your usual talent for production and no bongos!! phew!! lol - a great song alan - thank you for sharing and for letting me criticize you too xoxox

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I really like the sounds in this, and the creativity. i agree with Caro, the production is excellent.

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i feel a strong vibe... an ever-green youthful vibe! supercharged with evocative riffs and grooves! the bass has such an uplifting effect.. bold and very hopeful at the same time! that portamento wash is so playful and cute.. it really compliments the arrangement and your voice. string part had somehow jazzy and funky feeling and the ending was super hip too.. it left me in a very excited state! i'd call it an 'alan-glazed style'!

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Nice song... Love the sitar's sound and the guitar solo... Nicelly done my friend... Strong song

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jeez but the production on this is fantastic. Great jaunty little tune, the guitars sound lovely and warm. Dunno if i'd heard you sing before - but you should do it more - this is ace!

s

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a bittersweet on here..personally.kinda know where this one came from...none the less from such comes inspired work and this is... excellent from the ground up.... all of it!! no "nits"..lol playing again and d/l.... man u r something else... hang tight to those little "heros" bro... all the best and peace....4 hats off!!!

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Super clean sound you have. I played this on the laptop speakers, too - sounds even great that way as well, sure sign of a great mix!

I must admit I kept thinkin jonny law was about, then I realised (Brit thang) it was background in your song LOL

. - Harold

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Love the story behind this. Strong production. I'd let your vocals stand on their own more and would only use the reverb/echo for chorus only maybe...? Great job!

Tobin

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your production and playing are really top notch and the vocals sit really well in the mix. Good set of lyrics too.

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song man ....sweet production !

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Harrison spirit is all around this great song
love it man ..you singin and the beat gives
great feelin to the lyrics and story behind
best wishes for you my friend and thnx for sharin !!

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Great production Alan. Really like the chorus feel in particular. This really is a classy little tune - wouldn't be at all surprised to hear it on radio. This really is more than a little impressive.
Congratulations!

LOVE that chorus!

Neil

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Very clean production here bro...... If I only had that BROADBAND...Grrrrr
Every song I be listen on take about half an hour to load.
Really love this song I hope I get the message right.


Take care
---
Kenta

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This is great, man. The sentiment is beautiful, the music sounds great, and the production is outstanding. Love the intro and outro. What really knocks it out of the park, though, is the vocal. You have a great voice, brother, and you get the spirit of this song across perfectly. This is radio-ready. Very nice work. Kudos. Peace.

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not my cup o tea but i have to comment on the production.
Fanbloodytastik! the acoustic sounds great.
Reminded of the days of midnight oil, pet shop boys and tears for fears.
fine job on the vocal...you can sing!



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.. honest response my friend. Music is very subjective .. and will not be everyone's cup of T .. this is like you say, of a 'mold' that isn't particularly innovative IMO .. and kinda commercial style of days gone by... slightly modernised.

Glad you liked the production all the same- I recommend Ozone 3 from izotope at this time ;o)

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caroline: one of my favourite critics! Not many give it to me straight .. and I do seem to have a strange urge to put bongos in all over the place .. lol... good catch. Better with bass? Re-convene the Cheltenham jury .. ;o)
Roxylee: thanks very much, I'm just trying to combine some of my own favorite sounds .. handy I have made some of my own presets for some things by now.
Haribo: thanks very much for the lovely detailed expressive.. and educational comment... you got me curious as to what 'portamento' meant .. lol... looked it up now :o)
Craft: or should I say "dualtone"? heheh (sorry about that btw) - thanks my friend.. I just applied a GB preset of Chorus to the sitar. The solo I played with the pick-up selector in the middle position .. not something I usually do.
echoroom: thanks Steve .. yup, the Bowie song of the same name .. I think we're singing about quite different things.. so I left the title as non-unique. Not heard me singing before? lol. There's about 4 at least before this you've commented on that I'm singing on dude... some backing vox. and collabs ... I've done vocals (and occasionally some production) on some of musichead's posts at MJs too, but I'm far from a confident lead singer. Still need to work on production of my vocals ... I get better from doing others- would be quicker if someone else produced my vocals.. then I could learn from what they did.
davisamerica: thanks very much Jack et al .. glad it wasn't 'lousy' (little "nit" joke) .. particularly glad the message struck home. First thing I have written from scratch in many years - all done in 2x5hr sessions approx. (Fri pm/Sat am) - did feel inspired.
Rocha Malhada: thanks my friend... I do like clean and crisp .. I'm so pleased it's possible to achieve such production with not so much tools really... I was keen to learn these things from when I joined MJs and picked up lots of tips from being here. Ah yes, the continuous sin wave .. a strange filter effect .. really, I should bounce that out as .aif and then cut it to use it where I want .. I forgot .. it remains to
keep you awake and looking over your shoulder - what do you expect from 'apb' lol ;o)
evolvweb: thanks Tobin! Actually I really thought about this .. and I wanted the echo on the verses to trail the last words .. and no echo on the chorus .. but to be honest, I'm not happy with the reverb (just GB) - to improve this, I would take it into Logic Pro and use "Space designer" for vocal reverb instead and de-ess a little.
bud: Sting surprised me .. I stopped listening to him after "russians" .. I like more "Police" tracks ... not surprising for 'apb' lol Glad you liked the lyrics too, a touch of lyrical red herring (tried to keep it open - as if it was about the tv series and 'super-heroes', which I did have in the back of my mind).. thanks bud.
DJ French Toast: cheers Benny- thanks for stopping in.
Feter: ah the 'Harrison comparison' lol .. ;o) .. hard not to get that if you even touch a sitar .. what about Ravi Shankar? ;o) Cheers my friend- glad you enjoyed this.
jiguma: thanks very much Neil .. praise indeed .. radio? pfft .. ever hopeful as Roxanne said .. and as a fellow Ozone user, you know the benefits of that little AU plug-in :o) .. and a big thanks again for your bass on Would it be different ..as I re-cycled the entire sound I used on your Fender P bass for when I played this... without you, this wouldn't have been possible... so thanks again.
Kenta: sorry to hear your back on the old dial-up .. but flattered you took the extra time to download this to listen, that means alot to me .. and I'm sure you have the message right. Your one of the nice omni-present people at MJs, whose production/mixing has always inspired me to do better.
dajama: thanks Dave - still a little to do on the vocals lol .. then .. I'll be happy :o) I really have trouble singing, enjoying singing lead .. thanks for the confidence boost. I usually put my executive head on and relegate myself to backing vox. Been working with trying to improve on that, with collabing with musichead.


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't'least ya w'erin't long wind'd 'bout'it, maite

LOL - You rock, man

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Chas n' Dave - Rabbit

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Really nice to hear acoustics so well recorded.

If I was to offer any crit at all it would be to suggest recording the word 'heroes' separately as it sounds like you're falling over yourself to get all the words out.

It's a small nit though as this is ace stuff!

Cheers

Dick

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...a fair point .. I might just try that suggestion .. it's squeezing in that "ma little" that does it, eh? .. it was important to the song .. otherwise I wouldn't have hesitated to drop it.

Glad you enjoyed this.

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I like it right off!!!! Needs bass EQ!! Great writing!!
nice melody...you've out done yourself Al !!!!



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Thanks Steve - I'll see if I can bring out the bass a bit more with adjusting the EQ or multiband compression when I revisit and brush up the vocals a little too.

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the best mix I've heard from you yet. The intro chord construction at the beginning of this composition is extraordinary. Really Clean, Really Nice and very Euro!

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.. the intro/outro was just an experimental result of jamming along with the "Lotus" jingle in the GBv3 loop libary .. I liked it's 'free and floaty' quality .. and later I realised I musta been subliminally thinking of the Japanese character Hiro from Heroes series :o)

Since this is the first song I have written entirely from scratch in many years, it's interesting you detect a Euro glean to it .. inevitable from being here.. ooh, what .. 8 years now.

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is often a big thing around here, and for some, it is not as important as feeling, writing, melody, etc...
but, bottom line, to get someone to buy your stuff, either for thier ipods, or for that next cadillac commercial, it has to sound good. this one sounds really good. it harkens back to an earlier time, gave me an ELO flashback. and, while perhaps not my genre, perhaps a walk back in time is what pop music needs. new music produced today has no soul. it is mass produced, and mass marketed by the hype of a multi-media blitz. the great thing about this site, we dont have that constraint. and while on one hand, not every song here may be radio-ready, they are all listener friendly..
you mix is very clean.
vocals are good, my only nit might be a backing two of three part behind the HEROES line. the asian influenced intro is great at grabbing mood.
personally, i am a fan of the nice big bassline, and your bass tone might be a little lost on this one.
all in all, i can tell alot of time and effort went into this one. thanks for posting, and allowing us all in your head..
Allen

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.. very true .. and I also figure if I can do it .. so can anyone .. I think we're obliged to try to make as best demo's as we can .. and learning is fun - why not? you never know when inspiration will strike for a song .. you can't sit and learn something to increase that happening.

Production is production and a good song is a good song regardless of production... and most can spot a good/great song under a host of recording/mixing issues etc. My goal though is when even the production gurus listen .. and it's so 'there' .. you forget about that .. and just enjoy the song. It's like when you first became a musician .. you never really listened to music the same way afterwards ..
kinda the same way for after you have dabbled with home recording.

Hmm.. I might be able to re-cycle the only backing I opted to use at the repeated end bit, in the chorus .. I opted to do that by choice, trying to not use harmonies like I do usually to try and boost my voice .. instead I really endeavoured to get just a better single vocal with FX (the verse is just 1 track, chorus 2: copy panned)

On the bass I was quite happy to be able to plonk away .. and get that nice 'phut phut' thang .. :o) perhaps a little
EQ tweaking to bring what I play (which isn't startling) out a little more. I was worried I'd kill it with bass .. it was added last, after the bass arrived.

It was done in 10 hrs, from nothing to what you hear.. 2x 5hr shifts (Fri pm/Sat am) .. gave myself a headache working that intensely .. lol .. not recommended... so not that long .. I was scared I'd forget it... lol.

Now 'oot ma heid' ..it's cramped in there .. and cells are shouting "abandon ship!!" to each other :o)

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.. tarnation, I noticed a little bass bloop at 3:24 ..not surpising as I did the bass part very quickly, one recording take.. I thought I got away with it, but if I bring out the bass more .. it'll probably be more noticeable...shoot.. ah well, gives me an excuse to hang on to the bass a little longer... :o)

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This song touched me on a special frequency... I've been down that road, and recognize the things you sing about in this song. God have I tought about how that episode must have felt like for the children.

You've made a good piece of music to follow your words. Great production. Fab guitars!


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.. I had hoped many could and would relate to the lyrics- I'm sure yours are heroes too, in your eyes and heart.

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Great production and catchy tune.

Kerstin and Rebecca will carry this tune with them forever, and you'll definitely be their hero. What a great gift to give them.

Lots of nice flavors in this one and your voice sounds super, maybe bring it out a little more.

This song is a keeper.

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.. I'm pleased I made it to song length :o) 'My little heroines' will hear it next weekend .. I'll play it in the car on the way to school as well the following week... and I'll sneak it into their .mp3 players when they're asleep. They're current common favorite of mine is "carnival knowledge" ... which doesn't bode well for the future ... lol .. oh, and Becky often requests the "milky boulevard" collab I did guitars for, by moorlandt and with Wildcat as well... and sings along... bit higher register mind. :o)

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without a doubt the best I've heard from you Alan. I love it - heartfelt lyrics and very powerful music. The production is perfection. (I have bought a copy of Ozone 3 and whatever I do seems to make the sound worse - I just can't get to grips with it.)
Great song.
Cheers
Len



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..praise indeed. Your tunes don't lack on creative ideas that's for sure.

Ok you Ozoner .. lol .. first thing, be patient .. start with (say) trying some different presets on a master track of a song you have .. then try one function at a time ..familiarising yourself with what it does .. (I myself only know 4 of the 6 .. 2 I don't fiddle with as yet) .. then use some of the presets as applicable on individual tracks eg. in this I used one of their presets for acoustic .. (that simple .. the 'slap back' one I think it was called) .. I also used a preset on the vocals .. then I think it was a modified "CD master with Exciter and Widening" I used (but modified the mastering reverb, the harmonic thing and the stereo thing a fair bit to taste). I have yet to read up on it .. I have just learnt from twiddling and listening...

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Terrific-sounding tune on a number of fronts, Alan, but the vocal is a wee bit buried during the verses.

If the vocals were bad, I'd say... *Good Work*... but they're not, so give 'em a more prominent place in the mix.

I'm sure if we asked Kerstin and Rebecca, they'd say "Daddy's OUR Hero." ;)


--- Joe

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.. and fair points as expected ..
.. on headphones I don't find it very noticeable ..hmm just the very last repeated line of the chorus gets buried, I can agree.. but I can bring up some of the quieter/smoochier bits of the verses (might lose some feel) and that last line of the chorus with some automation points ..none used so far on the vocal... I might consider spreading the verse track a little .. but I liked the way doing that just for chorus created a little jump ..

It's about as loud as I dare put my vocals overall lol.. would need someone else to take over and tweak it without my consent now I think ..

Thanks for the tips and suggestions, always welcome and given consideration here.

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.. if I give them a more prominent place in the mix .. you might say "good work" ... lol :o)

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I left a comment. Well This is a great example of your technical ability . Its so slear and mixed perfect. A great drivin rythm and a even better ending realy great I enjoyed this alot!

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.. not to worry, you did now. Thanks .. yup, I'm a bit of a sound-techy nerd .. or wannabe sound techy nerd is perhaps more correct .. it all helps to display your wares in a positive light .. sounds like I'm flashing .. hehehe lol.

Glad you enjoyed this Tim, thanks for checking it out.

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Really huge production. Clean crisp. Amazing guitar work. Really tight and punchy. This sounds totally pro. I could learn a lot from this song in how it is EQ'd, mixed, recorded,... f*ck--even written. Color me rocked and impressed.

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praise indeed.. I get the feeling I'm just lucky ..

.. actually you might be surprised to hear .. apart from the standard GB preset I use for my Les Paul these days (just stuck it in middle pick-up position and didn't touch anything)... I never personally touched one EQ setting on any track .. didn't touch the parametric in Ozone 3 either... lol .. don't know what lesson that gives really .. :o) everything is quite 'natural' EQ...
the acoustic tracks did get the preset I mentioned above from Ozone (that probably has some EQing with that right enough) as
does the preset I used from Ozone 3 for the vocals I expect.

The modified 'CD master with Exciter and Widening', I used on the master track .. is were I fiddled most... in 4/6 of the functions... and I do that just by ear rather than any sound engineeing rules.

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Is that a sort of Radiohead vibe I hear? Pretty nice layout. Full bodied instrumentation. The singing is good in the verses but you are not spot on in the refrain "Heroes...Will you be gone tomorrow?" That needs to have machine gun, punctuated precision. You could nudge the vox track a smidge to the left in the refrain and that might fix it. I think a descant harmony on the refrain would lift it up and give it a little extra sparkle and shine. Taht would make it ready for prime time. I don't like the sitar. It doesn't gel with the rest. I'd rather hear just the lonesome guitar in the intro. Pretty cool guitar break. I like that.

An' now that's gone
To another
It won't be long
You must recover

A little bit obscure in that verse. What has gone to another? The power? Your kids?

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glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate the useful comments:
I agree with the timing .. particularily in the first refrain on that line .. an effect of reading my crib sheet I think :o) .. 2nd refrain, that line is a bit better .. I can copy from that perhaps or re-align a little as you suggest .. maybe a touch of the dreaded timing adjust might even be enough ;o)

Beefing up the chorus "heroes" words has been suggested .. I'll see how some harmony sits with it... then decide.

Sitar: I still like it in the intro .. but might try re-voicing it's part during the verses, as I'm not convinced myself about how well it works.

Lyrical question: I'll send you a note.

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Really enjoyed this Alan. It has a cool and catchy rhythm to it and honestly, your voice fits very well. Nice job. All of it is very good to me! Thanks for sharing it with us! I am sure your little heroes will love it.

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I like the series and I like this song. Well played and put together... I would like to offer one suggestion on the chorus. If this has already been mention sorry, but I think the vocal part on the chorus should be bigger not louder but more layers, pans, and effects to give the effect of larger then average life "hero" and there may be a timing issue with the actual word hero. But I reall enjoyed the listen thanks for sharing.
Moses

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Very well done Alan, a pleasure to my ears...
Nice vocals and guitar playing, all with a great production. Very pro !
Thanks for this good music, your little heroines can be proud of you !
Marc

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A very enjoyable listen.
The main guitar part is very cool and your recording is exceptionally clean and crisp.
The only thing I didn't really like was the drums. Of course, I should mention beforehand (if you didn't know already) that I tend to get *really* picky and anal about how the drumming sounds, so pay too much attention to what I say. I just thought the drum kit sounded a bit to 'big' for the sound of the rest of the band. It sounded to me like it belonged to a more gritty and distorted rock song instead of this tight little pop number.
But like I said - anal.

Very nicely done, though!

-Einar S.

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really nice Alan. the whole song comes off so tight. good energy eminating through this headphones. really got a kick out of this!

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gail60: thanks, I hope so.
HipHopMoses: thanks- I'll sway to consensus and try some chorus beefing up ideas in next version... although I actually don't want to over-do the 'super-hero' side too much, since that's not what the song is really about... but kept vague deliberately to have that interpretation as well... part of the idea.
blaky smith: good to see youagain Marc .. I'll be checking out your latest later this evening.
Einarus: you mean there is other kinds of drums?? hehehe thanks Einar for your honest critique .. I was wondering if someone would remark: where's the cymbals .. or toms??
Vic Holman: glad the vibe is coming across Vic, I could feel it myself and just rode the wave ...


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Like your stuff. Like the song a lot. Think your a very good writer. Uplifting tune. I'll have to check some more.
Steve Miller type of solos.

Well-done
Dave

P.S. Thanks for the help the other day.

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Like the oriental feel as well. Like the Police-sting feel in there, seems like he could be a hero of yours, which is terrific to put a pro feel like that in the tune. Not that you are copying but it is great that your care to be influenced by a top artist.

Thanks for sharing.




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