Tenaba - Siren [Solaria]

[Tenaba]

Finally completed a full song that isn't a piano-solo for the first time in a while. I'm glad to have guitars on a track once again too

I've posted the piano demo to this a while ago, called "Drawn to the Open Sea".

For the cover art, I've used Krita this time around. The non-destructive editing is new to me, and really is amazing. Saves some time, since I make a 1:1 aspect ratio cover and a 16:9 thumbnail for Youtube, which use mostly the same elements.

VSCO is awesome as well.

The lyrics are also in the Youtube video's description, or on Bandcamp.

Youtube Lyric Video: https://youtu.be/0EvJuvDP0u4
Bandcamp: https://tenaba.bandcamp.com/album/siren

Software:
Reaper
Synthesizer V
Guitarix
Pianoteq 6 Stage
Vitalium
Drumgizmo
x42 plugins
VSCO 2 CE by Versilian Studios
Krita
Kdenlive

[Impostor]

Wow, that went in a totally different direction from where I expected it to go! Well done! The strings, especially from 2:07 to 2:30 can use a bit more 'body' or 'presence' or low frequency content, if you know what I mean, especially in the instrumental, in my opinion.

[folderol]

Very impressive, and 'Solaria' is remarkably clear.

[Tenaba]

Wow, that went in a totally different direction from where I expected it to go! Well done! The strings, especially from 2:07 to 2:30 can use a bit more 'body' or 'presence' or low frequency content, if you know what I mean, especially in the instrumental, in my opinion.

Glad you liked it. This song was written "lyrics-first", so building the riff around the change in lyrical direction was a pretty fun exercise. VSCO also has double bass and cello, I could also try using those to add more low frequencies with strings.

Very impressive, and 'Solaria' is remarkably clear.

Thanks! SynthV's been improving quite a bit with the recent updates.

[Rainmak3r]

Cool song, and always nice to hear more from you besides your (excellent) piano progresses! I agree that strings could have a bit more substance, but that mostly falls down to orchestration I believe: I always score string parts as a full section (1st and 2nd violins, violas, cellos, basses) which does help make them more "full", especially when panned properly. Doubling parts at different octaves also helps. I think rhythm guitars are bit thin too: maybe it's the lack of reverb? (or if it's there, not "big" enough to make them feel whole with the rest of the istruments). But the song is nice, and the fake singer voice is always impressive to listen to.

[Impostor]

fake singer voice

Damn, I hadn't even noticed! Gonna listen again..
..
...
....
I still don't notice.

[oscillator]

Great song @Tenaba with really nice movement and chord progressions! Dramatic!

And impressive production!

[Tenaba]

Cool song, and always nice to hear more from you besides your (excellent) piano progresses! I agree that strings could have a bit more substance, but that mostly falls down to orchestration I believe: I always score string parts as a full section (1st and 2nd violins, violas, cellos, basses) which does help make them more "full", especially when panned properly. Doubling parts at different octaves also helps. I think rhythm guitars are bit thin too: maybe it's the lack of reverb? (or if it's there, not "big" enough to make them feel whole with the rest of the istruments). But the song is nice, and the fake singer voice is always impressive to listen to.

Good advice, I should consider using the lower register string instruments as well. I high-passed the guitars a bit more aggressively than I usually do, which is probably where the thinness comes from. Thanks for the suggestions!

fake singer voice

Damn, I hadn't even noticed! Gonna listen again..
..
...
....
I still don't notice.

That's a great kind of compliment

Great song @Tenaba with really nice movement and chord progressions! Dramatic!

And impressive production!

Thank you! I tried to implement a bit of mode mixture for the chord progressions. It's fun to experiment with, and I think it improves the song overall as well.

[jeanette_c]

Ah Tenaba productions is back! What a great song! I love the surprising turns, both harmonically and in the arrangement/energy.
That shift to the major key is something you really know how to spring on us. I like how you introdeuce it with the strings before the actual chord around 35 seconds, creating a moment of dissonant tension. Over all there are lovely progressions, nicely balanced between the familiar and the new.
The arrangement and production are both excellent. The piano sounds so natural and "acoustic" and still manages to hold its own against the guitars. There is one thing I would put my finger on. The hihats and rides (cymbals) in particular sound very isulated in the stereo panorama, which gives it an unnatural feel. Maybe that was your intention. If not, a bit more stereo reverb or any other technique to suggest placement in a stereo room. In real drum kits this would probably be the overhead mics. It only pokes out because your production is so crystal clear.
I like the kick and snare sound, very wholesome! This comes out especially well on your accents. Very preciise playing there. I like this unison accents.

[Tenaba]

Ah Tenaba productions is back! What a great song! I love the surprising turns, both harmonically and in the arrangement/energy.
That shift to the major key is something you really know how to spring on us. I like how you introdeuce it with the strings before the actual chord around 35 seconds, creating a moment of dissonant tension. Over all there are lovely progressions, nicely balanced between the familiar and the new.
The arrangement and production are both excellent. The piano sounds so natural and "acoustic" and still manages to hold its own against the guitars. There is one thing I would put my finger on. The hihats and rides (cymbals) in particular sound very isulated in the stereo panorama, which gives it an unnatural feel. Maybe that was your intention. If not, a bit more stereo reverb or any other technique to suggest placement in a stereo room. In real drum kits this would probably be the overhead mics. It only pokes out because your production is so crystal clear.
I like the kick and snare sound, very wholesome! This comes out especially well on your accents. Very preciise playing there. I like this unison accents.

Hi Jeanette, thanks for the excellent analysis.

Yes, I was excited to use the chord change on the root from minor to major as well. Since it creates a leading tone towards the G; either to G in the first chorus, or into the borrowed Eb during the solo. It's been fun studying this and trying to implement it myself