Contemplatonic V 2 - Srbrown7

Hello yet again.

"3 step chord progression overlapping a 4 bar structure" sounds about right for that intro though it's not too much of a problem.

I listened back (of course) and still think the drums are too loud and maybe also have too much reverb on them.

But this is always about tastes and preferences so go with what feels best to you.

One suggestion is that when you make an update, you should put this in the track description eg UPDATE 11/02/2014 - Fixed the drum volume, added some Tuvan throat singing

That way I, or others, know to listen again. I like to follow people's improvements. Feedback and improvements are what I feel the site should be all about.

When touring with the hot ladies and Dave Grohl as guitar tech, I may well need a roadie or 10. Some will have to carry me out on stage and others might have to dig me out from underneath all the hot naked female bodies I'm buried under (that's sort of in the film Rock Of Ages with Tom Cruise as the gross rock star).

Are you looking for that sort of a roadie/personal assistant job or would you rather just shift amps and flight cases?

All your tracks that I have listened to seem to have some kind of smooooth vibe to them that makes for great listening Steve...some music (even the stuff we like) can get tiring to the ears after a while but to my mind this is the kind of music that a person could spend a lot of time with....nice variations in the beat & instrumentation..That break around 3:45 is great...Its sounding really good up here a few K North of you (where you can put a minus sigh in front of your temperature & it will be pretty close to ours)....stay cool mate....Ed

So, my reply and a little more detail.

Regarding other sounds, you should buy/acquire some other packs of sampled acoustic instruments as VSTs or whatever (most of mine are in Reason format).

I use lots of these - from sitars to banjos to dulcimers. I have my actual acoustic instruments too but my sample-based sounds are a bit different. I try to make the synth stuff a lot more acoustic-sounding though they then get mangled up through various effects so also then become more electronic - a blend I like.

Yes, vocalists do force things in different directions. I have a jazz/funk track on this site in which the female vocalist inspired me to do jazzy/funky stuff that is a bit different for me. Warning: track is old, needs a lot of updating but is still enjoyable:

https://www.looperman.com/tracks/detail/103945

I'd like to work with other vocalists but managing to do that is a difficult thing for me and I don't try very hard to make it happen anymore after various big let-downs.

Your track:

There's something off (slightly awkward) about the timing before the drums enter. Then it all sits fine after that.

Drums are a little bright, maybe too loud. Perhaps also too much reverb.

I feel they're dominating/interfering with your melodies.

This track would work fine without any drums or perhaps just very minimal/sparse ones.

3:27 awesome sound there to take us to the cloud bridge.

The clouds do, indeed, part. They have to in order to let you have a breakdown and a return to your main theme.

This is more good stuff but I feel I'd hear the melodies better if you made the drums less prominent (reverb/volume/hi EQ down).

So I was wrong and there are production "faults" that weren't so obvious to me on first listening.

I'd be interested to hear an improved version but keep it as it is if you entirely disagree.

All the best and respect as always. I appreciate your hobby "excuses" but only try to suggest improvements, which you are free to reject.

Lightweight, carefree and a timeless good song. Awesome work!

You're really very consistent with the tracks you regularly upload here. Not sure if you make one a week or if these have been brewing for a while. In my case, I've been working on quite a few for many years.

You could definitely have a decent upbeat chillout album that people would buy and listen to. Not ncessarily any hit singles but you could also do that if you had the vocalists.

I'll do a more specific review of this later but for now will say it's your typical stuff in which I can barely find any reason to criticise or complain about the production. Pretty much flawless.

This one doesn't seem to have such an obvious theme or melody though maybe I'll hear it more when I listen again.

One minor criticism of your stuff is that perhaps you tend to play it a bit safe with your sounds. Actually, this isn't even a criticism but more an expression of my tastes and what I would prefer to hear. So, the sounds are all very clean but I would prefer a bit more dirt and a bit more weirdness and character. I'd like to hear a more unusual and distinctive collection of instruments and sounds as I think that would make your stuff more recognisable and distinctive.

Predictably good work...

Hello my Friend ....

Yes! perfectly tamed .... as usual you allow us this escape that reminds a little heat haze your continent ....
Very pleasant to listen to, and allows me to travel outside the perpetual storms we have here on the old continent.

I hope everything goes well for you. Thank you for sharing.

Dan