PA Songwriters'/Composers' Association

^Phew, you are more philosophical than I am.  If I even try to think about how I should write a song, it immediately sabotages my songwriting process, which appears to be entirely subconscious.  I am a bit jealous that you are able to deconstruct it.

Seventh Arrow, that's interesting what you say about the melody - and it probably is true for most people.  It isn't what I take from music, though.  I tend to get stuck on whole forms (for lack of a better way to describe it).

I came on here because I finished putting together a "sampler" today of what will hopefully at some point soon be an album.  I wasn't sure where to put it - I put it up in the "Get the Word Out" section already but figured I'd point you all toward it, because I'd really like some feedback.  You won't be hearing whole songs, I'm way beyond the editing of song structure stage anyway.  But I am wondering what you think of the overall sound, and whether the video I put together helps it or hurts it.

Here's the link to the post I already put up in "Get the Word Out":
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=106865

Also, N-sz - Sharks on a Plane!  Woah!  The style is not the type of music I usually enjoy but you pull it off well.

Star_Song_Age_Less wrote: ^Phew, you are more philosophical than I am.  If I even try to think about how I should write a song, ...

I'm going to stop you right there. Don't think so much about how you should  write a song. Whenever you do something, you have a goal. When I write a song, my goals are: 

Star_Song_Age_Less wrote: Sound - Yes, I think so. Right in the first few seconds I was worried that it was going to sound "too midi," but another instrument came in and the sound suddenly opened up. When the singing comes in, it closes back down. I'm not sure if that is what you were going for or not, it just sounds big and open without singing but small when the voice comes in. Copying the '70s - Not in my opinion. I'm happy to hear piano in here rather than synth leads (which I love in old prog, but which so many people have copied at this point I almost dread hearing it). The Singing - It wouldn't be my choice. I feel that the effect on the voice hinders the piece - it develops a spaciousness that the voice then removes. However, if that is what you were going for then you succeeded, and I'd love to hear what you were thinking when you chose it. As to whether it is an acquired taste, I'd say anything can be with enough time and if this does something you artistically want, keep it. The composition - Smooth flow, good transitions, nothing awkward, suddenly slides into something very positive at the end - I like the change. Overall I'd say very good. And yes, the execution is good, thus the lack of awkwardness. Is this the first one or are there more? I don't see more on the channel.

Thank you so much for your words!
As for the singing, it's indeed kind of a breakdown following the spacious climax, but it does indeed have a meaning, it's the point where the "alien" arrives at earth and then he feels sudden negative emotions (what the lyrics are).
Though I almost loathe my voice as simger and that's why I altered the sound a bit.
Oh and yes there is more, I've released two studio albums, check the link on my signature below if you like ;D

Edited by DDPascalDD - June 01 2016 at 06:57

DDPascalDD wrote: As for the singing, it's indeed kind of a breakdown following the spacious climax, but it does indeed have a meaning, it's the point where the "alien" arrives at earth and then he feels sudden negative emotions (what the lyrics are). Though I almost loathe my voice as simger and that's why I altered the sound a bit. Oh and yes there is more, I've released two studio albums, check the link on my signature below if you like ;D

Ah-ha!  Then I think you should indeed keep the effect.  I didn't find anything to be lacking in your voice. It is definitely masked by the effect, but if you were going for that alien feel then I bet it is appropriate.
Oh ho.  I didn't notice the link in your signature because, as usual, I am totally blind.  Thanks :)

Dayvenkirq wrote: I would never tell myself that making it in the music business is impossible. Sounds an awful lot like a trap of discouragement. Maybe it doesn't matter how much time and money you put into workshopping your musical self. Why would you not want to keep going?

Oh I am indeed continuing regardless of the chances of success.  I have gotten very used to just about everyone around me telling me it is a bad idea to try (waste of money).  It does wear on me a lot.  That's one of the reasons I come on here.  It's great to know there are others who love music as much as I do, and who do in fact think it's totally okay to try.

Holy smokes, DDPascalDD.  Holy.  Smokes.

Alright, I obviously realize you are doing this at least partially with midi which does occasionally affect the sound.  But other than that - I am sitting here shocked.  "On Earth" is pristinely lovely and surprising at many turns.  Most folks who dabble in midi and synth (that I have heard) do so with a very heavy hand.  Not so, here.  There are all sorts of subtle little details and appropriate midi/synth sounds to generate them rather than leads fighting leads.  I absolutely loved this piece.

I like "Rose" as a song generally but feel that it needs a real acoustic guitar rather than the midi sound.  Fake acoustic guitar nearly always sounds weird.  I know you said you don't like your singing voice, but I find what you're doing here to be interesting.  I wasn't able to understand the lyrics, though.

"Not Me" - I liked the beginning but once that off-kilter piano part showed up "like" got upgraded to "love."  I am curious, are you playing the part on the keyboard or do you program it in on a staff in the software?  I play piano so I do have a tendency to latch on to piano parts.   I also feel that "piano" as a separate entity from "keyboard" tends to get a raw deal in the realm of prog (and is underused, and when used is often not used well).  Anyway, it is nice to hear something expressively emotive (as opposed to cliche) coming from a piano part in a prog song.  I like the transition halfway.  I am once again enjoying the overall effect of your mellow singing here.  There do seem to be a few parts that are a strain for you to hit the low notes, that's all.

There are a few parts later in the album where wavering in your voice is more noticeable.  This is usually more an issue of practice than of their being anything intrinsically wrong with someone's voice.  Your vocal "chords" are controlled by tiny muscles, and exercising them helps you to hold tone.  (I don't mean to harp on your singing here, it's just that you had specifically mentioned this earlier in the thread).  I am curious if you have taken voice lessons?

Where you finally do lose me on your (very good) album is the bells in the final track.  But they don't last long.    And then you come in with this beautiful section of sweetness at about 8 minutes.  And approaching the very end of the album, you embark on this extremely Nobuo Uematsu-esque journey into the land of video games - I loved that.

Do you have a thread in the "unsigned bands" section for this?  I poked around but didn't find one.  I'm realizing that since you already put the album up on bandcamp that feedback may be useless in the Musicians Exchange forum?  But it didn't feel right to enjoy the music and then just not say anything about it.

^Thanks, didn't think to check the suggestions thread.  I tried to use the search function but it timed out a few times and I gave up.  If you're already in the archives then I should save my blah blah for review unless you're asking for feedback on something new!

Anyone here writes vocal melodies?

^ How do you start writing one? Or do you actually start writing a song with a vocal melody? Or does it come to you somewhere in the middle of the process? Does it come in its finished form or do you somehow manage to alter it (but so that it doesn't sound contrived)? 

Edited by Dayvenkirq - June 22 2016 at 00:59

^ I guess I will have to try some contrapuntal methods on my boring vocal melodies when I get home from work tomorrow. Thanks. 

Anyone tried this before?