Hi there everyone, I got the new BR-1200CD 3 weeks ago and I have been working on this song as long. This started with a guitar riff to get started playing around in the new BR and kept going from there. I really love the 1200, it is a beaut for sure. The bass is from the bass generator onboard, pretty cool I think, the drums are much easier and more flexible to program. There are so many more choices I spent half of my time playing with sounds and tweeking and re-mixing, all good learning for sure. Here is the official launch of the BR-1200CD, I call this Perfect Day. Warning: pitchy vocals
Now this is really cool BB, truly original and a very good production!!! Lovely sounds and that solo is perfect with it's melody and the tone you've got !!!
A really catchy tune too !!!
With this your first 1200-post we're in for some real treats in the future!!!!!
Geir
Thank you Geir, I really apreciate your positive feedback. It is a funny thing when it takes so long to get a song done, I would work for an hour at a time whenever I could squeeze in a moment, in the middle of this I had no idea which way this was going, I just kept going back whenever I had time and inspiration. It came together pretty good in the end. Last wekend was all about trying to get the levels good, effects, tones, I played all weekend with bouncing and mastering to get it to where it is. Thanks for having a listen Geir, I was starting to worry that nobody was going to notice this one in the BR1200 spot.
Nice work - I can tell you put some hard work and time into it! Your voice sounds a bit like Jim Morrison - although a little pitchy, but you've captured the perfect day feeling, especially with that solo & synth sounds!
Quote from: Satchwood on May 04, 2009, 12:03:18 PMNice work - I can tell you put some hard work and time into it! Your voice sounds a bit like Jim Morrison - although a little pitchy, but you've captured the perfect day feeling, especially with that solo & synth sounds!
Thanks Satch. You are right about the vocal being a little pitchy, I struggle with the singing part. I have to spend more time on the vocal to get it better for sure, I am not happy with it yet. Thanks for the comments.
Quote from: Bluesberry on May 04, 2009, 09:56:49 AMI was starting to worry that nobody was going to notice this one in the BR1200 spot.
I had the same feeling when posting in "other recorders", tho' I didn't wait as long as you. With the vast amount of post in MBR lately the other tend to be overlooked. On the upside: it doesn't disappear so fast either :)
Keep'em coming, we know you're here now !!!!
Geir
Yep, I'll have to spend some more time "Down Here"! You caught my emotions perfectly with this song - The sunny days and warm weather cause me to bust out of my house with a huge smile on my face! I like winter, but it wears you out toward the end of it.
Great song, nice Kaossilation!
Later,
Mark
Good stuff! I especially like the part that comes at 1:20 and the afterwards solo. The guitar tone and playing on that solo is awesome.
Good first post with your new machine, I would love to use one of those.
Don't worry about your post being overlooked. As Geir stated, it gets much more visibility this way.
Keep them coming. :)
Thanks Pedro, launched, all guitar sounds are from the BR-1200. The solo was with the patch that converts single coil to humbucker, played with my strat. I really like that tone also, it was nice to find all the new tones available. It is so much easier to layer sounds together on the 1200, I can see getting much more ambitious with this little beauty. I learned a lot from this, my first song on the 1200, that will be used to make the next one go easier I hope.
I'm glad I strayed over here! This is a masterful production, and that Kas really adds a new dimension and flavour. Studio-level mixing and recording, that's for sure. And a damn good bit of songwriting - which will always be the most important part. Very, very cool!
Bb you are at another level now..... amazing production you are deffo putting the '1200 to good use...... how about a full version of "Morning Mist"........
Great wobbling keyboard intro!
Like the guitar though out the song!
Great job!!
Great song, definitely more Ian Curtis vocals there! I like the keyboards, this is very well constructed and thought out. I like the tremolo-ey guitar bit and what you do with the vox on that.
Cheers,
Nigel
Quote from: Ferryman_1957 on May 06, 2009, 04:35:59 PMGreat song, definitely more Ian Curtis vocals there! I like the keyboards, this is very well constructed and thought out. I like the tremolo-ey guitar bit and what you do with the vox on that.
Cheers,Nigel
Thanks Nigel, my vocals are pretty pitchy here, I need to get it better. Funny about that Ian Curtis comment here. After your last Ian Curtis comment I have gone on a bit of Joy Division craze, and I just watched the movie 'Control'. I am a bit touched by the tragedy of his death. This song was sort of my tribute to Ian Curtis actually, I mean I didn't set out to write a Joy Division sounding song (and it doesn't), but the song and lyrics was meant as a bit of a tribute to Ian and I was thinking about him quite a bit while making this, I think I may have channelled his vocal style a bit here. I really need to take more time and effort to get my vocals more in tune with the music (pitch control), thanks for the comments Nigel. Thanks to all for listening and commenting.
Quote from: Bluesberry on May 06, 2009, 04:53:46 PMI really need to take more time and effort to get my vocals more in tune with the music (pitch control)
Have you tried the BR-1200's Pitch Correction effect? See pages 131 to 141 of the BR-1200 manual, 6th edition (http://lib.roland.co.jp/manual/en/dl_05-05894/BR-1200CD_e6.pdf). It might be cool to try the Harmony Sequence effect to add some backing vocals on the chorus too.
Singing is a big challenge for me as well - I can tell you have definitely gotten better at it! I tried several times and just scrapped it. Keep up the good work - it's very respectable and enjoyable!
Cool lyrics BB! I can really relate to this line:
Quote from: Bluesberry on May 07, 2009, 01:56:48 PMWhen I need some peace of mind, I get in my car and drive till I find,
A day as perfect as the music in my head.
Very cool lyrics. Great work, thanks for sharing. I see the Ian Curtis reference here.
Cheers,
Nigel
Thanks very much Ferryman and Satch, that really makes my day to get comments like that on the lyrics. I am not sure what I was trying to express exactly when writing this but for sure thoughts of Ian Curtis were in my mind, and I wanted to see the main character in the song rise above his demons and figure out way to survive, I guess. This songwriting is very strange stuff but highly enjoyable also I find, it is all a bit of a mystery. I really appreciate the comments.
Thought I'd come over here and see how the big boy's play!
Bloody good! That's how!
Tried to find this after "block it out"!
Finally have!
Great job!
Like the theme! "I hear ya!"
Peace
T(Osckilo)
Holy shit, Bluesberry! I had no idea this was in you! I had to go back and check the author just to make sure this was actually posted by you. Where did that crazy prog-esque synth come from??? I had known you to be just a blues geetar player until I heard this. Turns out you are very well-rounded. This song has something for everyone. I agree the singing is a tad pitchy, but at least you don't masque your voice with tons of effects like I do to hide it. It's in your face and not hidden -- I respect that. I still can't get over the synth in the intro. I wish it would come back stronger later in the song. There's a tiny taste right at the end, but it's not enough. The guitar solo in the middle is vintage Bluesberry -- classic, solid as a rock.
Good work, BB!!! ;D
Thank you Boscko very much. You came along when I started posting in the BR-1200 spot. I still have my micro but I usually only do simpler stuff on it, so you would have only heard blues jams and the like. I do have some more complete original songs in the micro spot, you would have to hunt them out back in history. I would love to have your opinion on some of those some day. Thanks for the great comments, I am very glad I surprised you, that means I caught your attention, of which I feel good.
Quote from: 64Guitars on May 06, 2009, 07:39:44 PMQuote from: Bluesberry on May 06, 2009, 04:53:46 PMI really need to take more time and effort to get my vocals more in tune with the music (pitch control)
Have you tried the BR-1200's Pitch Correction effect? See pages 131 to 141 of the BR-1200 manual, 6th edition (http://lib.roland.co.jp/manual/en/dl_05-05894/BR-1200CD_e6.pdf). It might be cool to try the Harmony Sequence effect to add some backing vocals on the chorus too.
Hey, BB The song is awesome - I was thinking on the same wavelenght as 64, but I would add another vocal (keep what you have) and have the second vocals follow you with a bit more grit/raspy sound to it to be close to the gain in the guitar (can adjust volume as two layers), and have the two vocals right on with the other instrumentation.
Quote from: Diego Ayala on July 10, 2009, 07:27:42 AMHey, BB The song is awesome - I was thinking on the same wavelenght as 64, but I would add another vocal (keep what you have) and have the second vocals follow you with a bit more grit/raspy sound to it to be close to the gain in the guitar (can adjust volume as two layers), and have the two vocals right on with the other instrumentation.
Thank you Diego, that is what I love about this site, great advice like this. I will play around with this idea for sure. Thank you for that. I am always looking for ways to improve my vocals, and I am getting there slowly but surely. Thanks for posting.
BB - Well, I've finally got around to listening to something else from my soon-to-be Home Thread. From here on in I'll be Mastering my stuff on the 1200, and so I'll post it here.
Right, where to begin? Well, by my estimation you've probably had your 1200 for a couple of months now? I've had mine for over 2-YEARS, and I've still got nothing on it to match this!! :'( Good Lord, Man, there's so much going on, it's relentless. BB, you haven't got a problem, just an excess of ideas! Rich tones from synth and guitar, a Bass pattern that's obviously been worked on, credible drums, clear lyrics that speak of all our daily grind. It's got the lot. A weakness? The voice needs thickening/layering. (Hey, BB, if there's ONE thing I DO know about it's how to try and help put across the voice-box that doesn't belong to Art Garfunkel et al). Copy your vocal to another track, add reverb or whatever, and don't forget the pitch-correction and harmony function for future reference. I would leave this as it is, because everything gels. But as you become more confident in your writing & production, there's a whole host of goodies to explore on the 1200. I'm downloading this to my BR-MP3 folder. Well done, BB.
Great comments Steve. Big time thanks for the vocal tip, I am collecting all these tips and will play with them for sure on the next recording. This was the first thing I did with the new toy, so it is bursting with ideas (as you say), I was bursting with excitement with my new toy. Thanks for giving one of my songs a listen Steve. I appreciate the vocal tip big time.
BB BBloody BBeautiful , great song ,great melody , specialy great guitar
well done mate , do you prefer the 1200 to the Mbr , or is it just to add more possibilities to you recording process , oh yes , how much do they cost over the pond
Rob
Quote from: facemask93 on August 01, 2009, 09:25:38 AMBB BBloody BBeautiful , great song ,great melody , specialy great guitar
well done mate , do you prefer the 1200 to the Mbr , or is it just to add more possibilities to you recording process , oh yes , how much do they cost over the pond
Rob
Thanks Rob, you can do everything on a micro that you can do on these bigger machines, it is just easier if you get up past about 8 tracks, on my 1200 I can have 8 tracks lined up end to end and mix them at one time, it makes it real easy to hear what you are doing. Plus each track has dedicated EQ, comp, reverb, delay so it is real nice for tweaking until it sounds just right. It is easier to make it sound just right on the 1200. Having said all that I still use my micro alot, but I use it for easier/less complex songs like all acoustic stuff, my covers (Woodstockfest and Neil fest were all microBR) and the last one "Ballad of microBR..." that was micro because I find for quick inspiration, bang something out in 2 days the micro can't be beat. For songs like these that I tinker with for a month the 1200 is the only way to go. For me both are an essential part of my home studio, I couldn't live without either. The 1200 cost me just over $1000 Canadian, and I couldn't be happier with it, it has allowed me to stretch out, it is like having a full studio in one box.
It's a pity I can't bump this on the MBR board becase I thnk more folks need to hear this. We hear lots of great stuff from Bluesberry on the MBR board but as he says, his more complex stuff is over here and this is my favourite Bluesberry piece of all time. I think the lyrics are very strong and the overall atmosphere is just fantastic. I just love this line: "If we really listen, the only sound that we will hear, Is our own reflection in the mirror.".
Enjoying this one all over again, didn't have it on my mp3 player but I do now!
Cheers,
Nigel
I'm just amazed at how full sounding that little Kaossilator sounds.
I like the arrangement here, and the guitar solo has great tone (and well played). You have a couple note choices in there I really liked.
Blooby
BB- How did you get Rick Wakeman to do you intro?
i missed this the 1 st go 'round
This is a stellar track
nice mixing job
vox are a bitch for me too
Hey really good song writing man! I like the lyrics a lot. Well played and recorded also. ;D
Thanks guys, and thanks Nigel for the very kind words on this song. This song was like a gift, I got the new BR-1200, I was getting into the Ian Curtis thing a bit because of some comments on here (I had never listened to joy Division before - whew what a band), and in a very short time I had this song. This is probably one of the easiest songs I have written, it just seemed to come fast (for me at least), my enthusiasm for the new machine driving the music, and my fascination for Ian Curtis driving the lyrics. Thanks again guys.
Well deserved kind words, I still love this one although "Flow My Tears" might have trumped it. Not sure yet.....
Cheers,
Nigel
on this day bump 2 years ago sheesh
I really should re-do the vocals on this one......but I have a hard time going back to something once it is finished..... I just say that I was channelling Ian Curtis and the pichy vocals were part of the vibe I was going for....thats what I'll say. Thanks for the bump Jim.
Good work, I've said it before and I will probably say it again, good music is ageless.............Willie
Great tune BB... musta missed this one along the way.
I kind of forgot the days when the taxonomy of this site was organized by recorder. If you weren't using a Micro BR, you risked posting in obscurity. And that's one of several excuses I can offer for missing this song when it was originally posted.
Love the synth solo at the beginning. At first listen, you don't know where the song is going to go – it could go anywhere. Prog? Electronica? Synth pop? And that fits the topic of the song perfectly – especially because where the song does eventually go is to Bluesberry territory. We are who we are, and we create each day from limited materials, beginning with the contents of our skulls. Nonetheless, that's plenty – the possibilities are always infinite.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit at my computer and do more or less the same thing I did yesterday.
Quote from: Bluesberry on May 03, 2009, 06:42:47 PMWarning: pitchy vocals
I need that as some permanent flair in my footer, alongside "Okay to Cover."
OTD Bump.