We were talking about producers on @ColdRoomStudio 's thread. So I think I understand what you mean when you say that, but maybe you could explain further? Shouldn’t a producer try and realize feaker’s vision, not his own?
Hi Danny good to see your face appear. Looks like you work out. I do, but not in a gym. ha ha
I listened to the comments here. Some liked the intro, some did not. Hearing voices in the wind is not a normal topic. I messed with the song so much in the last week, there isn’t anything left of it. I threw the intro, the swell guitar in the bridge also. I came up with a chorus that is not good. It’s funny because I thought of the song this morning and wondered why I just didn’t leave it alone. To me song writing and hiring a call girl are very similar in that you do it to please yourself. Have no idea where that came from.
I would love to have you take one of my songs and mess with it Not especially this one because I only gave it a C+. I don’t know what I am doing and that is a plus. I started a song this morning about Betty Crocker putting hemp into her mix. Pretty funny stuff. Will I post it…nope:)
We should do a challenge collab. Somethin like Genre Rock Topic Discontent
Ok, I got to talk to a friend. Sad times. Take care and thanks
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@ingolee Not always. It depends on the song as well as the brainstorm of the producer. Look at guys like Desmond Child, Beau Hill, or Mutt Lange. There are times when they take what the artist has done to a new level. Sometimes they even write and add to the song.
You start with getting the best out of the artist as well as what they have presented to you. You usually have your ducks in a row by listening to the pre-production before you even start recording. As you listen and gather ideas, you know what you’re going to try and how you are going to approach it.
From there you convey your ideas to the artist and get their take and sometimes you record it to further paint the idea picture. Sometimes they love it, sometimes they don’t, other times you both collaborate on the idea and magic can happen.
The only way I can truly explain it is to share something with you. Where is the producer thread you guys are talking in? I don’t want to clog up Paul’s thread with what I want to share.
Clog away
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Paul, thanks for the clearance. I’d feel disrespectful to post here when it’s all about your song. But the producer thing ingolee mentioned is really a great topic too. As long as you don’t mind. Thanks.
Haha yeah I do lots of light weight and high rep work outs as well as martial arts. I feel pretty great for an old guy. Still got all my teefers and hair! 
I don’t know for how much longer, but I just thank God each day.
OK, will come back and post an example of what I’m talking about a little later on the producer thing. I’d rather post the songs here instead of dropbox links.
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Actually it wasn’t a producer thread, it was @ColdRoomStudio latest BTR song and producers were just mentioned in passing so I’m not sure he would want to branch off there so I guess if @feaker doesn’t mind here is probably a better place, none of these are my thread to offer 
I think this would be a great topic for a standalone thread, just to get more eyeballs on it… Not that everyone doesn’t flock to Paul’s tunes, because they do! 
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@feaker thank you for allowing me to post here and talk within your song thread. You’re a star!
@ColdRoomStudio That cracked me up! Haha thank you kind sir!
@ingolee OK, here’s an idea of what I’m talking about. Unfortunately (fortunately if you’re me lol) Wednesday is date night for my fiance and I and she talked me out of going back to work. Lol! Ah the power of a wonderful woman.
Anyway, the reason I mention that, I only have one example which is in drop box. I have others but they are on the studio computer.
OK, so a client sends me this song of he and his son singing and playing and asks my opinion of it.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/81tmj4imfxsi5xt/So%20Long%20Philip.mp3?dl=0
He tells me he’s not married to it and it really didn’t come out the way he had hoped. Now, it doesn’t matter which version you enjoy better. The idea is to realize the producer take on this whilst presenting the client with a totally different approach. I had to take the chance because I really believed in my vision for this song.
I instantly heard something very different than what he gave me. I recorded a draft of it to see if it would be something he would be interested in. He totally loved it to the point where he asked me to just go full out and record it and perform all the instruments. So I did and this is how it turned out.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0dfbonwcxbplkwn/So%20Long_Danny_Master_16_44.mp3?dl=0
Of course each version has its own pros and cons. However, I sincerely believe what I did to the song improved it ten fold as far as pop goes…which is what he was going for.
Now, what would have made this cooler would have been to see how he and his son would have sounded on this version of it. Neither are really singers and do music together for the love and togetherness it brings them. But I still would have loved to have heard them do the version I came up with instead of me.
The issue with something like this is, I as the producer have to keep the style in mind that is given to me. I just happened to have heard this rock ballad type thing and figured I’d throw it at him. If he would have hated it, I had 3 more ideas to present to him.
So in this particular situation, whether or not you listen to the producer depends on style and performance ability. I don’t know if they could have performed it like I did as my style is very different. But keep in mind, my draft of this was super simplistic and was at a point where I believe they could have done something along the lines of what I did.
That said, I really believe I turned a fair song into a really good song. Was I wrong in presenting them with something so different? Probably, but I heard so much potential I just had to pitch it. The end result THIS time is also a song I’ve been given permission to perform and use for myself if I ever wanted to. This is a bit light considering what I play and write these days, but I’d have no problems playing this song live if people liked it. I never really let anyone hear it. So, I’m sort of vulnerable putting this out here.
Anyway, I hope this explains things a little better even though I’m a bit off the mark from what the client did originally. I have a better example of something on the studio computer, but at least this gives you an idea of what can be done.
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Links were not working in above post. I fixed them.
Thank you @Danny_Danzi for sharing this with us. It is certainly a tribute to your skills and talent what you’ve done here, your version is radio ready whereas the original most likely wouldn’t get far in that direction. And if the client is happy that’s the bottom line certainly.
As you say it would be interesting to work with the original because it is charming in its own style. The most obvious problem to my ear is the drum machiney rhythm track which is easily fixed. But you offered the client choices which is important.
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I totally dig this Paul. You are like a writing and recording machine.
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feaker,
Thank you for the reviews! Now your song: just be glad you were not living in Fiji recently. A friend of mine (since I was around 4 years old) moved to Fiji about a year ago. A month or two ago, he was hit with a hurricane/cyclone that had 140 mph winds, yet he did not have significant damage. He considered it a miracle. Which brings me to the topic of interesting spiritual/religious experiences. I’ve had a number of them in the last 32 years, but I won’t get into that here. You can send me a private message if you want to explore that topic. Since none of us lives forever in this “mortal sphere”, maybe your experience was not just a product of your imagination. Your song does start out in somewhat of a bizarre fashion (fine by me), and then settles into something more conventional for an acoustic guitar song (also fine by me). I think your vocal delivery is appropriate and quite good regarding the lyrical topic. I like the wind sound effects. Audio quality is very good. Nice guitar playing. Nice song, I like it! 
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Hey feaker,
I really loved the vocal sound. I’d love to know what your processing was there. This isn’t weird at all. This is cool. A couple of times where the guitars slip out of synch but it’s not an issue with the feel you have going.
My only real criticism was that I felt the vocals and “song start” kinda burst on over the top of the intro. It didn’t slide into the song as I expected it would. That said, that is not an issue either and I really liked this track! Nicely done.
Hi aaron Just a quick story. When I was a freshman in college 1966, I never missed a class and had good grades. One morning I got up and was very troubled, but did not know why. I skipped my morning class and was pacing back in forth in my room when my brother walked in the room saying my dad died last night. (47) Something very strange happened and I think of it often. Dropped out for a year. Thanks for the review.
Hi Daniel I really didn’t do any vox processing. Once in a while I will use a studio one analog delay called sweet the vocal. haha Not even sure what it does, but when isolated it sound like a touch of reverb.
I hear you on that into and yes that transition is not smooth. Gives me something to play around with. Thanks much for taking the time
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feaker,
Thank you for sharing your story. I’ve heard stories similar to that in that past, from other people. I think it is no coincidence. I also have had prophetic dreams that come true, and I have an interest in near-death experiences (I have not had one of those, but know several people that have).
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Just read your story, I have heard of similar stories. I think science today is close to reaching an explanation for such things. They may not be as baffling as we may think afterall. We were just talkin at work about the possibility of using quantum antennas to analyse dreams and possibly the phenomena of death. Not in terms of conquering it, but in terms of analysing the nano EM waves transmitted by the brain during such events. The possibility of genetically related people to be able to communicate with each other over long distances using body’s natural quantum entanglement phenomena. It maybe the explanation we have long sought. We are not quite there yet… but there is a ray of hope! With that said, I hope to not derail this thread but the sheer coincidence of reading your story and its timing was staggering.
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Oh wow. I would love to be a fly on the wall when you and your colleagues start riffing on telepathy, teleportation and parallel universes. Not that I’d understand any of it… 
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