<Pony> <Original> <WIP> Moon and Star

[Magnitude Zero]

https://soundcloud.com/magnitudezero/moon-and-star-wip

First attempt at DnB that went beyond dicking around with drums in quite a while. I'm at that point in a song where it's almost physically painful to listen to, and while there's a bunch of stuff I feel like I want to fix (like that fucking supersaw ASDFHFPOAIWHEFAE) I can't tell if that's just me hating the song. So feedback would be lovely

[Genkar]

So much DnB with Rainbow and Rooted around the corner, I love it!

Those arp like things in the background are cool, and the mood of the track is pretty consistent. The melodies were pretty awesome, especially dem piano parts. I feel it could use a bit more bass, seeing as it is a drum and bass track, but other than that it was pretty good. Overall, it feels a bit short though, but since it's a WIP, I assume the finished version will be longer.

[Motivfs]

Alright, I'm going to come out now and say it because I've heard this in quite a few DnB tracks of late on here, so don't feel too bad.

From what I've heard of late, LOTS of people are using very trancey supersaws as their leads. DO NOT do this, Drum & Bass never has supersaws.

Instead, you should have lush pads, or electric/somewhat gritty pads. The whole feel of the song is great, I love it, I really do, but once you hit the supersaw it feels just so out of place

I've found a quick comparison for your song, you want more something like this... It has a sidechained pad that has low cutoff, but it's clear.



I assume it's liquid DnB as well, so note that you don't need a big drop, one thing that liquid producers do alot is they bring in the bass after the drop, really adds a nice touch to the song, maybe do that as well.

[Motivfs]

Alright, I've come back to make a cleaner response, and make sure that you also know I'm not ripping into you.

The Good:
- The arpeggio is great, I think it has a great place in this song, and is implemented properly
- The Orchestral, I love it, when I first heard the orchestral, along with the light piano melody, I right away thought of High Contrast, it gives the song the perfect feeling it needs to really bring you in at the start.
- The song itself has a really nice light feel to it, very light, yet powerful in terms of mood.

What Needs Work:
- The supersaw, it's really up to you if you want to keep that in there, but I honestly feel it has no place in a Liquid DnB song, let alone DnB at all.
- Another thing I'm going to suggest is to add more percussion, kick snare, kick-snare is perfectly fine, but the one thing Liquid DnB is popular for is the percussive flow of the song.
- The drop, I feel that maybe 2 minutes is too long, but that's just me here, if it takes 2 minutes to build up what you feel through the piece, then definitely do that.
- Bass, maybe a little heavier?

[Magnitude Zero]

So much DnB with Rainbow and Rooted around the corner, I love it!

Those arp like things in the background are cool, and the mood of the track is pretty consistent. The melodies were pretty awesome, especially dem piano parts. I feel it could use a bit more bass, seeing as it is a drum and bass track, but other than that it was pretty good. Overall, it feels a bit short though, but since it's a WIP, I assume the finished version will be longer.

More bass, got it

I know it's short, and I'd planned on it being a little longer, but it felt right ending it where I did. I didn't want to force inspiration for the sake of song length, better too short than too long, etc.

@Motivfs: Really appreciate the feedback man, but what it sounds like you're asking me to do is change my song so it fits inside the genre. That's something I've never been okay with, ever. Suggesting that I remove the supersaw because "DnB never has supersaws" seems counterproductive to the evolution of music (or on a smaller, more realistic scale, counterproductive to the creation of this song). Just because it's not common doesn't mean I can't do it; I'm not going to limit myself to certain elements because they're what other people use just fit inside this label. I used the supersaw because I felt like it fit the mood I was going for at that particular point in the song which, on another note, was meant more as the song's climax than a "drop".

That said, if the supersaw sounds out of place for reasons other than because it's not part of the genre (I never meant for it to be liquid btw - it was inspired and influenced by liquid, yes, but I never came out and said "yeah this is gonna be liquid") then sure, I'll see about replacing it.

Definitely agree about the lack of percussion, feels pretty empty now that you mention it. I'm not sure how much I want complicate the beat in the beginning section though, I kinda like the idea of keeping that relatively minimal.

And again, more bass. I can do that.

Thanks again for the great feedback, both of you. I know I might have given the impression of blowing off your suggestions, but I assure you you've helped me out a ton here.

EDIT: If you couldn't tell by the name and pony tag, this song was inspired by Luna, particularly this image. Hopefully that helps you understand the sort of feel I was going for here.

[Motivfs]

So much DnB with Rainbow and Rooted around the corner, I love it!

Those arp like things in the background are cool, and the mood of the track is pretty consistent. The melodies were pretty awesome, especially dem piano parts. I feel it could use a bit more bass, seeing as it is a drum and bass track, but other than that it was pretty good. Overall, it feels a bit short though, but since it's a WIP, I assume the finished version will be longer.

More bass, got it

I know it's short, and I'd planned on it being a little longer, but it felt right ending it where I did. I didn't want to force inspiration for the sake of song length, better too short than too long, etc.

@Motivfs: Really appreciate the feedback man, but what it sounds like you're asking me to do is change my song so it fits inside the genre. That's something I've never been okay with, ever. Suggesting that I remove the supersaw because "DnB never has supersaws" seems counterproductive to the evolution of music (or on a smaller, more realistic scale, counterproductive to the creation of this song). Just because it's not common doesn't mean I can't do it; I'm not going to limit myself to certain elements because they're what other people use just fit inside this label. I used the supersaw because I felt like it fit the mood I was going for at that particular point in the song which, on another note, was meant more as the song's climax than a "drop".

That said, if the supersaw sounds out of place for reasons other than because it's not part of the genre (I never meant for it to be liquid btw - it was inspired and influenced by liquid, yes, but I never came out and said "yeah this is gonna be liquid") then sure, I'll see about replacing it.

Definitely agree about the lack of percussion, feels pretty empty now that you mention it. I'm not sure how much I want complicate the beat in the beginning section though, I kinda like the idea of keeping that relatively minimal.

And again, more bass. I can do that.

Thanks again for the great feedback, both of you. I know I might have given the impression of blowing off your suggestions, but I assure you you've helped me out a ton here.

It's fine, in the end, I know it's me being so attached to the genre I know and love, and I can fully understand where we are both coming from, it's about it being YOUR piece of work, maybe it's something somone as MYSELF just doesn't want haha.

[Magnitude Zero]

Ha yeah, I can understand that. The way I see it, DnB is such a massively broad genre with so much variation and so much room for experimentation, which is part of the reason I love it so much. Generally you only need a relatively fast tempo and that "kick snare kicksnare" (although even that's optional I find) and as for everything else, anything goes. That's the sort of mindset I've had working on this, which is probably why it sounds odd to you.

I am going to try playing with different leads to replace that supersaw though. All genre stuff aside, I feel like I can do better there. Also supersaws are a mixing nightmare :c

[Motivfs]

Ha yeah, I can understand that. The way I see it, DnB is such a massively broad genre with so much variation and so much room for experimentation, which is part of the reason I love it so much. Generally you only need a relatively fast tempo and that "kick snare kicksnare" (although even that's optional I find) and as for everything else, anything goes. That's the sort of mindset I've had working on this, which is probably why it sounds odd to you.

I am going to try playing with different leads to replace that supersaw though. All genre stuff aside, I feel like I can do better there. Also supersaws are a mixing nightmare :c

Indeed, it's probably just the style I listen to, I don't hear supersaws at all in DnB for the most part, but for me to say "NO, you can't put those in there" is wrong. I do feel a bit rude now for saying such a thing because honestly, that's boxing out a genres, as well as persons potential for experimentation, which is the complete opposite of the whole idea of music production.

Anyways, best of luck with your piece! I am looking forward to hearing the finished result.