It's a very nice track, very nice arrangement, very lovely programming, very cool scratches. I think the drums and instruments could do with some effects on them (Reverb mostly) because they sound a little dry. And I don't know why, but the stock Reason piano patches just don't do it for me. I think they hold back this track back a little bit because they sound so...sampled. All in all, great track, but I think the patches you're using hold you back a little. I'd recommend checking out some refills or a new method of sampling.
Thanks for the constructive criticism :) Since I'm still using the free version of Sony Acid (very new to this all) I'm limited in what I can do but will look more into programs where I can take this all to the next level.
Nice little cinematic bit. The sound quality on some of the samples seems kind of low. For instance when that background bass hits without any instruments playing it sounds like it has a reduced bit rate distortion applied. I point this out because I wonder if you were going for more of a tribal drum for that part. I also wonder how "natural" you want to make this sound because parts of it sound good and organic, whereas others sound totally artificial (As in synths and audio editors being used).
0:10 - It sounds like the horn or whatever that is is sampled and there's some popping when it changes notes. Musically it sounds good, but the popping takes you out of the music.
0:24 - 1:10 - This section sounds great. Loving that folky guitary-sounding instrument. After the guitar cuts out, it sounds like the reverbed bass drum has some bit rate distortion on it. Don't know if that's intentional.
1:23 - seems like the bird call sound needs a little more reverb added, but that's being nit picky.
2:00 - Sweet thunder =)
2:07 - the primary reverse sound is cool, but I think it should be used more sparingly as a background sound effect. It sounds eerie in moderation, but it's annoying over the vocal. I think you should just have eerie sound effects going behind the vocal and remove that sound altogether. The other reversed sound effects also sound like they have bit rate distortion on them.
All in all though, it gets the point across and it's pretty cool. What software and sample banks are you using just out of curiosity?
thanx for the review, mate...brutal truth is always welcome here at camp abec...i agree with you on some aspects, so i may repost the track with somme of your suggesstions, but then again i may not...i used FL 9, magix, and abelton live 7.0 to create this bit...thanx again for the review
Very solid track. Very pretty, very good, but I'll offer up a few minor tweaks. They seem nit picky because there aren't any major problems with this song. The levels are great, musically it's great, and it's well-produced. You could essentially call it final as it is. But anywho, here we go:
Turn down the strings a bit because they really drown out the piano and interfere with the vocals a little (Unless that's what you're going for). Try having a section or two without them even, just for diversity. They're gorgeous, yes, but just a tad overused. Having a section with just piano, bass, and drums could be a powerful contrast. The mix doesn't always need to be full.
Thicken up the piano. You could do this by duplicating the notes an octave or two lower. It sounds a little too twinkly for hip hop and could help bump up the low end as well. I think the piano lines could benefit from being stronger and more present in the mix.
Try playing around with a lighter kick, as this is a mellow track and the club kick is just too heavy and calls too much attention to itself. It should be present enough just to keep the song moving, as you don't seem to be going for a completely danceable club track.
Contrast the percussion some. That high hat line is nice, but doing some varied percussion for the chorus would be huge. Adding some more intricate complementary rhythms could make a nice texture. It would give your sections a different sense of movement. IE) Slow chorus, fast verse. This will help break up and define the sections more.
Finally, contrast the verse and chorus more. I mentioned this before, but it would do wonders for the movement and feel of your song. Other than these minor nuances, great song, but could be slightly better.
Yeah i see what your saying, and i totally agree on the kick, its to heavy but i just never got round to change it, thanks for your feedback, if you want to do a version i can send you the accapella, thanks again for the feedback
Beautiful transition from the strings to the beat. I really dig this track. In fact, I'd say musically this is done, but... Those drums are way too weak. Try layering percussive elements and use sidechain compression to make it slam. This track has incredible potential and I'm very curious to hear the final product.
Lol I really like the vocal samples. The track is sounding very nice, but it sounds like it could be a little tougher in the drums department. I'm not sure how I would go about doing that (More distortion and compression?), but it's not quite slamming enough. Also I'd recommend a little variation on the bassline if that's possible. Great job though man.
Reply to Reply:
Layering is a good idea! Shoot me a message when you repost =)
It's very well done and everything fits well together musically. However, if you do decide to rework it, I think you should make the synth parts sound dirtier and less 'synthy'. Bring out the shout a little more too. This has a lot of potential. Good job, sir. I want to hear the final product because it sounds like you keep coming back to this track =P
The track sounds nice, but turn down the levels a bit. A bunch of things were clipping (At least on my setup). The way the track progresses and evolves is very good, but it seems to taper off and lose its edge toward the end and doesn't go anywhere. Also worth mentioning is that some lyrics would sit nicely on top. Keep up the tunes, mang.
on Baby Makin Jamz - Intrumental by DFury
on beast and famine by abec
0:10 - It sounds like the horn or whatever that is is sampled and there's some popping when it changes notes. Musically it sounds good, but the popping takes you out of the music.
0:24 - 1:10 - This section sounds great. Loving that folky guitary-sounding instrument. After the guitar cuts out, it sounds like the reverbed bass drum has some bit rate distortion on it. Don't know if that's intentional.
1:23 - seems like the bird call sound needs a little more reverb added, but that's being nit picky.
2:00 - Sweet thunder =)
2:07 - the primary reverse sound is cool, but I think it should be used more sparingly as a background sound effect. It sounds eerie in moderation, but it's annoying over the vocal. I think you should just have eerie sound effects going behind the vocal and remove that sound altogether. The other reversed sound effects also sound like they have bit rate distortion on them.
All in all though, it gets the point across and it's pretty cool. What software and sample banks are you using just out of curiosity?
on Why Ft/ Kate by DrClue
Turn down the strings a bit because they really drown out the piano and interfere with the vocals a little (Unless that's what you're going for). Try having a section or two without them even, just for diversity. They're gorgeous, yes, but just a tad overused. Having a section with just piano, bass, and drums could be a powerful contrast. The mix doesn't always need to be full.
Thicken up the piano. You could do this by duplicating the notes an octave or two lower. It sounds a little too twinkly for hip hop and could help bump up the low end as well. I think the piano lines could benefit from being stronger and more present in the mix.
Try playing around with a lighter kick, as this is a mellow track and the club kick is just too heavy and calls too much attention to itself. It should be present enough just to keep the song moving, as you don't seem to be going for a completely danceable club track.
Contrast the percussion some. That high hat line is nice, but doing some varied percussion for the chorus would be huge. Adding some more intricate complementary rhythms could make a nice texture. It would give your sections a different sense of movement. IE) Slow chorus, fast verse. This will help break up and define the sections more.
Finally, contrast the verse and chorus more. I mentioned this before, but it would do wonders for the movement and feel of your song. Other than these minor nuances, great song, but could be slightly better.
on Destiny by Mpulse
on Copy Cat by sn76
Reply to Reply:
Layering is a good idea! Shoot me a message when you repost =)
on Sequencing Task by asterikz
on MY THEME! CHECK IT OUT by FaIVIouS