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Everything
Date: January 2024
Style: Soul / Pop
Label: Skippy Music
ISRC: NL7PC2200005
Producer: Antoine van Kampen (AvK)
Lyrics, Composition and Arrangement
Composition and arrangement: Antoine van Kampen (AvK)
Lyrics: ChatGPT (AvK)
Performance
Lead & Backing vocals: Volodymyr Chyzhovych (Ukraine)
Backing vocals: Songbook (UK).
FM Piano and acoustic guitar solos (played on the Komplete Kontrol S88): Antoine van Kampen
All other instruments: Virtual Instruments (VSTi)
Image: two great vocalists: Volodymyr Chyzhovych and Songbook
Summary of the production
This was my first production in the new version of Cubase (Cubase 13). It was also my first production with the update to Halion 7 (see also [here]) from Steinberg. Halion is a sampling and synthesis software platform that now includes ‘FM Lab‘ and ‘Tales‘. I wanted to compose a song that contained both of these virtual instruments (VSTi). This resulted in ‘Everything’.
FM Lab is developed in co-operation with Yamaha, the company which created some of the most iconic FM synthesizers in history, including the DX7. The Tales virtual instrument is an open-tuned guitar that can can be layered with additional acoustic and synthesized textures. The guitar strings were individually sampled as open notes and then tuned to a different pitch, giving each one a very pure and intimate sound. In addition to the open strings, they recorded articulations like muted notes and harmonics.
The drum and bas guitar tracks were composed and arranged with help of Superior Drummer 3 and EZbass from ToonTrack. Several other instruments were added: synthesizer, acoustic and electric guitars, (solo) violin, and cello using other virtual instruments.
The most challenging part turned out to be the vocals. Initially, Songbook did the lead vocals and part of the background vocals, while Volodymyr Chyzhovych did only background vocals. However, we didn’t get the final choruses as I wanted and, therefore, I asked Volodymyr to redo the lead vocals. Most of the lead vocals of Songbook I now use as backing vocals.
The composition also contains a ‘strange’ transposition (see chord progression below). The song is in the key of D major but is transposed to the key of F major for the acoustic guitar solo. The transposition towards to solo works out fine. However, going back to the key of E for the succeeding Verse 3 sounded very very strange. To make this transition sound natural, at least to my ears, I added an 1-beat silence between the solo and verse. A nice psychoacoustic effect. You can hear this at 2m5s in the song.
Image: A selection of five virtual instruments that I used in Everything: FM Lab, Tales, and SkyLab (these instruments are hosted in Halion 7). For the rhythm section, I used Superior Drummer 3 and EZbass from ToonTrack.
Image: Cubase 13 Project. Left: Vocals tracks and the LA2A compressor. Middle: more vocal tracks. Right: Piano tracks (blue; FM Lab tines electric piano) and strings (pink) from BBCSO.
Mixing and Mastering
Mixing was done in Cubase Pro 13. A pre-master was done using WaveLab Pro 11.1 by Antoine van Kampen. The final master was produced by Jeffrey de Gans of Da Goose Mastering.
According to Jeffrey de Gans: The mix sounded a bit thin in the low end, so the low end was brought out a bit more, which immediately gave it body and warmth. There were some edgy/sharp edges in the highs. I made these sound a bit friendlier. A bit more snappy and punchy and a solid level without going over the top.
Image: Jeffrey de Gans owner of Da Goose Mastering.
Chord progression + Lyrics
Spotify
SoundCloud
The final mix (full version)
Master 1 (Full version; Antoine van Kampen, Skippy Studio)
Master 2 (Full version; Mastered by Jeffrey de Gans at Da Goose Mastering).
Files
Multitrack available on request
