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American River Parkway

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Hi All:

This is just a single track recording, piano composition. I didn't do much in terms of EQ, relying primarily on the PIanoteq (VST instrument) choices.. Added a limiter in mastering part of workflow, but did not try to blast it, just shave off maybe 1 db just to raise the volume...stayed away from compression, because when I applied it, I didn't like what it did to the dynamics...changed the entire song, for me.

Welcome any suggestions! Thanks much!
Sincerely, t

phpBB [audio]
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by jpsbuk on Mon Mar 13, 2017 2:53 pm
I like this :)

I do have a couple of comments though (based purely on my listening 'experience'):

1. In places the piano sounds a little 'muddy' to me. I'm not sure if this is down to EQ or maybe the reverb 'saturating' a little on the low end. I'd like the higher notes to just sparkle a little more.

2. I lost interest a little around the 2.20 mark onwards and was thinking of skipping but then changed my mind at 3.18 with the variation that kicks in. Perhaps that section in the middle could be a little shorter? (Personally I'd chuck some nice swelling strings in at that 3.18 point too but that breaks the solo piano idea completely :) )

3. I don't know whether it's my connection atm or SoundCloud playing up but I got a lot of crackles and pops throughout the piece - probably just me though :(

Overall though, enjoyed the listen - thanks for sharing.
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by alexjason on Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:41 pm
Hi Tom,

Great piece! Sounds really good to me. Love the piano. Loved the transition part a little over half way (I can't see the SC timing data).

Really admire your consistent pattern in the left hand during the first part.

I'm also impressed with the Pianoteq. Which of the pianos did you use?

Great work.
-- Alex Jason
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by tomlevine on Tue Mar 14, 2017 6:06 pm
I really appreciate the constructive feedback. Thank you so much!

1: I remixed with proeq, and dynamic compression, added some binaural pan, to address the muddiness, add more of the high end sparkle, and also, listening through, seems to me the quiet parts were a bit too quiet, so maybe the compression helped this out a bit.

2: I struggled with deleting stuff past 2:20, but totally understand the feedback. So instead, as a compromise, I pulled out the intro, to tighten down the composition somewhat.

3: I may have uploaded the piece MP3 up to Soundcloud, which may have caused issues. I have re-uploaded as a wave file, and let Soundcloud do what it needs to do.

So, I re-uploaded the remix. hopefully it sounds better.
Thanks again!
Sincerely t

phpBB [audio]


jpsbuk wroteI like this :)

I do have a couple of comments though (based purely on my listening 'experience'):

1. In places the piano sounds a little 'muddy' to me. I'm not sure if this is down to EQ or maybe the reverb 'saturating' a little on the low end. I'd like the higher notes to just sparkle a little more.

2. I lost interest a little around the 2.20 mark onwards and was thinking of skipping but then changed my mind at 3.18 with the variation that kicks in. Perhaps that section in the middle could be a little shorter? (Personally I'd chuck some nice swelling strings in at that 3.18 point too but that breaks the solo piano idea completely :) )

3. I don't know whether it's my connection atm or SoundCloud playing up but I got a lot of crackles and pops throughout the piece - probably just me though :(

Overall though, enjoyed the listen - thanks for sharing.
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by tomlevine on Tue Mar 14, 2017 6:14 pm
Thanks man, I really appreciate it!!!!

With Pianoteq, this version I am using the D4 under the lid, but I think the last one, I used the K2 with 3 mics. I am really enjoying this VST a lot.



alexjason wroteHi Tom,

Great piece! Sounds really good to me. Love the piano. Loved the transition part a little over half way (I can't see the SC timing data).

Really admire your consistent pattern in the left hand during the first part.

I'm also impressed with the Pianoteq. Which of the pianos did you use?

Great work.
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by tomlevine on Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:10 pm
revised :)
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by oliver p. on Wed Mar 15, 2017 8:36 am
i like how you tinkling the ivories, the quieter passages in special - the second mix enhanced the tune comparing to the first.
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by jpsbuk on Wed Mar 15, 2017 11:03 am
For me the second version also sounds much better. Nice work :thumbup:

Incidentally, this time round I got the 'hairs at the back of the neck' effect at the transition at 3.18 - nice :)
Studio One 4.5.0 Professional
MacBook Pro (2018) 2.9GHz 7th Gen i7 Processor 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, Radeon Pro 560 4GB with Presonus Studio 24C
Mac 27" i5 with Presonus FireStudio Mobile
Akai LPK25, NI Komplete Kontrol S49 Mk2, Komplete 11, Nektar Impact GX49, NI Maschine Jam, NI Maschine Mikro, Faderport 1, Artiphon Instrument 1

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by davidlopez2 on Fri Mar 17, 2017 2:16 am
tomlevine wroteI really appreciate the constructive feedback. Thank you so much!

1: I remixed with proeq, and dynamic compression, added some binaural pan, to address the muddiness, add more of the high end sparkle, and also, listening through, seems to me the quiet parts were a bit too quiet, so maybe the compression helped this out a bit.

2: I struggled with deleting stuff past 2:20, but totally understand the feedback. So instead, as a compromise, I pulled out the intro, to tighten down the composition somewhat.

3: I may have uploaded the piece MP3 up to Soundcloud, which may have caused issues. I have re-uploaded as a wave file, and let Soundcloud do what it needs to do.

So, I re-uploaded the remix. hopefully it sounds better.
Thanks again!
Sincerely t

phpBB [audio]


jpsbuk wroteI like this :)

I do have a couple of comments though (based purely on my listening 'experience'):

1. In places the piano sounds a little 'muddy' to me. I'm not sure if this is down to EQ or maybe the reverb 'saturating' a little on the low end. I'd like the higher notes to just sparkle a little more.

2. I lost interest a little around the 2.20 mark onwards and was thinking of skipping but then changed my mind at 3.18 with the variation that kicks in. Perhaps that section in the middle could be a little shorter? (Personally I'd chuck some nice swelling strings in at that 3.18 point too but that breaks the solo piano idea completely :) )

3. I don't know whether it's my connection atm or SoundCloud playing up but I got a lot of crackles and pops throughout the piece - probably just me though :(

Overall though, enjoyed the listen - thanks for sharing.


I would suggest cutting some of the harshness out of the upper mids. There also seems to be a ringing going on around there with the swelling.

A good EQ technique: create a bell curve with a fairly thin Q, boost it about 3 to 6dB and sweep the frequencies until you find those obnoxious ones, then duck the frequency down until it starts sounding "erased" without destructing the tone of the instruments in a negative way

The compressor also might be a little too destructive on it. Perhaps lighten up on it a bit. Orchestral and piano solos don't need to be commercially loud. So at least for me, I prefer dynamics over loudness. Let some of those transients breathe a bit more! :thumbup:
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