I have added the portamento on bassline and widen stereo picture as Storyteller suggested. Thanks, it's much better now. Also did some vocal cleaning and changed drums, but they are still simple. I really suck with drums.
Originally posted by gordan100
I have added the portamento on bassline and widen stereo picture as Storyteller suggested. Thanks, it's much better now. Also did some vocal cleaning and changed drums, but they are still simple. I really suck with drums.
Better groove and alignment with the vocals on this pass. Lotta potential here, and I dig the throwback vibe. Drums seem ok to me.
2 mildly unpleasant frequency spikes in the track at 7khz, and 16khz. One from vocoder (7khz) and the other from what I gather is the bell-synth in the back. 4-6db cut with a 5Q bell curve @ 7khz on the vocals would probably do the trick.
In agreement with SystematicX1 on the feedback for this one musically. At about 1:47, even while passively listening I felt..."I need a break from this vocodor". It's neat, I dig it...but I think musically, the track would benefit from your standard lead-ins and breaks.
Of course, it's your arrangement and I respect that...So this'd merely be an arrangement suggestion you could try on a totally separate save file of this track.
The intro is probably interesting enough to hold it's own until around 30-60 seconds in. Could get the full 60 seconds with a little variation in the instrumental, and that'd also be around your typical lead-in time for a mix.
The lead-in cue at 1:02 is also already present in the track, so it'd be as simple as shifting the vocals over to start them there. Then use the vocals to introduce the groove at 1:33 and take them away again to let the groove, groove for a bit there (It's a nice groove...), then...bring back the vocals around 2:02.
Breaks and variation are important to a listening experience, even a passive one...Else the ears/brain will start to tire of whatever they're listening to. I think generally speaking, once every 2 full measures is when listeners expect some kinda change to occur. Not a hard and fast rule, but it's worth keeping the listener's expectations in mind.
Hope that helps! Best of luck with this one!
Posted by TranceLover007 on Dec-04-2023 20:37:
quote:
Originally posted by theterran
....... Breaks and variation are important to a listening experience, even a passive one...Else the ears/brain will start to tire of whatever they're listening to. I think generally speaking, once every 2 full measures is when listeners expect some kinda change to occur. Not a hard and fast rule, but it's worth keeping the listener's expectations in mind.
Agree with this statement completely.
Darek
Posted by TranceLover007 on Dec-05-2023 21:49:
It is without question your production skills are top notch, so...I'll leave that alone as yet you provide another great sounding piece.
With that said, I am going full in on the personal side as this doesn't need critiquing
I like my piano's...a LOT. And I really like your opener. Curious, as I guess there is a production quirk I noticed. Is there a tad bit of
distortion I am sensing on the piano? Or...could it possibly be a higher key possibly that G or D# note that is giving me that tingey spike? Whichever, the intro is $$
Honestly I am questioning the vox. It comes in very sudden and it's introducing two elements, at the same time. It's not that it's bad and listening more on the chorus...it's super nice. I believe you could extend that point at the .30 sec mark without any percussion and instead of bringing in the vox, introduce the bass and build it. Honestly and again this is my total feelings on this but I think this is great with or without the vox. Hearing that you have a pretty fair amount of backing vox, if it were me? I'd put those in vs the verses but that could totally be artist expression and yours to do with.
This has a very familiar mousy feel to it yet you have delivered
the technique in your own feel. Personally, a slightly faster bpm might gain you more bounce but the groove is there either way.
Dood, the Arp. Remember this golden rule in any track. Gotta have an Arp. You provided. +10
The ending is very nice ma man. Dig it. That stab lead could possibly gain you some atmosphere if you give it some bounce with delay and some verb.
All personal feedback and very much a joy to listen to. A little different for you and I like where it went on this piece.
Posted by gordan100 on Dec-06-2023 10:28:
This is very nice, Darek. Very much like the opening and the fact that vocal comes together with kick. Lovely production
Posted by gordan100 on Dec-06-2023 10:35:
Terran, thank you very much for feedback. I have taken your suggestions into account here...
Really liking the vibe in the intro. Nice start with vocs, bass and the percs. Good plucks, maybe have a bit more sustain on them and filter them a bit deeper? This way the vocals and the synth that comes in shortly after have a bit more space in the mix.
The synth at 2:10 is off-grid here and there, a bit too much for my liking.
All in all very well balanced, mostly nitpicking at this point. Very enjoyable Posted by TranceLover007 on Dec-06-2023 18:39:
quote:
Originally posted by gordan100
Terran, thank you very much for feedback. I have taken your suggestions into account here...
Hi Gordan, for instance giving you some form of replay on your track and telling you what to change, I may as well give you my thought process for coming up with the new production concept. The most important element is melody line, of course, but without some driving and grooving drums and bass line, you are not going to get far (my personal experience lol). So at this point I usually create bass and drums and than start to working on some creative grove/vibe for it - it already has to sound like pretty moving/grooving element of your creation. The rest is a bit easy to grasp around but grove/vibe is the key to any good production. Hopefully this will help.
Cheers,
Darek
Posted by theterran on Dec-06-2023 20:37:
quote:
Originally posted by gordan100
Terran, thank you very much for feedback. I have taken your suggestions into account here...
Definitely dig it alot more with that arrangement...but, more importantly, what do you think?
On V2, I made it to about 1:47 before wanting to skip through / move on...this time I was just groovin' with it all the way to the end with it in the background while surfing the web.
A much more organized and well-intentioned arrangement, I'd say. Guess you'll have to wait and see what others gotta say about it.
Posted by TranceLover007 on Dec-06-2023 20:38:
Matthijs, Gordan and Phil - thank you for listening and objective replay on my WIP. You opinion will be taking in account.
Cheer,
Darek
Posted by theterran on Dec-06-2023 21:59:
quote:
Originally posted by TranceLover007
Let's see what you guys think about tis WIP.
Honestly, in agreement with much of what's been said already.
Gonna wager that soundcloud accentuated some things with the initial piano, making it sound a little extra distorted / dynamically smooshed...especially when it hits that G.
Definitely dig the instrumentation. Almost seems to have like a throwback vibe to it, which I'm all for. Like all the supporting background sounds dancing about. Sound palette is nice.
Not a personal fan of the squelchy percussion underneath the mix.
Do like the vocal work, and the vocals themselves quite a lot, which is rare for me. Gotta be that nice clean / pure voice I guess.
Initially thought things got a little stuffy at around 1:26...possibly those 2 plucks in what sounds like a similar frequency range are in competition for space.
Rhythm of the E-piano at 2:15 was out enough to bother me. Most bothersome at 2:35. If intentional / artistic...cool, can't argue that...just sounds out of rhythm without really adding anything.
Overall, I dig it. Best of luck
Posted by TranceLover007 on Dec-09-2023 06:42:
quote:
Originally posted by theterran
Honestly, in agreement with much of what's been said already.
Gonna wager that soundcloud accentuated some things with the initial piano, making it sound a little extra distorted / dynamically smooshed...especially when it hits that G.
Definitely dig the instrumentation. Almost seems to have like a throwback vibe to it, which I'm all for. Like all the supporting background sounds dancing about. Sound palette is nice.
Not a personal fan of the squelchy percussion underneath the mix.
Do like the vocal work, and the vocals themselves quite a lot, which is rare for me. Gotta be that nice clean / pure voice I guess.
Initially thought things got a little stuffy at around 1:26...possibly those 2 plucks in what sounds like a similar frequency range are in competition for space.
Rhythm of the E-piano at 2:15 was out enough to bother me. Most bothersome at 2:35. If intentional / artistic...cool, can't argue that...just sounds out of rhythm without really adding anything.
Overall, I dig it. Best of luck
Appreciate man, most of those little imperfections are cleaned up already and some additional development are added to this WIP.
Cheesr,
Darek
Posted by SystematicX1 on Dec-19-2023 00:33:
quote:
Originally posted by TranceLover007
"are added to this WIP"
gah!
-------------------------------------
you guys ever have so many tracks working that you lose "track" of your "tracks"?
good problem to have I guess
Not a fan of the piano at 29sec instead of the rhodes.
I'd suggest to half the buildup (in length) and/or build up more tension using effects so you can drop the full beat with filters open. Maybe have the vocal over the builup unfiltered?
The bass could be louder for my liking (higher notes seem to hit better in the mix too, could be a point of attention when increasing volume of the bassline as a whole).
The high end of the drums and the plucky synth seem a bit harsh at times.
Overall its a good concept with a lot of potential which needs work. The rythm section is great! The last bit with the loud strings is my fav, more moody, a more prominent role for the musical instruments in general.
Hope this helps
Posted by theterran on Dec-19-2023 23:01:
quote:
Originally posted by SystematicX1
gah!
-------------------------------------
you guys ever have so many tracks working that you lose "track" of your "tracks"?
good problem to have I guess
I wish that was a problem that I had...Been much better at actually finishing what I start lately, but having more problems actually starting something worth finishing...If it doesn't make it out of initial sequencing into arrangement and begin immediately writing itself, I tend to relinquish it to the recycling bin.
On a similar wavelength to Storyteller it seems. Mostly in agreement with what's been said.
Always a sucker for the dreamy drum and bass. Tune has a nice vibe that I definitely dig. Overall, I like it, and it's pretty much there already imo. Had no passive issues listening start to finish save for the few bits that stick out here and there.
I don't mind either piano though tbh, but was there some reason for the switch-up? Might be worth it to consider sticking with one.
Personal opinion here of course...but the main offender for me is the thin saw-synth on top when it's not being a pluck. Just...don't dig it with the longer attack and sustain. Sounds like a thin, mushy, high-pitched noodle aimlessly wandering around in the back-drop. For me, it was the one thing that really took away from this piece.
If it were me...and this is just my opinion...I'd either keep it as a pluck and support it with a synth that's got a little bit more depth to it, or relegate it to the pluck parts, and replace the longer attack/sustain sections with something similar + slightly more width/depth. Seems like the available frequency real-estate would support this as well...Maybe with a little ducking behind the vocals.
Still not a fan of commenting on SC mixes in all their additionally processed 192kbps glory...but I note similar harshness in the drums...There's a section at ~1:00 as it's being filtered in that sticks out, and generally anytime the snare overlaps with hard vocal consonants.
Don't trust my setup enough yet to make any confident remarks about the low-end...but the low-end sub seemed clear enough to me... Might throw it on the big system just to see how it goes though
Hope the additional feedback helps! Best 'o luck sir!
Posted by SystematicX1 on Dec-21-2023 01:02:
quote:
Originally posted by theterran
I wish that was a problem that I had...Been much better at actually finishing what I start lately, but having more problems actually starting something worth finishing...If it doesn't make it out of initial sequencing into arrangement and begin immediately writing itself, I tend to relinquish it to the recycling bin.
On a similar wavelength to Storyteller it seems. Mostly in agreement with what's been said.
Always a sucker for the dreamy drum and bass. Tune has a nice vibe that I definitely dig. Overall, I like it, and it's pretty much there already imo. Had no passive issues listening start to finish save for the few bits that stick out here and there.
Hope the additional feedback helps! Best 'o luck sir!
quote:
Originally posted by Storyteller
Overall its a good concept with a lot of potential which needs work. The rythm section is great! The last bit with the loud strings is my fav, more moody, a more prominent role for the musical instruments in general.
Hope this helps
Thanks you guys! For all that useful info, that I will NEVER get to put it to use to (well, not ever but) and me being the noob I am :: hangs head in disgrace :: am depressed enough to inform you that THIS version ,is now...the final cut
Yea, like a dumbass I saved over my midi master
Posted by theterran on Dec-21-2023 02:03:
quote:
Originally posted by SystematicX1
Thanks you guys! For all that useful info, that I will NEVER get to put it to use to (well, not ever but) and me being the noob I am :: hangs head in disgrace :: am depressed enough to inform you that THIS version ,is now...the final cut
Yea, like a dumbass I saved over my midi master
Rip...sorry to hear Posted by TranceLover007 on Dec-21-2023 17:31:
quote:
Originally posted by SystematicX1
Thanks you guys! For all that useful info, that I will NEVER get to put it to use to (well, not ever but) and me being the noob I am :: hangs head in disgrace :: am depressed enough to inform you that THIS version ,is now...the final cut
Yea, like a dumbass I saved over my midi master
You shouldn't; this may not be my favorite genre, but it is still worth investing extra time to get it into the release state. You, as the few guys on this site, have really good potential for creating properly structured and release-ready tracks, so never give up and keep them rolling, man!
Posted by Storyteller on Dec-22-2023 11:11:
There's a bunch of projects I have lying around with potential, just not the time or inspiration to finish. I've been working on these 2 a bit the past few days. Hoping to experiment with a full on vocal myself with lots of autotune and a voice changer to see what that could turn out like. But first recordings of myself I dropped, autotune couldn't save it
As you might see in the soundcloud widget there are some notes to self in there too.
Note: There's 2 mixes. The original and a house version (the latter in the playlist).
Looking forward to hear what suggestions you might have!
hey all hope ur doin well and happy holidays and jizzmass and new years.
fired up a daw today and thought of you guys, and damn you guys all have that pro crisp punchy sound, very nice work the lot of u. groovvenn is amazing st.
i cant export audio on this demo daw, somehow its easier to capture the screen, but still on that dull-muddy sound as always.
cheers <3
Posted by Storyteller on Dec-23-2023 07:12:
quote:
Originally posted by szm
hey all hope ur doin well and happy holidays and jizzmass and new years.
fired up a daw today and thought of you guys, and damn you guys all have that pro crisp punchy sound, very nice work the lot of u. groovvenn is amazing st.
i cant export audio on this demo daw, somehow its easier to capture the screen, but still on that dull-muddy sound as always.
cheers <3
Dude I really enjoy this. I'm listening on tiny earbuds currently. The soundscapes are great, especially when you add a layer right after the start of the clip I'm hooked. Maybe add some reverbed brush-type sounds here and there.
I've said it a couple of times before; Please just finish it for once. 😁
Posted by SystematicX1 on Dec-23-2023 17:27:
quote:
Originally posted by Storyteller
There's a bunch of projects I have lying around with potential, just not the time or inspiration to finish. I've been working on these 2 a bit the past few days. Hoping to experiment with a full on vocal myself with lots of autotune and a voice changer to see what that could turn out like. But first recordings of myself I dropped, autotune couldn't save it
As you might see in the soundcloud widget there are some notes to self in there too.
Note: There's 2 mixes. The original and a house version (the latter in the playlist).
Looking forward to hear what suggestions you might have!
House version for sure!
In my opinion the sub stab bass acts as a good support for the opener. When you are ready for the track to taking on some swing and groove or rather "motion", I would take that sub bass and lengthen the notes ultimately sustaining them. Maybe a good section would be the melody area or maybe an area where you are transitioning using cymbals/shaker introductions.
Dig the fact that you are showcasing an actual work in progress. I enjoy seeing the changes you make and seeing what they transition into
--------------------------------
Thanks guys on the vote of confidence on that last one I f'd up on.
quote:
Originally posted by theterran
I wish that was a problem that I had...Been much better at actually finishing what I start lately, but having more problems actually starting something worth finishing...If it doesn't make it out of initial sequencing into arrangement and begin immediately writing itself, I tend to relinquish it to the recycling bin.
I did want to reply on this comment however because man, I am willing to bet you that every single person here posting, has felt or even feels right now the way you just posted.
It took me so long to discipline myself to going to the 24 hour rule. If you sleep and come back to it 24 hours later, and you aint feeling it...dump it. But then...your left with writers block and what pulled me out was the need for inspiration and that was .....samples.
Find a sample of something and play over a simple four on the floor kick. Audition as many different ones as you have available or until one seems to move you. Then,chop it up, sample it, Re sample it. Do something that alters it. See if you can turn it into a MIDI file and put something of a different tonality over it and build off of that.
Always seems to help me. And FYI. I can't tell you how many times I have started a track and it becomes something completely different by finish.
-----------------------------
Having vox placement issue's on the "All I have to say is" samples in 3 areas I think.
This track has been a real karen and it seems I am finally breaking through from the "blanket" tonality from before.
Happy Holiday's All!!
Posted by Storyteller on Dec-23-2023 19:25:
Happy holidays Phil. I'm going to take a few listens on your clip. First impression is top notch. Great musically, great sound design, great stereo image, good transitions.
Posted by szm on Dec-23-2023 22:38:
yea I have no critique because that sounds really pro, maybe relatively the levels can be tweaked minutely to taste.
@st no point of finishing anything, I cant get a good sound.
