<pony><original><Hardstyle>The Hard Way

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<pony><original><Hardstyle>The Hard Way

Postby FruityFusion » 19 Feb 2016 10:14

I tried hardstyle. Soo.. here it is:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_zg01xTQGs[/youtube]

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Re: <pony><original><Hardstyle>The Hard Way

Postby Thunder Dash » 21 Feb 2016 12:12

Ok. The biggest issue with this piece is the repetition.

You limited yourself to the i and the VII knowing that this piece is in the key of d minor. If you want to avoid the continuous repetition, you are going to need a steady 4-chord progression. Here are some suggestions:

i-VII-VI-V

i-VII-III-V

III-VII-i-IV-V (last two chords are only a half beat)

i-iv-VI-V

To learn about these symbols and how to develop other progressions like these, you can visit this thread here: https://mlpforums.com/topic/136619-chor ... ing-music/

Your sawtooths are nice and bright, but they are also kind of dry. Why not run them through a light and subtle chorus? This way, they wouldn't be so dry. Brightness and dryness aren't really a good mix. I wouldn't keep doing sawtooths all the way though. I would maybe insert a bright and chorused square wave in a certain part. Better yet, why not try this: layer a saw and a square together. Run them through a distortion amp model to get a guitar-like lead sound.

In terms of the quote, I really wouldn't scramble it. If you're only working around one and only one quote, it is best to use it only once. In the hardstyle genre, there is a certain spot of the piece where there is a buildup. Because electronic music is typically divided into phrases of 8 bars (each bar consisting of four beats), it is very easy to know when and where you can put a quote. Here's the layout:

1-2-3-4|2-2-3-4|3-2-3-4|5-2-3-4|6-2-3-4|7-2-3-4|8-2-3-4|

Notice how every first beat is in bold. With this layout, you know where you'll be able to put certain things. In your situation, because you're using the hardstyle genre, sweeps, changes and buildups usually occur at 5th bar. The 8th bar is typically reserved for the "drop" in certain situations. The last two beats of bar 4 can be used for a small fill-in to lessen the repetitiveness and add a little flare.

Your percussion could use quite a bit of work. It was really straight kicks all the way through. Melodic synth tom fill-ins would certainly work on bars 2 & 4. Straight kicks may be popular in the hardstyle, but they become a turn-off if overused.

All in all, this piece has potential, but it could use a ton of work. I'm here if you need help.
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