Review the track(s) above you

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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Paianni » 27 Mar 2013 13:45

Now I've made my life quite difficult by picking a completed piece from quite a bit far back in this thread, but given that since then it has started to be adorned with WIP stuff that this was never intended for, I'll do this one.

The structure is pretty good, with just enough changes in the mood to keep things together, though at times (particularly towards the end) development is lacking and the instrumentation can seem a bit sparse. If anything the sound design is the most impressive aspect, with all the reverb and effects slotted into just the right places (at least to me!).

Obviously my experience is kinda underwhelming me though I feel I've listened to enough house/trance, those were just my thoughts from playing through the entire track.


I uploaded this particular composition awhile back, and since its for GCSE (school) coursework I've remodeled parts of it in acknowledgement to feedback from my teacher. Basically the structure and development needed reinforcement. So here it is: Make An Impression V2.

https://soundcloud.com/paspie/make-an-impression-v2-final
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Thunder Dash » 02 Apr 2013 17:48

I uploaded this particular composition awhile back, and since its for GCSE (school) coursework I've remodeled parts of it in acknowledgement to feedback from my teacher. Basically the structure and development needed reinforcement. So here it is: Make An Impression V2.

https://soundcloud.com/paspie/make-an-i ... n-v2-final


It's a pretty good piece but it just needs more varience, especially the percussion line. Also, vary your chord changes and maybe add some licks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CIZ-aUmQ4w

I uploaded this song yesterday. It's a theme about Rainbow Dash and it has an easter egg in it.
This is only the instrumental with melody version, live vocal version will be created sometime in the future.
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby v.lossity » 06 Apr 2013 00:39

I'm going to keep these short because I hate typing on my phone, but hopefully they are helpful nonetheless. :) @Paspie. The biggest "problem" that I noticed with your track was the lack of attention grabbing movement in the percussion. It seems the high end is rather spare. Perhaps you could add some open hi hat hits, or some reversed or time stretched cymbals for added interest? Not too sure what else to add; this is something I also struggle with.

@thunder dash - the primary problem I had with your track was a lack of a recognizable theme. It would be nice to have something I recognized reappear so I could follow something familiar. Perhaps add a chorus-like section. Also, the samples were fairly mediocre, but from what you said, this shouldn't be a problem in the live version. I look forward to hearing it!
And with that I'm off! Keep this thread alive! :)
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby LFP » 06 Apr 2013 19:15

@Dr. Plague; oooo this is starting interesting :3
distant kinda scary feeling to the synths, coolio, however I feel like you really need to bring the modulated basses a lot more forward, it's like you took of all the stereo from them there's also not enough lower frequencies IMO ^^, (just be careful with the lows if you decide to add more stereo to it ^^), I like the melody and progression of this, but bring forth your synths man!

@Paspie; I like the pad and the stab synth in work together, the drums could use some more work, try using some more perc samples, the closed hats sounds really dull =P
it's a clean and nice mix but I think you can push it a bit further in some regiesters, highs etc!
That transition into the slower part also comes in kinda sudden still, I like it because it brings in variation into this, but you need to fit it in better! :D


https://soundcloud.com/lfp-music/wip-teaser-through-storms
here's something I've been working on today, had some sudden inspiration and the rest just went forward :3
I have been mixing this along the way so feel free to point out any flaws in that too if oyu find any! ^^
Last edited by LFP on 06 Apr 2013 20:32, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Stakeout Punch » 06 Apr 2013 20:24

@Dr. Plague
The intro is very interesting! I'd add a low pad layered with the sub to make it work better with headphones. All the hits are neat, but make sure to not go overboard. Right now it's fine. Okay I'm at 2.24 and I have to say I think you need a good old bass! I can kinda hear sub on my senns, but the songs spectrum just doesn't feel full. The second part is very chilled out, with that occasional growl. I've noticed that through out the song that one of the snares hits early, is that on purpose?

@Paspie
I love this! It's nice and chill yet with a drive going. The structure is very nice. The plucked instruments fit very well. The instruments are all good patches, and the melody is catchy and flowing. The slow tempo break is great. Over all my only complaint is the lack of variance in the drums.

@Thunder Dash
I like it, and I really don't have much else to say, which is a good thing. I'm interested in hearing the live version when you get to it!

@LFP
GIVE ME PATCHES I have nothing else to say. You don't need my criticism on that. The mixing is solid, and the stereo variance on the different percussion samples is pretty neat.
----
I know, I suck at criticism almost as much as I suck with music :c
..
Alright here is mine. It's for R&R and I've posted it around the forums already, but now I want some real feedback. I think I've done okay mixing, but please if you notice anything tell me!

https://soundcloud.com/evanhroberts/r-rdance/s-P3MbM
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Nine Volt » 06 Apr 2013 20:50

Ok fine.

@LFP
Ok, I expected something pretty good and I wasn't disappointed :3
The first lightning sample in the beginning sounds very wet, almost like it's underwater (or IS water), not sure if that was intentional or not. The stabby lead in the beginning sounds awkwardly timed almost, like it cuts off very abruptly. I don't know, I'd add at least some delay or give it a longer release. The snare thing that (it sounds like) you layered with a clap sounds a tad off... I think the snare might have a bit too much of a sample delay on it, like it plays too late compared to the clap. During the slow part, the drums at the ends of the bars are too loud IMO. Also, that percussive/clap thing towards the second half is too loud as well. Actually, just bring all the percussion down in that section, including that riser at the end. Not bad though, definitely a start.

@Thunder Dash
I'm sorry, I just don't really like this one. Not my style.
The brass samples sound bad, like really bad, get yourself a proper sample library. Unless that's live/what brass is actually supposed to sound like. Also, you've got some REALLY bad dissonance around the 50 second mark and a few more times. The drums are way muffled, I get that it's not supposed to be 'in your face' style drums, but still. I agree with the guys above that it needs a central focus to it to tie the track together. That piano thing around 1:30 is a tad loud. Around 1:50 that synth you add is really out of place, the rest is pretty much all brass but then you add that weird synth that also has some pretty egregious dissonance to it at points. At that slow part around 2:20 the brass thing is too loud (I think it's a trombone? Maybe?) in comparison to the piano. Also, you should properly title your tracks. This one would be 'Thunder Dash - Soar (Rainbow Dash's Theme)'. Note the spaces between the words and the hyphen.

Alrighty, here's the track I've been working on for like 2 days. It sounds like someone took the intro track to a post-apocalyptic movie and made it into a house track, according to my sister. It's essentially done, just not mastered. I may add a few minor elements into it later though. Be warned: it's seven minutes long.

Here it is, in MP3 format because wav would be ridiculous:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/8ug013jlwugz7q ... YkrCg&dl=1

e: STAKEOUT YOU GODDAMN NINJA
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Dr. Plague » 06 Apr 2013 23:26

LFP wrote:@Dr. Plague; oooo this is starting interesting :3
distant kinda scary feeling to the synths, coolio, however I feel like you really need to bring the modulated basses a lot more forward, it's like you took of all the stereo from them there's also not enough lower frequencies IMO ^^, (just be careful with the lows if you decide to add more stereo to it ^^), I like the melody and progression of this, but bring forth your synths man!


There wasn't any stereo to start with. With all the criticism I'd been getting for my synths sounding out of tune to one another, and with the basis of that always being "spreading" the sound out via voicing, stereoing (I think??), etc., I just avoided it in hopes of the bass not sounding out of tune or anything.

I did put the sub-bass one octave lower than where it should go (as I have it in the second part of the song) just 'cause it's too loud and in the way otherwise... What would you suggest putting in the low end? Or do you figure just EQ'ing the low end of the bass out might do it?

https://soundcloud.com/lfp-music/wip-teaser-through-storms
here's something I've been working on today, had some sudden inspiration and the rest just went forward :3
I have been mixing this along the way so feel free to point out any flaws in that too if oyu find any! ^^


Holy shit what am I supposed to say they're all waiting for your criticism come on Nick I DON'T KNOW
That was pretty awesome, dude. Awesome use of thunder. Everything sounds mixed well. Good claps, good snare, nice kick... I agree with the comment at the end on the Soundcloud. Teasing us into a stiffie and then denying... How cruel. ;P

stakeout poni wrote:@Dr. Plague
The intro is very interesting! I'd add a low pad layered with the sub to make it work better with headphones. All the hits are neat, but make sure to not go overboard. Right now it's fine. Okay I'm at 2.24 and I have to say I think you need a good old bass! I can kinda hear sub on my senns, but the songs spectrum just doesn't feel full. The second part is very chilled out, with that occasional growl. I've noticed that through out the song that one of the snares hits early, is that on purpose?

Just curious, what do you mean "work better with headphones"? Do you mean that the sub is hard to hear with headphones? Like I mentioned above, I do have it an octave lower than where it probably should be, so I guess a low-end pad would fill that in. I hope that's something along what you were trying to say. :P

What do you mean about not going overboard with hits? Do you mean the kicks? snares? Sorry, just not sure on your wording.

And yeah, I have part of the snare hitting a half-step early just to add some snap to it, I guess. Just a tip I read somewhere to make your snare seem to hit harder, didn't realize it was that noticeable though...

Alright here is mine. It's for R&R and I've posted it around the forums already, but now I want some real feedback. I think I've done okay mixing, but please if you notice anything tell me!

https://soundcloud.com/evanhroberts/r-rdance/s-P3MbM


That was good as well! The only real thing I noticed was that, at the breakdown around 1:15, the kick doesn't really punch through so well. Dunno if that's intentional or not; I just know that during a 2-steppy part in modern EDM, the kick is usually a punchy one.

Otherwise, no problems, enjoyed that very much!
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Nine Volt » 06 Apr 2013 23:37

What, no love for my track? :S
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Stakeout Punch » 07 Apr 2013 00:16

It's because you skipped me.


XD


Dr. Plague, I meant that I can barely hear the sub on headphones, yes. I'm also thinking along the lines of you need a nice mid bass to please the people with small speakers, otherwise they just get all the high stuff. I don't exactly remember what I was going on about with the hits thing. For the snare, they mean to delay it by a few milliseconds.
Last edited by Stakeout Punch on 07 Apr 2013 00:24, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Nine Volt » 07 Apr 2013 00:23

I DIDN'T FUCKING SKIP YOU, YOU NINJA'D ME YOU DICK. I WAS TOO FUCKING LAZY AT THE TIME ;)

Alright fine, you talked me into it :3

@stakeout
That piano in the beginning is very static, screw around with the velocities more. Weird note placement, not bad though. The strings are a bit loud, they start to drown out the piano. Ok, sudden electronic, weird but not bad. Not really much I can say about the first part of the electronic section, cept the kick is a bit soft. The strings sound noticeably dissonant in some areas but not too bad. That one ride that occasionally hits is a bit loud. I think it's an 808 ride, but I haven't heard any 808 rides recently. You should change up the beat or make it hit harder during the part where you introduce the background dubstep thing. When the dubstep thing gets super highpassed or whatever, you should have one last note on the square pluck to kinda close it out. Honestly, not much more I can say. It's truthfully a pretty nice song, a bit quirky, which I like :3
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Stakeout Punch » 07 Apr 2013 00:28

Nine Volt wrote:I DIDN'T FUCKING SKIP YOU, YOU NINJA'D ME YOU DICK. I WAS TOO FUCKING LAZY AT THE TIME ;)

Alright fine, you talked me into it :3

@stakeout
That piano in the beginning is very static, screw around with the velocities more. Weird note placement, not bad though. The strings are a bit loud, they start to drown out the piano. Ok, sudden electronic, weird but not bad. Not really much I can say about the first part of the electronic section, cept the kick is a bit soft. The strings sound noticeably dissonant in some areas but not too bad. That one ride that occasionally hits is a bit loud. I think it's an 808 ride, but I haven't heard any 808 rides recently. You should change up the beat or make it hit harder during the part where you introduce the background dubstep thing. When the dubstep thing gets super highpassed or whatever, you should have one last note on the square pluck to kinda close it out. Honestly, not much more I can say. It's truthfully a pretty nice song, a bit quirky, which I like :3

I'll look into the intro again tomorrow. Yeah, the first kick is a little soft, in fact I might have already fixed that, it's late and I don't know XD. That ride isn't an 808, it's just a clipped ride from some house pack. Please elaborate more about the "square pluck," I'm a little confused.

>inb4 it all makes sense tomorrow.

Oh and my iPhone wont play Dropbox stuff for some reason .-.
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Nine Volt » 07 Apr 2013 00:34

The squarish, triangle-ish pluck sound at the end of the measure, just before the growly synth gets all highpassed or whatever. :3

Your iphone won't play it because it's not in my public folder, btw
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby v.lossity » 07 Apr 2013 00:47

@ninevolt because you got no love :( I really liked this track, very cool ambiance. I also liked how you meshed the drums together with some of those glitchy background synth voices. That being said, with some kind of lead synth and a prominent melody this could go from a nice groove to being a pretty epic track. Also, it would be cool to hear the existing voices being a bit more dynamic in their sound design. It seems like this could have been a stylistic decision, so take that or leave it.

I'm on my phone and I hate typing on it so I'm going to leave off there. I promise to return with more detailed reviews when I get home!
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby v.lossity » 07 Apr 2013 05:55

Ok real reviewing time.

@Okay, so for the most part, I can't find specific things to criticize other than one thing. At about 1.30 your usually catchy melody became rather repetitive and boring. It also seems to clash with the rest of the arrangement. If that was done intentionally, you might want to explore more graceful ways to make it clash. I dont really know. I don't really have anything else to complain about, other than the chord progression and a lot of the background sounds (choir/strings/etc/orwhatever) sound similar to DeadLocked. This isn't necessarily bad, but you might want to consider finding a way to make this track sound more...unique. I dont know. I liked this a lot though. Lightning samples, the white noise on every fourth snare hit, use of effects. All dead on. As usual.

@Stakeout I think I have reviewed this before, but Ill try not to just repeat my earlier review. The main problem I have with this piece is that it seems to just oscillate between 2 chords for the duration of the track. Also, it just seems to be missing that something that makes it catchy and exciting. That is, until it hits 3:04. That bass really added the interest that I wanted to hear. Its almost like the song didnt have a "lead" up until that point. With my limited skill in mixing, I can't find any sore thumbs that stick out, or any distinct problems of that nature, so...yeah. Sorry I'm not able to be super clear on that, but I hope it helped to some extent.

@9V Just going to add a bit. Im not sure I like the (detuned?) synth that comes in around 3:20. However, I love that subtle, super-wet, underwater sound that comes in occasionally. Its so quiet I can barely hear it, but it works perfectly to spice things up a bit. Also, just thought Id mention, that run that the bass synth does at the end would be a perfect segue (is that how you spell it?) to a really dance-y section, or another song or whatever. Could build really nicely. Its quite hard to critique this track. Most of the things I dislike are just personal taste. :/

Hope I was somewhat helpful all.
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Mr. Bigglesworth » 17 Apr 2013 03:24

@Electrovore:
The intro is pretty neat, I have a soft spot for airy pads with ambience all over the place, the synths you use to break up the pads are really well intergrated and add to the feel of it nicely. The Arp that kicks in at around 1:40 is really awesome. There doesn't seem to be much build to the..curse my lack of terminology, 'drop', it feels a little sudden. It also feels like it needs a little more going on in the 'drop' (fuck I should learn the proper word for that). I do rather like the Acid-ish synth you used, but it feels a little faint (although that's probably because you're mixing at a low volume, feel free to ignore that critique).

all in all, 8/10, pretty well done, looking forward to the final version :D

ok, my turn.

https://soundcloud.com/testsubject72/lighter-seeds-of-kindness
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Mr. Bigglesworth » 17 Apr 2013 08:00

eery wrote:@bigglesworth This sounds really cool, if you got more fitting percussion involved, it could easily be breakcore. Anyhow, it sounds really chill, and whatever direction you decide to take it in, I think it could turn out cool. around 0:30 you put in some synths(or really highpitched voices, I cant tell) Even though I get what you're going for with this high pitch, I think you could easily drop it an octave. besides the creepy voice at :40, there is no coverage of the more lower frequencies either, which is a shame. I suspect you were going for a dissonant vibe when it comes in, but it just sounds out of tune, before it settles.

All in all, this is pretty much just a loop repeated, and elements added as it plays, kinda hard to give a score on it, but I'd say 7/10 so far.



Thanks, I'll work more on filling the frequencies, but pitching down those synths (not vocals) makes them sound like chorused Jamaican Steel Drums, which is really weird. But thank you for the feedback
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby MisterJayBrown » 19 Apr 2013 21:56

Hey, eery. Pretty neat song, and I'll do my best to review it well.

I wanna start off saying club mix isn't my thing cause normally it's too boring, but this was actually surprisingly engaging. I like the sense of minimalism that it gave me, and the bass felt really, really nice throughout the whole thing. First thing: that first thing you hear, that bass? Yeah, that's kickass. I think you definitely need to keep that. Next, the notes around 0:40 or so. The somewhat chill-sounding ones (can't think of the terms right now; the sounds that have the same notes throughout the whole bar) could stand to be changed. I just mean that you should change up one or two for a little bit of diversity. The part around 2:00 could probably be cut down by one bar (I believe is the right amount what am I even saying) and I say that because it's repetitive at that point. Also, are you using primarily pony sound clips, or are my ears just betraying me? I mean, it flows, yeah, but I'm just curious. That drop around 2:40 is rather...interesting. It's not bad, but it's really different from what I believe it should sound like. I think. No quotes on that. Now, I'm saying this mostly on behalf of my friend, as personally I liked it. It was different - innovative.

Uh...sorry for that rather short and uninformative review. I'm drawing blanks here on what to really say and all that.

This is my WIP. Keep that in mind - these aren't the VSTs I'll be using, I have to record some live trumpet noises (unless you can suggest me a better-suited horn), and I'm planning on adding a guitar. If you know the bands, I was kinda going for a mix of Ben Folds and Fire & Neon, and am in hope of the guitar possibly being reminiscent of Panic! at the Disco. Just...if any of that helps at all. And yeah, please use easy to understand terms. I suck at the technical side of this, and the last time I got reviewed here it was a whopping one line ("All the instruments sound plastic and fake, like an old computer game. Everything has that perfect cut sequencer vibe."). I also plan on vocals, definitely those. Anyway, I'll leave you to it.

EDIT: Thanks, Nine Volt. That was a bit of a mistake :P
https://soundcloud.com/misterjaybrown/wip-piano-thing
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Nine Volt » 19 Apr 2013 22:00

...where is the WIP?
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Belgerum » 23 Apr 2013 02:32

MisterJayBrown wrote:This is my WIP. Keep that in mind - these aren't the VSTs I'll be using, I have to record some live trumpet noises (unless you can suggest me a better-suited horn), and I'm planning on adding a guitar. If you know the bands, I was kinda going for a mix of Ben Folds and Fire & Neon, and am in hope of the guitar possibly being reminiscent of Panic! at the Disco. Just...if any of that helps at all. And yeah, please use easy to understand terms. I suck at the technical side of this, and the last time I got reviewed here it was a whopping one line ("All the instruments sound plastic and fake, like an old computer game. Everything has that perfect cut sequencer vibe."). I also plan on vocals, definitely those. Anyway, I'll leave you to it.

EDIT: Thanks, Nine Volt. That was a bit of a mistake :P
https://soundcloud.com/misterjaybrown/wip-piano-thing


I'm not much of a great critic, but here's my honest opinion.

There's a lot of good stuff going on here, but I'm seeing a lot of the parts being similar in many ways, where the parts could vary to a better effect. First of all, In the background parts, I'm hearing a lot of grouped chords, and in the piano, with melodic material in between. chords are great in a setting, because it gives a good texture to a piece, but just placing a lot of blocked chords isn't the only way to form them. Arpeggios are another easy way to form a chord structure, which also has a given bonus of adding more rhythmic backgrounds.

Rhythmic variety is another fun topic to look at. Percussion especially requires a good knowledge of this. When you write for percussion, the rhythm you create is what matters the most, rather than the chord structure. A lot of your percussion instruments that you are using work well in the piece thus far, but there are a lot more things you can do with them. A lot of your rhythms seem to fall into 8th note length beats and bar-long phrases (I'm not very good with the terms for this, but bear with me.) Perhaps you could try to add percussive elements with shorter or longer gestures? For a shorter gesture, I might suggest adding a hi-hat that plays constant 16th notes and working from there to make another part that compliments your existing percussion. For longer phrased instruments, you can look at the entire structure of your piece, and place larger sounds, like cymbal rolls or crashes, at places where you want a larger sound, or add fills to transition from section to section. This kind of rhythmic outlook isn't limited to just your percussion, too. instrumental gestures can also transition section to section, or have melodic or chordal lines that work in larger or smaller phrases.

When it comes down to it, I have to say that when people say you have instruments that have not very realistic sounds, they are somewhat right. However, at this point in the musical growth process, don't let that phase you. If you continue to learn about the instruments you write for, and constantly keep improving yourself, you will keep getting sounds that are better and better. There is no one magical sample pack that gives you all the instruments and sounds almost exactly like real players. A lot more depends on HOW you use your instruments, your familiarity with using effects to augment the sound correctly, and a distinct knowledge of what part each instrument plays in your music, and how it does it. None of these come without practice, perseverance, and lots and lots of time making music, so don't think that it's just one little problem that you can get over quickly with new samples and soundpacks. Just keep making music, and eventually, things will get better.


Over in another corner, here comes a little WIP I brewed up for you guys. I'm just looking for some opinions and general feedback, since it's the first electronic thing I've made for a while. I'm planning on having a friend of mine rap on top of it eventually.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/loovoz319dkfp ... %20WIP.mp3
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Callenby » 24 Apr 2013 19:58

I've been meaning to give this thread a whirl.

@MisterJayBrown
I can't say that I'm too familiar with the bands you mentioned It feels a little thin midway through. You said you might add guitar. That would definitely help (maybe introduced at 0:30 or around there). As Belgerum said, more variation would do wonders for this. In fact, I can just second everything he said but especially about how the important thing is not what samples you have but the way you use them. I'm sure you already know this, but it'd be beneficial for everyone if we all knew at least basic musical jargon. Frustratingly, that will take quite a bit of time but the more of the technical side you know the more control you have in making music. Update us when you have the final VSTIs and vocals; that'll help us give better feedback.

@Belgerum
Not bad for your first electronic song! I felt there could have been more buildup to 2:23, though. I think a longer interlude with a completely (or mostly) different timbre would work well. You have the chance to really stretch it out, in my opinion. What you have feels nice and full, with a lot of little things that make it feel richer, but the overall timbre oddly enough stayed the same too much for my taste. For a three minute song (what will probably end up being longer?) a change of pace would be good. Then again, if there will be vocals over this then that's not as much of an issue. Like with JayBrown, be sure to update when you have the vocals. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Electronic music is not my forte.

Here's what I've been working on the last couple weeks. I hope you like ten minutes of just piano! It's still rough around the edges, but I'm mostly content with it. I'm trying to evoke an abstraction (the falling of snow) so I'd like to know if this actually succeeded in that.
https://soundcloud.com/callenby/snowfall-wip
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby LFP » 25 Apr 2013 13:17

It appears as if I have no tracks above me, oh lucky me this is my chance :3


...

just kidding:
@Callenby, ooo, this isn't really something I usually critique so it'll be a bit short;
I felt like some of your transitions were a bit sudden and unexpected, the velocity felt like it changed a bit too much at times as well which didn't help in that regard..
I got more of a feeling that this was some christmas song played by a talented pianist in the open rather than falling snow, when I think of a piano song that pictures snow falling I think more simplicity and higher notes, don't be afraid to go away from the bass notes a bit, you pictured your original concept well in some parts, but others did not fit in in my opinion.
Still a very soothing track and I look forward to you finishing this up! ^^


@Belgerum, the piano in the start sounds a bit robotic, change it up and play around some with the velocities, also worth noting is that I for some reason am hearing the bass notes of the piano as dead panned to the left which makes it uncomfortable to listen to after a while =/
You fill up your spaces well but it lacks a real hook other than the piano, which gets really repetitive after a while, make use of your good melodies!


here's something I've worked on today; (warning loud first bar) http://snd.sc/11VAb1N
still working on the transitions so they're a bit rough atm ^^
I've been given suggestions to speed it up, what do you guys think?
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Genkar » 27 Apr 2013 11:47

@LFP
This intro is sounding pretty solid. I love those cymbals. The kick feels a bit too long, almost like it should be punchier or more staccato. That's more of an opinionated thing though. I'm loving the melody, and that lead is pretty cool. Around 0:52, it sounds kinda empty. I love those chior-ish pads around 1:09. I'd definitely work on the transition around 1:26. Maybe add some kind of white noise build? The next section sounds pretty cool, and the transition into 1:45 is pretty solid, it gives it a really climactic feeling. The lead around 2:19 should probably stand out more, it's getting kinda drowned out now.

Overall, I really love the mood you're giving that, and I'm also loving your sound design. Really, the only real problems I could find in that were small things. I'd love to hear the full thing once it's finished.

@Callenby
I really don't know how much of a help I'd be on this, but I did listen to the whole thing, and it sounds pretty great to me, I love the mood of the whole thing. I'd say you captured the idea you were going for pretty well, and the only major issue I had with it (and this is more of a personal thing), was that it felt pretty repetitive after a while.

Sorry I can't really give too much feedback on this. :/

@Belgerum
The beginning feels a bit muffled, not sure if that was a desired effect or not. That first transition could use some work too, it's just kinda quiet, and then everything's in, with not much of a build. That lead at 0:24 could be more prominent too, it's kinda hard to make out. I imagine it'll sound much better when you have someone rapping too, it's not that it sounds empty now, but it definitely feels like it's more like an instrumental to something, rather than being a standalone piece of music. Your drums could be just a tad bit louder too. Most of the transitions I'm hearing sound fine as they are, so that's pretty good. I'm guessing there's going to be more added on to that later, because it's a tad bit short as it is.

Overall, it was pretty cool. The mood of it felt really unique, and I can't really say I've heard anything in that sort of style before. The mixing could be better though; through most of it, it sounds pretty crowded, so you can probably clean that up a bit. Another thing I noticed; it felt kinda repetitive. It's the same instruments through nearly the whole thing, and there isn't really any change of mood. This'll probably be fine once you have the vocals in, but it might be something to take into consideration.


Alright, here's what I've got: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/4wo ... terWIP.mp3

Nothing too special, just some DnB. I plan on adding more variety in the instruments, but this is where it stands now.
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby Nine Volt » 27 Apr 2013 21:43

@LFP
Loud intro is loud. I like that little warbly reese-ish sound. Sidechain that lead more, bro. Nice melody though. Again with the awesome warblish sound. Then the obligatory supersaw stab chords, not too bad. That middle part with the weird pluck is a bit empty, then you add the pluck that sounds like a choir kinda and it becomes fine. I want to know how to make that weird pluck thing though, that was cool. That lead is pretty basic sounding actually, I'd guess just a square with some portamento? Play with the velocity of that piano. There's one note where it goes out of key or something and I don't like that, but it's nice. Good sound design.

Also, I thought you went by Ari as your music name? So wouldn't that make this song "Ari - Air"? :3

@Genkar
I like that intro synth but I feel like I've heard that melody somewhere. Nice hat pattern. That snare sounds a bit too bitcrushed almost for my tastes (in the beginning, I didn't notice during the drop), also that kick should be IMO less long and more punchy. Give it like a 100hz boost or something. Your high end is quite empty during the first drop part, try adding some rides or something. Bit of a generic FM sounding squelch thing. I do like that plucky harpischord style thing. When your kick starts to build up there's one small moment where it clips badly before you bring up the HP frequency. It's a bit repetitive, I'll be honest, but you said you're working on adding more instruments so it should be fine. Sounds like you need to buff up your sub a bit more, try layering with a triangle wave or something. Overall I like the track and it's definitely got potential.

Now my track. House, as is to be expected from me if you know what I've been doing recently. Can't imagine many of you do, but still. This track I'm pretty ambivalent about; I think it's good (not to be arrogant) but I don't know if it's actually as good as I think. Either way, here it is:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/g3h ... Xa88w&dl=1
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby VinylDotRawr » 03 May 2013 22:07

Could use some feedback on this! It's a remix from my new group, Zephyr! ^-^

https://soundcloud.com/zephyrofficial/pinkies-dance-zephyr-remix
DAW: FL Studio 11
Genres: EDM in general :I
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Re: Review the track(s) above you

Postby v.lossity » 03 May 2013 22:19

Yeah that isn't how this thread works. Please read OP.
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