Ok, I was inspired by Shboom's excellent demos to post one of my own. http://mcdermottreport.com/dontcloseyoureyes.wma
I did it from a midi, played through a Roland XV-5050 sound module. My vocal was done with my Shure KSM-32 mic into my Protools MBox.
I can't wait until I get my Ketron SD1 Plus and can do a better version of the music.

What's wrong? I can't hear it...
The extension (suffix) of this file is .wma so I can't play it. I can only play .wav and .mp3 files. What a pity...

I would really like to hear it!!!
------------------
Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 05-15-2005).]

Hey StPatrick,

Wow, I thought the vocals were great, real nice sound.

But I'm with you, can't wait for you to get the SD1+ to spice up the music.

Any chance you could send me the midi file? I'd like to try it here at home.

Thanks in advance.

-mike

PS. Enjoyed all the photos on your website too.

St Pat....Listening to your song as I type..
Great Vocals and I liked the song...you done good....
Tony Rome

I like it... vocal is great... kindly Garth Brooks... if it is mine song I'll try to make arrangment likely "If tommorow never comes"...

sLOWER

Gee guys, thanks!

Sheriff: It is Windows Media Player format. Are you on a Mac?

msutliff: I can't access the original at the moment because my computer crashed over thanksgiving and i got this one. prob is hard drives don't use the wide gray cable anymore so I need a card to put my old ones back in.
But I think this is it: http://wilstar.net/midi/dont_close_your_eyes.mid

StPatrick...
Nice pipes man...you've got a great voice there, reminicent of Randy Travis.
I agree with Mike, that with a little more oomph on the background, it would really pull the whole song forward (if that makes sense?)
...to echo Tony.."Ya done good".
Looking forward to more from you. Can't say enough about your voice. Very clean, with a great "country" trill.
I tip my headphones to you my friend.

------------------
...shboom

Hey StPat,

Was that the file you used for your demo?

Anyway, I changed a few settings (most of the tracks had the chorus cranked to 127) and saved a copy for ya.

Dont Close Your Eyes

When you get a chance.......

-mike

shboom: thanks so much. I definitely agree that the music pretty much sucks. (you were being diplomatic, lol). I want to get the midi file that msutliff fixed and apply a style to it when i get my sd1. I'm happy with the vocal except i think i'm a little quivery or off key or something at the beginning. maybe im being too picky. I'll try to post some more when I get good copies. i have a copy of me singing sacrifice by elton john somewhere, I'll try to find it. Here's a file of me singing the auctioneer by leroy van dyke:
http://mcdermottreport.com/auctioneer_draft.wma

It took me a year to learn it! I'm not thrilled with the vocal but it was just a first draft. When I play a redneck club they go ape s--- over it.

As for the Randy Travis comparison, I'll accept it as a compliment. He's playing my local fair this July for about $35,000. The list of things I won't do for $35,000 an hour is very short, lol!

msutliff: i think that is the file but im not positive. its pretty close. ill try to get the one i used when i can figure out how to install my hard drive from the old computer in my new one.
You definitely improved it, though! Thanks. I saved it and can't wait to try it on the Roland XV5050 and my Ketron SD1, when I get it. Luckily, it looks like I just booked my last open Sat in June so I should make enough to buy it by early July! Im very eager to get my hands on one.

Thanks for everyone's feedback!!!! I'm so happy and lucky that I found synthzone. Nigel rox!

No, I'm on a W2k system but I've banished the WinMediaPlayer because it has caused so many problems to my system. Sometimes if I browsed the internet and clicked on a WinMediaFile (.wma/.wmf) then my browser crashed while the player tried to play some tunes directly out of the internet without asking me to save it. So, I've decided to kill WinMediaPlayer.

On the other side I'm always working with .wav files (CD summery, studio, etc.) and so it was logical to me to use .wav files only. I'm using .mp3 files only for economizing my HDDs and for presenting them in the internet...

StPatrick...I never said it sucked....and I wouldn't.
I mentioned a little more oomph,... nothing else..
The music was there and what I heard in the way of arrangement was fine.
The Randy Travis comment was indeed a compliment.
Your efforts are paying off. Keep up the great work, and let's hear some more soon.



------------------
...shboom

Oops, I think you misread me. I was being sincere. I do take it as a compliment and I'm sure you meant it that way. I'm sorry if I sounded sarcastic. I didn't mean to. I should have written it differently. That's the problem with typing. I'm a lot better at face to face. I'm just getting ready to buy my first arranger and I'm looking forward to learning from you and all the other folks here like ScottYee and DonM and all the others who have vastly more knowledge than I. As far as the music being subpar, I really think it is. I ran a midi I found on the Internet right through a Roland sound module into Protools. I want to make it sound more like a band by applying a style to the midi when I can.

No Foul.

Keep up the Good Work!!

------------------
...shboom

Wow...very nice StPatrick. As Shboom said, "nice pipes"...I hear Randy, Garth and Alan all over it. And your phrasing is A+.

Mikes tweaking of the midi was a definite improvement.

Eddie

Thanks Eddie! I'm getting ready to do a bunch of weddings in June so hopefully in about 6 weeks I'll have an SD1 plus and I'll be able to use Mike's midi with a Ketron style and really make it shine!

OK, I found a WMA to MP3 converter that seems to do a good job. Here is an MP3 version of the song for Sheriff:
http://warrencountyreport.com/dontcloseyoureyes.MP3

Wow, thank you very much for converting and mailing me, Mr. StPatrick! It was very nice of you!!!

Now, at least (no, I don't really hope so ), I'm able to put my two cents to it...

I've heard it a few times in a row. I did exactly not that what you sang, because I closed my eyes. So, I was able to get an imagination. I saw a small keyboard with some more or less nice sounds and then - THE voice started to sing!!!

At this point my imagination changed into something greater. Suddenly I saw a hall with a band - a REAL band. I saw a drumkit with a good drummer (was it Pete York?), a pianist on a grand and some string players in the background. All spots are on the man at the microphone when he starts singing...what a voice!!!

It seems like that the song was absolutely made for your voice. The only things that made MY imagination a little bit lacking were my missing of Shboom's oomph and the little weakly reverb. I'm sure your new synth will give you a bigger range.

I'm very curious to hear more of you.
Again, thanks for converting extra for me...

WOW! Thanks Sheriff! I'm blushing. I can't wait to redo the music. I SO appreciate all of your feedback and encouragement. I'll try to find a few more songs I've done and post them. I know I have Easy by Lionel Richee and Sacrifice by Elton John somewhere.

As a completely off topic note (good thing I'm in the bar!!), I'm going to post some lyrics I wrote. I have a complete melody in my head but I can't work the chords on the keyboard yet because I'm less talented than all of you in that area. But if anyone wants to play with it, go ahead. Once I get a real keyboard, I'll work it up myself.

I Love You by Dan McDermott

(written after a first date with Miranda, Saturday April 9, 2005. She grabbed me, and said you can kiss me now. We are just dating but the butterflys in my stomach inspired me to write this. Slow Elton John style. I hope I don't fall for her right away (I always do that), being down in the dumps helps me write. Once again, I just held the pen and it came to me in waves.)

You know that I been through
paths cobbled with despair
My wounds haven't healed
I'm in disrepair

But today the clouds parted
And let the suns rays pass through
And I tore down the walls
I'd been building

Ohhh... is this the way love's supposed to feel
Sometimes I think it's to good to be true
But deep inside I know that this feeling's real
I love you, and I hope you love me too

I was a beaten broken man
With shoe marks on my face
Left alone to die
In a barren lonely place

But you came into my life
And dusted off my pride
And showed me the love
I'd been missing

Ohhh... is this the way love's supposed to feel
Sometimes I think it's to good to be true
But deep inside I know that this feeling's real
I love you, and I hope you love me too

Knocked down in my prime
Wasted many years
Been to hell and back
Cried so many tears

You took away the loneliness
I'd been denying
you brought back the strength
I'd been hiding

Ohhh... is this the way love's supposed to feel
Sometimes I think it's to good to be true
But deep inside I know that this feeling's real
I love you, and I hope you love me too

Ohhh... is this the way love's supposed to feel
Sometimes I think it's to good to be true
But deep inside I know that this feeling's real
I love you, and I hope you love me too
I love you, and I hope you love me too

StPatrick ... really nice job ... definitely a touch of Randy Travis ...
t.

StPatrick ... really nice job ... definitely a touch of Randy Travis ...
t.
PS: Also liked the above lyrics ... a melody came to mind for the bridge ... I'll let you know if I develop anything further ...
t.

Yo....StPatrick...
Here's another one to share with you...
http://members.shaw.ca/shboom Select demo4....Hope you like it as much as I enjoyed yours.

------------------
...shboom

StPatrick, very nice pro sounding vocal rendition of the 1987 Keith Whitley hit: "Don't Close Your Eyes". When you get your new SD1+, I suggest, to set your arrangement apart from the others & making it more uniquely your own, instead of using a commerical cover SMF midi file backing track, try playing the kb in auto-accomp mode, selecting an SD1 'style' pattern with a similar (but different) style than the cover arrangement, or perhaps (even better?) a dramatically different style than the stereo-typical SMF backing track arrangement. I think you have a terrific voice but ready to develop your own unique sound, and of which I think the SD1+ will help you discover. I'm really looking forward to hearing more music from you. - Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 05-26-2005).]

Hey, Shboom, let it touch our souls! Great song (Philadelphia by Leon Bateman), greater voice. I think we have MINIMUM two really good singers here...

Wow, a Zoner's jam session would be THE hit!!!

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 05-26-2005).]

shboom, that song is awesome. i love the lyrics and the music. its a really neat song. although its great as-is, i tried to listen with a critics ear to see if anything could make it even better. all i came up with is it would be neat to hear some cymbals and maybe a tamborine or something to give it some crisp high end sizzle. also, due to the haunting and mysterious nature of the song (which i LOVE) i would consider using the chorus ohh effect to make it sound like an army of angels singing ohh ohh once in a while in the background. last i would consider more reverb on the vocal, since it is a haunting type song. ok, i came up with a weird one, what if it started with a thunderstorm sound effect or a torrential downpour that faded as the opening music switched from solely percussion to fuller music.
Again, I like it as is, I just wanted to offer some suggestions as to what I might try if I were mixing it.
But I like it as is and I'm going to listen to it again because I want to hear it again, lol.
Awesome work..

Scottyee, thanks for the advice. I will experiment with applying a style to the midi and doing what you said.. playing the chords and melody accompanied by an SD1 style. Note that I am a novice chord piano player and plan B will take some time, lol.
I can't wait to have the SD1 so I can experiment along these lines. Even though a computer is making the sounds in an arranger, it will be so nice for me to be able to go in whatever creative direction I want, like changing songs as you describe, longer intros, extra choruses if they're all dancing, etc. Plus so many options I haven't even discovered yet.
Synthzone is certainly helping me with the learning curve. I doubt that there is an arranger OMB within 50 miles. And I'm sure I will be the only SD1+ user anywhere near me. So this helps a lot. The Internet really tears down geographical borders.
Then my problem will be all my local competition getting one. Maybe I'll put duct tape all over the logos of the keyboard, (just kidding!)

StPatrick....
Glad you liked my rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Philadelphia".
You mentioned "reverb".
If I can offer my two cents worth, I try wherever possible to avoid reverb, preferring instead to use a delay instead. For me (IMO) reverb is very easy to "over-do", so wherever possible, I avoid it completely.
On your next effort, try matching the tempo, ie:80 bpm with a matching mono delay time of 80 bpm.
Just my thots....
Thanx for your critique...much appreciated.

------------------
...shboom

shboom. i like a little reverb and delay. that's what i meant. live i use a Lexicon PCM 80 and a PCM 90. One does reverb and the other delay. (Although the Peavey effects unit I have doesn't do a bad job and it was literally 20 times cheaper! So I probably spent some stupid $$ there. But Lexicon is good stuff.)
I agree on the delay time but I'm not sure I had that opeion. I used the built in delay plug in in Protools (don't have fancy ones from Waves yet) and I think it was basically on or off and how much. But I could be wrong.
When I redo it I will definitely try to match the delay time. Thanks for the suggestion.
Still waiting for my SD1+, lol!!!
(nervously pacing, etc....)

BTW, this is very embarrassing to admit but after DJing and singing for literally 10 years 5-7 nights a week, I didn't recognize that you were covering that song. I thought it was original. (I guess I need to brush up on the Boss!) That's why I suggested those mods. Although, going with the "make it your own" approach Scottyee discussed with my song, I would still love to hear an experimental version with some of the changes I suggested. But again, it's only a suggestion from a layman at keyboards. I think I'm going to listen to it again! It's awesome.

...Now that...is a very nice compliment. Thank You. Just so you know...any demos you might sample on my site will be my covers / renditions or originals.
Thank you again for the kind words.

------------------
...shboom

[This message has been edited by shboom (edited 05-26-2005).]

StPatrick ... I did a 'GOOGLE' and got the lyrics and chords ... the chords are pretty simple ... I tried it on my technics kn6000 using a 16BeatPop style and it sounded pretty good ...
One of the great things about arrangers is puting different styles to songs ...
t.
PS I had the midi file I D/L from the net playing through the kn6, and a nephew and my sister-in-law both commented on how pretty the tune was ... They were a little surprised when I told them the lyrics ...
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 05-27-2005).]

It is a pretty song with sad lyrics. And I can't wait to redo it with my new keyboard.

Okay, a few of you have asked me for more examples and I finally got them off an old hard drive.

These are from my myspace BLOG page. Please note that you are welcome to check that page out and comment there, but some of the language used by some of my myspace friends (some of whom are hip hop/rap recording artists) is a little off color. So I just want to alert you before you click. My page is at http://myspace.com/djdanmcdermott
This page also has extensive profile info on me for those who are interested.

For those of you who simply want to get to the songs, here's a paste from the blog.

New Songs Added!!!!

Okay, here are some songs I recorded over the past year. I'm going to redo all of them over the next few months. But they're passable for being recorded in my living room.

As always, please comment. And add me if you haven't yet.

Easy Low:
(I had a cold so I decided to do this version REALLY low. I wish I could hit these notes when I'm healthy!) http://warrencountyreport.com/EasyLow.MP3

Sacrifice:
(This is probably my favorite of these to sing.) http://warrencountyreport.com/Sacrifice.MP3

Don't Close Your Eyes:
(I think this is the best vocal I did of this group but I'm going to redo the music when I get my new keyboard and software.) http://warrencountyreport.com/dontcloseyoureyes.MP3

Return Of The Mack:
(This always gets the crowd dancing. It's probably the most requested song I sing next to Piano Man and Tiny Dancer.) http://warrencountyreport.com/ReturnoftheMack128.MP3

Easy:
(Same music as the first version, I just redid it an octave higher.) http://warrencountyreport.com/Easy.MP3

Sheriff, I did them all in MP3 just for you, buddy!!

Enjoy and as always I welcome your honest feedback.

Again, I can't say enough I have been blessed with the discovery of this forum. I can really count on all of you to give me valuable learned criticism and advice. I only hope I one day learn enough about arrangers to return the favor to future beginners.

Hey Dan,

I enjoyed everything I heard. I like what you did with Easy Low (Barry White style)(or was that Don Cornelius). My personal favorite was Return of the Mack. I'll run it by my 12 year old daughter tonight when I get home and we'll get the real critique.

But the real highlight (for me) had to be the Lean Back video on your website. DOH!!!

-mike

LOL, ya she'll know for sure. She's definitely the target demographic for that one!
That video was a FUN one to shoot. (I won't eleborate....)
I had a very fun job that night, lol!

Hey, Dan, you're really a friend to think on me!!!
It seems to be that I'm the only one with wma/wmf problems...

Wow, I wonder about the difference of the quality. Really good recordings - they're sounding really professional.
Easy is a well known pop song (of the last 80's or the early 90's, I don't know). And EasyLow is a very interesting version...
I'm not sure with Return Of The Mack but I think I've heard it once a time in radio. Also a good recording. It seemed to be the same studio...
Sacrifice one of the most used song titles that I know. It was and still is a thematic that we all have to experience once in our lives. Again, a really good recording. It sounds like it were the original track and then your voice over it. THE voice...

Your voice sounds good to pop music and also, it fits to evergreens like Don't close your eyes. Go on that way, Dan, you're going the right one...

Regards, Danny

[This message has been edited by Sheriff (edited 06-01-2005).]

Thanks Sheriff, I can't wait to apply your and ScottYee and all the others advice when I get my Ketron and redo them. I agree, I have the voice for that kind of stuff--definitely not rock. My all time favorite is elton john. I've seen him six times i think. but i like older country too. It's a crime that kenny chesney can go to the gym and sing about his tractor being sexy and george jones can't get a record deal!