Mile Mandic

I just wanted to give it a shot because I enjoy experimenting with different genres and exploring various types of music. My ultimate goal is to incorporate everything I've learned into my own songs. I don't want to change the instrumentation too much because I feel it would lose some of the emotions I'm trying to convey in my interpretation of this song. However, I do want to give it a slightly different sound because the original is just too good to cover it exactly as it is. In the next few days, I will redo this song based on your tips (I'm still trying to emotionally prepare myself for this rendition). Once again, thank you for your time, and I will soon post the updated version here. Best regards, Mile

Thanks, mate! Well, I'm trying to experiment with my production skills and see where it takes me sound-wise. I've always been searching for my sound, and I think I'm making progress through practice. Only time will tell where it leads, but hey, the journey itself is the fun part anyway. Regarding vocal range, I think I'm doing pretty well in that department. I cover a wide range, from the low end to the higher register, thanks to my experience in being in a rock band when I was younger. It's all about practice. Anyway, I don't think it really matters that much. What matters is singing with emotion and conveying that emotion to listeners, and that's the part I haven't mastered yet (I've listened to your songs, and I think you do that pretty well). As for me, I'm still trying to get there. @john gave me some great advice on the song I tried to cover, and one of these days, I'll try to redo my vocal take on the song 'Killing Me Softly' that I posted in another topic (I would love to hear your thoughts on it if you have the time). Thank you for your time and your comment, and I hope we can exchange feedbacks for a long time. Cheers, Mile

Dear John, I can't thank you enough for your time and deep analysis of my track. It really means a lot to me. I'm constantly looking for feedback on my production, mixing, and everything related to music, but I didn't have a place to connect with other professionals and exchange thoughts on our music. I will use your tips to improve the production of this piece and will post my progress here for further discussion if you have the time. I will definitely sing this again, keeping in mind your helpful tips. Without putting emotions into it, the song will struggle to connect with people. I shared this file with a friend who has years of experience in audio and music listening, and he said something I'll try to remember for my future projects: "This song has one serious problem, and that is that the original is just too good." To be frank, I couldn't agree more with him. However, a challenge is a challenge, and for too long, I've had projects that remained unpublished because they couldn't come close to the original. I'm taking a different approach nowadays—I post my work and seek ways to improve by collaborating with fellow musicians. I'm sure we can all help each other with feedback and tips. I'll keep you updated on this, and once again, thanks. This was literally one of the most helpful critiques and tips I've received so far. I'm sure I'll find a way to give back to this community. 👌 Best regards, Mile

I started investigating this subject a few days ago, and from the information I've gathered, it's not illegal to post any cover songs. YouTube has its own content ID system to figure out which songs belong to the original artist, and through monetization, they ensure that the money from views goes to the original artist and everyone involved. Of course, there are some artists who don't want their songs being covered, and they reserve the right to have them removed from the YouTube platform. I don't think anyone is suing anyone for this matter; the song is simply being taken down from the platform (you could potentially get a strike, but I'm still not sure how that works exactly—I think you get a few strikes before YouTube removes your channel). Anyways, you also have ways to get a portion of that money if you go through the right channels (such as distributors and different sites), but I think this is a topic for a new discussion. Rene, lovely cover! Keep up the good work. Cheers, Mile

Hi everyone, I've challenged myself to upload one cover song per week onto my YouTube account. I think it could be helpful for meeting new people, learning some new techniques, etc. I uploaded my first video because I was eager to start from somewhere and introduce myself, so I didn't want to put too much effort into it (you can check out my first video). Anyway, I've seen that this community has extremely talented people in every sphere—producing, singing, people with knowledge and experience. I would love to hear some of your thoughts on the next song I'm about to cover before I upload it. I thought about doing "Killing Me Softly," but I still want to add some electronic motives into it. This is a raw version with no effects whatsoever (I have the CLA Vocals preset "Rockman Dry" on vocals), no reverb, or anything like it. The singing and the guitar parts will be redone (I know they're not very good at this point). This is just a take I did in order to produce this. I would love to hear from you on this one—what can be done with it effects-wise, production-wise, and all in all, do you see yourself enjoying something like this? Thank you in advance for your time and answers. Cheers, Mile

I like this take very much. I've always admired people who are talented at producing songs (I guess it's because I strive to be good at it at some point 😀). Could you give us some hints about yourself? Which DAW are you using? How long have you been doing this? Are there any tutorials you've followed? I think it could be helpful to others as well. Looking forward to hearing more from you. Cheers, Mile

That is exactly my opinion on this matter. I try to experiment with every song that I do, but with covers, sometimes you can overdo it with effects and other things. When I first started, I put everything that could be put into one project—too many sounds—and it created a bit of a mess. Later, I tried to compensate for that by using too little, which ended up making it kind of empty and uninteresting. Nowadays, I try to balance things from the production stage of every song and aim to do as little mixing as possible. I think I'm on the right track, but hey, music is a science of its own, mate. Looking forward to hearing that project of a one-man hardcore punk band. I'm not sure I've heard something similar before. Cheers, Mile

That sounds great! 👌 I agree that involving a group of people would be fantastic. I hope that the community here would be interested in participating in them at this moment. I'll be keeping a close eye on the new topics and challenges. 🤓 Cheers, Mile

Thanks, mate! I have a plan to release one song per week, and I really hope I can stick to it. I must say, you have a wonderful forum here. I'm enjoying it a lot, and I can see it becoming my go-to place whenever I open Chrome. Anyway, I'm looking forward to meeting all of you, growing together, and reaching a point where I can contribute helpful information back to this community. Cheers, Mile

Man, I know it's been a while since you posted this topic, but are the challenges still ongoing? Because I would love to participate! 😃 Building a fanbase shouldn't be too difficult, right? I mean, I have some fans in my country, but I've realized that it mostly involves people I know. By relying on them to share things through social media and other channels, you can reach potential new listeners. And it does work, but I feel like it's somewhat limited to the circles of people I know. I've found myself trying to fit into their musical preferences, which can be creatively restricting. So, I've decided to try a new approach in releasing cover songs, hoping to connect with people who share a similar taste in music without relying solely on my friends who already like my music. I've set myself a challenge to release one song per week, where I handle everything myself—from production and mixing to performing. I believe I can do it if I dedicate enough time and effort. So yeah, I'm all about challenges, and if this one is still active, count me in! (Or let me know if you have any other ideas in mind—I'm always up for a challenge!) 😃 Cheers, Mile

Got me vibing with just the guitar and voice. Nice job, keep it up. Cheers, Mile

Man, I really like this instrument, and I appreciate the positive vibes you bring in your performance. Keep up the great work. Cheers, Mile

Thanks, mate. I really enjoyed making it, and it means a lot that somebody actually likes it. 🙂 Of course, I'm here to receive both positive and negative feedback about my performance. It's important for us to find ways to improve ourselves. Currently, I'm working on another cover song. It's "Killing Me Softly" with a slightly different arrangement. I hope I won't ruin the original performance, which is top of the line. I enjoy adding some new elements to my music, but I hope not to overdo it. 😅 I'm looking forward to hanging out and also discovering other artists here. Do you have any songs I could check out? Cheers, Mile

Thank you for the warm welcome, Peggy. I will certainly check that out as well. Cheers, Mile

Here is my cover that I posted in the suitable subforum category. My Valerie cover Best regards, Mile