[Updated 23.12.2022]
Here is my entry for this month's competition:
The wav-version is here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12qEAHN ... share_link
Please excuse my singing. I am the only one in my band that doesn't sing, not even background vocals. This is my first try to sing, and I had terrible issues with timing, tuning, pronunciation and keeping a constant distance from the microphone.
My experience with this game this month:
It was easy to get inspired by the picture. The idea of the chords and melody were there early, but I had to get over my unease to sing because I felt this song would not work without some kind of vocals. I did not want to introduce another instrument to play the melody of the verse, and I felt that playing it with the e-piano would have been too much of the same. The result is more a mock up than a finished vocal take.
Lyrics:
► Show Spoiler
Look out of the window
it's freezing outside.
A raw wind is blowing
there's no place to hide
from the cold, and the snow
keeps whirling around.
I'd rather stay inside.
Outside my window
the day passes by.
Inside I'm lonely
asking myself why
I can't simply go out and meet
some of my friends;
instead, I will stay inside.
Instruments:
Drums: Two instances of IK Multimedia Modo Drum (one for the toms, one for the rest of the drums), "Bubinga" set with "Grungy" snare.
IK Multimedia TR5 Bus Compressor with "Drums Bus" preset
Bass: Ibanez SR505, recorded through my Zoom H4nPro interface.
Ableton Live EQ Eight with a low pass filter to avoid clashing with the cello part
Keys: One instance of Ableton's Analog, modified "EPiano Muted Pure"-preset (chords, panned a little to the left), one instance of AAS Lounge Lizard EP4, "Basic 1"-preset (chords and melody, panned a little to the right).
On the Ableton Analog I used the midi-effect "Velocity: Add some random" to make the chords a little less static
Strings: Two instances of Native Instruments Session Strings Pro2 ("Ensemble" and "Cello")
I doubled the "Ensemble" part and added a FrozenPlain Phoenix Mirage "Old School Strings" to the chords to make them more mellow.
Pads:
I added FrozenPlain Phoenix Mirage "Cathedral Choir" to the B-Parts after the verses and the second B-Part at the end.
Vocals: recorded with the mics of my Zoom H4nPro interface, De-Essing with Hornet Plugins SybillaPro, run through SoundeviceDigital Trap Tune (pitch correction, stereo voice, distortion, reverb and delay)
Plugins:
Hornet Plugins ThirtyOne MK2 EQ
Softube Saturation Knob
Hornet Plugins Tape (for a more analog feeling)
Mastering the Mix Levels (to check for problems)
Audified Mix Checker (to emulate other listening devices, but I still don't know how to correct my mix accordingly)
brainworx bx_masterdesk true peak (to adjust the loudness and make the fequencies below 126 hz mono)
Youlean Loudness Meter 2