JPF Home Page Forums Lyric and MP3 Feedback MP3 Feedback Forum The Sounds Of You - Kristi Mckeever/Halie Loren/Mike Z Collab

Hi Calvin,

Your welcome.

It makes me happy to please your ears, you are always pleasing mine!

Mike

Hi Larry,

Halie is the only human element in the music!

When I arrange and mix, though, I spend a LOT of time tweaking things to keep them human sounding. The BIAB audio tracks are actually human performances that are automatically rendered at the right tempo, WITH the right chords, and if you record a few 'takes' of each, you will notice each performance is different. So, in this sense, you do have quite an arsenal of 'performers' in the new BIAB. The audio still has some drawbacks, though. The "performances" already have too much reverb on them, for my purposes. They are not recorded "dry." If you stray too far from the original tempo, you will have glitchy audio, as well. But if you keep them out of the spotlight, BIAB is excellent at what it does.

Putting everything together is a different matter, but lately mixes seem to be a lot easier for me, as I simply try to keep lows, mids, and highs, from competing with each other in the same space, and start with extremely modest backgrounds, so I don't end up with an ear bleeding mix. This way I can use a nice "coloring" limiter like Voxengo's "Elephant" or PSP's Vintage Warmer on the master channel.

Thanks, I still have lots to learn as a teacher. I really approached this all backwards, sharing the theory behind things with Kristi, only after the fact. There is really no way around approaching musical composition without having SOME theory, as a foundation. Kristi learned some theory as she went, but next time, I think I would spend a month strictly on music theory basics, so that everything made more sense. BIAB and FL Studio are great, and one doesn't need theory to excel at making music with them, but the theory behind things can give one an edge, as a composer.

Mike

Hi Polly,

"the song sounds like a lover just missing someone, not bitter or angsty about it"

Yes, that's what Halie did, with her voice, exactly!

Halie also added those nice counter harmonies in the last chorus. She was a true collaborator on this project.

Thanks for the kind words!

Mike

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the nice comments!

See my reply to Ricki, in regards the "litterbox" line. At any rate we don't want to boil it down too much...maybe simmer it, a little, though.

Mike

Hi Yann,

I used a Prophet 6 a LOT in the late eighties! You could a/b two different sequences, it was the poor mans Prophet 5...I still have old tapes, that signature sound always warms me.

You are not being lazy, you've just streamlined your process, because as we age, we know the value of traveling light, and the only important things are one's voice, and maybe one's connection to an instruments or two.

Being a "producer" on top of all this, is a nice thing, and one CAN handle these production chores, given time to learn them...one can also still network, especially if we feel we are spreading ourselves too thin...

Cheers!
Mike

Hi Robert,

Thanks very much, Robert!

Mike

Scott,

It is always a pleasure hearing from you, and hearing your observations.

As for the chords, I started Kristi out, composing the chords, simple chords, which we then took another look at, with a round or two at "altering" them to become more interesting. The evolution from chords to melody was easy, since the chords and scale at any moment in the song told Kristi which notes worked, and how well they worked. She also kept in mind that melodies have "curves" and so her chorus doesn't start popping from the beginning, but builds up and crescendos, which seemed like a good strategy here.

LOL, thanks for commenting on the "litterbox" line. I think we'll keep it, for now at least!

Thanks, Scott.

Mike

Hi Kimberly,

Thanks!

I think I backward engineered the "abrupt" bridge, in that I wanted a "breakdown" in the chorus after the bridge, and so the choice was to approach the breakdown with even less happening before it, or more, and less seemed obvious.

I thought the music stopping completely matched the bridge having the singer do a non-sequitur, and totally face thinking about him, directly. She was getting more serious, in the bridge, and so I tried to compliment that with a more somber section, that starts up from a standstill.

Thanks again!
Mike

Hi Bob ~ Thank you for taking the time to listen and offer your kind words. Glad you enjoyed it!


Hi Scott ~ Thanks for your nice comments. Yes, I did do the melody for this, although it’s like being on training wheels…I can pedal, but I need those wheels to ride! lol I have a lot of respect for composers, I tell ya! I’m glad to hear the “litter box” line works for you! Thanks for listening and I appreciate your vote of confidence!

Kristi

Hi Kimberly ~ Thanks for taking time to listen and comment. Yeah, the bridge has like a “hush” to it, which, I too, enjoy…glad you think it works!


Hi Kevin ~ Yeah, a lot can be done! It sounds like you already had your melody when you added in the chords and drums, etc..which would be my “natural” inclination. This effort had me doing the chords first....who knew that was even an option? lol It’s fun to dive in...and just do it....but I had help….and I can see how someone could be "in there" literally for hours trying things! To answer your last question….I think I’ll leave that for Mike…lol….


Hi John ~ Thanks for your kind words. I love the singing too, but alas, it is not me, but Halie Loren….a very talented singer, indeed. That would be very cool to see this song in a film someday!


Kristi

Mike & Kristi,

I'm taking a self-imposed hiatus again, but I couldn't resist listening and commenting on this. It's just wonderful. Kristi, great lyric and melody. Mike, you are a good craftsman. I didn't mind the dog plowing through the litterbox line. That's how life is sometimes. A little salt on the wound and insult added to the injury. Hallie's voice on this tune made me think of Dido. Very nice work by all.

Halie's a great singer. She won this year for Best Vocal Jazz album in some pretty tough competition. She also performed during awards weekend. I can't wait to get all the footage up!

I don't have a decent connection right now to listen to the song but I am looking forward to hearing the collaboration!

Brian

Great musical comopostion! All of the superlatives I was going to use have already been offered. Would you settle for a simple "Masterful!"? It's true!

Alan

Hi John,

I could see this getting placed in something Disney, that would be great!

I agree, Halie's singing takes the lyric and exemplifies it with her sensitive phrasing and tone.

Thanks, John!
Mike

Hi Beth,

Well, I'm not sure Kristi was comfortable enough in the software to feel "in command" or "let loose," but hopefully I gave her the "bug" a little, and she'll want to pursue the software further.

Yes, "slightly off" like "Disney meets Serling" ...exactly!

Halie's voice has so much natural emotion and nuance in it. From the first time I heard her, I knew she was something special.

Thanks again Beth, I appreciate your kind thoughts. I hope all is well with you.

Mike

Hi Gus,

Thanks!

I think Kristi's intention was for memorable lines, indeed.

Mike

Hi Erisa,

Thanks!

Halie is a singer working out of Eugene, Oregon, at present, and her current album "They Oughta Write a Song" just won the Just Plain Folks Music award for "Best Jazz Vocals."

It's a really nice album, btw, deserving of honors.

Mike

Hi John,

Good to hear from you; I hope you are well.

Thanks for the kind words!

You have fun too!

Mike

Hi Kevin,

My work process lately is to change styles during the course of a song, and that was the case here. In the past, I would treat the BIAB style menu as a smorgasbord, and create afew midi files for each style that seemed to have something in it that was interesting.

For this song, however, I had gotten so tired of hearing the "elegant" style for months on end, as I helped Kristi with the chord progression, that I went ahead and made it more interesting for us. I eventually had the whole BASIC arrangement in BIAB, before we migrated to FL...

Mike

Hi Wendy,

I'm taking a self-imposed hiatus again

Hey, save one of those for me, LOL...But seriously, I understand...but thanks for "not resisting!"

Thanks also for the kind thoughts, Kristi has natural talent at composition.

...and also for weighing in on "Litterbox"...letterbox edition...lol...

I hope all is well with you.

best wishes,
Mike

Hi Brian,

Yes, Halie is great, and I love her jazz album, too.

She is also fun to work with, and very professional, and a really nice person.

Oh, that'll be fun to view...I'll be looking out for that footage!

Mike

Hi Al,

Yes, didn't Kristi hit a homer on her first attempt!

I do hope she pursues music composition further, for she is naturally gifted at it.

Thanks for the kind words,
Mike

If this is Krisi's first try at arranging, I give the hell up this is wonderful.
But I did not understand your explanation compeletly Michael, did you do the arrangement and Krisi wrote the melody?

Whatever this is a lush and beautiful song and Kristi's delicate and percise word play is always astonishing.

Oh and Halie is a feaking angel. What a voice.

Tom

Hi Tom,

I mentored Kristi in Band-In-A-Box and Fl Studio, for her to use as composing environments. BIAB came first and was used for the chordal arrangement. The idea was she could sing or speak the rhythm of the words over the chords, and then take those chords into FL Studio and compose a melody that fit the lyric using chord and scale members for the melody, using that melodic rhythm that she had already learned, while singing/speaking over the chords in BIAB.

Once the song was finished, I went to work on a simple arrangement for Halie to use in her singing, and after I received her vocals, I then pasted them into my sequencer, as well as came up with a bonafide arrangement, giving the composition and vocals, hopefully, its due.

Hope that helps!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Yes, Halie's voice is a beautiful thing, indeed.

Mike

Hi Beth ~

Your enthusiastic critique is very uplifting and inspiring. Thanks for that! It’s great to hear what you have to say….you always have some good suggestions up your sleeve. The litterbox line, yeah, well….as I told Ricki, was meant to show she’s looking at the things in her world and yes, the dog senses something is wrong. Thanks for your idea for the line…appreciate it.

And yes, Halie’s singing is just right for this, I think. Just lovely. Glad you enjoyed it!! I hope to learn more about composing….have a ways to go yet, but the fun is in the doing…… thanks again for taking time to offer your thoughts and suggestions!

Kristi

Hi Gus ~ Yes, the litterbox line was meant to convey the dog feels what she feels and is a bit off because of it. Glad you enjoyed the song! Thank you for taking time to listen and comment!


Hi ErisaRei ~ Thanks…Halie Loren is a talented singer who has her own MySpace page that you can probably do a search on and find out more about her too.


Hi John ~ Well, thank you so much for those nice words! Appreciate you taking the time to listen!


Kristi

Hi Wendy ~ I appreciate you taking the time to comment even though you are taking a hiatus. Thanks for your kind words. Yeah, the litterbox line… "that’s how life is sometimes…add insult to the injury…” you got it! lol Thanks for that! And for coming by and sharing your thoughts.


Hi Brian ~ I’m not surprised Halie won for Best Vocal Jazz! She is a wonderful singer. That will be great to be able to see the footage of the awards weekend!


Kristi

Hi Alan ~ Thanks for your very generous comments! I have learned a lot from Mike. He pours his heart into every musical endeavor and it really shows. Appreciate you taking time to listen!


Hi Tom ~ This was a great experience for me….as I told Beth, I hope to learn more about composing! Mike surely knows how to take advantage of the musical possibilities and bring out such creativity and emotion when creating a song. I’m happy that he shared his wisdom. Thanks for listening…..I really appreciate your very kind words!


Kristi

Hi Guys

Very nice surprise here, unique song with some really wonderful things in it and about it

The only thing I would suggest is to not let that first chorus lose a beat. All the other choruses were wonderful. But the first one could easily make someone not listen to the rest of a wonderful piece of work. What a shame that would be. Replace it with another chorus and do not let anyone off the hook in that spot.

Love the intro & re-intro...
Unique & refreshing all the way around !

Great job guys really!

Hi Mike C,

Thanks for listening.

Could you tell me specifically what it is about the first chorus that you don't like? You are the first person to mention it, and I have just listened through it, and I am at a loss to understand what it is you are hearing, or not hearing there?

Replace it with another chorus? I am unclear what you mean?

I left it a little on the vanilla/generic side, cuz I wanted each chorus to sound a little different, and I couldn't decide on which way to go with the first, I'm betting this is what you mean, it is simply a little underdeveloped.

I am glad you like the rest!

Mike

Hi MIke

Yes you got it.

It can be less developed than the bigger choruses but not as underdeveloped as it is.
It has no obvious drums and the whole bottom of the song falls out for way too long at that point. Even though I can appreciate the ideas that approach didn't work for me. It starts building then the chorus becomes a non factor. A breakdown later like you is totally cool.

Don't take the drums away And other things seem to soften up and feel missing as well. Also the chorus is on the longer side that combined with the absence of music just killed the song.


After that it is was all cool... So just on the quick fix I thought take that second chorus and try it as the first as well.
Then take away some things out of it just for the first chorus.

It breaks way down later in the song real mellow anyway so let the first two fly a bit...

All The Best

Just listened again. Mike might be right about the energy dropping out of the first chorus.

Kevin

Mike C,

Thanks for the return visit and confirming my thoughts.

Making chorus One shine sounds like a fun afternoon in the near future. I like to try a lot of different things out, but your idea sounds like a nice quick fix, in case I end up stymied for something more unique.

I will make another pass at our songs before they make it to Taxi, and although I was going to add to chorus one, I will specifically pay attention to the rhythm section. I actually want to try something earthy there, like a Memphis/Stax thing, but we'll see.

Thanks again,
Mike