Quote: LoveshadowI am bit lost and not to sure what you are trying to achieve here.

Oh. Ok. Well, I never intended to present myself as anything other than an amateur, but I certainly didn’t intend to make anyone feel uncomfortable. I’m not sure I’m able to define what a remix is either. I just didn’t think the original song words matched the spoken words about ‘not a number’, so I tried lyrics which to me suggested the mathematical concepts behind imaginary numbers. Guess that was a stupid thing to do.

Thanks for your comments anyway, and for presenting them constructively.

” Well, I never intended to present myself as anything other than an amateur,”

Well firstly i think i can safely say that most remixers work here is that in the sense of not getting financial reward for their uploads so in essence we are all that .

I know your intention was genuine but i was expressing how the mix and the work made me consider something in a way i had not thought about before not your choice about what you have done.

You could have very easily created a new melody for your new words. That would have been up loadable as a new acapella and you would have possibly been remixed into something new.

You picked the vocals of a very well known artist on CC to work with here and that familiarity to the original is what seemed at odds. I can understand your wanting to connect with the other spoken word but for me there was the signal that you needed to create something new to go with it rather than `borrow and patch’ if i can use that expression.

Any way an interesting musical conversation. :-)

Quote: Loveshadow“Any way an interesting musical conversation. :-)

Yes, it is - because you’ve certainly made me think about this in a different light :-)

I confess I’m now conflicted about the issue! I can see on one side that a new melody would make it less derivative, less ‘borrow and patch’, but on the other side covers and suchlike are staples of the music industry* because, done well, they can be popular and enjoyable tributes.

So I’ve failed to reach a conclusion after pondering this for some time. I guess the acid test is, ‘would I change how I’d done it were I to have my time again’? And the honest answer is, yes I’d do something new, but I’m not sure I’d have liked the result as much as I did like this. :-)

(*There was a stack of information about cover versions on Wiki, although only a small proportion of the songs mentioned did the change words / keep melody combo)

This is not a cover. A cover is new version of the original song, it may have an arrangement how the intro starts or a chord difference or two for effect but the original melody and lyric is present throughout in cover.

When you rewrite the lyric to the old melody its not a cover its a derivative, as is often used in novelty or comedy versions. I have made ( sung ) a cover of a remix i made here but first remix used the original vocals i also then gave that vocal back for remix.

The principle of this site is download, Sample, Cut-up, Share whilst parts of your mix do that, the new lyric with the original melody only seem at odds. It edges towards the My Sweet Lord / Hes So Fine territory.

But as my mail to you said if you upload this i.e your acapella and if it were to be remixed then that remix used in a You Tube video then the line back to Shannons original melody would be lost.

In addition i suppose i am also just sensitive to the fact that Shannon is freely giving up her vocals here for `remix’ and trying to establish herself as an artist.

Remixing her, helps widen her appeal and net prescence and rewards her for freely giving her vocal uploads. Just taking her melody and resinging new words somehow doesn’t do that.

Umm, I’m v sorry - I didn’t mean to imply it was a cover. I know it isn’t. What I got stuck on was given covers exist, whether my derivative was ok or not. I’ve ended up getting myself very confused.

I do appreciate the time you’ve spent trying to help me on this, both here and in your reply to my mail in which I asked whether I’d overstepped the mark and should take the track down. You did take care to say yours was just one view, but I’m just really not up for self-doubt about whether I’ve undermined someone else so I’m going to try to replace this version with the end bit with Shannon’s vocals back in on top of mine.

I think doing it that way keeps what I was trying to do with the remix, means this thread still makes some sense, but addresses some of the issues you raised. Fingers crossed anyway.

No need to be confused i was just relating the initial impact of the work. I have had numerous discussion over the years as to what is a remix. I don’t think its easy to define anymore.

This site is about developing musical ideas and approaches that break away from a `label ’ mentality on numerous levels.

Its easy to ignore this stuff or just give a nice pat on the back well done kind of comment so I am glad you are open to the discussion.

Its your decision of course but i don’t think you should take it down its not a bad remix it just raises some issues for me and that’s just my one view.

You have the ability to just upload another rework as you have planned as a separate file or alternate mix. Another reason why not to is that this conversation will have no point of listening reference to anyone who may read it.