Not much new besides work...work...and more work!

Wow, I can't believe music has been moved to the back-ground of my life for so long already. In fact, I just had a chat with talent and it seems people might assume, from the previous post that I've moved to AI vocals now...oh my word...And I've just been reminded that my style of operating is not working for everyone, so I'll have to work on that.

Well, when I could I've been busy on a few things here and there in the studio to blow of some steam: some cinematic ideas with the Cello being a feature and one or two unpublished tracks. But it's been tough with my job really taking over my life, or so it feels. But alas, it is definitely not AI keeping me busy :)

Here is one of such sample tracks (the quick & dirty bass timing sucks): No Way Out

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A dance with AI

 

Over the last few months I've been struggling to pull through studio productions and get commitment. Since the studio is only part time, just like singing is for most of the artists too, it is prune to disruption. Before you know it, a project has been derailed.

I've been very busy at work for the last year, and it is absolute priority - after all it is ultimately making this part of my life possible. And with the rest of life happening, it is difficult getting to this passionate part of me. There are days when the systems in the control room becomes just an after thought in my mind. The guitars and saxes in the recording room collects a very fine layer of dust, and makes me pause for a while when I need to switch on the ceiling spots to fetch an item I needed for some task, irrelevant to music.

So, I've been looking for alternatives to prevent the pain of this regular disappointment, and have been for a while now, following the progress of AI vocals. In fact, it's nothing new to me as you'll see I've done some work already, using Emvoice One (and I won a reward). I don't really consider Emvoice exactly as AI, though.

In the last few months when I could find some time, I've been messing with Kits AI, and let me tell you I've been blown away! There are quite a few options of some pretty good voices, and you can even ad your own character to it. I'm still thinking of committing with subscribing to one of their packages to test out the extra options, but at this point I feel it reliefs me from some of the challenges I've experienced in the last few months.

AI will never replace the warm blooded experience of working with a real artist, a human with real feelings, which is what I really want and enjoy. But at this point AI might bridge that gap for me. It's far from everything, but it helps.

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Drum roll please...Sophie Littlewood!

 

[EDIT: This production has been cancelled as there has been a long period of inactivity.]

At Sonic Dreamer Studio, we’ve been lucky once again and stumbled upon a gem. Sophie Littlewood: A name that’s like a cosmic collision of talent and vibes.

Her voice? Well, imagine honey and stardust conspiring to create something otherworldly.

Sophie, our unseen muse, slays the game even through our voice chats. It’s like she’s got a secret pact with the universe - delivering vocals that hit like meteor showers. And guess what? The crowd? They’re vibing hard, go check it out on the web. We’ve been jamming with Sophie for months now in between a packed schedule, and it’s pure magic.

Buckle up, world; Sophie’s about to launch us into orbit. 🚀🎤🌟

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Kuu Sound...in production again

Quite a while ago, Kuu Sound agreed to work on another production with Sonic Dreamer Studio. Her voice is a rare gem that sparkles with originality and charm, and we couldn’t resist inviting her to collaborate with us once more. 

We are crafting a song that blends her soothing melodies with deep emotions. You see, when she sings, she becomes the center of the universe, and everyone else is drawn to her magnetic presence. Her sound is effortless and mesmerizing, leaving listeners spellbound.

Kuu Sound is ready to deliver another stunning performance that will take your breath away. But while you wait, check out her channel here: Kuu Sound

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Completed production for Transition

Hello World. I wanted to put you on a short musical journey that will touch your soul and inspire your imagination. So I created this ambient, classic piece of music that features an emotional cello and gentle airy female vocals that creates a soothing atmosphere. The album art, created by SvdMGraphics, depicts a female walking across a hill into the sunset, symbolizing the beauty and hope of change.

Software is impressive, but it has it's limitations. It actually took me a few of months to fine-tune the performances and getting the mix just right, so that no emotion gets lost. And oh - don't try to figure out the lyrics, it's all about feeling.

I would love to hear how you experienced it.

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Completed production for Jacqueline Tolken

  

It's been some time, but we finally managed to complete the track for Song For You, The name is "Waste Another Tear" and is loaded with the character and charisma of these two very busy sisters. Written by Adéle Tolken, and performed Jacqueline Tolken. They're something different, for sure and it was a pleasure and blessing to work with them. Together they are one solid team. Here is the sample of their magic touch: 

By the way, take a look at this clip of a few years back, on The Voice South Africa (season 2), where Jacqueline left the judges speechless: 

@bytwigstudio

@wordsby.adele

@jacquelinetolken_music

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In production with Jacqueline Tolken

 

Late in 2022 I was contacted by Song For You, and ended up working on a track written by the owner: Adéle Tolken. You can see detail of that post here and here. In that post, I mentioned that Adéle said she is also working with her sister, Jacqueline Tolken to perform vocals for Song For You. I remember when Adéle spoke to me initially and talked about Jacqueline, that coincidently a few weeks before, I've discovered Jacqueline on Sound Cloud. After listening to some of her performances there, I actually messaged her at the time and shared how I loved the soul in her voice. And here we are now from an unrelated event, working together! Maybe it's more than coincidence that we are all connected now, the music universe seems mysterious sometimes.

So, the track that I worked on for Adéle, recently had the vocals performed by Jacqueline for Song For You, and it is filled with that blues vibe I found on her Sound Cloud profile.

Jacqueline is a seasoned artists with lots of experience and skill, and her vocal performance becomes one with the music. This is the kind of person that really makes producing for me worth while. I can't wait to get going again on this production.

But don't listen to me getting all hyped up, go check her out for yourself: Jacqueline Tolken

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Production in progress for Sammy Scott

[EDIT 5 March 2023: This project has been cancelled. Sadly, I realized I'm not the Producer that Sammy needs and if we continue, I might just frustrate her. In order to fly, a bird needs to be free. Best of luck Sammy, with such a talent I know you will make a difference in this world.]

I've "digitally" met Sammy at the end off 2022 and after our first Zoom meeting, we both felt that we should put our heads together and collaborate on a single for her.

Sammy has good singing skills, and while she is open minded, she knows what she wants. We've been busy working towards that goal in the last few months, and making progress.

I believe the determination will pay off in the end, so make sure to keep an eye out for this this vocalist.

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Completed production of Valor

It is probably just my age, but in the last few years I've started getting into short cinematic orchestral pieces, and have been enjoying it ever since. Even though I really know jack-shit of classical music, and probably all the time break all the rules, I'm not letting that stop me and ended up creating "Valor".

The piano part formed the foundation, and was actually a project where I experimented with my piano chords, that I've abandoned about 2 years ago. I discovered it recently again in my lost and found section on my digital audio workstation. After listening to it, I decided to resurrect it and pushed through to finish the music.

There are only string instruments in this piece: piano, violas, contra bass and of course - my favorite, a solo cello. I played the (fake) cello using Friktion, made by Reason Studios. Such an amazing piece of software. The cello ended up becoming the focus of the song, as it contains something humanlike. I don't understand it, but I just love it! It took a lot of work to express the feeling on the cello, but I think it came out alright.

There is no percussion, so some dramatic stabs strings had to help with a simple rhythm on most part of the track.

In the last section, I've used the "Lucy" computer voice from Emvoice to perform soft melodic "oohs", to add more emotion.

But, the original and truly remarkable artwork was yet another pencil sketch made by my brother, more than 2 decades ago. It is part of a few of his drawing that I have "acquired" since that time (and he probably forgot all about them). The saying is "a picture paints a thousand words", so there you go. And you thought this instrumental had none? How this guy never got his art works to be displayed in an art gallery, is just beyond me. This drawing came in handy to set the scene for this track - in fact, it might just get more attention than the music!

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Starting production for Attentive Hearts [Cancelled]

 

[EDIT JAN 15 2023: After multiple recordings and mixing sessions, this project was cancelled just after the 6th edition of the music, with more than 60 work hours down the drain. The employer had multiple parties involved that could not agree between themselves, which left me in the line of fire. Clearly "unlimited revisions" as a requirement was a bad sign, and a first for me. The music and lyrics belong to this studio, and will be repurposed for a new artist who knows what they want]

I've been listing my production services commercially on Airgigs recently, and got chosen to start working on the first song for an album of 10 tracks, for The Attentive Hearts Project (https://www.attentivehearts.org/). I'm humbled to have found that they were quite impressed with what I do, the way I do it and of course the end result.

Basically, Attentive Hearts is a non profit charity that trains and coordinate volunteers as emotional support givers, to the weakest members of the community. They also are in dire need of financial support, and you can donate here: https://www.jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/3202#donation-modal

I am so excited to add value to what they do, using music as a medium! Please go and check out their web site and see for yourself the wonderful work they do.

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Completed production of Shadow In The Mirror for Walking With Angels

Earlier in 2022 I discovered Doug Seeley (Walking with Angels) on SoundCloud, and his vocal style just captured my attention. I really enjoyed how he managed to come across just so raw and directly, reaching deep from within himself then hitting a spot deep inside the listener too - right on target! And it sounds like this guy does it effortlessly.

For me music is all about emotion, since that is what it really is. Not everyone that sings can get that right, but a few do without even trying. Thing is, he doesn't care to sound like anyone else. I just had to work with Doug.

I wanted to create a retro style pop song that would capture Doug's magic. Well OK, all I really ever do is retro pop, rock, or blues. What can I say, it's part of my DNA. Anyway, we created Shadow In The Mirror, and the song has many of the late 80s characteristics - at least my interpretation of it.

Doug had to face some challenges and it was not easy for us to finally get to finishing the track, but alas we've managed. Doug wrote the lyrics and melody, and of course he sang it too while I performed the music & mixing. I had to be quite creative with certain things in this song because of some limitations we were subjected to, but in the end I just loved how it came out.

It's clear that Shadow In The Mirror comes from really deep within this man's heart. Doug, we hear you loud and clear!

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Started production with Aurora Adams

 

I found Aurora in a music group on Facebook. Her profile says "Aurora is a friendly, tea drinking, actor/puppeteer, voice artist and writer from London." And from what I've seen so far it is a very fitting description for this multi talented lady.

We are collaborating in a production for a rock blues ballad, something similar to Black Velvet. She is testing out her talents of writing and singing, while I am busy with the music. So far it's been pretty impressive with what Aurora has came up with.

Go check out her profile and what creativity she is up to again.

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Onboarding Kaby Burton [Cancelled]

  [EDIT Jan 10 2022: After months no progress has been made, as Kaby keeps on responding that she is too busy. Sadly, I had to move on]
I discovered Kaby on Vocalizr and absolutely fell in love with her vocals when I listened to a demo. It contained something that I felt was different than many other vocalists, and I decided that I would love to create a production for her. So I made contact on Vocalizr to hire her, and almost when I gave up she responded later to my Facebook chat. She is into cinematic rock, a rare find for sure.
We decided that we will give it a go, although she could not commit right away since she has quite a busy schedule. I'm full of hope to start working with her soon, and I'm am really looking forward to this one. I'm ready to do my best!

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Completed production of "She" for Demian

 

"She" was quite an interesting song. Demian is into funk-blues stuff which leans somewhat towards a jazzy feel. He supplied the recordings for the vocals and acoustic guitar accompaniment.

Initially I attempted to replace the guitar with an electric guitar, and added a few other supporting instruments, but soon found that the original guitar contained such a rich rhythm, that I just had to keep it. And Demian does not like click tracks, and I agree that in this case the human feel is what made it work. It complicated things a bit in some sections in the arrangement though, as there was a little (and expected) drift in the timing.

I then again tried and added a few other instruments, more in the background this time to support the guitar, including a brush drum set, double bass, jazz organ and of course my tenor sax.

I played the sax using a very breathy style, to keep things mellow, since the vocals and guitar was what was important here and needed to stay in focus.

I think the track came out nice, Demian's guitar work made it sound impressive. A lot is going on with that actually, as it was originally done in mind to represent a full rhythm section live, only acoustic guitar and vocals.

Since the song is not been shared yet, I need permission from Demian - but perhaps I can share a snippet here soon. Go check out what he is up to at demian.band

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Completed production for Lovefire for Alexandra

 

Quite a while ago, after successfully completing Worry Not with Alexandra, we decided to work together once more on the next track for her. I really loved her vocals and I believe she is such an underrated artist. Even her accent gives the music a distinct character.

So we started work on LoveFire, a deep slow and soulful ballad. I created the music, lyrics and melody and a while later shared it with Alexandra. And right away she started working hard on the vocals and delivered it right on time, her commitment has always been on par.

But then at some point - with world events out of our control, we started having trouble to communicate and finish the production in full. We actually only had a few administration tasks left while we struggled on since April 2021, when the song was already completed 99%.

However, over time we continued to try to get in touch and managed to make some, albeit little contact. I got the kind blessings of Alexandra to host the song on my profile until she is able to continue with a normal life again. I pray for that day to be soon.

Here it is, waiting for you to hear it since April 2021 - the one and only Alexandra performing her song for you to enjoy, at her very best: Lovefire

• Performance: Alexandra Esakova
• Music, lyrics and melody: Sonic Dreamer Studio
• Artwork: Shanx

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Completed production for Adéle from Songforyou.co.za

 

This was a relatively short production, as the lyrics, melody and chords were already created and set in place by Adéle from Song For You. The studio accordingly created the music, including recording some live guitar, bass and sax. Adéle opted to perform and record her vocals as a placeholder, since the song in it's current state will be used as a demo for other artists to use in future, whom Adéle is involved with.

If it wasn't for a few technical challenges, including frequent power blackouts (called Load Shedding here in South Africa), the project would have been quick and easy. However it was still a lot of fun and I hope for it to move to the next level at some point.

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Completed Production of Pistis

I thought it was time to create something cinematic, and one of the most effective ways to convey that raw emotion is through a big symphony orchestra. I'm not really too fond of classical music and the little I know breaks all the rules. But it can be something powerful and can provoke our emotions. So, I attempted this for myself in studio with the limited tools I have and created Pistis (faith). It starts out calm and soft and ultimately rages into a climax, and includes strings, brass, a choir, percussion and of course some other contrasting elements like the synth at the start. A cello helps to create the feeling of movement. The piece was done in Reason Studios, although after a few years I'm busy transitioning back to Pro Tools for future work.

The artwork was done by my oldest brother many years ago, and I'm sure he forgot all about the unfinished A4 size pencil sketch. I thought for it to be a good fit.

I also made a quick video to help somewhat with visualizing the power of sound for this piece. Spoiler alert: included are some clips of me busy working on the project in studio:

And here is the audio track, I would love to to hear what you think:

https://soundcloud.com/sonic-dreamer/pistis

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Starting production for Adéle from Songforyou.co.za

Adéle stumbled upon me on the internet and shared some details about what they are exactly doing at Song For You, where she is the founder. I think their website says it all: YOUR PERSONAL STORIES, LYRICS OR POEMS INTO A SONG & PRE-PRODUCTION SERVICES. How cool is that!  Besides serious song writing (including melody and chords), she also mentioned some great talent she is working with (including Lize Mynhardt https://www.lizemynhardt.com and Jacqueline Tolken https://jtolken.wixsite.com/jacquelinetolken). She shared some details of what they've achieved, and it's clear that she's done this for a while. Needless to say we've decided to collaborate on a song (written by her), and I can't wait to get going with working together with her and the team. Go check out what https://songforyou.co.za/ is all about, they might have something tailored just for you. And oh, tell them I've sent you ;)

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Starting Production for Dimitri

 Dimitri has written many blues funk songs, with the acoustic guitar capturing the genre quite well. We've decided to work together on "She", and while we're busy finishing it you can find the original version on his profile here: https://demian.band/

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Heavy from Kuu Sound has been released!

It has been great working with Kai from Kuu Sound and I really think she has something different to offer when it comes to music. She has a great future ahead for sure, and it is wonderful to have played a tiny part in it. Here is a link to the preview on Sound Cloud on my profile:

Heavy - Kuu Sound (preview)

Do I want more of this amazing artist? Oh yes!
To support Kuu Sound to make more fantastic music, get it here on Google Play Music, or of course any of the other online platforms:

Heavy - (album Ashes) Kuu Sound

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