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New Cover of LeAnn Rimes Hit

Polkasound

Polkasound

Active member
This has been a difficult year for me to work on music projects, but in December, a few positive changes allowed for me to fast-track the completion of a song that I will be releasing on an EP in the spring. The EP is going to be a collection of covers of popular ballads from the 1990s. This song, "How Do I Live" was written by Diane Warren and made popular by LeAnn Rimes in 1997.

Crushing the lead vocal on this song is none other than this forum's very own @Josie Day . Super job, Josie!!!

View attachment How Do I Live - Mix 02.mp3

Libraries used:

Analogue Drums: Buckshot Kit
Cinematic instruments: Cinematic Studio Strings
Garritan: World Instruments
IK Multimedia: MODO Bass 2
IK Multimedia: MODO Drum
IK Multimedia: Sampletank 4 (3)
Impact Soundworks: Shreddage 2
Indiginus: Renaxxance II
Native Instruments: Analog Dreams 2.0
Native Instruments: Hybrid Keys 2.0
Orange Tree Samples: Evolution Flatpick 6
Orange Tree Samples: Evolution Jazz Archtop
Orange Tree Samples: Evolution Rock Standard
SampleTekk: FM Electric Piano
ToonTrack: EZ Keys Studio Grand
U-he: Hive 2
Wavesfactory: Sharine
 
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Wonderful job, Tom and Josie!

I do want to thank you Tom, for introducing me to Josie, by bringing her to this forum. I was lucky enough to work with her on two songs this year. Folks, don't be satisfied with the results you can get out of Synth V. Josie will astound you with what she can do! And she's a wonderful person too.
 
Thanks Tiger! After finishing my '80s music EP a couple years ago, the question lingering in my mind was when do I get to hire Josie again? When I started an EP of '90s ballads and knew I'd need a singer who could power through a ballad like LeAnn Rimes and hit all the high notes, it was a no-brainer.

It's hard to estimate how many vocalists I've hired/recorded over the years, but I know it's somewhere between 100 and 200, and that number will continue to grow despite AI technology having gotten really good at mimicking vocals now. Just listen to the emotion Josie puts into the song and all the nuances of her voice. Her vocal cords are an instrument designed by God, and her talent and style have been curated through years of training and experience.

This is also the first song that I've produced to completion outside of my recording studio. In 2020 during COVID, I built a DAW at home so that I could start productions there before taking them over to my studio to finish, mix, and master. I recently gutted my studio and moved essential gear (acoustic panels, monitors, mics, preamps, outboard processors, etc.) to my home. Mixing at home feels strange, but with a little help from room correction software and using my trusty, familiar monitors, I think I'll get used to it pretty quickly.
 
Wow, this sounds great! I shouldn't be surprised, of course, but you've really mastered the "make samples sound real" process, because I would have totally believed this was a real band ... and a really good band at that. (Love the drum fills, by the way. I suspect we're a bit alike, where drum fills is one of the most fun parts of doing this.)

Kudos to @Josie Day, too. Really great singing.
 
Mike Greene said:
Wow, this sounds great! I shouldn't be surprised, of course, but you've really mastered the "make samples sound real" process, because I would have totally believed this was a real band ... and a really good band at that. (Love the drum fills, by the way. I suspect we're a bit alike, where drum fills is one of the most fun parts of doing this.)

Kudos to @Josie Day, too. Really great singing.
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Thank you!
 
Mike Greene said:
Wow, this sounds great! I shouldn't be surprised, of course, but you've really mastered the "make samples sound real" process, because I would have totally believed this was a real band ... and a really good band at that. (Love the drum fills, by the way. I suspect we're a bit alike, where drum fills is one of the most fun parts of doing this.)
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Thank you! I can't take credit for the drum fills or anything else creative because I simply re-created what I heard on the original recording. I can only take credit for technically knowing how to use libraries to get the job done.

In the case of the drums, it comes from being a drummer. When I listen to the drums in a song like this, I can picture myself behind the drum set and literally playing it, and that's where note velocities and timing become critical elements in how the drums tracks turn out.

It's tempting to want to control the volumes of virtual drums by hitting harder and softer, but that's not the right way to do it. You still have to play virtual drums like a drummer, which means playing the full range of dynamics as required by the song, from barely-audible ghost notes to power flams. You then control the volume in the mix using the fader and running the audio through compressors no differently than if you were recording real drums.

And drummers naturally fluctuate tempo, especially going into and coming out of fills. Sometimes all it takes is a simple, slight rush of a downbeat to make a fill feel right.

And of course, one must remember a drummer only has two hands. So for example, when the tom fill starts, the hi-hat riding must stop.

Mike Greene said:
Kudos to @Josie Day, too. Really great singing.
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I agree! I can't say enough about her talent and work ethic. She's one of those vocalists you never take out of your Rolodex.
 
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