Old 09-12-2013, 08:00 PM   #1
karbomusic
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Default Dear Druid - Lupine Serenades

Finally getting back around to posting some tunes. Creative collaboration with a long time buddy of mine. 1st of 22 songs we're recording one at a time as part of a side project.

Be aware that this one has some length to it, seven minutes...

http://everythingslovely.com/Music/D...eSerenades.mp3
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Old 09-13-2013, 05:21 PM   #2
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Wow - surprised no one has commented yet. Takes me back to FM alternative days when they'd play these great, obscure albums straight through at night. Quite a production, Karbo. Loved it several times through.

Kyle
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Old 09-13-2013, 05:26 PM   #3
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Wow - surprised no one has commented yet. Takes me back to FM alternative days when they'd play these great, obscure albums straight through at night. Quite a production, Karbo. Loved it several times through.

Kyle
Thanks Kyle, good to see you again. The other half of the duo will appreciate that description as we both come from the 70s and he loves obscurity. Take care.
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Old 09-15-2013, 04:28 AM   #4
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Moment when the acoustic guitar starts grabs my head and thrusts my face right into my records shelf when Porcupine Tree CDs reside. Which is logical probably, PT's Steven Wilson is bit into 70s.

Great song and rich production, love that tiny screamy synth thing peeking all over the place.
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Old 09-15-2013, 09:08 AM   #5
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Moment when the acoustic guitar starts grabs my head and thrusts my face right into my records shelf when Porcupine Tree CDs reside.
Thanks Zee, I was curious who would make it that far in There is a mixing trick or two leading up that spot and I wondered if anyone would lose interest before getting to the spot where it suddenly and sonically "wakes up".
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Old 09-15-2013, 02:40 PM   #6
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Thanks Zee, I was curious who would make it that far in
Wasn't hard! I like this kind of sound: layered, wide and with ton of cool electronic ornaments in the background in addition to all the organic stuff. Replayed bunch of times today, good to know you have more of them .
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Old 09-15-2013, 04:54 PM   #7
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Jeez!

That's effin good. What a production. I could go on for hours, but just everything is fantastic.

Those guitars are killer. The writing and arrangement I have to listen again.

I have visions of Moody Blues, with a little Pink Floyd. The harmonies are 100 % perfect. Simply amazing

It's a personal thing only, but I don't like the sound of that high solo synth. I don't know why I don't like it, but it sort of disturbs me. Maybe I'd like it if it were more gritty and not so loud. That's the only thing I'd change

Well done, I'm watching you
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Old 09-15-2013, 05:04 PM   #8
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This is fantastic.

Pure early 70's.

RESPECT.

I am particularly impressed with your expert handling of the mids.Lovely sound.

Edit..gonna listen again.Its very very nice for the ears
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Old 09-15-2013, 05:22 PM   #9
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Very nice.

I especially like the vocal mix.
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Old 09-15-2013, 05:59 PM   #10
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Jeez!

I don't know why I don't like it, but it sort of disturbs me.
Thanks Ted,

If you knew my partner in crime, you'd know he would be smiling about right now. It's nicknamed the "screaming thumb". He wanted it a bit disturbing; he asked if I could create something that sort of sounded like a deranged electric drill and that's what we ended up with. IIRC, I used Massive to create that little fella.
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Old 09-16-2013, 02:27 PM   #11
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A very enjoyable listen.

Great melodies, sounds and ideas.

Really impressed.

Pete
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Old 09-16-2013, 08:55 PM   #12
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A very enjoyable listen.

Great melodies, sounds and ideas.

Really impressed.

Pete
Thanks man, means a lot coming from you!
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Old 09-16-2013, 11:25 PM   #13
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Great production, the 'screaming thingy' is giving me a very strange but pleasant feeling :-)

The thing that catched me the most is the 'dragging' style of singing (by lack of a better description). You've got a great voice that catches attention!

If you're interested in doing vocals for a trance/prog collab, PLEASE let me know!
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Old 09-17-2013, 12:42 AM   #14
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If you're interested in doing vocals for a trance/prog collab, PLEASE let me know!
Ha! That's not me but the other guy in the duo but I'll pass along.
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Old 09-17-2013, 01:37 AM   #15
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This is an awesome production Karbo, very nicely put together !

Great mix too.

Still trying to get my head around the lyrics

Well, you know what they say, theres one in every crowd and i'm afraid i'm it this time, so, can't say i'm a fan of the "deranged electric drill" sound.

I think it distracts me from all the good stuff going on, i just get back into it and there it is again, I wish i had a mute button for that sound
Sorry, thats just mho, which is obviously wrong because everyone else loves it !!

Again really great production Karbo, i'm off to listen again.


Cheers
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Old 09-17-2013, 10:12 AM   #16
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karbo, this is fantastic!

Great use of interesting sounds and the space in between. Then you get into this beautiful sounding chorus with expertly crafted vocal melodies and instantly memorable musical musings.

I'm not very often blown away by something the first time I hear it, but I am right now.

Not to mention that the mix is flawless from start to finish. I can't hear anything to nitpick. Same goes with the writing and the performance.

Top notch material, man. Wow.
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Old 09-17-2013, 11:20 AM   #17
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really, truly beautiful. creativity abounds! wow. i got a late Beatles vibe in places..and a ton other influences. the vocals are voluptuous!

i kept wondering what it'd sound like if you you really pulled back on all the verbs in keys places between some of the different passages as i guess as an efx. especially on the percussion. just me think'in out loud... lol..

really nice! i like that you didn't let normal song length conventions dictate what you wrote. kudos. (some of us aren't so lucky... brave... hmmm, ugh)
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Old 09-17-2013, 01:42 PM   #18
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really, truly beautiful. creativity abounds! wow. i got a late Beatles vibe in places..and a ton other influences. the vocals are voluptuous!

i kept wondering what it'd sound like if you you really pulled back on all the verbs in keys places between some of the different passages as i guess as an efx. especially on the percussion. just me think'in out loud... lol..

really nice! i like that you didn't let normal song length conventions dictate what you wrote. kudos. (some of us aren't so lucky... brave... hmmm, ugh)
Thanks very much, humbled and respect.
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Old 09-20-2013, 12:42 PM   #19
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Jeez, almost missed this one by not paying attention for a few days.

Who needs radio when you have wonderful music like this to listen to on the Reaper forum. This does indeed have the feel of music that I used to spend many dreamy hours listening too. It doesn't feel long at all. Harmonies sure remind me of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Pretty much flawless overall. Love it.

T
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Old 09-20-2013, 01:47 PM   #20
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Default good song good work

I agree about the CSNY comparison, but ...

First the good news. I loved the melody(ies) and the instrumentation. Such simple things as guitar strumming and bass note articulation - these are so easy to mess up in a pop effort, and you have mastered them, and put them to great use as fabric for your tune. [and that stuff reminds me of CSN]

The overall course of the tune was done well, although I kept wishing for more LET LOOSE stuff. Maybe that would be the Neil Young part that added to CSN, eh? But the whole had both development and consistency. You knew what you wanted it to be.

Now the bad news - well, not bad. If I were a producer or critic here, instead of forum opinionator, I would say that the piece requires more outrageousness and less discipline. Of course that is subject to what YOU wanted. If you wanted discipline, you did it! Congrats. But if you want something that moves me more, then think about opening up the corral and letting some horses run loose. Especially with vocal.

Remember that some busting out can accentuate discipline.

Think about the tightly woven Sweet Judy Blue Eyes, where not a mistake can be made, and it rampages on through melodies, through changes, through starts and perfect stops, and the harmonies are exact, and the beat is on ... and then goddamit Steve Stills vocals just bust loose a couple of times and his busting loose did not wreck that tightness, but accentuated it.

That is the kind of thing I suspect might give another dimension to your nice piece of musical architecture here.

With respect, karbo, I can imagine you babysitting and revising this thing to the nth degree. The control shows in the sense of well-knitted layers and a crafted kind of arrangement. When it gets like that, consider a little break from that craft, letting in some ah-hah, ah-hah!

Sorry I missed this piece when you first posted. Very glad to hear it. Nice work. And NOT too long.
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Old 09-20-2013, 03:15 PM   #21
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That is the kind of thing I suspect might give another dimension to your nice piece of musical architecture here.
Thanks for the kind comments and advice msore. I sure do appreciate coming from you; though I'm responsible for much of the playing, part of the production, and most all the mixing/presentation etc. its not really my tune to write but realize someone else's idea with my input. There are two of us and this is from his solo project of the two projects I'm working on. That's the story on that tune.

Now for my bad news. The next one I post (hopefully in the next week or two) will be from my solo project and I should warn ahead of time you are gonna hate it. I seriously say that because "my current" solo project is almost as predictable and simple as it gets and kind of on purpose. I spent so many years trying not to sound like anything else while at the same time having simple melodies that I was never brave enough to develop due to fear of predictability, so.... I decided to take some time and get those damn things out of my head.

I have a certain pop hook yet honest what you see is what you get thing going on at the moment (in my personal project) that I must get from the inside to the outside, so please bear with me when it happens. Expect both lyric and composition to be non-ground breaking and far from as interesting as what's in this thread but I can at least guarantee it'll stick in your head memorably and I'm not claiming that to be a good thing per se.

Apologies if my response is too wordy.
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Old 09-20-2013, 03:36 PM   #22
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I lurk around these forums a lot without posting much, and I always found your comments useful and well thought. The advice you generously hand out is also to the point and very pertinent...

But I've never heard one of your songs till now.

This is AMAZING! So many good things going on in there. I could listen to this for ages.. This is quite a busy mix, but the singer always cuts through and he is awesome.

Thanks for sharing with us.
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Old 09-20-2013, 04:14 PM   #23
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I lurk around these forums a lot without posting much, and I always found your comments useful and well thought. The advice you generously hand out is also to the point and very pertinent...

But I've never heard one of your songs till now.

This is AMAZING! So many good things going on in there. I could listen to this for ages.. This is quite a busy mix, but the singer always cuts through and he is awesome.

Thanks for sharing with us.
Thanks so much Greg, let me say that I'd probably not made it so busy personally. Otis, the guy who wrote/sang probably wouldn't have either but it was his first song with me and his first realization of (and scratching the surface of) all the possibilities I have gathered over the years. In other words he was kind of throwing in everything but the kitchen sink because he's never had that many choices before and I actually reeled him in some. To be honest, there are a lot of possibilities I have yet to tell him about (our secret).

So I expect some of his upcoming tunes will be a little less busy. Mine are already somewhat more minimal (possibly too minimal) since I've had the chance to do all my experimenting previously. Hope that makes sense and thanks again for listening.
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Old 09-20-2013, 06:51 PM   #24
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Back for yet another listen to this tune. I've come back here 7 or 8 times now. This is a masterpiece in my opinion. I'm in love with this song. The writing and production are both so sophisticated and perfectly realized. I could listen to this hundreds of times over. It's perfect.

When are we going to hear more from this project?

PS - Keep this experimental and keep throwing everything at it! The two of you have created something special here, don't try to reign it in! It's fresh and creative, and blissfully indulgent. If this is real, don't try to temper and control it man. Let it out, and tell Otis to keep doing this, because this is fucking amazing!!!
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Old 09-20-2013, 06:55 PM   #25
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When are we going to hear more from this project?
I don't really know how to say thank you to such a wonderful comment. OTOH, not sure how long it'll take to get the next one from this project done but we did officially start the next tune last night though. We only have about 4 hours per week (nowithstanding stuff I do in between to prepare) so it usually takes a couple of months. This one will probably be a little quicker than the last one as it is more narly and less production.
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Old 09-20-2013, 08:56 PM   #26
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Bearing with you ...
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Old 09-20-2013, 09:16 PM   #27
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that's some real songcrafting there. so much to grab on to and hold you. juat a great tune period.
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Old 09-21-2013, 01:17 AM   #28
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Love it!!

Great song, Dose not seem to long for me. (Even though I have more patience than most listeners). Because of how much is going on here.

Sounds great on my system, Great dynamics. Good frequency balance. You have a good ear. If I was mastering this I would just transparently achieve target volume levels.

Only thing I would say I would have done differently is in some parts the vocals are straight mono, and a touch dark sounding. Witch dose create a wonderful vintage sound. (yes this is very personal and subjective). I have a love hate honestly, Would love to hear some subtle slappy spring reverb on the quiet mono vocal parts. Just talking out loud.

The production is top notch. Great job. Looking forward to hearing more, Just like the rest of the posters here.
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Old 09-21-2013, 05:19 AM   #29
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Oh wow. Awesome song!
I love that singing tune and arrangement.....and hear come some amazing guitars once again....
Nice job man. This song has got so many different feelings to it. Especially with that nice timing in the main verse.

But the best bit is the guitar layering and fx...just perfect
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Old 09-21-2013, 06:43 AM   #30
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Wow guys, making me nervous... Not sure I can live up to such nice comments in future posts. Again, humbled.
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Old 09-21-2013, 07:19 AM   #31
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I love that drippy psychedelic keys and guitar work.

Great sounds.

Vocals are, I dunno, not really working for me. I think I just cringe at the word "serenade" being sung with ~5 syllables. But that's just a silly, picky thing.

I think the vocals need to just be, emotionally, more dynamic. There seems to be a constant energy level through the song, where I'd rather it fluctuate a bit more, the vocals need to carry the arrangement a bit more than they do.
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Old 09-21-2013, 07:30 AM   #32
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I think I just cringe at the word "serenade" being sung with ~5 syllables.
Ha! good point, I never thought about that.
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Old 09-21-2013, 03:14 PM   #33
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What a beautiful song, with so much going on. Loved the vocals and harmonies. The synths were great as were the acoutics track/s. Great production and superb overall mix.
5 stars m8. Nothing to critique in this as it was topnotch start to finish. I could hear some Floydian influences as well.
I listened to this a few times through and it just got better each time. Excellent.
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Old 09-21-2013, 07:41 PM   #34
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Yep, I listened loud through some good headphones once again and my brain nearly orgasm-ed
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Old 09-23-2013, 08:21 AM   #35
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What a complex mix. Nicely balanced. Beautiful guitars and vocal. I hear the CSNY similarity too in parts and that was really nice sonically, and as a contrast in the arrangement. I thought the periodic scream sound would be good used about a fourth as much, and not in such a predictable way. I didn't think the piece was too long at all.
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Old 09-23-2013, 08:27 AM   #36
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Fantastic Karbo. Love it all.
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