The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => Feedback on Finished songs => Topic started by: digger72 on May 05, 2016, 09:40:36 PM
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Hi All,
We recently had some more success on BBC Introducing. It even sounded half decent when broadcast - which was a bit of a surprise as we'd been disappointed with the sound quality of our efforts when broadcast previously. Which perhaps prompts the question, why did this hold up better than other songs? All we did different was reduce the reverb levels and work more on mono compatibility. Was this the reason, or something else? Anyone with some ideas please feel free to comment.
It's a simple song and contains some of our favourite lyrics; pretty straight forward theme.
Thanks for listening and any feedback.
Digger
https://thecomfortablystrange.bandcamp.com/track/lines-apart
Lines Apart
The black tide is pulling
And I can't see
I was happy today
But the thought ran free
I could climb through the window
Maybe find you there
But you float like oil
And the sea's run scared
Chorus:
Engineer the wires
We're lines apart
Painting in the air
It's the new art
And are we distant
Or have we found
This is the ceiling
And this is the ground?
Sometimes the silence
Is all I need
Words lie scattered
Stone ground the seed
And though we are touching
The connection is worn
So we take comfort
In a skin now torn
Chorus:
And so we watch
We're perfectly still
The secret's in the shade
But we lost the will.
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Sounds very professional to me, Digger. Interesting what you said about this one sounding better when broadcast than previous efforts - my mixes always sound thin and weedy to me, this has a massive amount of bass when I play it through the same headphones I mix through, so it just goes to show. Goes to show what, is the question!
It's not my style, so I can't really comment with any knowledge or authority, but it sounds mighty impressive and well worked and I'm not surprised you're getting some airplay. Fine paying and singing all round, and an interesting song. Well done and I hope the momentum continues!
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Hi Digger. Great stuff again. Moody and magnificent. I love this sort of stuff. It's really difficult to produce something that is as good as this and I think you've got the mix spot on. I'm still amazed though how the same song can sound totally different through another audio setup. You know the scenario where you have been listening through headphones while you are working then you play it on your audio system and you think "hang on man what went on there ?" Love the song, the arrangement and the haunting vocals in particular.
Cheers John
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Gothic and portentous,love it. Reminds me of 'Within Temptation' and the epic themes they get going with their stuff,dark and melancholic yet melodic. Well juggled digger. The track sounded great here,production wise.
I think the mastering process is meant to allow a song to sound well through a variety of mediums. Boydie is the man to explain that one in detail.
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I love the sound you have here, Digger...........beautiful recording. Love the writing. The performances are stellar. I would love to hear a live performance of this.....that would be cool.
Good stuff!
-Tom
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this sounds awesome digger... the music sounds like a goth version of the glitter band recorded in hell
& katja sounds fabulous....i do like her voice.. but she always sounds unhappy so I do worry about her..
the drums & bass sound is amazing so dark & foreboding ...
you seem to live on a diet of all this dark sinister stuff...I imagine your spice rack with jars of doom & despair alongside nutmeg & mixed spice.....i always try to imagine peoples kitchens from there songs :)
but its very tuneful & the instrumentations are sparse & clever & its got a big open sound like youve sprayed it with nice air freshener.. Glade hades breeze?
Anyway it sounds & smells terrific & well done for getting it on the beeb :)
the only thing id change would be the title ...i just dont understand how everyone puts so much effort into the song & making it sound good & then just gives it a plain unremarkable title when the title is the first thing people see
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Digger
This is a beautiful song.....I especially love the bass that I keep hearing.
Very moody and atmospheric and the singers voice is wonderful.
I think the production is wonderful,but I'm not an expert in production.
Can understand why the BBC played it.
Sandeep
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really impressive digger...
and lovingly put together..
katya vocals superb and good lyrics ..first verse got my attention
excellent spring in the bass, rubberleggings indeed
and keyboards just perfect, real depth but they doesnt dominate..
great song and sound..
deserve a break you two and i dont mean in hawaii.. well i do eventually.
best of luck with the beeb
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Digger,
I am typing while listening here...
Very professional polished song you have here. I like the mood of the song...it's captivating!
It is the kind of song that makes you want to listen all the way to the end!
The vocal is excellent...a very talented singer in my opinion!
Unfortunately, I have no advice to offer why this sounded better than others...I have no experience in that area!
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Hi guys, love this digger, it's a really good song and you've really built on it with some great guitar and synth sounds. Really good and of course Katja's trademark vocals, as good as ever!
Sounded great!
Cheers
Jamie
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Hi,
I can see why this went well on "Introducing". Awesome sounding song with great vocals - Katya's voice records so well. Sounds like a pro studio recording to me.
I like the air of menace, doom and detachment that the song conjures up. Not my sort of thing but there's no question it's first rate. Bravo!
M
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This is ace, so well produced and performed...it is original enough with the production, but little touches like the slight rhythm change in the second verse (especially accentuated by the guitar) and the confident instrumental break, which relies on ambient vocals, take it to another level. Good ending as well.
Really superb work all around.
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Great clarity to the production here, the reduced reverb and the clear arrangement help with this.
It's a really nicely finished piece with tons of atmosphere. I liked it a lot.
I loved the tone of the vocal, but thought it went a bit pitchy in the chorus and you could have fixed that a bit.
Great work, wish you much more success with it.
Tom.
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Great stuff, really like the way the rhythm picks up in the chorus. Not much more to say really!
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Hi All,
Thanks for checking out the tune.
My kitchen does indeed have lots of spices - as does Katja's. She is, of course, very miserable - she has to put up with me badgering her, and I've always been a bit of a sullen sort - though not so much these days. :)
Tom - if by fixing the vocal you mean autotune or its ilk, it's not something we use. It's just a case of Katja having a billion attempts (or until she gets bored) and her choosing the one she likes best. Same with mixing really - we keep going till we can't listen anymore and the song is considered done. Amateur? You bet. ;D
Thanks again.
Digger
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Ooh I quite fancy your singers voice! Very ethereal! ;D
I love the production on this and congrats on getting on bbc introducing.Thats so cool! I wish you every success with it mate.
Leo
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Hey digger
Really enjoyed that - great intro - love that bassy synth at the start.
Beautiful production and vocals are captivating though I don't know how anyone could stay in tune with all those out-of-chord sustained notes happening :)
They superbly add to the tension though.
Pro track IMO!
Paul
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WOW, digger! What an amazing intro :o How did you get that low growling sound? :o
Well, what can I say...another amazingly dark and atmospheric track, that somehow fulfills
my dark side, till your next creation ;D
Fantastic vocals from Katja...she's really got the voice for this kind of stuff :)
The production of this track sounds amazing :o IMO, it's one of your finest :)
Congrats on your BBC success guys :)
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Hey, this is quite good. The lyrics have great imagery, and the singing has this great breather quality about it which is awesome. The ambient growth is quite cool. Awesome work!
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Lovely dark and broody piece with astoundingly good vocal melodies. I really love your music, it's always got such great atmosphere, so evocative and interesting.
The choice of sounds really spices the track up, and the breathy delivery of the vocals is spot on. It seems to be over all too soon.
I really hope the exposure you are getting on the BBC is paying dividends because you really deserve a wider audience with this work, it's terrific stuff and really inspiring to listen to.
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Digger,
I like the words. Sounds great and like the tension between the verse and the doubled up rhythm of the chorus, all topped off by those vocals and synthy strings.
Very, very good
:)
Neil
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As I listen..
Sets a great, dark mood from the start! But what happened with snare, bring it up. Now! ;-)
Yeah, now we are stepping up.. hmm, that bass could use some more "edge" imho
Way cool vocals (as always).
Love the lyrics and the texture of the production.
Nice break down at the end but once again, that bass could use some edge.
All in all very enjoyable, but I think it would be even better with some more balls, mainly the bass and drams (snare in particulare). But that is a matter of taste of course :-)
Anyway, me like!
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Heeeeey!
Nice and dark. The bass in as a lead was a great move. I get a lot of portishead-vibes from the vocals, which is a good thing i might add!
Cool effects on the guitar in the chorus. I like this song
Great work
With love
/KNOWN AS BEPPE
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Hi All,
Thanks for the kind words.
The intro is just a bass synth layered with bass guitar. It was detuned which gave it a bit of rumble/growl I think. It was hard finding the right balance - and maybe it could use a bit more bite, but I was finding it difficult to get the exact tone I was after.
Regarding the snare - it's weird, it's only when someone points it out that you think, hmm, maybe. It seems a bit behind the cymbals at time - maybe they are too loud, or the snare needs a bit more volume in places. something to look at.
I agree, Katja is perfectly suited to our type of sound, though I get to hear her doing other covers of other genres (which I'm incapable of writing) and she sounds brill. Sometimes worry i don't give her the best material to work with.
Thanks again,
Digger
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I love the atmosphere you create. The mix is really clean and sounds great through my high-end and low-end speakers! That's a tricky thing to achieve but helped by the fact you've not overloaded it with effects and you've left lots of space. Love the lyrics - simple but beautiful. Awesome stuff.