Review the track(s) above you

[0racle]

Hey everyone! I assume this is where I put track to has review. So that is what I shall do. Keep in mind two things, first the quality changed drastically when I uploaded the song to soundcloud, second I am very new to music production, so don't expect anything good. Thanks in advance for all the feedback you can provide!
https://soundcloud.com/mau5enthusiast/0 ... be-is-done

[Callenby]

Hello, Oracle! Welcome to MLR!

Two things:
1. We have an introduction thread where you can tell us a little about yourself.
2. As the title of the thread says and explained in the original post, you are expected to review other peoples' tracks before asking for feedback on your own. It's a give-and-take and it's considered kinda rude be taking without any giving.

You're new so don't feel too bad, but if you would edit your post to include some reviews of tracks above you then it would be much appreciated. We have a lot of people seeking feedback here and this thread is one of the surest ways to get it.

[TheUncrativePony]

@kyoga
just wow. all i can say is wow. Speachless at your production on this piece. The entire song could easily fit a video game or movie as backing instrumental with no problem at all. I'm talking like Square Enix quality stuff right here. The only thing I'm hearing that's sort of throwing me off is that with some of your low orchestral parts I'm only getting sub-sonic sounds from it, and not enough of the higher end of the instrument to understand "oh that's a concert bass" or a cello or whatever it really was haha. Other than that the mixing is basically spot on, the dynamic range is perfect, and the overall composition is great!

@azerty I'm loving the ideas, but some sections just feel like they drone on a bit long, and the variation between part one and part two isnt all that much that keeps you holding onto the track. also theres some weird melodic stuff going on in the middle transition around 2:30ish. Basses are sick though. Massive/resampled/what? seriously they're awesome!

Here's my track :D
https://soundcloud.com/officialaristokat/ocular-timeless-9_l1v35-remix

[Injustrial]

instead focusing on making your vocals mix in well with your percussion and keep the synthetic elements where they are in the mix

Hmm, I've been thinking about replacing the snare sound. This one has only bass and treble in it, and lacks the mid for that punchy smack. I think that could help out a lot.

Would you suggest sidechaining the vocals to the snare? Just 1-2 db? Or will that sound terrible?

In either case, thank you so much for your feedback and kind words. I'll have to admit, most of the feedback you give is way above what I can do at the moment, but it gives me something to aim for.

[Injustrial]

I would definitely suggest doing everything you can to mix the snares and the vocals together so that they coexist in the mix without taking each other out. If you find there's no other real option, then yes sidechaining the vocals slightly will do you wonders until you get your mid-range situation figured out. Though snares don't really tend to drown out the vocals. it'll be your synths you need to worry about since they and the vocals tend to share a similar frequency range.

Allright, I'll see what I can do. Thanks again!

[TheUncrativePony]

https://soundcloud.com/officialaristokat/ocular-timeless-9_l1v35
Old link was changed, my bad haha

[itroitnyah]

I'm back.

@Simonli2527

The mixing could use some work. It feels like risers are waaay up and at you, while pad synths and other ambient effects are trying to hide. As for the drums, the kick could use some more high end (not a lot, so that you don't ruin it). The snare could use some low end. Not a lot for either though, so that you don't ruin them.

Composition sounds fine. Structuring is really repetitive imo.

Overall the whole idea of the song is very good, and it's well played, but it could use some work in the mixing department.

@Kyoga

I'm never certain whether you post links to tracks as a "Hey, how is this?" or "this is what I did!" type of thing, haha. But either way, I'm pretty much on no level to "critique" this by any sorts. It's lovely though. I love your work, man. It's great to hear that you're getting work in the professional realm as well, congratulations! I hope you don't mind me asking you to tell us a bit about it though. I'd be interested in hearing how and what.

@TheUncrativePony

Mixing could use some work at some parts. When the lead comes in at 0.30, it's hard to hear. Blends in with other parts of the track.

Structuring does a find job of keeping everything sounding interesting, and transitions are smooth.

My only other thing with the track is that it sounds pretty bass-less. You have a lot of supersaws and leads and pads and light ambient elements, but I can't tell if there's any bass besides the kick.

@~@~@~@~@~@@~@~@~@

Alright, now for my track. I buckled down and did a lot of work with synthesis. I managed to create a sort of bassoon-ish sound, and a sort of flute-ish sound, and my overall sound design is better than what I've made before, in my opinion. I also changed up structuring a bit, enough to deviate from my normal, but still retaining a good structure.

Before you review the track though, I haven't done any proper mixing. Just fyi.

Weee, a link.

[itroitnyah]

Spoiler ego status:

Crushed

Thanks for the review, Kyoga. Sound design is my biggest weak spot, so that always seems to need major improvements. The thing is, it seems to be the least interesting to me, so it makes it hard to work on sound design. I suppose that I will eventually improve though, since I've only been at this for two years or so. Composition is another weak spot, because I love it, but I can't pay enough attention to music theory to learn anything other than scales, chords and the basics. But, I suppose it's a good thing you demolished my ego, because it gives me a whole new reason to start studying these things again.

[Stuntddude]

TheUnCrativePony:

First off, I have to agree with itroitnyah (whose name is secretly a government torture device for bad spellers) that the mix seems very much bassless. It makes it seem a lot more empty than I think it would other wise. I would add at least a bass around 100 Hz if not something lower like a sub bass as well (I don't think it really needs it though, mostly just something moderately bassy).

Percussion is really boring, as it seems to be the same kick (hat) snare (hat) kick (hat) snare (hat) all the way through. It would be nice to at least have a little variation. In general, the song seems a little drawn out, althoug not hugely, I just feel like it could use to be maybe 3-4 minutes rather than 5.

The lead melody is good, and I don't have any personal gripes with how it's mixed in, seems to me like it doesn't really need to be particularly up-front - it isn't especially prominent, but I don't think it needs to be. I also like that neatly panned high arp quite a bit.

Once again in agreement, I think the transitions are quite well done.

TeaL;DeeR: The melody is good, arp is good, mixing is pleasant but needs more bass, is a little repetitive in general structure and in percussion.



Also, that's the main reason I haven't posted anything here yet, I'm rather insecure and don't know if I could handle having my sould crushed like that :P

[JacksonMiller]

@Kyoga : oh wow, your song sounds extremely dark, not in a bad way, but I like it, maybe you should add in more of a melody in it instead of just one note. Other than that, not in the mood for Ambiance but I like it, very dark, but nice. The sound design is amazing, but unfortunately, it's drowned out by loads of reverb. Maybe have not so much reverb in it this time.

Anyway, I finished a new Remix for Jason Derulo a few hours ago, I'm hoping somepony will give me lots of feedback. It's Drum and Bass mixed with some Soul Jazz.

https://soundcloud.com/jacksonmiller/talk-dirty-jackson-miller

[Alycs]

ALSO: here is an old song of mine that I'm interested in having reviewed :D

"In the Realm of the Liars"


It's almost two years old, but this is the first song I made that was built completely out of FM synthesis. it was a bit shady in it's harmonic accompaniment, but I feel that it was a good movement compositionally and synthetically. I'm interested in hearing your guys' thoughts on it since it was a harsh reflection on my older ambient style.

I must say that I really love most of the sound design in this piece; as usual its very cleverly done. However, for some reason something about this sound just didn't sit right with me. It took me a few listens to pinpoint what it was, but I think I've got it:
As you said, it doesn't have a ton of harmonic accompaniment; in the beginning it had the buildup into the full bass-ey, doom-y sound you bring in throughout the song, but after that sound hits, the rest of the sounds just fade away. Part of this feels "right" in that it helps transition from one section to the other, but it also leads to a lack of "fullness" both in terms of frequency range and harmonics. However, that wasn't the main thing that I noticed.
The main thing was that the song didn't seem to fit the title or the picture. "In the Realm of the Liars" suggests a level of deception and uncertainty. This track left me with neither; it was - for lack of a better phrase - a perfect ambient song, it left me with very few surprises or uncertainties in direction. There were a few places where the changes in harmonics you brought in weren't what I was expected (the brief modulation at 4:00 for one) but as a whole the song felt soothing and structured rather than disconcerting or questioning. Secondly, the picture is very, VERY dark and (hints at) violence. Your track is also dark, but its not in the same way. The picture is the kind of dark doom that comes from seeing thousands of horse-sized wasps blot out the sun and destroying the world; your darkness is more of the kind that comes from walking around an abandoned insane asylum at night - both are horrific and dark, but entirely different kinds.

I know its one of your old songs (it says its from 2012) so a lot of this kind of stuff you've probably gotten a lot better at, but if I had one major critique, its that the song doesn't fit its name. Other than that, I can't find any major flaw with it.

[Dr. Plague]

Right, let's get this stuff on the road. I've experimented with a more EBM-like bass and less processed vocals on this one. Though it's classic me in composition, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the overall execution.

https://soundcloud.com/injustrial/pride-and-fall

PS: The chorus changes after the bridge.

Idk if my opinion on this style of vocals will ever change, but damn, good synths and great lead! Very catchy, honestly the only thing that moderately bothered me was that there's too much stuff going on in the high end, and the hats are slightly drowned out. The fact that they seem to be panned basically 100% to the left or right isn't my cup of tea, either.

Kyoga, for yours, I... really don't have anything to offer. Genre of music I've never listened to and probably don't ever plan to. I guess since I listened through it and nothing made me cringe or want to close the tab, you're all set on a good track.

https://soundcloud.com/officialaristokat/ocular-timeless-9_l1v35
Old link was changed, my bad haha

Nice and mellow but uplifting, I like it. One of the only issues I had was with that pad. Especially around 2:35 or so, it just came out sounding really dry. Maybe add a little white noise, if you haven't already, or brighten up the upper range of it?

I really like the sound of the snare you've got, though. Has some great crispness to it.

Anyway, I finished a new Remix for Jason Derulo a few hours ago, I'm hoping somepony will give me lots of feedback. It's Drum and Bass mixed with some Soul Jazz.

https://soundcloud.com/jacksonmiller/ta ... son-miller

I'm not familiar with the original song at all, so I can't really tell apart what parts are sampled from the original (besides the vocals, obviously) and what parts are original, so if I criticize a sound that you didn't make, well, then that's that.

The intro was pretty good, though the "Talk dirty to me" sample before the drop seemed a little off-time or just awkwardly timed.

For the drop itself, the beginning growl bass is a little too focused on the low end imo. Right around 49-50 seconds, it's hard to hear it doing anything--just low-end noise, basically. The higher pitched FM synth is a little too strong in the upper region; maybe EQ the high end down just a notch so it's not so sharp? The sax (okay I'm bad at telling some instruments by their sounds okay whatever the horn is) is going a little fast. I mean, yeah, it's DnB, but if you're going for a soul kind of feel, shouldn't it be a little slower? It feels off to me.

The biggest problem I have is probably your snare. During your drop, it's basically non-existant. Compress it a little or do something, but it needs some presence. It's one of the main driving forces in DnB.

Also, try not to copy-paste drops. IMO complete cop-out. (If it's not copy-pasted, sorry, but it's hard to tell the differences.) I'd rather listen to a 1.5 minute song than 4 minutes of the same thing looped, y'know?

---------

Well, I think that was everything back to whatever post hitting the "go to new replies" button took me to. Sorry for people before that that I unintentionally ignored.

https://soundcloud.com/dr_plague/dai-kamaitachi

I'm considering this complete for the time being, but whenever I compile a bunch of my single songs into an EP or album, I go back over them and touch them up, and that's why I like the criticism here. So anything you guys could help with would be nice.

Took a break from trying to make nice melodies and stuff and went with kind of basic EDM house-y stuff. Focusing more on catchiness than on the melody progression and all (not to imply I was ever fantastic at that, of course).

I'm still having trouble with one of the simplest parts, imo, of music, and that's the basic composition of verse-chorus structure. For whatever reason, even if I put together something and tell myself "this will be the chorus and this will be the verse" I do other things and it just doesn't work???

This track seemed to kind of work itself out decently, though, I guess. Idk, you tell me.

[Glitchhog]

@Dr Plague: I'm just gonna write a stream of consciousness critique. The groove so far is cool, but a little confusing. It'd be better if made a little simpler. The mix is sounding alright on my laptop though. Couldn't help but feel it could use a lot more depth though. Seems there's not as much going on as there could be. Digging this first buildup... the payoff wasn't as epic as the tension led me to believe though. The synths you used seem to stand out in the mix too much, they need to be blended in a bit better and made less harsh imo. Loving the beat, but the kick could be a little louder. I'm definitely loving how much the track is changing though, it's hardly repetitive (not that repetition is a bad thing.)

Not too bad overall, but it could use some work imo.

As for mine, I made this yesterday out of boredom. Been meaning to try the French House thing for a while. Not sure if this is French House or Madeoncore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCB3xhXMM0c

[itroitnyah]

@Dr. Plague

The melodies seem to clash and are hard to follow because of this. It seems that the idea behind the song is really good, but hard to understand. I can't really think of anything other than what Glitchhog has said. The bass really sounds like it has a LP filter on it, so there are almost no high frequencies. Makes it sound really muffled.

@Glitchhog

The mixing sounds really congested. Really muddy and muffled in the mids. The composition is well done, all of the synths seem to sound good together too. Perhaps you may want to see what modifying your synths can do to help the mixing. Not necessarily starting them over, but changing how many voices each synth has. That can often cause mixing issues based on how the voices change the synth.

********************************

Alright, I made some changes to my previous WIP, following some of Kyoga's advice.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/113 ... le%202.mp3

Overall I think there's a general improvement, and it sounds better, but I'm interested in hearing what other people think.

[Stuntddude]

itroitnyah:

For some reason the entire song sounds really distant, and somewhat flat dynamically. There's a growl bass there, but there's absolutely no aggression to it, which is a little bit weird. It sounds a little bit... limp, if that makes and sense. The drums also seem a little bit "limp" and half-hearted, like they're just sort of there, without having any particular place in the mix. (Sorry this is really abstract criticism, I'm not that great at giving concrete opinions... again, sorry :/)

The piece has a nice atmosphere, especially near the beginning and end, and I like the sound of that lead synth (although the melody it's playing seems very uninteresting). Altogether, it's actually quite a relaxing listen, although it feels the whole way through like it's trying not to be, mostly due to the growl bass.

eery:

I actually can find nothing to criticize about this, although it pretty much hits all my soft spots (relatively intricate percussion, chopped vocal samples, pleasant pads with lots of delay/reverb, etc.).

--

And, okay, I'm finally giving in and posting something here for y'all to rip to shreds. Here it is:
https://soundcloud.com/stuntddude/bringer-of-the-last-sun

[Stuntddude]

...I think I killed this thread.

[Stakeout Punch]

...I think I killed this thread.

Nope, it just dies when people have nothing to contribute *awkwardly flies away to keep working on music stuff*

[Stuntddude]

That... isn't really helpful at all, but okay :/

[Felipe_9595]

@Kyoga

Wow, i really liked it, i am a fan of ambient pieces and this certainly nails it. It sounds really mysterious, kinda eerie, but at the same time i think i would be able to walk aimlessly in an unknown world for hours with this playing in the background. The mix is really clean for all the stuff that's going on. Great Work c:

############################################################

Acoustic Cover of JackleApp's I Love Everything c:

[Mush]

I Love Everything:

This sounds very soothing, I'm loving how the acoustic guitar (?) sounds, and the flute sound compliments the instrument well. However I find the vocals to be a little distracting, as they seem a bit muffled and muted, but I think that's your mic.
Anyway, all in all, a nice track and sounds nice and soothing, as the theme of the song.

Contribution: Muh Tombstone impression.

[Callenby]

Hi, Skull! (prev post was deleted by a mod)

This is the "Review the tracks above you" thread. As you can tell from the title and from the original post, you are only allowed to put your own track after you've given feedback to others. It's considered kinda rude to just post yours without helping anyone else out. Please edit your post with some solid critiques of at least two other tracks.

[Freewave]

Just a reminder all, mods don't normally police this thread but i encourage people to flag any posts that simply ignore the basic rules. If i see people just post their tracks and not review the ones above we'll simply delete those posts and hand out warnings if i have to.

[Acsii]

Mush:
First of all, hey Mush didn't know you were still visiting these parts.
Now. It's very cool and I love the 8-bit feel to it, however I don't think the kick and snare of the main bit match up very well. Although if you were going for a tombstone feel then congrats you got it spot on with the drums :). I'm loving the lead also, I love gliding leads like that.

Here's my track:
https://soundcloud.com/acsiident/stop-pretending-new-vocalist-complete

[Acsii]

Ascii:
Sounds real nice. I think some of the panning is a bit overdone on the guitars though. Theres times when the vocals dont feel like they work for me with the guitars. Its also hearable when the vocals are put in and out. I'd put like a volume automation on the intro of it, so the background noise doesn't give it away. Either that, or putting in a steady amount of the ambient noise where there arent vocals too.

Really though, it sounds mostly really professional and nice.

Yea I haven't edited the vocals in anyway other then placement and fx sends, so I think I might go do that. On the note of the guitars, I need to re-record them because they were down before the most recent version of the vocals was done.

[Felipe_9595]

That sounds pretty cool, the mix is very clean and there is nothing that sounds weird in my setup. I like the background pad, but i feel it would have sounded better if you had put more emphasis in its lower frequencies . Overall, pretty solid c:

---------------------------------------------

Vocal Cover time !!!!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/938 ... wonder.mp3