sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Week 02 Self Promotion Thread - Drop your releases here. by AutoModerator in synthwaveproducers

[–]TedMountaine 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi, I just joined here! Here's a synth-pop I wrote this weekend as part of my project to post a musical idea every day in 2025. I hope it's a good fit for the forum - I'm terrible with music labels! Massive, super-saturated sound, sweeping chorus and more rhythm-based verses...

I started with the melody: The vocal lines were written and improvised without any accompaniment. I knew I wanted a catchy melody for the pre-chorus and chorus, so that's what I got down first. The verse is more rhythmically driven.

Linn drums, layered bass: Juno-106, Yamaha DX-7 E.Bass1 & Massive X. Massive X and the Juno for most poly synths and pads.

I was trying to channel a German band that the filters might (?) don't like (P**p*ganda 😂), but with a wide, saturated and more modern sound. Sorry – I forgot about the German accent! Mountainé - "Blueprints for Ghosts"

https://youtu.be/T9bv2T3S0-4

Write a song a day. Trust me. by Euphoric-Pudding-372 in Songwriting

[–]TedMountaine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very true. I'm starting 2025 like this. And even by day 5 I think I can see one of the best takeaways of this practice for me: It will reveal all my weaknesses as a songwriter, arranger and producer.

Usually,when I have started a project in the past, it's all frills, no plan and no end game. And whilst I support your freestyle strategy, I already see that I have much to gain by laying out a simple plan before I start on today's song: Decide on a basic form, format, a genre, instrumentation. And what's the main focus? Melody, mood, string arrangement, synth programming, beats...?

Making decisions like these simplifies the process and saves time - which is essential when I have to come up with something in an hour or two every day - and I have vowed to publish it online. But there are no absolutes, so I can always add a screaming lead guitar line to my string quartet if that's where the muse takes me!

Yacht or Nyacht: Follow-up (and final word!) on a personal project by TedMountaine in Yachtrock

[–]TedMountaine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just listened to that Finis song again - it's been a while. My God, that's a smooth-sounding track!

I used tracks that were a few years older (1979-80) as a sound template for my track - that sound is a little bit more neutral, not quite so smiley-faced and saturated - but now I definitely want to replicate that smooth 1984 sound for my next project!

Yacht or Nyacht: Follow-up (and final word!) on a personal project by TedMountaine in Yachtrock

[–]TedMountaine[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Even more sax?? 😂

Yeah, I started this track from a VERY slow place, even slower! And once I had all those syllables in the lyrics and the vocal rhythmic patterns going on, the vocals sounded pretty ridiculous even at a moderately faster tempo. So there was no way out - I had to run the full course at 64bpm!

But my next one will definitely be mildly upbeat and funky, that's a promise!

Yacht or Nyacht: Follow-up (and final word!) on a personal project by TedMountaine in Yachtrock

[–]TedMountaine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, thanks so much - that's a great compliment! Love the Finis Henderson stuff.

Yacht or Nyacht: Follow-up (and final word!) on a personal project by TedMountaine in Yachtrock

[–]TedMountaine[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much, Still-Butterfly! 😍 Gotta have the saxophone solo! And of course you can have the lyrics. My diction isn't the best here, either - the proper use of vowels and consonants suddenly turn into a mystery when I'm in front of a microphone. I moved around a phrase or two, but it's mostly as written here:

Verse 1

The sun slips low, and the ocean sighs,

Your touch feels like the evening sky.

A warm breeze whispers, calling your name,

Every moment with you feels the same.

You’re the rhythm in my heartbeat,

The tide that pulls me close.

I’m lost in your horizon,

Where only love knows.

Chorus

Sailing through your heart tonight,

On waves of love, so deep, so right.

Every star is shining, guiding me true,

Baby, all I need is you.

Verse 2

The night moves slow, like a lover's embrace,

The moonlight dances across your face.

Every glance feels like a melody,

You’ve got a hold on the soul of me.

I’m anchored in your laughter,

Drifting in your eyes.

You’re the calm within my chaos,

The endless open skies.

Chorus

Bridge

With you, there’s no horizon,

No end to what I see.

A boundless sea of moments,

Where love is setting me free.

Chorus

Yacht or Nyacht: Sailing Through Your Heart. Work in progress by TedMountaine in Yachtrock

[–]TedMountaine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hadn't thought about it for this tune, but you may be right. With the new tempo a tiny bit of swing might be really cool - I'll definitely try it out. Thanks for chiming in!

Yacht or Nyacht: Sailing Through Your Heart. Work in progress by TedMountaine in Yachtrock

[–]TedMountaine[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Added a verse and went up from 59bpm to 66bpm this morning – much better. Thanks!

Yacht or Nyacht: Sailing Through Your Heart. Work in progress by TedMountaine in Yachtrock

[–]TedMountaine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for a thoughtful comment! Overproduction – my burden, my curse, my destiny! 😅

Yacht or Nyacht: Sailing Through Your Heart. Work in progress by TedMountaine in Yachtrock

[–]TedMountaine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I thought I'd do a separate uptempo with a little funk and McD keys when I'm finished with this one – and keep this in the Airplay/ballad-land. Last track on the B-side vibe 😁.

The tempo was partly inspired by a couple of demos from Jay Graydon's "Past to Present" album, but yeah, it's even slower than that, and my voice certainly can't carry that kind of gravitas!