A Small Holiday.wav

Shirley Barr is a lovely singer, composer and songwriter that I have had the honor of collaborating with. She wrote a beautiful text and sang it to one of my songs. Here is the result. ;)

Big and warm thanks Shirley for a very nice work and for your positive and cheerful attitude and help to lift this little piece of music. ;)

Listen to more of her lovely music and lyrics here: https://soundcloud.com/shirley_barr

Free From The Old - Seagull & Shirley Barr

Give Love

(Free WAV Download available here under '••• More'; and eventually, as part of a future solo album)

Greetings all you fun and funky SC musicians. I don’t typically upload remastered versions of a song as a new track. I usually just replace the old with the new, and change the title to reflect the remaster. But this one is special, for a few reasons (and if you’re not much into personalized mixing details, you may want to skip this liner note).

First (and most importantly)… I thought I’d lost the ability to edit the original tracks for this song. The last time I opened it up in Logic (updating it for the 2018 album remaster), the siren voices were all messed up (automation in Alchemy can have odd results sometimes). I just assumed the original native file was broken forever, because I no longer had access to that version of Logic. I had to do the album remaster from my only existing mix… and it was definitely lacking.

4 years later, I’m so glad I took a chance on reopening the native file when I concluded this ‘Siren’ trilogy. All the sounds/automations were exactly as I had left them. Prior to this attempt, I just assumed the worst, and never tried again. Thankfully, I was wrong. :D

Second… the remaster turned out much better than I hoped; and the differences were so satisfying, I thought it might be fun to have both versions up (for a side by side comparison, for any interested musicians out there. Here's the older version: https://soundcloud.com/grevusanjl/siren-rising).

So why does this one sound so much better than the original version? (And please take all of this with a grain of salt. I’m no pro. But I have discovered what works for me.)

Honestly, a tremendous amount of credit goes to having a much better understanding of Compression. For many folks, Compression is almost a dirty word. Just the title of the plug-in alone confused me at first. Why would I possibly want to compress my sounds, when I liked them as is? 

But it turns out (for me at least) that the different Compression options really shine when chosen specifically, and used minimally. As an example (and I’m not sure if your DAW offers similar options, but), Studio VCA works brilliantly with strings, female vocals and many of my favorite synths. But Studio FET works great on drums. Etc. And while some might cringe at the idea, I absolutely love what Soft Distortion does to most tracks as well. Used in mild amounts, Soft Distortion adds a phenomenal amount of spacial quality to the sound. I don’t use this one all of the time, but I bet I use it at least 75% of the time now (and Compression in general on about 95% of the tracks).  So there you go… I’m definitely a big fan of Compression… when used responsibly. :)

In addition, I’ve also learned a lot about EQing since I first did this song in 2017; so much so, that I was actually baffled by some of my earlier choices. So a large amount of the repair/update time for the 2022 remaster was spent on getting the EQing for each track set up more effectively.

And finally, I had the opportunity to give the full mix a healthy rebuild. After 5 years, you’re undoubtedly going to have a very fresh perspective on a piece. And I realized a lot of the sounds simply weren’t in their optimal positions in the stereo field. I also reconsidered where sounds faded in and out, and how intensely they did so… and I updated all of that as well. 

And there you have it, the story/history behind one of my all time personal favorites. I’m so glad I had an opportunity to revisit this one (while leaving all the original instruments true to form), and I hope you enjoy all the latest sound enhancements as well. I’m excited to hear what you think of my ’Siren Rising (2022 Remaster)’. :D

WTF! The Musical

Siren Rising - 2022 REMASTER

do you know what you want?

the same time everyday at the end of school
I’ll meet you in the grove where your books are strewn
you read your lines out loud to me
portray your role so flawlessly
the dramaturgy shown is your gift for sure
I clap and you bow in your play couture
a curtain falls and ends the scene
I feel your body wilt

when you stand and you're still
and you hold it until
you can’t breath anymore
maybe open the door
there’s a stair you can climb
make one step at a time
till you know what you want 
till you know what you want 
if you’re sad and you cry
wipe the tear from your eye
you’ve got so many tones 
painted dark in your sky
but you hang onto me 
like a lock hold a key
do you know what you want?
do you know what you want?

dreams thrive and they crest while delusions wane
the dawning of tomorrow ends all yesterdays
a sleeve to warm a shoulder
when autumn winds get colder
I’ll keep you in my heart when you’re far away
in a distant city on a brilliant stage
the day you read your lines to me
and kissed my cheek for luck

when you sit in your seat 
and you can’t calm your feet
and the walls start to close
and your heart starts to beat
and you run down the hall
and the clocks starts to crawl
till you know what you want
till you know what you want
when you walk in the crowd
with your head in the cloud
and your trying to think 
but the hum is to loud
will you hang on to me 
like a lock hold a key
do you know what you want?
do you know what you want?

Do You Know What You Want?

Vocals, vocalise by Nadia Selvaggi
Instrumental by Anomon (Gary Courtland-Miles): https://soundcloud.com/gary-courtland-miles

Note from Anomon/Gary Courtland-Miles: 
"Recently I reached out to fellow SoundClouder and Vocalist Nadia Selvaggi, @nadiaselvaggi , wondering if she'd like to collaborate on one of my pieces. And Happily she said yes! 😊

After a few weeks of Listening, she zeroed in on my favorite Orchestral Fusion compositions, Cosmic Cycles*. And as I expected, her thoughtful, lyrical and powerful Vocalise certainly takes the piece to new Cosmic heights.

We're delighted to present it today. 😊

May you enJOY."

Composition © Gary Courtland-Miles 2022
Vocals ℗ Nadia Selvaggi 2022

© Gary Courtland-Miles & Nadia Selvaggi 2022

Photo : A Majestic Island Universe / NGC 1365
© NASA by The Hubble Space Telescope

Cosmic Cycles by Anomon & Nadia Selvaggi

dark matter

This is the first track from the new album 'Welcome To Dystopia Land' https://on.soundcloud.com/vX696 Please enjoy."

You Are The One

Delighted to present my latest collaboration with The Phaige, one half of Soundcloud stalwarts One and Other, alongside Jaime J Ross. This is a trippy, exotic backcloth with a cold North wind blowing through. 
Gary once again amazed with his creativity and his multi-layered production. He has such a keen ear for detail and brushstrokes to enhance and improve. What grabbed me from the outset was the slinky, fluid bass playing, but there are many levels across the frequencies to hook you in. Always a fun process to work with him.

All instruments , artwork and production: ThePhaige
Vocals and lyrics: Nick

Check out more sonic treasure and please also support the track if you like it, here:
https://soundcloud.com/one-other

Come with me with tales of magic, mountain spirits, hail and snow from your motherland.
Tell me secrets never told of winters bleak and hardship in the biting winter cold - aah

Take me to hidden places where food and love and family keep you warm
I’ll ride with you on Northern winds through deepest valleys and the blackest storms

I’ll sing with you while we are drunk with laughter in our eyes
I’ll listen to your strange new words of love from the North

Fly me faster through the stars to universes only we will ever know
Keep me close and make sweet memories for now and evermore

From North - The Phaige with Nicholas Ridiculous (lyrics in description)

Nine

his world just doesn't feel right anymore.
Sometimes, everything just becomes too much. So I keep locking myself away in thoughts of better times.

This is Volume 4 of a series of timeless Synth-Pop songs, meant to send you back to a time when everything felt so much better.

Immerse yourself in lush analog synths, atmospheric and melancholic synthesizer sounds, and retro drum machines that paint a bittersweet story of memory, longing, and the search for hope.

This music is your ticket to another time.
Perfect for late-night drives, creative moments, or simply letting go, drifting lost in thought.

If you liked it, dont forget to leave a like and follow my channel for more ❤️
You can also find Sentimental Panda on Youtube ❤️

Familiar Ghost

Songwriter based in Chicago, Illinois.  Contact via email simplecircuitsmusic@yahoo.com or PM.  Thanks for your kind feedback!


Do You Know What You Want?

Simple Circuits