Yes, Anthony, Salve is really a very special singer I think. Not just a singer, but song-writer as well. I was aware that this track is not really the kind of music that Salve really prefers to do - Salve's taste I think runs more to Pop/RnB material. But, I think that this, somewhat more eclectic material, worked out well and Salve's vocal definitely made it into something unique, not generic.

Eric

Thanks for the positive feedback, Tiltedbeats. I do listen to the track once in a while and each time I really appreciate what Salve did. A complex melody, well-developed and meaningful lyrics, an excellent vocal performance using a very inexpensive USB microphone. These really elevated the track to someting worth listening to. I was lucky to have Salve agree to collaborate on the track.

Eric

Thanks, Ruslan. This time I caught that it had auto-corrected your name! :). Could not edit my reply, unfortunately, or would have fixed it.

Eric

Yes, definitely check Salve out, Ed. Very unique I think. Has a pretty sophisticated sense of melody and obviously can compose decent lyrics.

Thanks for the encouragement, Ripzore. Glad you liked it.

Eric

Thanks, BeatMkaer4real. Getting the mix fixed by Wytse made a real difference.

Eric

Thanks, SC.

Eric

Yes, I guess I ran out of patience. Actually, the problems with the track were rooted in the mix itself. I didn't even get to the mastering stage with it. Sounded harsh and vocals were competing with the synths and strings. Wytse fixed the problems somehow. I actually don't know exactly what he did, but he does have a lot of real analog gear in his studio. And yes, of course he's a pro and quite in demand. Was worth the investment. Not something I'll probably ever do again, but was necessary for this track.

Thanks, Hobewan. I'm pretty pleased with how this one turned out. I can take some of the credit, but really it's Salve's vocals that made the track.

Eric

Yes. Quite right. Only in some respects. Basically, the first section (after the cathedral choir thing).

Deep rich sounds were, in varying degrees and in different parts of the track, a combination of synth bass, acoustic bass, brass, and vocals.

But, the challenge was getting a rich sound throughout because so much middle high and high frequency material was competing for space in the mix. That was the challenge that Wytse finally solved, when I could not.

Thanks for the positive comment on the track. Very nice to hear that you liked it.

Regards, from Ottawa where it was -18 celsius this morning. I'm sure it was much, much better in Hawaii! :)

Eric

Hi, Paul.

Thanks for the encouraging comments on the track.

I did think that Salve's vocal really made this track something special. I guess that's why I took so long trying to get the "sound" to live up to Salve's vocal.

Many years ago, long before LM, I was in a kind of chat group with musicians from across the world. I admitted to another participant, an accomplished professional French composer named, Philipe Chatillez ("le chat") that I had composed lots of fragments of tracks, but never really completed a full track. He said I should not be afraid of just combining different pieces to create a whole.

I guess that's what Salve and I did with this track except that we actually planned it this way - as a musical progression.

So, probably 30 years after getting the advice, I finally put it into action! Slow learner! :)

Regards,

Eric

Hi, Xstokes! Thank you for the kind words on this track. You get the prize for recognizing the inspiration for that first section of the track. It was definitely Kate Bush. Actually “Cloudbusting”. I found a patch in one of my VSTs that really reminded me of that track, and just started from that to build the instrumental backing. And, to my credit, this was well before the world rediscovered Kate Bush because “Stranger Things” had used one of her tracks. She has always been one of my favourite artists, and remains so.

Regards from very cold Ottawa,

Eric

Hi, Manuela. Actually, I did not interpret your comment on the vocals effects as a critique, although I really like to get constructive critiques of my tracks. It really helps me improve, and luckily I often get quite helpful comments from LM members. It's good to know what is done right and works well, and what doesn't.

I agree that hearing more of Salve's vocals would be nice. I recall that earlier last year Salve posted on the LM forum (I really do miss the forum) seeking collaborations. I believe there were no responses, which is unfortunate.

If you are interested in hearing another vocal by Salve, you can stream the song, "How You Been" which is available on Apple Music. Probably on Spotify as well. The beat was purchased, so is not original. Salve wrote the lyrics and recorded the vocal. I worked with Salve on the production/mixing.

Eric

Thanks for comment, Zion. I think you are right about the mix of genres. It definitely does not fit comfortably into just one box. I'm very happy with the way the mix turned out. The instrumental parts, particularly in one section, have sounds that are in the same frequency range as the vocal. Not only were they competing for "space" in the mix, but the overall sound was somewhat harsh. Simple EQing did not fix the problem. So, I turned to a pro for help. Wytse really improved the mix. Took it to a place I was not able to reach. :)

Thanks for your kind words, Shaman77. Glad you enjoyed it.

Oh, Manuela! I completely agree with your comments on Salve's vocals. Salve is a unique voice. I think I'm not bad at coming up with melody lines, but Salve has a much more sophisticated sense of melody. I was very lucky that Salve agreed to collaborate on this track with me.

And yes, I think the mix turned out really well. Wytse definitely rescued it. This track was actually 2 years in the making, mostly because I simply could not get the mix to sound right. Having the tools is one thing. Having the skills to use them properly is entirely another matter.

I supposed the ending could have been different. It is actually the only place where the lyrics provide the title to the song. I thought the fade-out of the repeated line, 'Bid me Go" somehow made sense both logically and musically. But, I admit, I do tend to use fade-outs a lot because making proper endings is really hard! :)

And finally, other than some EQ and reverb (automated in places) Salve's vocal doesn't really have a lot of processing on it. Salve is a student and has a very inexpensive USB microphone. Records vocals at night when everybody else in the family is asleep so the won't be bothered. There is some distortion at places in the vocals, but that is inherent in the original recordings.

Thanks again for the very supportive comment.

Eric