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A Cave Of Stars (Featuring Daniella)


by

dolby

 Genre: Pop (mainstream)

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Description
I uploaded the original version of this song last July (2007), and it proved quite popular here amongst the MJ's faithful. This new version features the fantastic vocal talents of Daniella Varadi, very talented performer from Sheffield, UK. Daniella is training to be a professional opera singer (Soprano), and is also studying music technology. She's also in the process of setting up her own MacJams account - so look out for more from her in the future.

This is a much shorter version than the original, and is pretty pumped up - with some orchestral percussion thrown into the dance groove. The great harmony vocals from Daniella really make the track though.

Enjoy the song, and let us know what you think :-)
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Lyrics
A Cave Of Stars
© 2008 Phil Dolby

So many roads left untravelled
So many nights have been slept away
So many dreams remain unfulfilled
So many days
How many souls will no gather
To see the start of a breaking day
To feel the heat of the shifting sun
And shadows play

(chorus)
We were not looking for a cave of stars
No Universes or Galaxies
Deep underground where the rain cuts scars
And icy water will hide the light and me

So farewell Aotearoa
And goodbye to this Shadowland
To the stories you told us
Of the gods who carved out by hand
Every river and valley
Every mountain of this domain
And the ice that will melt and fill
The bluest lake

(chorus)
Song Stats
Hits: 1009
Comments: 20
Fans: 17
Plays: 88
Downloads: 43
Votes: 8
Uploaded: Aug 10, 2008 - 02:18:27 PM
Last Updated: Aug 10, 2008 - 02:18:27 PM Last Played: Oct 29, 2009 - 07:11:03 PM
Song License
Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Creative Commons

Song Actions
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Hardware:
MacBook
Software:
GarageBand
Comments
magnatone said 473 days ago (August 10th, 2008)
A Cave of Stars
I never heard the original - quite before my time at MJ, but I'll make of point of listening, after enjoying this SO MUCH. This is really spectacular, the production, the vocals (of course), all the instrumentation choices. I'm quite blown away and look forward to visiting your music page!
Check out my latest song called Symphonic Smackdown
cjhoose said 473 days ago (August 10th, 2008)
oh my...
wow. well, this is incredible.
Check out my latest song called Julia
ledebutant said 473 days ago (August 10th, 2008)
Yay
Terrific vocals and thanks for bringing Daniella to us, Phil. It's funny how much this still sounds like a Dolby song, even without your vocal.

Mix-wise I think you could bring up the bottom end a bit. I kept wanting the track to have a little more energy and I think it's all there, but the kick drum and the bass are just a little light and could be driving things a lot more, maybe. I should snag my headphones that color things on the bass end a little more and see what I think.

Great writing and I think the length is just right.
Check out my latest song called Black Star (MJ Live Aid w/jgurner)
dolby said 471 days ago (August 12th, 2008)
Hey ledeb...
...cheeers for the comments.

Yep, that pesky bottom end, huh? It's one of those situations where in an earlier mix I had the bass so far up front that the speakers were shaking the table. I suppose I backed off a bit too much. I will definitely look at fixing this though - thanks for the observation!

Glad you enjoyed the track, though :-))
Check out my latest song called You Can't Win Them All
ktb said 473 days ago (August 10th, 2008)
cave of stars
Just a great track. Dig the vocals, fabulous instrumentation. Love the orchestral accents
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dolby said 471 days ago (August 12th, 2008)
Cheers KTB...
...yeah, I'm well happy with the orchestral accents - glad you agree:-)
Check out my latest song called You Can't Win Them All
guygrooves said 473 days ago (August 10th, 2008)
Full of....
Class and elegance. This is a very beautiful piece made even more so by a very beautiful vocal performance. I think ledebutant is on to something mix wise, I agree with her observation. Thoroughly worth a D/L though. Thanks for giving this one to us.
Check out my latest song called Last Day Here
Feter said 473 days ago (August 10th, 2008)
A Cave Of Stars
this is very inteesting ...pure vocal and genuine ..
great song and sound bed ...mixing as well ..what can
we say just perfect job ...thnx alot for sharin and
welcome to MJ D !!!
Jim Bouchard said 473 days ago (August 10th, 2008)
wow is right!
I guess Daniella is not using the built-in mic... hehe.
Yeah like ledeb, I think that a bit of a bass bump would be nice, and I don't think Daniella would get lost. I love the orchestral percussion additions. Did you try a version with the original vocal mixed in? I like boy-girl harmonies and maybe it would be nice with you singing along in the choruses, Phil.
The other thing I felt like the last chorus seemed like it lost a little oomph instead of coming up, maybe because you pulled the bass back a bit with the addition of the electric guitar part. Sort of odd, maybe it's my ears playing tricks on me.
Man, this is nice, though, even though I listened a lot to this song before, it just takes on a whole different feel with this version.
Check out my latest song called Weather or Not w/awigze
dolby said 471 days ago (August 12th, 2008)
Thanks Jim
You guessed right about the vocals - which were actually recorded in the UK at Daniella's college - I have no idea what mic's were used - but they certainly sound pretty good!

I know how much you like that bass line Jim - so yeah, I think I can boost it for the next mix. As for a duet mix - so far I haven't tried it. It might be interesting, but the problem is that Daniella makes me sound pretty out of tune at times!!!!!

Interesting comment about the chorus's - I will look at tha umph factor there. You know I think I've been so intent on making sure the vocal is right out front that maybe I've accidentally sacrificed my natural instinct to punk up the volume. This is why it's good to have MJ's ears on the case!

Check out my latest song called You Can't Win Them All
Ed Hannifin said 473 days ago (August 10th, 2008)
I don't think...
...this is the final, perfect, ultimate mix for this song, but I think it's a testament to its strength as a song and as an arrangement and a vocal performance that one comes away from it convinced that this is really good...

Yes, with Lisa and Jim, I could hear more whomp and thump in this, and there DOES seem to be a point near the end where it collapses to mono for a bit in my headphones...

I love the melody and the lead vocal, and I love that distorted guitar tonality that reveals itself on the outro... And without any clear clue about the what it's about, really, I truly like the lyrics...

Downloaded as is, and leaving space on the hard drive for the next one...

Ed
Check out my latest song called Next Time Around (w/jiguma)
dolby said 471 days ago (August 12th, 2008)
Thanks Ed
Yep I agree with everything ledeb, Jim, Neil et al have said. It's probably not the final, ultimate mix - and I would love a real groovemaster (can I say that without sounbding about 95 years old?) get his/her hands on it and do a *proper* mix! That said - I will look at the comments made and get a new upload together soon - Daniella will probably upload to her space in the near future.

Thanks for the visit and the DL:-)


Check out my latest song called You Can't Win Them All
jiguma said 473 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
Cool one Phil
Daniella sure can sing - a great combination with your playing.

Mix wise, there seems to be a lack of definition at the bottom end. From memory, you use Ozone, and I think you could do a good job on the bottom end in the "Multiband Dynamics" section by increasing the attack and volume of the bass and kick. I think it's beyond simple EQ tweaking, but a little of that wouldn't hurt either.

I think the suggestion that you join Daniella for the chorus is a good one.

Cheers,
Neil
Check out my latest song called Lost In Translation (w Mike Watkins)
dolby said 471 days ago (August 12th, 2008)
Hi Neil
Yep she sure can! And this is really only her first attempt at anything like this - so credit where it's due for her performance (and her creativity -as all the vocal tracking in the mid section was all her own work!).

Interesting comment about "Ozone" - I don't use this, but am interested in learning about what it is and what it does. I'm no expert in mixing, or final mastering, and I'm aware that that is where I need to spend more time listening and learning - all part of the 'curve' I suppose.


Check out my latest song called You Can't Win Them All
jiguma said 470 days ago (August 13th, 2008)
Ozone 3
Have a look here Phil http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/ozone/

You can download Ozone 3 - it's the full version in demo mode - after a set time it starts removing slabs of tracks when playing back, but it will give you enough time to see if its what you're after. If you buy it they send you the pass key.

Cheers,
Neil
Check out my latest song called Lost In Translation (w Mike Watkins)
said 473 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
A Cave of Stars
Sounds perfect in my two ears. I love it.
Thank you for the download.

Peace Dee.
screamalexz said 472 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
...
pretty vocals nice production and transey feel :) sounds great to me. nice backing instrumental as well. lyrics sounds pretty too. has a very in the stars feel.
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dolby said 471 days ago (August 12th, 2008)
Thanx Chance
Appreciate the comment. I will check out some of your stuff -
Check out my latest song called You Can't Win Them All
TobinMueller said 472 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
Doubling
I dig the Sting vibe. There is an imprecision in the vocal doubling that might be made better if you panned the voices farther left-right and used slightly less reverb. But the slight pitch variation her and there need some pitch-fixes too. I like her softness. Not sure if you need to double her vocals at all, actually.
Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)
dolby said 471 days ago (August 12th, 2008)
Thanks Tobin
Yeah, interesting comments about the vocals. I will definitely try a version without the doubled up vocal - might sound good.

Never thought of Sting in this - but hey:-))))
Check out my latest song called You Can't Win Them All
apocafunk said 472 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
just stumbled onto this...
and i'm very impressed. the vocal quality is beautiful, with a precise delivery. the music has an ethereal ambiance which drives this track well (love the various breakdowns in the beat which add dynamics). production is very much on point. cool track, and great job to both of you.
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evolvweb said 472 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
Well done
Congrats to you and Daniella on a job well done. The space you create with your mixing is great. I am a sucker for that current take on 80's pop.

Tobin
Check out my latest song called Growing Pains
EZamor said 472 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
A Cave Of Stars
nice recording! i really like how this brings out and updates the better qualities of 80s pop, without sounding dated. it could use a few more contemporary touches, like the exciting beat that kicks in at around 2:45.

cheerz,
-=ez
Check out my latest song called Peace (One Drop in the Blue) (w/ LunaTrick)
Peter Bauckham said 472 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
A great voice
without a doubt. I did find the vocal 'sound' a bit thin and processed through my headphones - but the quality of the song more than made up for it!

Peter
Check out my latest song called All The Same (CBGB) (Last Chance Challenge)
Moviz said 472 days ago (August 11th, 2008)
I don't
think I heard the original either, but this is sensational... a great song and sound and the vocals fit beautifully..... sounds really professional. Love those electronic drums etc, wonderful, M
Check out my latest song called Come Back Billie
Daniella said 471 days ago (August 12th, 2008)
myspace
Hello everyone. I have two other versions of 'A Cave of Stars' on my myspace page - www.myspace.com/daniellavaradi
I will be adding more songs in the upcoming months. Thankyou to everyone for your comments, I am learning more everyday.
Daniella
davisamerica said 466 days ago (August 17th, 2008)
phil
a beauty!
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dajama said 436 days ago (September 16th, 2008)
Very nice
this is a great song, and a terrific vocal performance. The production is really nice. I get what some people are saying about the bottom end, so I won't labor the point! I really like the bassline, and the vocal is wonderful. Man, you set the bar high! This is way cool. Nicely done. Peace.
Check out my latest song called Across the Wire (MJRF)
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Name: Phil Dolby
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Genre Info
Pop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively s

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