Comments

Previous Comments

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Kate Carpenter

Thanks much for your generous review of "Get My Fix". I really appreciate you taking the time to give me pointers that are intended to improve and not tear down my work. Thanks!

1 Replies
 
Author
Kate Carpenter
over 30 days ago

You are welcome, Sum!



Author
sonia135
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

Thanks a mill for your review on all I can be :) it has being said to me before about the bass and thought that was just me too lol great to know where can improve! Looking forward to getting a chance to listen to your music next few days thanks once again!



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Sixty Miles Down

Wow. Just listened to "A New Skin", "Talking To A Dead Man" and "Dead Weight". You guys are tight! The drum work was fantastic. The guitars were burning and the vocals brought it home. The bridge and lead in Dead Weight were excellent and your vocal harmonies in all tracks were done with precision. Great work, here. Nothing short of professional! Now I'm really inspired by your comments. You've got another fan!

4 Replies
 
Author
Sixty Miles Down
over 30 days ago

Thanks so much! Would you mind if I put your comment on my band's facebook page with a link to one of your songs? I like to share good reviews with our friends/fans while giving a little extra exposure to the fellow musicians that review our music. Thanks again. -JOHN-

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

How about this. I'll look you up on Facebook using my band's account (Back To Good) and like you/post my comment. Then you can share a link to our song "No Love" if you want. This way, it will be official plus you will have a new fan on your FB page. Deal? :)

Author
Sixty Miles Down
over 30 days ago

It's a deal :)

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Done!



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Sixty Miles Down

I second what Back To Good said ;) Now, it's time to listen to some of your tunes!



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to David Michael Walsh

Thanks much for taking the time to listen to and review our song "Get My Fix". I am flattered that you enjoyed it. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and I agree 100% with your comment regarding the vocal level. I am currently working on fixing this issue. Take care!



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Radiation Mountain

Thanks for your review of "Get My Fix". I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment. I agree with your comments 100%. My friend and I built this song from an old guitar track he had done about 8 years ago and I felt the lyrics and vocal style you heard were a perfect fit. Too bad the world has moved on from that style of music, but I havent. ;)

2 Replies
 
Author
Radiation Mountain
over 30 days ago

The two things that matter: please yourself and and find others that like what you do. There shouldn't be a problem with the two here! =)

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Those are wise words my friend!!



Author
Nick Fuse
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

Sum, Get My Fix is too cool, bros! Rock on! - N

1 Replies
 
Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Thanks, Nick. It needs a little work, but not bad for a first time. Thanks much for taking the time to listen. I will be visiting your site again....and again....and again in the future. ;) \m/ \m/



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Wes Dinwiddie

Had I Only Known: Fantastic work here. Great guitar, great drums, great lyrics and I really liked your choice of vocal effect. Very catchy tune. It's hard rock, but not so hard that it hurts my head. ;) Great job! \m/

1 Replies
 
Author
Wes Dinwiddie
over 30 days ago

Ha ha! Very cool... thank you for that :) I really appreciate it ... lyrics were written by Starburst Music



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Matthew Miller

Lackluster Days: I enjoyed this one as well. Again, soothing vocals and the use of the acoustic guitar fits this song nicely. Good job on the lyrics as well. I can tell you put a lot of time into them and arent just trying to find any word to jam in there. Keep up the good work!

1 Replies
 
Author
Matthew Miller
over 30 days ago

Thank you! I'll check out more of your songs as well.



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Matthew Miller

Still I Wonder: Nice track! I really like the mood that the acoustic guitar creates. Very catchy tune and the vocals were soothing and the backups added a nice touch without being intrusive like some songs. The only thing I would say is this: This song is starving for a bass line and some drums! Feed the beast! ;)

1 Replies
 
Author
Matthew Miller
over 30 days ago

Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed it.



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Matthew Miller

Just wanted to say thanks for reviewing "Get My Fix" and leaving such positive comments and suggestions. Think I'll check out some of your tunes now. :)

1 Replies
 
Author
Matthew Miller
over 30 days ago

No problem. Great stuff!!



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Jon Stammers

I Hope You Don't Think I'm Too Strange: This one was very unique. I enjoyed your delivery very much and all in all this was very original and poetic. Good work my friend.



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Jon Stammers

Pink Clothes: I enjoyed this tune. It was catchy and original. Good job.

1 Replies
 
Author
Jon Stammers
over 30 days ago

:) Brilliant! Thanks very much for listening!



Author
The Amerikills
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

I want to simplify the sound without doubling guitars and panning way left and right. in this I've got bass left30 and guitars right30 vocals and drums up the middle. Question is how do i record a 3 piece rock band setup?

1 Replies
 
Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Just realized that I never responded to you. Sorry. To answer your question: It depends how serious you are about your product. Personally, I am not an experienced producer by any means. If I have an original tune that I really like and want to keep then I schedule studio time and let the professionals handle it. This way I can focus on what I do best as a musician. We arrive, set up our equipment, play/record and then we are done. Mixing is an art in itself and one I do not possess.



Author
Jon Stammers
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

Thanks for reviewing Killing Time. You're absolutely right it does need electric guitar and drums - quite badly in fact. I'd love to get a proper rock group to record it.

1 Replies
 
Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Well, I was just messing with ya as I realize it can be quite difficult to do so if you are not a whiz with music software or do not have a band AND studio to record in. You did a good job with what you had. Will check out some more of your stuff when I have some time. Take care!



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Chet Nichols

Tell Me What The Count Is: What a great tune you have here and, as always, your recording quality is aces. I loved the tempo and the echo effect on the vocals at times. There were times when I thought of Chris Isaak while listening to this. You may not like his work, but I think he's a great musician so please take that as a compliment. Later on!

1 Replies
 
Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

Hey Sum,

I like all music and musicians. We are a select breed. You mature as a musician when you learn to appreciate what others do. Chris Isaak is very cool. That IS a compliment.

"Tell Me What The Count Is" comes from my first studio album produced in 1970 in San Francisco with my buddy, Stephen Barncard. Stephen engineered and co-produced the record. The song itself was written in 1969. I played all the instruments on the song.

Check out this album, "Time Loop" .... I think you will really enjoy it. My early reviews said I was one of the pioneers of the outside/loner/pysch/folk rock genre. I know "Time Loop" proves it.

Thanks, again, for the kind words!

Chet



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Milly

Thanks for your fair review of "Get My Fix". I can see where one might have a hard time understanding the vocals. I will bump the vocal track up a bit more and upload a new version soon. Hopefully this will resolve the issue. Thanks again!



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Michael Collison

Movie Song: Wow. Fantastic work. I can tell you put a lot of time into this! And, yes, I listened to the entire 11:24 (the last 10 sec or so were silent). I loved the mood change around 6:20 and again at 7:28. I also loved the change at 8:00. It had an "Arabian" sound to it. I agree that this song could be listened to as one contiguous piece, but I can also see how it could be broken up. During my listen I thought of various movie scenes that this song could be used in to convey the mood. Ever seen "American Beauty" with Kevin Spacey? There were times I thought of the scene with the Rose petals falling onto the girl, but there were also times when the song actually conveyed a sort of sad tone and other times an angry one. All in all a wonderful piece of work that should be getting many more reviews than it has currently received. Keep on doing what you're doing!

2 Replies
 
Author
Michael Collison
over 30 days ago

Thanks for the positive comments, especially after my Simon Cowell-esque critiques!

Author
The Empire of Creation
over 30 days ago

I love your music man



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Michael Collison

Road Trip: Great job on this. Makes me want to jump in my car and just tear up the blacktop. I thought you did a nice job incorporating all of the different sounds into this tune. It kept it bumping and avoided the "stale sound" a lot of songs get plagued with. Loved it...all the way to the end. Keep on doing what you're doing!

1 Replies
 
Author
Michael Collison
over 30 days ago

glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the review



Author
Heather Edwards
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

Thanks for your review of my song, "Run". I appreciate you taking the time to provide the feedback and glad you liked the song!



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Charlie Shock

Wow. Came across your profile doing a random song review and I am so glad I did. Just finished listening to "Somewhere In Between", "Everybody Dreams", "So Cruel" and "Attention Deficit". I am impressed...not that it matters to you, ha! Anyways, great lyric work and all of your recordings are great. I like how the songs I listened to were within the late 2 to early 3 minute mark and your lyrics were not overly complicated. Some people seem to think that the more complicated they get the better the song. I disagree. Anyways, I wish you the best!

2 Replies
 
Author
Charlie Shock
over 30 days ago

Dear Sum of Zero, Thanks so much for the VERY ENCOURAGING words!!! That's very kind of you (the short songs are probably a bit of a reflection of my short attention span) I will try to take a listen to your material as well and again THANKS for MAKING MY DAY!!!

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

You are very welcome. I only have one song up for review and it is the first song I have ever written so I would definitely appreciate your feedback. I am new to lyric writing so I welcome any constructive criticism you may have and I can promise there will be no hard feelings. Keep on doing what you are doing!



Author
Valerie Prussak
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

Thanks for the review of "I'm going all in". I appreciate your comments. All the best with your writing!

3 Replies
 
Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

No problem. Thanks for putting it up for review. It is amazing the number of talented musicians that frequent this site. To me, discovering this site was as exciting as waking up Christmas morning when I was a child!

Author
Valerie Prussak
over 30 days ago

You're cute, hey where's the photo?

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Photo? Well, you know what they say, "Better to let them think you are cosmetically challenged than to put a picture out there and prove it." Wait, I don't think that's right ;) Seriously, though. I will get one uploaded eventually.



Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

Hey, I would love to hear you guys perform, "If You See Kaye"!

Chet

8 Replies
 
Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

I just might surprise you one day. Though I am amazed at all of the music you have written/performed and am sure there are MANY other gems hidden in there!

Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

Thanks for the kind words .... I have been writing and composing now for over 50 years....I still do it daily and have over 5000 compositions..... can't possibly put them all on any one site!

Music keep me young. People think I act like I'm in my 20's...because my energy level is so high. I get it from music. I learned that from Eric Clapton....and my other mentors...

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Well....I haven't come across a song I havent liked yet. Just listend to "Time Loop" and "Electra" and Lonely Woman". Very nice. 5,000 compositions, huh? My goodness. I have only done 3. LMAO.

Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

Just write....it is not a race... Write daily... sometimes the song comes all at once...and sometimes it is like a fine wine and needs to stew a bit. Have fun with your writing....and be HONEST about what you are writing! This keeps the juices flowing!

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Well, I appreciate the advice. Really, I do. At this point I struggle with structure, but the more I do the better I get at it. Did you happen to look at the lyrics for "Get My Fix"? If so, did you think they were ok? You have written enough that I would definitley value your opinion.

Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

Structure is really an open process. Not EVERY song has to follow the common structural process. Looks at "Bohemian Rapsady" by Queen. Sit down to a piano and play that song....is goes from section to section to section ... each unique, but damn it works.

The lyrics on "Get My Fix" are very good and work for the song. As you see, I really work my lyrics and want them to be live photos of the scenes and stories.

The key thing is write, write, write ..... for many years, I wrote a song a day..... but, with kids and a family, it became impossible to do.... if I had the time, I could do it, again.

Then, again, I have been working on one new song for 6 months .... never any pattern anymore. So, maybe that is the pattern to follow....ie, there is no pattern. Just be honest and what what you feel.

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Those are wise words. Thanks. I am too new at this to relate, but I have learned some interesting things about me. I can write with or without a melody. When I hear a melody that really speaks to me the words just "appear". However, there are times when I have started lyrically first and then fleshed the music out around it. While I wish I was proficient at playing an instrument I must say that I feel being a vocalist really helps when writing lyrics because it isn't always the words themselves that matter as much as how you convey them to the listener through voice. Does that make sense? Anyways, I use software to convey my musical ideas to my bandmates. All I have to do is give them a simple version and they do the rest so I am not a complete victim to my instrumental inabilities.

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

I complete understand when you say that you want your lyrics to be live photos of the scenes and stories in your song. I attempt the same thing. The challenging part for me has been keeping the song within the 3-4 minute mark. LOL Sometimes I get so caught up in the story that I end up writing too much and have to cut; which sux. It is amazing how attached you get to your songs! When a 3rd party evaluates them and says that you need to remove this or add that you kind of take it personal....I have gotten better at receiving constructive criticism, though, as I realize that, in the end, it will make me a better artist/person.



Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

"Get My Fix" .... great tune! Just pump up the vocal 1-2 notches...... Really fine production...... groovy!
Great playing!

4 Replies
 
Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Thanks a lot. This is the first song I've ever written.....did it about 6 months ago. I agree with you on the vocals. I will make the adjustment and upload the song. The problem is that I am a vocalist and my bandmate is a guitarist so we are always going back and forth on the volume of our preferred instruments due to our natural bias. LOL Thanks again for listening to it and for your kind words.

Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

The KEY factor to a band with a singer .... is that the singer and the lyrics are what the song is all about. The listener will ALWAYS hear the different musical components.....so, as LONG as you can hear them in the mix....the listener will hear them. I have been in many, many, many music sessions where different band members want more of "THEM".... a song is not about THEM ... it is about THE SONG....so learn to honor the song...and it will turn out great!

Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

PLEASE ... sit back and listen to The Beatles song-by-song-by-song .... fabulous sonic experiences.... unique, different, tasty and respectful at ALL times to the song!

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Wow. Great advise about recording. I agree 100%. Most people do not even hear lyrics....it's about the hook. If the beat and the hook are catchy to them the lyrics could be about cracker jacks and rabbit pellets...."Honor the song". What a great statement. We are going to the studio in 2 weeks to record our second Demo.....I'm gonna use that on them. Glad I logged on tonight and met ya!



Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

Hey Sum of Zero,

I like the fact that as your review progressed, I got better ratings!

I recorded this in LA back in 1972 with an ALL-STAR band! We kept it clean and wanted it to have a solid presentation of great players and singers getting together to record a fun song!

So, glad you liked it!

My Best,

Chet Nichols
Inductee - The Kansas Music Hall of Fame

7 Replies
 
Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

Heh, well....whenever I review a song I listen to all of it and try to answer as the song progresses. After all, I cant rate the "hook" of a song if I haven't heard it, right? Anyways, you did great and I am glad you shared it. I am looking at your signature and am impressed. If you get time please listen to my 1 song and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

Hi Sum,

Your rating was just fine.... I appreciated it...and your kind words.

I will stop by and listen to your songs... I am sure they are great!

Chet

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

I just have one song right now, but I appreciate your support. I was at your site and just listened to "If You See Kaye" (I believe that was the title). Your recordings are top notch. And you have very good lyrics. Very impressive.

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

You know, I was reading your first comment and you mentioned that you kept it clean so as to maintain a solid presentation. I am so glad you said that because I am in a cover band and I am always telling my bandmates when we are in the studio that we need to go easy on the effects. I would MUCH rather be a great live band than a studio band. When people hear our recordings I want them to say, "Wow. These guys sound just as good live."

Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

That is GREAT advise to your mates!

My first album, "Time Loop", was very minimalistic and was lauded at the time as one of the cornerstones of the Outside/Loner/Psych/Folk Rock albums of all time.It was produced in 1971.....VERY clean and minimal. Check it out.... "Time Loop" , the album....lots of interesting and unique songs and tunings...

Chet

Author
Chet Nichols
over 30 days ago

I wrote, "If You See Kaye" in 1964..... GREAT song about a quirky girlfriend I had at the time... She was a hippie before hippies had appeared! HA!

Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago

"Time Loop". I'm gonna check it out now. I have my beer in hand and am in the mood to listen to some good tunes!



Author
Greg Frain
over 30 days ago to Sum of Zero

Hi
Thanks for your feedback on Magnolia Suburbia - it is my intention to revisit the melody sometime in the next 6 months and make it more interesting :) Glad you liked the outro!
Best wishes
Greg



Author
Sum of Zero
over 30 days ago to Rob Cariddi

Greetings from Columbia, SC! Listening to "Some Things Are True"....FANTASTIC! Very nicely done from the music to the lyrics to the vocals. Wow.



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