I got asked by a friend to compose a song for their wedding with lyrics tailored to them as a couple. He only asked for a an acoustic recording but as i need a song for NGUAC 2020 Final Round I decided to produce it into a full production (as well as an acoustic recording) which i imagine he will be over the moon about. All instruments, composition & production done by myself.

I first started off with writing the lyrics, i was given certain things which were wanted in the lyrics so i wrote around those ideas and phrases.

Once i had the lyrics i picked up the guitar and composed the harmony and melody, i went for a Damien rice feel, simple chords and only 2 parts, and focused on the dynamics and lyrics as the main feature.

Once i had the song written, I jumped on the drum kit and recorded without a click (to get a more dynamic feel with fluctuating tempos), and used my memory and vision of how the song goes dynamically as a guide.

Then i recorded a rough guitar and vocal reference as a guide for when i layer the instruments.

Started with bass, played around till i found lines that i like.

Then Acc Guitar doubled panned.

Then Nashville strung guitar doubled panned (only on the chorus)

Then Electric guitar, improvised around until i found parts i liked.

Then lead vocals, then i tripled them with different mics panned (only on the chorus)

By now i have gotten rid of my rough guitar & vocal track.

I used my mixing and mastering tricks i know using Waves plugins and Izotope 7 Mastering module.

My main focus was to capture the emotion, dynamics and feel. An organic vibe, A love song that isn't too sappy. I was thinking of adding cello and violin but decided against it, i felt it was nice to have the emptiness in the verses and the chorus felt full enough, and i also thought i might make it a little soppy love song which i was trying to avoid.

Thats my process in a nut shell Good luck to all for the competition! Thanks for having me!

And a special thanks to all the judges, you have been tremendously fair and professional with your rating and reviews, and i massively appreciate the time you take to do in-depth feedback and reasoning behind your score! Thank you!