STRIFE - sorted I think - thoughts on the solo.

[rayc]

OK Folks,
I've tweaked the vocal as much as can be done without glitching.
A chap in Ontario provided the lead guitar stuff - he said it was hard to play on (verses in A minor chorus in C major, intro & M8 in C also).
That made me wonder about the solos.
Thoughts?

JAN272020JBIN3.mp3

I've removed all vocals as well as the lead licks. I've added a gap filler solo (?) for the time being as I search for the needed elements.

[Armistice]

Don't think your new guitarist quite suits the tune, I'm afraid ray. You want something a lot more edgy and ragged for that song.

[Greg_L]

Ray I don't know what's going on with this song, but it all sounds disjointed to me. The vocals and solos do not work for my ears.

[JD01]

Ray - I think the mix is pretty good generally.
I agree with Greg and Armi though - the guitarist isn't right for this one. The style of playing doesn't suit the song and the note choice isn't good at times, seems to spend a fair bit of the song just widdling over the vocal. Also, A minor and C major are the same bloody key!

I actually think the vocal is alright now, still a bit pitchy in spots but I think you've made a pretty good job of knocking it into shape.

[rayc]

[mention]Armistice[/mention], [mention]Greg_L[/mention] & @[mention]JD01[/mention] ,
Yes & yes.
From my VERY limited understanding A Minor is the relative minor of C yet the bloke told he & his mate spent an hour working out what to play over the progression. He said they're both music teachers - I was a little baffled at fried eggs becoming a Pavlova. With the song muted the solo bits - particularly the harmonized parts - sound quite nice.
I was hoping the solo would pull the vocal together but it seems to have gone the opposite way.
The way the singer ignored the structure after the 2nd verse really did discombobulate the flow of a simple song.
I'll try to find another singer - the melody I sketched was pretty simple but it made sense.
THANKS for chiming in again and confirming my concerns.

[JD01]

@Armistice, @Greg_L & @@JD01 ,
Yes & yes.
From my VERY limited understanding A Minor is the relative minor of C yet the bloke told he & his mate spent an hour working out what to play over the progression. He said they're both music teachers - I was a little baffled at fried eggs becoming a Pavlova. With the song muted the solo bits - particularly the harmonized parts - sound quite nice.
I was hoping the solo would pull the vocal together but it seems to have gone the opposite way.
The way the singer ignored the structure after the 2nd verse really did discombobulate the flow of a simple song.
I'll try to find another singer - the melody I sketched was pretty simple but it made sense.
THANKS for chiming in again and confirming my concerns.

Ray - what are the chords to the song?

[rayc]

Intro is F G A then Em G F C x 3 Em G F Am for the verse, Em A x 3 then F G A x2 for the chorus M8 is A G F x 2 .
I suppose going from Am to A for the solo might be a problem but the chap skipped that part anyway.

[rayc]

I think I'll tidy up the mix with the errant guests and send them a final copy before removing them and trying again. Oddly both parties asked to perform on the song. I had my wife listen and she agreed with you blokes without prompting.

[JD01]

Intro is F G A then Em G F C x 3 Em G F Am for the verse, Em A x 3 then F G A x2 for the chorus M8 is A G F x 2 .
I suppose going from Am to A for the solo might be a problem but the chap skipped that part anyway.

The
Em G F C bit and Em G F Am bit are both just in the key of C. Should be able to easily use the A natural minor or pentatonic over this bit

Now, Em A implies that you might be in D. E Dorian/A mixolydian here. The ii and V chords of D.

However, F and G makes it look like you're still in C. F and G being the IV and V chords. But then the A major introduces a C# which is the oddity here.

Personally I'd stick to A minor throughout. But maybe try and do something creative on the A Major chords, introducing the C# here and avoiding C gives some cool sounds as you end whole step, 1/2 step, whole step, half step thing that always sounds really middle eastern... or just avoid playing C on the A major bit if you want to keep it simple. Or just say fuck it, and stick to A minor throughout. Playing a minor scale over a major chord often sounds good and bluesy.

[Greg_L]

Lol holy crap

[vomitHatSteve]

When the vocal goes to the wide panned part. It almost sounds like a vocoder. That may be an effect to lean into. Rather than trying to really clean up the vocal, make it grimier in an interesting way.

I'm a little underwhelmed by the leads, but they don't demand much attention, so I'm ok with them.

[rayc]

Intro is F G A then Em G F C x 3 Em G F Am for the verse, Em A x 3 then F G A x2 for the chorus M8 is A G F x 2 .
I suppose going from Am to A for the solo might be a problem but the chap skipped that part anyway.

The
Em G F C bit and Em G F Am bit are both just in the key of C. Should be able to easily use the A natural minor or pentatonic over this bit

Now, Em A implies that you might be in D. E Dorian/A mixolydian here. The ii and V chords of D.

However, F and G makes it look like you're still in C. F and G being the IV and V chords. But then the A major introduces a C# which is the oddity here.

Personally I'd stick to A minor throughout. But maybe try and do something creative on the A Major chords, introducing the C# here and avoiding C gives some cool sounds as you end whole step, 1/2 step, whole step, half step thing that always sounds really middle eastern... or just avoid playing C on the A major bit if you want to keep it simple. Or just say fuck it, and stick to A minor throughout. Playing a minor scale over a major chord often sounds good and bluesy.

Does this mean it is complicated???????
There's only one reasonable solution......

[rayc]

As this is proving to be tiresome for you and me I decided to test correct the vocal using chord notes, (except for some grace/passing notes and those where there was no way to control the original), to hear the melody slightly tweaked to fit basics of the song. Just the 1st verse and chorus though. The 1st phrase does sound like the beginning of Frank Ifield's classic though.

JAN2720201st bitcorrection.mp3

Clearly the correction does too much damage to make it useful but I found it interesting and it was/is good for my understanding too.

[rayc]

This is the Finnigan Project: named after Michael obviously.
I've stripped away the solos and other voices.
I corrected my guide vocal, according to chord tones mostly, and lifted it an octave with ReaPitch which is blended with the original becasue my voice is so thin n low it's almost inaudible. I experimented with algorithms and formant settings and I managed to avoid too much positronic parenthesis other than done by the aggressive retuning.

JAN272020FINNIGAN.mp3

I sound awful but the songs sounds much better with all the misdirection removed.

[rayc]

Updated in O.P.

[vomitHatSteve]

The guide vox are super affected, almost robotic. Not that I mind that kind of effect. Look, I think you just need this song to be some kind of glitchy robot song!

[Lt. Bob]

I think your place holder lead is better than what the other guy did but I'm not hearing what I would call a solo anywhere in the song .... I don't even hear a section open to put a solo in ........... just flourishes behind the vox and occasional licks to connect verses.

Is that what you mean by solos?

[rayc]

@[mention]vomitHatSteve[/mention],
Yes awfully processed. I've left that behind the newer vocal free one (half sized for some reason) in the OP is the current iteration.
@[mention]Lt. Bob[/mention] ,
There are eight bars - the ones I played over that are lyric free and a reversal of the intro - but nothing classically M8.
Yes, I'm always happy with licks & embellishments that weave through songs.
My place holder is just that - though I did use it to prove to myself that chordal notes would work well enough with a good player. The chap who recorded the solos on the other version complained that it was a complex thing (C/Am except for one chord).

[JD01]

Ray - the mix sounds tidy without too much stuff in it.
The vox are bloody weird though. Not bad entirely, just weird - it would sound better with a singer though i reckon.
Bass is a bit quiet - its a nice tone, but way too low in the mix for me.

[liv_rong]

I dont have anything to say except there is a lot going on, and not in a bad way. Mix sounds good to me, I like the og vocals better than the last version, personally.