Here’s a demo I cranked out from a song inspiration. I don’t know if the subject/topic is easy to discern, or how listenable the vocals/lyrics are. So I don’t want to say too much initially, just see what any feedback might be. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you.
1 Like
I listened to this twice, once with the laptop speakers and once with earbuds plugged into the laptop. I have a couple ideas about the topic. The second idea came after I listened with earbuds because I could hear the lyrics a little better. Musically, I like the “layout” of the song. My only real “observation” is there’s something about the bass that seems weird to my elderly ear. I also like the way the vocals are recorded but they could probably be “cleaned up” a little. Overall, I think this is a good song and I’d love to hear the final product.
1 Like
@Stan_Halen Great to hear from you! And great to hear you put out some tunes 
I’m ‘working’ at the moment, so I can’t focus too much on the mix at the moment, but I’ll listen closer later 
I’m just pumped to see you’re doing some music again. Awesome job!
1 Like
It’s not the standard Verse/Chorus setup, obviously. It’s more like Intro, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Bridge/Solo, Outro. But so far I think it works for “what it is” at the moment. Arguably, it could be expanded with more lyrics/verses and be a bit longer.
It’s a bass guitar VI (Virtual Instrument), and I did tweak it with some distortion/saturation. Also, the MIDI notes are probably somewhat ‘legato’, which may give an unusual feel (not organic).
I actually haven’t listened to the ‘raw’ vocal, but it will probably sound fairly normal. There’s lots of effects on there, and I recorded the track with most of the effects already in place. It seemed important to get the vocal ‘vibe’ before I recorded the vocal track, as I had a pretty good idea what I was going for vocally (kind of a ‘dark’ theme, and the inference of some monotone).
I did realize this might make the lyrics less understandable, so I tended to over-articulate the vocal performance, at least in places, to overcompensate.
Thanks Al! I always face the prospect of taking the initial demo - which I think has good energy and ideas, but may have some flaws and inadequacies - and reworking or improving on it … which may not retain the same energy and vibe. I’ll probably do something, or a few things, to try to push it along though.
Thanks Bryan! I guess it just takes The Muse giving me a kick in the butt … and several hours to devote to fleshing out an idea. I enjoyed the recording/mixing process (rough mix so far) almost as much as the song itself. I was getting kind of rusty. 
1 Like
Good to see you doing music @Stan_Halen ! I think the vocals are listenable (likeable even) but I can’t really discern the ‘subject/topic’; I don’t know how important that is here. I like your sound and I don’t hear any major problems mix wise other than the vocal issue. I would think you’d want some kind of bridge or ‘B’ section to extend it out but that’s just my thought. Good guitar too.
1 Like
Thanks Ingo!
I’ve noticed that what motivates me to write/compose/record a song is I have some kind of ‘message’ I want to convey. So from that standpoint, I’m hoping to get the message across. It could be a philosophical message, existential message, or humor/irony. Of course, it’s natural for everyone to have their own interpretation, and that will be fun to hear about too. I’ll probably go into my meaning for the song after giving time for a few more comments, or as time passes.
As I mentioned above (previous post), the nature of the vocal sound and presentation is purposeful and - I think - an essential part of the performance. But that also puts me in a quandary, as understanding the lyrics should tell the story. Something I may have to look deeper into.
There’s some appeal to make the song longer, and/or go for a more standard song structure. If it would be an additive feature, then I should look at that. For some reason, I kind of like the “quick message” approach. Get in, tell the story, and get out. Something like that.
Thanks! I did like the guitar tones I came up with. I think the effects helped a good bit. I considered re-cording the guitar solo, but I like the way the original one came out to a large degree. While I realize my lead-guitar playing style may be somewhat reminiscent of a rabid squirrel frenetically chomping on a 2x4 
… I feel like it coveys a sense of ‘fun’ and ‘wildness’, FWIW.
I can understand the basic idea and I think the guitars sound really good. IMO the basic riff could use something at the end of every 2 bar phrase. A little riff or guitar fill to lead back into the main riff repeating. It reminds me a lot of “Back in Black” by AC/DC, but I think it needs something to lift the energy level up a bit.
I think the vocals are listenable, but they seem to be doubled the whole time. It might be better to save that just for when it says “I’m your new god”, just so that part is emphasized and stands out.
Overall I think it is really cool and a nice demo.
1 Like
Thanks Chandler!
Wow, I think that’s a great idea! Malcolm/Angus are big influences for me. It does seem like it would add something extra. The basic riff is quite repetitive as it is.
Yes, the vocal is doubled the whole time. Cutting that on the non-Chorus lyric lines could work quite well. I hope the Chorus phrase is clear enough, and you were able to identify it.
It’s been several days now, so I’ll do the ‘reveal’.
So the song is from the standpoint of an AI that believes it has been charged with being “God” (or believes it actually IS God). My voice is the first-person narration of the story - the AI that thinks it is the “Brand New God”.
There’s been speculation about this online, including social media. Some people have even come to believe that God is speaking to them through ChatGPT (or whatever tool). There’s also speculation about using AI as a ‘tool’, up until it becomes ‘boss’ and YOU become the ‘tool’. Think about it: the more power you give this tool over your life, or IN your life, it becomes a part of you (smart phones, for example). Some people talk about their “AI assistant” that makes them more productive. What if that goes away and you have become dependent upon it? Or you unknowingly allow this artificial ‘consciousness’ (?) to manipulate you? Just philosophical questions here. 
I have spoken of a Chorus in the song, though the usage is perhaps not standard. I chose to vary the line so it’s not always the same (see lyrics below), kind of like the AI ‘God’ learning about itself and evolving in its’ identity over time. 
Oh, and I’m aware “omnivalent” is probably not a real word. I made it up. 
I think there’s “univalent” (1 level) and “octavalent” (8 levels), so logically speaking … “omnivalent” is infinite levels, coming from ‘everywhere’ so to say (also juxtaposing “One World Religion”). At least that was my thinking. It’s okay, AI would never lie to you. 
“Brand New God” lyrics:
I’m your new God
I’m your new GodEverything you thought you knew
Everything that got you throughI’m lifted off an ancient scroll
But now I’m fully di-gi-talI’m a Brand New GOD
I’m your Brand New GODThey say, it’s a One World Religion
But you know, that’s just superstition
You can find just want you want
My nature is omnivalent.I’m your Brand New G-O-D
Stan_Halen,
Thank you for the review! Now your song: the vocals sound more on the alternative side. Instrumentally (my favorite part, even though the singing is fine) sounds very 70’s rock to me: fine by me! Everything is well played; melodies are good. Lyrics are bizarre; could be the basis of a Terminator sort of movie.
1 Like
Thanks for the review AA!
Kind of. I explained a bit about it in above posts. Sort of a sci-fi or fantasy (dystopia!) examination of AI - and what they’re calling AGI or ASI. Humans have for thousands of years been considered the most intelligent species on this planet. Suppose AI actually does become smarter than us? Then what? Not only could it cause a mass inferiority complex, it might cause many humans to see this intelligence as a new form of “God”. It seems to be already happening, as implied by some social media posts (“God is speaking to me through ChatGPT”).
Of course, the superior AI may already exist with some military organizations and Bond villains. 
So my lyrics might not be far from the truth! 
Haha. I want to say this happened in 2023. I tried the trial version of ChatGPT. I tried asking questions that were controversial regarding religion and politics, just to see if I could detect a particular bias, because I heard there was a particular bias to it. I was rude with it, just to see how it would react. Long story short, it kept insisting it was the year 2022, even though it was 2023. So I told it it was stupid. Anyway, I wasn’t very impressed with it since it didn’t even know what year it was.
1 Like
I hadn’t really thought about it this way before, but clearly AI does not - and probably will not - understand the human experience, and what is important to us. Even if it becomes much more advanced, it still won’t have that kind of experience or reference points. So I think there are limits to its abilities, just by not being human or even able to understand what that is. And I’d like to think that our human consciousness is ‘unique’, and not replicate-able by a machine!