SongByte Records

For those who didn’t hear the BBC Radio Derby ‘Rogue Nation Featuring Charla May’ Radio Sessions (recorded live on October 6th 2022) and want to take a listen, here are the links to the four shows broadcast this week. I’ve put the exact times we’re on: twice (trailer then live) on Monday, once on Tuesday and Wednesday, and twice (two songs) on Thursday:

MONDAY: Song NUMBER ONE
Trailer starts at 21:30 (Please listen to this - it's really great what Martyn Williams compiled)
Interview and Song Performance Starts at 1:15:30
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f92d5c

TUESDAY: Song TEARS ON TEARS
Interview then song starts at 1:19:10, i.e. 1 hour 19 mins in
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f92dk9

WEDNESDAY: Song THE WAY I FEEL (The ballad)
Starts at 1:18:28
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f92fc0

THURSDAY: Song HEART OF ME (Starts at 1:17:10)
& I’LL BE THERE (Starts at 1:45:10)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f92ghp

DISCLAIMER:
I spoke to Tris yesterday and he certainly didn’t like the live sound/mixes (that’s putting it mildly!). I must admit, the mix from the live desk is all over the place, but some tracks are better than others. Also, we didn’t get a chance to do a proper soundcheck. We were flustered as none of the cables they supplied worked, then we couldn’t get sound out of Mainstage for a while, again a BBC cable issue. Luckily, I'd brought a bag of my own leads and cables (thank God!) and we finally got things sorted. But when we played live, we’re totally reliant on the guy behind the glass doing the mixing. (BTW, none of us have heard these tracks played back until the broadcasts this week!)

So, the drum samples and bass are very low, and the keys and guitar too low as well in most songs. Charla’s voice is very high in the mix (but she did a fantastic job and sounds great), but the power of these tracks was lost by poor EQing and, let’s just say, not optimal mixing in most cases. Half the time my guitar sounds like an electric ukulele (but remember it's also playing synth parts: most of the synth pads and those long, sustained washes you hear at the end of some tracks are actually played on the guitar routed into a GE300 guitar synth). Tris’s piano and synths are often lost in the mix too. And as for the backing vocals, mine are non-existent in the final track though I was singing like crazy in those end choruses! In complete contrast on track four, as there was no microphone foldback in my headphones, I was powering the backing vocals out so loud (maybe I was hoping Charla’s mic might pick some of them up!) and the result is I sounded more like Lemmy from Motorhead! 🤣

Anyway, it was still an incredible opportunity and despite the disappointment with the mix/sound at times, I’m still amazingly proud of what we did. First gig, and the first time we'd all met.

The Evening Show - 06/04/2023 - BBC Sounds Martyn Williams celebrates Derbyshire and East Staffordshire's arts and entertainment.

SongByte Records are looking for ambitious, talented Female Singers (18-30 ideally) to work with the Writing/Production Team & Label. SongByte have studios in the U.K. (in North Wales & North Derbyshire). We’re not necessarily looking for songwriting experience, but ideally artists that can interpret and put their stamp on commercial up-tempo EDM/pop/ dance songs (with occasional ballads, pop-rock & RnB tracks as well). Recordings and videos will be released on download & streaming platforms globally.
The ability to harmonise and dance would certainly be a bonus, but it’s not essential. Ambition and reliability are a must, as is the desire to promote the material on social media, help build a following, and also, should the opportunities arise, perform at gigs/support slots at festivals, and do radio and TV sessions.
Please contact us via [email protected] with links to your audio demos and/or a video showreel. If attaching files, please just one or two MP3s only. We look forward to speaking to you and, who knows, maybe working together. Thanks!