My 'DEMO Songs' Collection tweaked utilizing SOUNDFORGE: Feedback Please!

Hello all,

I recently spent some time using 'Sony Soundforge' to tweak my previously recorded Tyros2 DEMO SONGS. They were orignally performed & recorded live (in arranger mode) on my Tyros2 keyboard and then simply transfered to my PC and converted into a compressed WMA file with no software post processing. After having re-listened to these songs recently, I felt some of them lacked mid range vocal clarity (aka muffled). I've since discovered that post processing in Soundforge has helped to improve the sound quality & clarity.

Here's what I did (in Soundforge) to my songs:

1) Re-adjusted EQ level to boost mid-upper frequencies
2) Applied Sound Forge 'Smooth-Enchance Feature': +3 enhance setting
3) Normalized Volume level

Here are the Demo Songs I recorded on Tyros2 and have now tweaked with Sony Soundforge:

Come Running
Corcovado
Crazy Love
I Get Along Without You Very Well
Nine Million Bicycles In Beijing
This Could Be The Start Of Something Big
California Here I Come
You Don't Know Me

I invite you all to please have a listen to all my song demos (12) for the first time (or once again, if you've already heard them before) and tell me what you think of the relative sound quality. Keep in mind though that these are compressed (192 kbps) windows media (.wma) files.

I'm also interested in feedback on which song(s) are your favorites and least favorite(s).

On ANOTHER note: I've discovered that when my website's: SONG DEMOS page is displayed in Internet Explorer, that depending on which: View > Text Size (Largest, Larger, Medium, Smaller, Smallest) is selected , that it drastically affects the alignment of the text shown. On my PC, my website's: SONG DEMO page text alignment is optimized for MEDIUM size. Unfortunately when the text size view is switched to any of the other sizes (Largest, Larger, Smaller, Smallest), proper text alignment is lost, with Larger & Largest looking the worst. I maintain & edit my website using Microsoft Frontpage. Is there anything I can do to get the web page to look properly aligned regardless of which IE "text view size" selected?

Thanks in advance to all for your feedback & input on both my SONG DEMOS, as well as any advice you can give me on how to get my website SONG DEMO PAGE to look properlly aligned, irregardless of IE 'text display' size selected.

Ok, Click HERE to go to my website's: Song Demo page, and listen to my Demo Song collection (12 songs). Thanks. Scott

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http://scottyee.com

Hi Scott,

I am replying from my workplace so I am unable to listen to your recordings.

As for the text size not appearing correctly using 'large' or 'largest' fonts, you could use CSS (cascadind style sheets) to set the text size to a fixed value as I do on my personal website.

Please email me if you need assistance on how to do that.

Regards,
George

Hi Scott.
Having heard all of your songs again and discussing them with you on Skype (isn't Skype great ) you can hear a big difference from the previous versions.
The vocals are far more up front/clearer and you can also hear all of the cymbals and sounds used on the styles in the background far easier.
I know you've spent a considerable amount of time redoing these and it certainly shows.
Well done m8. Soundforge is a great piece of software.
Now stop doing up your old songs and give us a new one

[This message has been edited by Craig_UK (edited 09-12-2006).]

Hi Scott. Definate improvement - very crisp and clear. I wish I could produce recordings of this quality!
Favourites: Best First.

You Don't Know Me
I Get Along W/O You Very Well
This Could Be The Start Of Something Big
Corcavado
Crazy Love

Come Running
California Here I Come
Nine Million Bicycles In Beijing.

Song preference - not quality.

Was that "Ct Train Bt" style I heard on "Ring Of Fire" ?

Regards. Vic

Wow. Scott
what a difference a day makes (good title for a song! I'll think of a melody )
I have listened again to your Corcovado and found it superb (believe me I don't give praise lightly).
Another tip I have for others to listen to your songs now is to set the Windows Media Player Version 9 to an EQ setting of 'mid' on all settings. Look at the bottom of the page which shows the Player and when you bring up the EQ display, choose the bottom one of the selections and bring them all to zero.
I wonder, by the way how many of us forget about the individual settings we can make for ALL the music we hear using these EQ mods. I have been guilty myself in the past of judging songs as being too this or too that, without adjusting my own EQ' s on playback.
Incidentaly I also am lucky to have the SoundForge Audio Pro9 and use it myself now. I must get round to re-EQ'ing the songs already on my website )
Thanks for the link which was really worth the connection.
cheers
Eddie


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Eddie from Rotherham
Skype:eddiefromrotherham
www.yamahakeyboards.info

Scott,

My compliments on the super sound quality. Love the Coffe Song!

Scott:
Definate improvements. sounds are surperb. Sound Forge made a big difference.

All your songs sound great, personal preferences is listening to your faster renditions. I think you're more suited for the faster ones, Not saying anything wrong with the slower ballads, just you really shine on songs like the coffee song....pose

Did you listen to Corcovado?
You will find that slower songs sort out the REAL mastery of diction and attention to detail.
Scott has passed that test with flying colours.
cheers
Eddie



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Eddie from Rotherham
Skype:eddiefromrotherham
www.yamahakeyboards.info

Scott,

Superb sound quality, both voice and instruments. The T2 is a terrific sounding board, sounds like the real deal!

Also, love your site. The blue backdrop is pleasing and the layout is well thought out.

You're a master of your trade. Keep 'em coming

zuki

Scott, I have heard some of your demo's before. Obviously, impossible to compare what I hear now versus way back when... but... your demo's do seem to sound better. Vocals are exceptionally clear, which is a good thing. I noticed good definition in the Tyros sounds. Thumbs up from me.

As for your site, you used MS Frontpage? All bets are off. Sorry, can't help ya.

I assume you are aware that Frontpage gets a horrible bad rap among webmasters regarding how it monkeys around with the code. However... your site is very well done, indeed. Your site is better than most professionally designed sites.

How to fix your text problem, yeah, you could take control with CSS.

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

Eddie:
Yes matter of fact its on my play list on the PC and listen using it as background music when working
pose

Not too bad.

Seriously, the sound is terrific.
Your site is really good. However if it is giving you problems, the first thing would be to get away from Frontpage.
DonM

Scott: I would comment but you said "goodbye for now". Gee that as a very short self-imposed exile.

The demos sound much better as compared to before which were very well done from the performance perspective. With the work you did in Sound Forge the instrumentals are now much better matched with the vocals. Previously the instrumentals had this far- off-in-a-cave sound to them.

I was able to compare old to new because I happened to have the old version of your rendition of the Coffee Song on my hard drive (no, I am not the president of the Scott Yee fan club, just a member). I had it there because of a strange problem I have when I listen to songs from your site. When I click on a song, the media player comes up and reports I don't have the right CODEC to listen to the file. However, if I save the file to my hard drive and double-click on it the media player works fine. As I put these files in a temp dir the old and new were still there. FYI.

Scott, I also had an older copy of your Coffee song, so I was able to compare. The newer version has more punch, presence, and overall brightness. Sounds very good. What exactly did you do in Soundforge?

Glenn

I have just D/L the latest Windows media Player ver 10 ... I am playing Scott's songs through the Logitech Z-5500s ... I hear his vocal with a LOT of reverb ... anyone else getting this??? ...
Where is the EQ setting for the WMP?

thnx,
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 09-12-2006).]

Got a call from Scott ... reset some WMP settings ...
Recordings sound really good Scott ... nice job ...
t.

MANY Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to listen & re-evaluate my demo songs after having tweaked them in Sound Forge. It appears (from the responses so far) that there's no single favorite song even though "The Coffee Song" got mentioned most. In addition to favs, I also asking for a list of least favorites, but perhaps people here are too reticent to reveal that. The reason I asked is because I wondered if there's any general consensus about what song genre/style(s) best/not suited to my vocal & kb playing style.

Your positive comments (at least so far) about the sound improvement made, make me feel it's been worth the effort I've taken in attempting to learn how to use the many powerful features of Sound Forge. For any other people here interested in learning all about & how to best utilize the many features of Sound Forge, I own, and highly recommend purchasing the book:



Sound Forge 8 Power, the official Guide , by Scott R. Garrigus.


Scott

Ok Craig, though I realize it's going to be a tough act to follow after just hearing your latest beautiful tune: Saltwater, I promise to post another new song soon. - Scott

lmao Scott.
I can't sing for the life of me and wish I had your talent and some others on SZ vocal wise, I would pack up my daytime job immediately and turn pro instead of semi-pro.
I just have to let my fingers do the singing parts unfortunately

Hi Scott,
your songs sound no doubt MUCH better after the SoundForge treatment; speaking of favorites, you know that I am partial to latin music, so I would say The Coffee Song and Corcovado, of course.
Keep up the good work!

OK SCOTT....There has most defenetely been a
big difference in the songs through SoundForge.....They appear more crisp and clear.....My fav is as you know still 9 Million Bicycles in Beijing....my least fav although being good, was Calif. here I come.
Now show me or us how to use SoundForge.
TR