Intheflorsh
Banned
Not sure what to think of this, lol. Parts i like, parts i don't. But better than the previous one you posted
Maybe it's not ready for prime time.
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NEOGAF's Official Music Production Thread: calling all producers
- Thread starter Tr4nce
- Start date
Maybe it's not ready for prime time.
I use DyVision Video Tape Emulator which simulates VHS artifacts. It's also the only one I know of that also adds tape wobble.
Oh yeah, do it - the UI on Ozone 6 is worth it alone, easily one of my best looking plugs, so easy to read. I've always really wanted to try the dynamic EQ in Advanced though.
thezerofire
Banned
What are in your opinions the essential plugins to have? I mostly just have the Ableton defaults, but also Valhalla Room Camelcrusher
I mostly only use about 1% of the plugins I've bought but I couldn't go without plugs like...
The Glue - my go-to comp
Ozone 6 - my go-to mastering combo
Satson Channel - my go-to for rough eq changes and gain boost
Valhalla Room, Vintage, Shimmer and Ubermod - my go-to reverbs and modulation fx
Serum - my go-to synth
CLA drums - my go-to for percussion processing
Kickstart -my go-to sidechain tool
Sonic Academy Kick - my go-to for kicks
Cthulu - my go-to arp and chord maker
As much as I love my Steven Slate comps I find the iLok a pain in the ass so I rarely use them.
thezerofire
Banned
Is Ableton's Glue Compressor the same as The Glue?
What does Ozone actually do? I've heard it mentioned a lot but don't know much about it.
I have Kickstart due to a recommendation from you I think, not very good at using it effectively yet though. I have Kick too, but need to update it.
What are CLA drums and Cthulu like? haven't heard of those before
I think the Ableton version has the same algorithms and all, but just less controls.
How would you guys rank the different compressor models that come with Logic Pro X with the Waves C1 and Renaissance compressors?
Trying to asses if a $100 compressor plugin is definitely better than the standard compressor that comes with a $200 DAW.
(I am recording spoken word)
Trying to asses if a $100 compressor plugin is definitely better than the standard compressor that comes with a $200 DAW.
(I am recording spoken word)
thezerofire
Banned
Interesting. I'll look into The Glue then.
Oh also, what do your default projects look like? I think I waste a lot of time getting everything set up so it'd be good to have a good template set
- For 'musical' compression, can't live without CA-2A (Cakewalk's uncanny LA-2A emulation).
- Ozone is likewise go-to for stereo bus (and otherwise. I abuse the stereo imager a lot on single tracks)
Likewise. If it insists on a dongle in 2015 (in 2010 to be honest) I'm just going to go with an alternative.
Waves have gone from dongle to non-dongle so this isn't a pointless crusade either.
(edit: I'm well aware that Waves went from rock to hard place in terms of their licensing)
FloatingDivider
Member
I don't consider myself an expert or anything so you should probably look for some other source of information too. And I should preface this by saying that I only own Ableton Live 8 because I'm a poor pauper that somehow got suckered into buying a house so the GF is all xnay on the buy more gearyay stuff since I don't make any money off of making music so it might be a little specific to that D.A.W. That being said I used to have a big ass template with everything routed and eq's and compressors and returns everywhere and it ended up being super unwieldy during the creative process of actually composing and arranging a piece of music. I recently switched over to a much more freeform approach. I'll try to explain why below.
It's because I feel like having 20 tracks of clutter waiting to be used sitting all over the place while you barely have a drum loop and chord progression going is visually disorienting. It generally becomes a hassle to navigate and it just makes every project immediately cumbersome to go into which is not what you want when just trying to jam out a song, which is what a default template should be. I also found out it's hard to avoid making a big default template not be genre specific, and as someone who might go from trying to make a reggae song to a vaporwave/dofflin style song within an hour I found having to rejig that giant template to fit the new style a massive pain. I feel like the key to having a good template is to not have a template... in the most immediate sense of you open a project and everything is there. I feel like a good template is almost something esoteric, it's basically having a stored library of "blank" (&filled) preset tracks you can quickly implement whenever needed.
Currently my default set is pretty much one track, and that's just an arrangement lane with empty midi blocks I can move around easily to create a guideline arrangement. It's only there because ableton requires a single track to be active in a session, and it's honestly the only thing I alway use.
It also has 6 return tracks I send virtually everything to depending on needs. Those tend to be a room reverb, a cathedral style reverb for atmosphere, a ping pong style delay, a filtered reverbed delay, and two NY compression channels one for the sub and one for the treble but I change them constantly, and am considering doing away with them in favor of more stored presets. It also has a limiter on the master that does nothing but limit it to 0db so I don't blow my ears out if I hit a shitty preset in a soft synth.
Everything else is a preset I drag out of a custom made meticulously organized folder structure that's pretty much permanently bookmarked in my file browser. Ableton makes this really easy because it let's you save tracks colouring intact, automation intact, naming intact etc.., so I can simply whip out a track that's going to contain all of the stuff I need to implement something. Need a synth? I just whip out one of my saved preset tracks that's going to have an initialized soft synth instrument, compressor, eq, and whatever else it needs, and a 4 bar coloured & named empty midi block stored. Need a filter sweep, whip out a stored track that's going to have a pre-programmed filter sweep. I tend to save them in lengths like 4/8/16/32 bars, so implementing that effect is basically a one step process. I can tweak it to my hearts content, but the initial implementation is virtually immediate.And I think that's the big key while writing music, immediate implementation of ideas. Nothing is worse than knowing what to do but having to take 30 steps to get there. Usually by the time you've completed those 30 steps the idea is long gone.
To that end I also use a lot of preset patches while writing, and I don't mean I load an synth and spend 50 minutes clicking through presets to find one I like. I mean I have a curated library of sounds I like, that I know work well enough for the specific genre I tend to use them in. They're already eq'ed, tuned to key etc so I know they'll sound good. Again there's a method to my madness and it's not only for the benefit of immediate implementation of musical ideas. It's also that mixing and sound design in a vacuum is goddamn hard. I always spent like an hour selecting a kick, and snare, just sitting there intently, going through hundreds of samples and I could never find the perfect one. And then it dawned on me that's because I'm doing it in a vacuum and that's stupid. It's like someone trying to draw a perfect perspective painting without doing an outline sketch. You need an actual song to pick the perfect instruments for it, so I generally just go with presets I know work until I've finished the arrangement at which point I'll go back through the tracks and tweak to my hearts content. I will then meticulously save those tweaked instruments as new presets so I have another set of pre configured brushes that I know will work together.
I save all of my midi files as well. I do so in genre specific folders, and basic drum patterns folders, etc, I try to name these as specifically as possible so I know exactly what I'm getting. I mean if you're making house at some point you're going to be creating a 4 to the floor kickdrum with a snare on the 2's&4's and some sort of syncopated Hi-hat. It's educational to do it once or twice if you're not aware, but beyond that it's easier to just have a midi clip locked loaded and ready to be imported into a sampler of your choice. Same applies to common chord progressions. It's educational to click it/play it in when you're still working on grasping the theory behind something, it's futility if you're well aware of what you're trying to do and just need a 1-4-5 chord progression or something. Oh I also use Cthulu a lot depending on what I'm trying to make today. Deadmau5 or a bach chorale it's the same thing really.
See I think the whole do you use a template question is a question about efficiency. So no I don't use a template in the literal sense of I open my project and there's 20 tracks there that I need to fill as some sort of mystical guide to a good song that's going to work. But I do use a template in terms of being capable of immediately implementing anything I have previously made in terms of songwriting, because, In my mind, tweaking something is fast and easy but making something is slow and hard.
Holy shit this post turned out long, guess I had been ruminating internally on this topic for a while.
TL;DR: My default session is fairly empty, but I have a large meticulously crafted library of preset templatey style things that I consider to be part of my default session.
Intheflorsh
Banned
I've never thought much about MP3 sound quality in the past, but hearing how Soundcloud's 128kbps mp3 compression can absolutely mangle a track has been a wake up call.
I might have to get this down the road, the demos sound great.
I might have to get this down the road, the demos sound great.
Ableton liked The Glue so much they paid it's creator for a license so it's essentially the same product, however I heard the standalone gets updated more often.
Ozone is a one-stop mastering suite made of a few different modules. Some people prefer to mix and match standalone plugins for their mastering chain but I'm a big fan of what Ozone does and how it does it and most importantly how it sounds with my tunes.
CLA drums is Chris Lord-Algaes Waves drum processing one-stop shop. It's fairly unique in that turning it on with everything set flat isn't actually flat, it's his basic drum mixing settings including comp and eq settings - I use it subtle and musical but it goes extreme if you need it to.
Cthulu is if you can't play chords for shit like me. Unlike most chord generators though it will do full chord progressions based on MIDI files, very vibey. Decent arp too.
thezerofire
Banned
I will check those out. I downloaded the free presets that Ableton tweeted about last week and there's some fun drums, a couple good sounds, and a bunch of effects that I'm still figuring out too
Any Big Room/Melbourne Bounce producers in here?
I've been working on this track the past week:
https://soundcloud.com/sabit-kozak/sabo-id
I'm pretty happy with how its sounding but I feel it needs more ideas, especially for the verse.
Would appreciate a listen and if anyone has some ideas, I'm always open to sharing the project file!
I've been working on this track the past week:
https://soundcloud.com/sabit-kozak/sabo-id
I'm pretty happy with how its sounding but I feel it needs more ideas, especially for the verse.
Would appreciate a listen and if anyone has some ideas, I'm always open to sharing the project file!
Native Instruments just dropped iMaschine v2
It's on sale, $5 till 1st December (Normally $10), and you can grab all 36 expansions in one pack for a $1 as well. (Normally $10)
Main thing for me is "Step Mode" as the lack of that in v1 meant I never even used it much.
Will probably grab over the weekend.
It's on sale, $5 till 1st December (Normally $10), and you can grab all 36 expansions in one pack for a $1 as well. (Normally $10)
Main thing for me is "Step Mode" as the lack of that in v1 meant I never even used it much.
Will probably grab over the weekend.
Not a genre fan, in fact it's the first time i'm hearing "Melbourne Bounce", and i'm sorry but i find the lead synth a bit too dry and metallic, and a bit static too:/
I made a track for a guy who works for me that's into techno, he always listens to dj live sets from youtube so i made something that sounds like that.
Some samples from 70's track inside, plus some voice recording of my other co-workers.
It has been a fun thing to make
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8shzExxkzV4
Not a genre fan, in fact it's the first time i'm hearing "Melbourne Bounce", and i'm sorry but i find the lead synth a bit too dry and metallic, and a bit static too:/
I made a track for a guy who works for me that's into techno, he always listens to dj live sets from youtube so i made something that sounds like that.
Some samples from 70's track inside, plus some voice recording of my other co-workers.
It has been a fun thing to make
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8shzExxkzV4
No don't be sorry, I appreciate the honest feedback
Like I said before, its hard to get...When you say a bit too dry and static, could you elaborate a bit on what you mean?
I hope you don't take my amateur song as an example of the genre
There's some interesting Melbourne Bounce out there.Your stuff is dope man. Hope to one day be able to create songs that sound so legit too. The crowd noises in the background is mad unique, gives it a cool vibe.
No don't be sorry, I appreciate the honest feedback
When you say a bit too dry and static, could you elaborate a bit on what you mean?
I hope you don't take my amateur song as an example of the genre
Your stuff is dope man. Hope to one day be able to create songs that sound so legit too. The crowd noises in the background is mad unique, gives it a cool vibe.
I think he means it "rattles" a bit much and isn't really tight. Playing with the waveforms of your oscillators might "fix" that (if you want to "fix" it).
thezerofire
Banned
Korg Gadget has been getting some pretty good word of mouth
With "dry" i was pointing the fact that it seems a bit too basic as lead, maybe playing with waveforms as ozfunghi suggested or maybe layering it with another synth could help.No don't be sorry, I appreciate the honest feedback
When you say a bit too dry and static, could you elaborate a bit on what you mean?
For static i mean that it doesn't change over time, it has llittle movement. As, if you write a long note, after the short attack it sounds like a little loop cycling very quickly, maybe adding a subtle LFO after 0.5 second or something , or again layering another synth with a slower attack could help.
Just some thoughts, i could be (and probably am) totally wrong
Well thank you. Tbh, i hope to one day be able to create clear and loud mixes like your WIP.
The crowd sample is from https://freesound.org/, i go there if i need some "real life" sound and never get disappointed
InaudibleWhispa
Member
Wish I'd noticed this a couple of weeks ago. Would have been useful when making this track. I'll probably go back to it anyway, wanna make some changes.
It's not the most complex sound, indeed. I was also not sure what you meant, but the same sollution can apply like you said, haha. Playing with OSC waveforms/sync/freq, maybe with the (filter) envelopes... or as you suggested, layering.
reposting it here because the other music maker thread on gaf seems to be a bit dead and i haven't gotten any feedback yet, hope you guys don't mind
Made a new track last week, pretty happy with how it turned out. Can't really define a genre but it's kinda dreamy with a touch of retro, influenced by futurebeats and instrumental hip-hop.
https://soundcloud.com/maumaumusic/virtual-rainfall
Would like to hear what you all think about it!
Made a new track last week, pretty happy with how it turned out. Can't really define a genre but it's kinda dreamy with a touch of retro, influenced by futurebeats and instrumental hip-hop.
https://soundcloud.com/maumaumusic/virtual-rainfall
Would like to hear what you all think about it!
thezerofire
Banned
Coming back to this to say wow, how did I never know about Cthulhu before? Also, is there a reason I shouldn't use all of the Xfer products? They all seem pretty useful
I like it. I think it 'd work well in an adventure RPG
Something that can go on for a while without ever getting tiresome. It's not something i would buy as a single though.ozfunghi said:
With "dry" i was pointing the fact that it seems a bit too basic as lead, maybe playing with waveforms as ozfunghi suggested or maybe layering it with another synth could help.
For static i mean that it doesn't change over time, it has llittle movement. As, if you write a long note, after the short attack it sounds like a little loop cycling very quickly, maybe adding a subtle LFO after 0.5 second or something , or again layering another synth with a slower attack could help.
Just some thoughts, i could be (and probably am) totally wrong
Thanks for the clarification guys. I didn't even consider playing with the waveforms or adding an LFO. After a bit of research adding subtle LFO does seem to be more common in producing Bounce and a bit of pitch automation to keep the sound interesting.
Haha I appreciate that. Getting that clear and loud mix was definitely an early frustration that I put some focus on, especially when I heard local guys making full sounding tracks.
Heres a House track I put together today..
https://soundcloud.com/sabit-kozak/sabo-switch-id
Put together the melody to form a basic track for a video assignment my sister had and decided to flesh it out today to continue practicing finishing tracks.
As usual I suck at having any ideas for the breakdown
FloatingDivider
Member
I don't like it. I'm sorry, it's not a mean-spirited I don't like it. It's just not for me. The biggest issue for me is that I found it really boring. The riff was slightly interesting if a bit atonal at first, but it just never goes anywhere. It's the intro riff over and over, with what I'm assuming was a perfect fifth(+7 semitones?) harmony added for the drop. It's kind of ironic that the track is called switch but there seems to be very little switching of anything going on
. You also have a really flabby sub-bass going on at times beneath the main bass that ended up distracting me a lot while listening on headphones. That's all I can give you in terms of constructive feedback on a single listen. I hope it helps. Here's a "future" house thingy I did a month or so ago? I think, I was going to go back and finish it but when you're woodshopping as hard as I am the shit you made a month ago sounds terrible and you don't want to go finish it. So sorry if the mix is rough, the arrangement is mostly feature complete, but on re-listen I could telegraph the transitions slightly more with more fx.
A fellow countryman i see (I'm from Selah Sue's home town, i assume you know who she is since you did a remix of her). I like it. Your track i mean. It could do with a little less samples i think. Or, let me rephrase, i don't think all of the samples offer a surplus. Nice bass... eventhough it sounds a tad digtal/ "software-ish", not that that's a problem though. I really like it.
FloatingDivider
Member
Hey! Thanks for the feedback.
I am from Belgium, that's what it says on my soundcloud page atleast. but I don't know who Selah Sue is! Just kidding. I do. I guess you're from Leuven because that's where wikipedia tells me she's from. That's cool, I've never been there. Anyway to get on topic I'm also of two minds on the vocal samples (which I assume is what you were referencing.) I kept them to a minimum on the first drop but I kind of went overboard on the second drop. Depending on the time of day and the position of jupiter in the sky I go from liking them a lot to hating them. So if I do go back to that track I should definitely look at them.
The bass is 100% NI Massive so it is super digital, I should really look into how to get a less digital sound overall though. It's one of those things I've started noticing about my own productions so it's cool that you picked up on that. I really want to get a warmer, less digital sound out of my synths but I'm sort of clueless on where to begin on that front. That bass is also the most likely culprit as to why I'm not keen on returning to this song. I'm still not happy with it despite spending an hour or so fiddling with knobs, m/s compression & eq'ing and I ended up with with way more processing on it than I'd like to have.
I don't like it. I'm sorry, it's not a mean-spirited I don't like it. It's just not for me. The biggest issue for me is that I found it really boring. The riff was slightly interesting if a bit atonal at first, but it just never goes anywhere. It's the intro riff over and over, with what I'm assuming was a perfect fifth(+7 semitones?) harmony added for the drop. It's kind of ironic that the track is called switch but there seems to be very little switching of anything going on
Here's a "future" house thingy I did a month or so ago? I think, I was going to go back and finish it but when you're woodshopping as hard as I am the shit you made a month ago sounds terrible and you don't want to go finish it. So sorry if the mix is rough, the arrangement is mostly feature complete, but on re-listen I could telegraph the transitions slightly more with more fx.
Thanks dude.
Yeah atm I just can't seem to think of interesting verses so a lot of the time I will start with a drop and basically peel away from the drop to construct the rest of the track. I think my lack of musical knowledge definitely hurts in this respect as I'm not aware which pieces of the jigsaw fit together if that makes sense? I am just trying to put them together and if they don't work, I don't use those pieces.
You know I felt something was off with the bass. The sub-bass definitely does come through too much.
Feedback on your track:
Dude this track is heaps groovy! You definitely need to get back to finishing it haha. I mean, it sounds complete now even
I can see a deep vocal track over it similar to Disciples - They Don't Know.
FloatingDivider
Member
As a broke musician free was for me. And I was excited so I entered my e-mail, and have yet to see any sort of reverb plug-in in my inbox. Boo Waves! I'll just keep using one of my other reverbs then. It's probably for the best I don't think I should get into waves plugins because they'd make an already expensive hobby even more expensive.
Mine was in a spam folder, if that helps. And then I had to activate the serial
Ended up picking up the CLA collection, Greg Wells Voice Centric (sounds damn good for a one knob) and Vocal Rider. Vocal Rider is kind of iffy for me, doesn't seem to work if the material is too extreme, which is why I need it, but for small automation its okay, definitely makes compressors work less hard. Havent dug into the CLA yet but Im excited to.
FloatingDivider
Member
Little altar boy is free again here. http://www.soundtoys.com/ You need an ilok.com account to use it though (which I have and an ilok dongle for autotune7). That being said I haven't installed the ilok license manager in a good year or so and simply forgo using plugins that require dongles or windows services to run because it's annoying and obtrusive. Take that as you will, about my endorsement for this product which I have yet to try because I cba installing the license manager right now.
And my trueverb took a while to arrive (an hour or so) and was in my spam folder too. As a bonus I now have an extra keycode on an alternate mail adress because I'm an impatient asshole.
And my trueverb took a while to arrive (an hour or so) and was in my spam folder too. As a bonus I now have an extra keycode on an alternate mail adress because I'm an impatient asshole.
I'd like some feedback on a track i'm trying to finish. Any takers?
http://soundcloud.com/the-best-of/listentothevoiceofmysound/s-sx6Jt
The track is private, so you can only use this link.
http://soundcloud.com/the-best-of/listentothevoiceofmysound/s-sx6Jt
The track is private, so you can only use this link.
thezerofire
Banned
obviously this is all subjective, but I think it might sound better if you let the talkbox loop quickly on its own before the rest of the track came in, just for a little bit. I like the little growl stab things a lot, those are rad. I think I'd treat when the talkbox comes back in in a similar way, have it be a quick thing here and there rather than repeating as it fades out. I wish you kept the high pitched note in for longer, it's a nice drone contrast to the growls in the second part, adds some tension
If you mean the intro is too long (the loop), that's one of the concerns, so i understand perfectly. The delay effect, i kind of like it the way it is, because it just fades into some background noise that helps shape those parts, more like a hypnotizing effect almost.
The high pitched note... hmmm, that's interesting. I was afraid it could start to be irritating if i kept it longer. I was thinking about it though. I'd have to re-record as i recorded that live (i mean, i played it while recording at the same time the track was running).
How about the fact that the first part is more "(deep)housy" and relatively "dry", and the second part it kind of comes loose?
Anyway, thanks for the feedback.
thezerofire
Banned
No, I mean for the intro, it's a vocal loop, and then it starts looping like one syllable and the rest of the instrumentation comes in at pretty much the same time. I think you could loop that one syllable for a bar or two before bringing everything else in and be fine.
I think that the parts are different is a good thing, keeps things interesting
Ok, thanks, i see what you mean. I'm waiting for some more feedback from other people i asked.
Intheflorsh
Banned
Soundcloud is just inundated with bots, they need to do something.
thezerofire
Banned
Yeah, got 13 likes on a track last week but 0 listens, so weird
Yeah I hate that cause as far as I know, those 13 fake likes now means 13 real people wont hear it.
Intheflorsh
Banned
Does any part of this sound discordant or weird?
https://soundcloud.com/florsh-558501827/paradisefunkpalacehothothot-1
https://soundcloud.com/florsh-558501827/paradisefunkpalacehothothot-1
FloatingDivider
Member
Feedback pimp floatingdivider returns and I will lay down the feedback for people because I'm awesome like that. I'm trying to give constructive feedback so I'm going to try to bring up specific things I like/dislike, I'll also let you know how I feel about the piece of music overall, please don't take my words too harshly because I'm not an official music critic. I'm also not god and what I like isn't necessarily what you might want a song to be etc... Please be confident in the fact, that if you like something and are 100% sure you like it, that my opinion is entirely meaningless.
I shall listen to it my fellow country man!
I love talkboxes, I'm serious, if I'm buying any piece of hardware in the future(unlikely) it'd be a talkbox. I like the talkbox riff and I don't think the intro fade in is bad structurally, I feel like it's comes in too loud though. It's a really prominent element but sounds like a background paddish type element. I'd almost call this ambient-ish house because it's so focused on establishing a groove and sitting in it. It takes like 3 minutes for a melodic element to come in, I think everything pre pitch bend up sounds nice on the melody though. I think the sound post pitch bend is too in your face but that might just be me and my shitty over sensitive ears. I love that section right before it where you pitch bend the chord down while having the delayed plucks play at 3:22 it's easily the highlight of the song for me. I might actually steal that technique someday, sorry in advance. The song gets a lot more experimental post that and sort of loses me but that's okay, it's just a sound I'm not super into usually. I also like the vocoded outro, it's groovy.
I think the synths have a nice warm analog sound overall but I don't dig the drums as much, especially the white noisish snare didn't do it for me. I also found the hi-hats to be mixed too loud near the end (this is so goddamn ironic coming from me because I'm goddamn king loud hi-hats everywhere man). Overall I like some sections a lot and am kind of ambivalent on others.
That being said, I like the talkbox riff a lot, would you mind sharing? I'd like to see if I can do something with it. I know it's up on soundcloud but it's not download enabled so I figured I'd just ask instead of jacking yo shit. I'll give you credit if I make anything with it, hell I'll give you a featuring, it's not like I'm in this to make money. We could collaborate beyond that if you like what I did with it and want to add some juicy analog synth stuff to it, or I could cast it into the depths of my recycling bin if you don't. It's whatever, feel free to pm me or something. I also speak dutch if you'd prefer that, my french is tres terribles though so you shouldn't try that.
Yes, the part at 0:51 sounds melodically & harmonically confused as shit, but it also sounds like that was your intent. It honestly sounds like you're switching to some wholetone scale type stuff or you're shifting that riff up a minor third or something. It sounds weird to me in the context of something poppy, but I guess you could make it work. I hope that answers your question.
I also think the entire mix sounds dry and empty, it's sort of minimalist and it could work but I don't think it's there yet. There was cymbal splash somewhere in there that was so dry it was jarring, it think it was during the 0:51 part that also repeats near to the ending.
Other than that I think it could be interesting if the chords sort of filter in and out to push you towards and away from the offbeat(2&4/3's in halftime) snares. There's not enough stress in the chords if you understand what I mean by that, and it just makes the whole thing feel more like an installation than music that's going to get me to dance. Which again if you're shooting for that sound completely disregard that comment, but the tag said synth-pop which tends to be a somewhat dance-able genre.
That'd be my response if you asked me what I would do if I was making that song. I'm sort ambivalent on the entire song though. I doesn't really do much for me one way or the other, it's just sort of there. I like the outro though and I'd almost restart the thing using that as a basis and working on getting everything to really groove.
I'm sorry this wasn't more positive but I'd rather give you my honest opinion, it's only one opinion and you shouldn't let any commentary dissuade you from making the things you want to make. So please disregard this entire thing if you disagree.
End feedback, start shameless self promotion.
If you guys want to check out a thing I'm working on for whatever reason I made this thing 3 days ago: Back To Ứ
I'm pretty much borrowing the whole wave racer, pusher etc dofflin/future bass style for this track. I kind of like it so far. So it's that whole pitched up overly happy 90's r&b, trappish drums, filtered synth, 808's and arps kind of thing. It's not fully finished because I'm not happy about the transition at 2:20 and I want to spice up the intro some more. I'm mostly satisfied with my mixing on this but it's not mastered yet so you might need to turn up your speakers to get the correct vibe, it's currently 6db below where I want it to be post mastering on average and I didn't feel like slamming it into a limiter for a quick preview. Appreciate all feedback, especially constructive feedback.
I shall listen to it my fellow country man!
I love talkboxes, I'm serious, if I'm buying any piece of hardware in the future(unlikely) it'd be a talkbox. I like the talkbox riff and I don't think the intro fade in is bad structurally, I feel like it's comes in too loud though. It's a really prominent element but sounds like a background paddish type element. I'd almost call this ambient-ish house because it's so focused on establishing a groove and sitting in it. It takes like 3 minutes for a melodic element to come in, I think everything pre pitch bend up sounds nice on the melody though. I think the sound post pitch bend is too in your face but that might just be me and my shitty over sensitive ears. I love that section right before it where you pitch bend the chord down while having the delayed plucks play at 3:22 it's easily the highlight of the song for me. I might actually steal that technique someday, sorry in advance. The song gets a lot more experimental post that and sort of loses me but that's okay, it's just a sound I'm not super into usually. I also like the vocoded outro, it's groovy.
I think the synths have a nice warm analog sound overall but I don't dig the drums as much, especially the white noisish snare didn't do it for me. I also found the hi-hats to be mixed too loud near the end (this is so goddamn ironic coming from me because I'm goddamn king loud hi-hats everywhere man). Overall I like some sections a lot and am kind of ambivalent on others.
That being said, I like the talkbox riff a lot, would you mind sharing? I'd like to see if I can do something with it. I know it's up on soundcloud but it's not download enabled so I figured I'd just ask instead of jacking yo shit. I'll give you credit if I make anything with it, hell I'll give you a featuring, it's not like I'm in this to make money. We could collaborate beyond that if you like what I did with it and want to add some juicy analog synth stuff to it, or I could cast it into the depths of my recycling bin if you don't. It's whatever, feel free to pm me or something. I also speak dutch if you'd prefer that, my french is tres terribles though so you shouldn't try that.
Yes, the part at 0:51 sounds melodically & harmonically confused as shit, but it also sounds like that was your intent. It honestly sounds like you're switching to some wholetone scale type stuff or you're shifting that riff up a minor third or something. It sounds weird to me in the context of something poppy, but I guess you could make it work. I hope that answers your question.
I also think the entire mix sounds dry and empty, it's sort of minimalist and it could work but I don't think it's there yet. There was cymbal splash somewhere in there that was so dry it was jarring, it think it was during the 0:51 part that also repeats near to the ending.
Other than that I think it could be interesting if the chords sort of filter in and out to push you towards and away from the offbeat(2&4/3's in halftime) snares. There's not enough stress in the chords if you understand what I mean by that, and it just makes the whole thing feel more like an installation than music that's going to get me to dance. Which again if you're shooting for that sound completely disregard that comment, but the tag said synth-pop which tends to be a somewhat dance-able genre.
That'd be my response if you asked me what I would do if I was making that song. I'm sort ambivalent on the entire song though. I doesn't really do much for me one way or the other, it's just sort of there. I like the outro though and I'd almost restart the thing using that as a basis and working on getting everything to really groove.
I'm sorry this wasn't more positive but I'd rather give you my honest opinion, it's only one opinion and you shouldn't let any commentary dissuade you from making the things you want to make. So please disregard this entire thing if you disagree.
End feedback, start shameless self promotion.
If you guys want to check out a thing I'm working on for whatever reason I made this thing 3 days ago: Back To Ứ
I'm pretty much borrowing the whole wave racer, pusher etc dofflin/future bass style for this track. I kind of like it so far. So it's that whole pitched up overly happy 90's r&b, trappish drums, filtered synth, 808's and arps kind of thing. It's not fully finished because I'm not happy about the transition at 2:20 and I want to spice up the intro some more. I'm mostly satisfied with my mixing on this but it's not mastered yet so you might need to turn up your speakers to get the correct vibe, it's currently 6db below where I want it to be post mastering on average and I didn't feel like slamming it into a limiter for a quick preview. Appreciate all feedback, especially constructive feedback.
What's a good way to get started?
I've played instruments, was never that good. I don't have perfect pitch, or the best sense of music theory. But I do have a desire to learn, I just don't want to waste the very little hobby time that I have.
Buy a book one using a DAW? Buy some cheap and old hardware and just start fiddling? I think I first want to start with learning how to construct rhythms.
I've played instruments, was never that good. I don't have perfect pitch, or the best sense of music theory. But I do have a desire to learn, I just don't want to waste the very little hobby time that I have.
Buy a book one using a DAW? Buy some cheap and old hardware and just start fiddling? I think I first want to start with learning how to construct rhythms.
If you just want to start to see if it clicks, and especially with rhythms, i would really not recommend diving into books at first. Get some free/cheap apps, download a demo version of Reason or other software and start fiddling. Nothing will stimulate curiosity like hands on experience. Hardware is also very cool to "get into", because it works like toys for boys and you can lose yourself for hours just making sounds. In that case, i think the Volca's might be a good fit to start, expand as you go or move up. Once you've experienced "the joy", then you might want to improve and read up (lord knows i never did).
Thanks, i'll look for the original sample, because last time i only found the mp3 version i had and the one i'm using is embedded in the project. I don't really mind if you want to do something with it if you're giving credits.
I built my own talkbox (see pictures https://www.instagram.com/puncheur_music/), it's not only cheaper but you know what quality you will get. You do need to hook it up to an amp (which you also might have to buy if you don't have one that suits the driver). Just order a good horn driver, go to a metal hardware store (like Metaleuven
) and get some parts that allow you to connect a tube to it. Don't take a tube that is too soft or it will absorb all the vibrations (and muffle the sound), but dont't use one that's too hard or it will not be pleasant in your mouth.If you're up to it, feel free to place comments on the soundcloud track, especially as to what parts you disliked, and which you did like ;-)
I'll try to process your comments later (i mean, in my mind) and think about if/how i can apply them. But thank you for the feedback.
PS: not everything was analog. The drums, lead, bass, growly thing at the end and talkbox are analog, all the other synths and effects were digital.
Funny that you picked up on that. I thought it would go unnoticed or get burried under everything else going on at that point, but it was very deliberate. So, cool! My favorite part (as in "second") is a few seconds later, right before the lead gets pitched up, the moog makes such a nice, warm beautiful howl.
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