for bringing this to light smile (and you can quote me on all of this!!! smile )

Last edited by musician17; 08/16/24 08:13 AM.
User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 2,326
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 2,326
Gentlemen, let me first say that this really isn't my genre, but I appreciate quality when I hear it and this is quality.

Truth be told, I've been waiting for the day when vocaloid bot vocals become indistinguishable to my ears from the real thing and I think this is that threshold song. Remember back when folks were saying that computers can never beat a master chess champion and then it happened? For me, this song is analogous to that. I'm thinking it's the Marilyn Monroe breathy style that really tipped the scales here. Put another way, there's no way I can imagine a circuit board or lines of code behind a pretty animation on this song.

The backing tracks, mix and lyrics are also top shelf.

Job well done.

EDIT: If a "2024 PG Grammys" is ever created to capture and preserve the best songs that use BiaB, this has to be on the list.

Last edited by Bass Thumper; 08/16/24 08:28 AM.

https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677
BiaB 2024 Windows
For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
User Showcase
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,406
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 1,406
Hi DJ and David
I hadn't expected a song like this...
Surprise was a success ;-)))
I had to start the song all over again
And to be honest, although this is not my music at all, the song is really excellent.
As the previous speakers have already mentioned, the vocals really are a new standard.
This is already Suno.ai quality.
The song itself is also really well written and performed.
An absolutely successful collaboration
Andi ;-)

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2024
Posts: 66
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2024
Posts: 66
Deej.

This track is so ready to be put into a movie scene. I love how authentic it feels. A really fine collaboration.
Great mix. I would never have picked that the vocal was AI generated.

Regards
Brian.


Songwriting punctuates our lives. It is alchemy, turning pain into gold.
Songs choose their composers when they enter the world.
I try to remain open and ready.
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 21,565
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 21,565
Deej / David, outstanding work gentlemen
This sounds like it came straight from Tin Pan Alley!
In the 40's or 50's this would be in a movie.
Today it would be labeled as lounge jazz
What ever you call it it is fantastic
Loved it.


Inflation is so bad that CEOs are now playing miniature golf!

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,716
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,716
Deej & David,

What a wonderful song! It took me back to my youth in the 1950s. I absolutely love this genre. I can't think of a single thing that would make this better. The vocal reminded me of a cross between Julie London and Edie Adams. I could listen to this every day for the next several days - probably will.

Exceptional!

Alan


BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*16GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar

Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,299
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,299
Hi Deej and David,

Very impressive piece on all levels! Great write and the production is top notch.

Enjoyed reading how the song came about too.

Excellent!

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 11,942
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 11,942
Zowie.

A Beautiful Write.
A Stunning Production.
Killer Mix.
Nice trumpet!
First time I've heard a bot voice that sounds like it has actually lived the song. Impressive.

Mind-Blowing at every turn.

Damn Good Music.

fj

User Showcase
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,687
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 3,687
WOW, what an excellent choice, Deej. I was looking forward to listening to you sing a new one, but was nevertheless pleasently surprised with what David brought to the party. What a great song. I love playing the old standards, although it's hard finding anyone to join. You found the perfect collab partner herre, Deej. Well done, yopu two.


Enjoy whatever happens!
marty

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub
and https://soundcloud.com/babumusic-5080285
Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 11
User Showcase
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 946
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 946
You two are not just musicians, but magicians! This is pure magic. Both of you are among my favorites on the forum, but teamed up together like this is crazy good. Great song and outstanding production. Exactly what I would have expected from you two - and more! Fantastic job. Copletely impressed!

Brad

User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,913
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,913
I can recognize David C style in the use of the low range of a Synth V vocalist smile And because of Natalie, also the lyrics and the melody not to mention the excellent mix have the same feel, so it is bit surprising to realize that the song is written by Deej. But it is good to notice Deej's versatile talent also outside the 80's rock genre, especially in touching lyrics and smoothly floating melody. A very pleasant song like straight from the 50s that does not pale with the old classics. Great collaboration, I hope to hear more from you two.

Janne


Hear My Music:

Soundcloud
YouTube

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,487
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 6,487
F.A.B. Deej & DCuny.
Writing songs that end up being for other voices, (even synth ones), is good work.
F.A.B.


Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,959
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,959
Hi, All.

Thanks for kind words. smile

It was fun to translate the song to another singer and work with a style that's outside what I usually do.

But truthfully, If Deej had posted his rough work tape with only vocals and guitar, it would have been just as good. smile


-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?
User Showcase
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,927
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,927
So cleverly done.
Lyrics fit the genre.
Good one.

Vic

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,540
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,540
Wow!

With the accent and phrasing and other subtleties Natalie sounds like Imelda May!
Way cool, David.

The light jazz band is perfect for it and the piano arrangement sounds very good

The lyric and melody are very nice, we especially liked the last verse.

And we enjoyed the "how it all came about" narrative.

Excellent collab 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
User Showcase
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 1,795
Expert
Offline
Expert
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 1,795
Sounds old ... but in a good way, I would have guessed it was from the fifties or something.
Amazing vocal performance and amazing production, perfect in every way.
Great work by all involved!


Making bits and bytes sound good...

Goldmania Bella - A One-Man Girlband with no fans
Listen on Spotify
Watch on YouTube
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
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.

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

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.

Video - Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6 for Mac®: New Features for Reaper

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 includes built-in specific support for the Reaper® DAW API, allowing direct transfer of Band-in-a-Box® files to/from Reaper tracks, including tiny lossless files of instructions which play audio instantly from disk.

We demonstrate the new Reaper features in the Band-in-a-Box® VST DAW Plugin 6.0 in our video, Band-in-a-Box® DAW Plugin Version 6 for Mac®: New Features for Reaper

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac® - Update Today!

Already grabbed your copy of Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®? Head to our Support Page to download build 803 and update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 installation with the latest version developed by our team!

Learn more & download now.

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac® Video - Over 50 New Features and Enhancements!

Read all about the 50+ newest features in Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®, or you can watch our video "Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Mac®: Over 50 New Features and Enhancements!" to see it in action!

Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics82,779
Posts749,189
Members38,879
Most Online2,537
Jan 19th, 2020
Newest Members
thanh tran, Rick0965, Jason Woodland, Dwayno7, Jeff Langr
38,878 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 143
DC Ron 116
rsdean 114
vicarn 77
Today's Birthdays
GAZollo, jazzman174, jypi
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5