I did a "fix your mix" in the forums a while back. If you want some help I can take a look (the volume swells and writing are interesting, but it can all hit a lot harder), just DM me.
You've got good songwriting skills and good overall musicianship.
If you are looking for advice, I'd find a funky lick resource of some kind (tutorials are great), to increase the variance of your fills (across multiple instruments and songs). Then learn each lick in every key (I do them chromatically), so that you have a muscle memory library to pull from (this is an old bebop technique).
When it comes to vocal training, I would practice scales through the 12 keys. There is nothing wrong with your voice. If you want it to sound better (and you are too hard on yourself), you need to develop the muscles (probably via more tutorials). You would be amazed what a little sight singing and ear training can do. Get your 10,000 hrs in and you may scare yourself :)
Awesome points Ben, and thanks for the compliments.
I'm taling drum lessons at the moment; thinking to switch to singing - oh how I'd love to do both, but we only have 26 hours in a day after all ;)
Oh 24? That must be why it feels so rushed ;)
10.000 hours times 5 instruments, let me see... Ok, see you again in June 2028 ;)
Great tips man. Not sure I can all of it but it's well understood and definitely noted!
Lots of energy. It's a bit relentless, could use a drop or low/high pass filter sweep breakdown (or something) to break up the sections.
You have a sound in the background that starts at 1:20 and ends about 1:40. I think it is a peak in the 4K frequency range resembling feedback (it happens again from 2:05 to the end). I would put an eq on your "bitty arps" and remove the peak (4K spikes cause permanent hearing damage).
Nice chill instrumental breaks an tambourine use. Nice use of white space as well, taking the drums away and just leaving tamb, vox, and piano for a couple measures. Good little guitar solos as well.
Might want to brighten up the highs. I prefer multiband compression vs boosting an EQ, but either would work.
Also, put YouLean (its's free, though any mastering plugin should work) on the master and try to get the loudness between -14 and -10 LUFS, and you will have competitive loudness for Youtube and other streaming services (the track is a bit quiet).
Just some food for thought. Nice work, keep it up.
As long as it's not a Florida sink-hole with a long piece of saltwater taffy stretched over at SeaWorld that Florida man whacks on with the butt end of an AK-47. Because that would be intolerable! /s
2 step in a whale blowhole!
Interesting quasi future-bass. Are you ducking the volume on multiple tracks, or using side-chained compression or an auto ducker/automation on the master (or are the a loops made that way)?
If you are not using compression (sidechained to the dubstep kick snare pattern) you might consider it, you can get a finer control of the attack curve and release, its "washout" behavior on the master.
Just some food for thought. Good track, forward looking, sounds like you are trying to master some pretty complex and modern production techniques, keep it up.
I'm liking the 8 bit foley. Nice guitar solo (and keys later), very fitting. It does feel a bit sparse at times (in the first 2 or 3 min), like you are not finished, but you gotta be careful, the cost of perfection is infinite.
bringer, thanks for stopping by and sharing your observations and fave. BaoBou's solo was the missing link, and it's good you enjoyed his work. Now, what you call "sparse" I call "texture". Every textured moment was intentional and the setup for the next soloist. We have to remember that "less is more" is a strategy, especially in funk. My belief is that we are never really finished at this phase of what we are doing musically. Our ability to hear and express what we do musically should increase daily and only over time we get closer to perfection. Why? We all have our own definition of what true perfection is really all about. TTYL
I'm sure you've noticed by now that
titles aren't my strong point. In fact
If it were not for LM's strict 5 character
rule for titles I would just use numbers.
You know I'm always down for a fresh sound so
send me an idea or 2. I'm all ears, roughly speaking. lol
Thanks for stopping by listening, commenting and Faving.
Earlier I mentions removing some lows and some highs from your voice. You may want to consider using multi-band compression instead, and then dial back the low and mid compression level, increase the high compression band, and then add your reverb with the lows cut off. That will help brighter up your voice without losing the baritone features.
The musicianship is great, though I'm not really feeling my first knuckles bleed on my pick hand (guess I've listened to too much metal).
I've tried multi-band compression on my voice before but I wasn't too pleased with the results. But what the h*ll, I'll try it again. I probably just wasn't using it correctly lol
You have a good voice, though you may want to EQ out some to the lows and mids, add compression, then wet up the highs with reverb or delay (just a hint). Also, consider more compression on the master, to smash the channels together to give it more "liveness" (not to much though, quiet dynamics are better than a "brick").
You may want to consider adding so midrange to that lead guitar, and moving from a fuzz to more of a tube screamer tone (kinda blues it up).
Put YouLean or some similar tool on the master, then get the LUFS of the master around -10 to -14, without clipping, and you will get a much clearer louder master.
Just some food for thought, you asked for feedback.
Nice work. BTW, if you like to count, cover Catfood.
Thanks man, I like to think I've come a long way since I did this track but I'll definitely keep your suggestions in mind for the one I'm finishing up right now.
Nice dissonance immediately. Great vocal work. Perhaps a hair dry against the instruments in the verse. Chorus and heavy part sounds great. Nice and grungy, forgot what original rock (metal) sounds like.
Sounds like professional quality through most, excellent, faved.
I figured you'd gone on a sabbatical to some remote place
In Maka Picchu the Congo or perhaps Boise doing a music
Quest.
I'm glad you're back, perhaps you can help me stop plundering time signatures and what not.:-)
As always I appreciate you stopping by, giving my track a listen and this time a Fave.
So, you want the swing value to be the same for every instrument, and you want it to be for the 8th notes. It would be easy to attach a swing value and never hear it, because the tempo is doubled and the swing value is attached to the 16th note instead (relative to the song, not the DAW settings).
If you have no syncopated 16th notes, you won't hear any swing (though it that case, technically it would be a shuffle, which is a swing value applied to the 16th notes.)
Almost all DAWs tend to double the BPM. For instance, FLStudios default is 140 BPM, but most trap is really 70 BPM (when you consider the actual phrasing), folks just don't like thinking about 32nd notes (the hats) because it blows their mind, so doubling the tempo and making less time increments is simpler, even though it leads to expression issues later, for instance when attaching a swing value in the wrong increment, as well as shorter phrases and smaller more repetitive loops.
To experiment, start with only drums and vox, line it up via swing percentage, then apply the lined up value (8th note swing%) to the remaining instruments. I've experimented with multiple swing values per instrument, but it was pretty much a mess. A single value for everything works better. I also tend to perform the parts and leave them unquantized, giving them both a natural swing value and some tasteful "inaccuracy."
It took me a long time to realize what swing even was. I had always though of it as a triplet feel, but it's really the potential space between a triplet feel (33%) and "straight 8" (0%), or the shuffle (19 beat) equivalent. Swing values are what makes boombap and reggae so good, especially when you remove the first beat from the phrase on occasion.
Hope that wasn't too much info, just some food for thought.
I like the electricity sound, breaks the norms. You might consider rendering some of the MIDI to wavs. You can then stretch to twice or 4X the time (or the reverse) to get interesting sonic information (same with pitch transposition and stretching settings), or use them as an optional or additional layer with or without additional FX (or as a vocoding source, or as a sidechain information source).
Sometime I will write MIDI, render it as a wav, and then use another MIDI content as reference points to place chops or sweeteners, using the rendered wav.
Any combination of these kinds of tricks will exploit a larger palette without much effort or an increase in written content. In other words, efficient "tricks" for avant garde sounds.
You can also render the entire song, so that you have a choppable master handy if you want global FX for a small part (like tailored reverb during a pause), without having to wire a bunch of busses into a premaster channel.
Thanks Bod - I do like to try to find the boundary line and test it a little in the process of learning the software and crafting a track. I'm with you around bouncing the tracks to mostly bounce to audio and do + also double track usually more than half of my tracks, then treat them differently and pan them differently AND as I use mpc as daw I often use the half speed function - even doubled up which does as you suggest provide a quick pathway to alternative sounds that will fit with the original. I also like to add harmoniser, delay and or other effects, often on the last beat, hit or note of a phrase and blend them in a more or less subtle way. Thanks so much for your feedback to me and others I have found that your comments and ideas have been really helpful in my learning and experiments. In my other life my own work in therapy is based on building on what is already present and working and to try to pay attention to all of the elements that make up 'what works' and I think that attitude is helpful in tune craft too - whether it's for someone at your level of expertise or a relative novice like myself hey : ) Thanks Again
on SillyWilly by Jynxz
on Nothin Mann by Jynxz
on Victory by BeatMaker4real
on Break This by DsideK
Here's a reference track if you are wondering if I can help:
https://www.looperman.com/tracks/detail/231073
on A Mystery It Seems by Spd2
This should have more faves.
IN
on EP track 3 - The Rains of the Fall by BaoBou
If you are looking for advice, I'd find a funky lick resource of some kind (tutorials are great), to increase the variance of your fills (across multiple instruments and songs). Then learn each lick in every key (I do them chromatically), so that you have a muscle memory library to pull from (this is an old bebop technique).
When it comes to vocal training, I would practice scales through the 12 keys. There is nothing wrong with your voice. If you want it to sound better (and you are too hard on yourself), you need to develop the muscles (probably via more tutorials). You would be amazed what a little sight singing and ear training can do. Get your 10,000 hrs in and you may scare yourself :)
Food for thought. Hope it helps, keep it up.
I'm taling drum lessons at the moment; thinking to switch to singing - oh how I'd love to do both, but we only have 26 hours in a day after all ;)
Oh 24? That must be why it feels so rushed ;)
10.000 hours times 5 instruments, let me see... Ok, see you again in June 2028 ;)
Great tips man. Not sure I can all of it but it's well understood and definitely noted!
on GrandmaThrowdown aka Grannie Guitar Watson by Jynxz
Also, I like how you are making chords out of the vox samples (I assume you are "playing" them).
Your music tends to always have that trippy "swirl" to it.
faved.
You are being waaaay to kind Ben.
oh wait, that was a joke.
All of my Vocals/Vox's are samples.
However I do re-pitch them to make the
chords I want.
You know that I'm stuck in-between 1970 and 2070 LOL.
Thank you for stopping by and giving the track a listen,
super over the top encouraging comments and for not
forgetting to smash the FAVE button.
PEACE from the East.. TTYL...
on slowest beat i have ever made by luvroxu
on colethevii she hates people remix by luvroxu
You have a sound in the background that starts at 1:20 and ends about 1:40. I think it is a peak in the 4K frequency range resembling feedback (it happens again from 2:05 to the end). I would put an eq on your "bitty arps" and remove the peak (4K spikes cause permanent hearing damage).
Just some things to think about, keep it up.
on Miistake by Tumbleweed
This should have more faves.
on Bass ReBorn - Overload Mix by Kirkoid
Might want to brighten up the highs. I prefer multiband compression vs boosting an EQ, but either would work.
Also, put YouLean (its's free, though any mastering plugin should work) on the master and try to get the loudness between -14 and -10 LUFS, and you will have competitive loudness for Youtube and other streaming services (the track is a bit quiet).
Just some food for thought. Nice work, keep it up.
on Content Provider by crucethus
Boombap in a canyon :D
2 step in a whale blowhole!
on Ravens by Killick
Almost has a Type O-Negative quality to it (les the metal).
Nice synth palette and voice placement.
Well done, faved.
on LunnchBoxx - Genesis by LunnchBoxx
If you are not using compression (sidechained to the dubstep kick snare pattern) you might consider it, you can get a finer control of the attack curve and release, its "washout" behavior on the master.
Just some food for thought. Good track, forward looking, sounds like you are trying to master some pretty complex and modern production techniques, keep it up.
I'm sidechaining my tracks on multiple sections so I could easily modify it track by track.
on NuGroove Featuring BaoBou Remastered by kingmt77
I think BaoBou was my first collaborator...
Faved, keep it up.
Mark
on YEAH BassFace by Jynxz
I might send something your way soon.
Faved.
I'm sure you've noticed by now that
titles aren't my strong point. In fact
If it were not for LM's strict 5 character
rule for titles I would just use numbers.
You know I'm always down for a fresh sound so
send me an idea or 2. I'm all ears, roughly speaking. lol
Thanks for stopping by listening, commenting and Faving.
PEACE... TTYL....
on Catatonia by crucethus
faved.
on Futile Devices by Killick
The musicianship is great, though I'm not really feeling my first knuckles bleed on my pick hand (guess I've listened to too much metal).
Nice work keep it up.
on Heroes by Killick
You may want to consider adding so midrange to that lead guitar, and moving from a fuzz to more of a tube screamer tone (kinda blues it up).
Put YouLean or some similar tool on the master, then get the LUFS of the master around -10 to -14, without clipping, and you will get a much clearer louder master.
Just some food for thought, you asked for feedback.
Nice work. BTW, if you like to count, cover Catfood.
on Danke x Modnex - InTeRvEnTioN by Modnex
Sounds like professional quality through most, excellent, faved.
As always, thanks for stopping by.
on EndLessLoop by Jynxz
Yes, I remember sax soloing over this. I counting it as 12/8, or 3/4 triplets, depending on your perspective.
I still think the intro sounds like drums falling down the stairs...
:P
Faved anyway.
I figured you'd gone on a sabbatical to some remote place
In Maka Picchu the Congo or perhaps Boise doing a music
Quest.
I'm glad you're back, perhaps you can help me stop plundering time signatures and what not.:-)
As always I appreciate you stopping by, giving my track a listen and this time a Fave.
PEACE from the East. TTYL...
on Four Seasons in One Day by Diskonnect
I'm not finding any particularly harsh or offending frequencies in the mix, nor am I hearing anything that seems without intent.
If you not happy with the mix, just chop the from 8K up on the master, deadpan every track, and call it lofi...
:P
on 2pac remix by BeatMaker4real
on 2pac remix by BeatMaker4real
If you have no syncopated 16th notes, you won't hear any swing (though it that case, technically it would be a shuffle, which is a swing value applied to the 16th notes.)
Almost all DAWs tend to double the BPM. For instance, FLStudios default is 140 BPM, but most trap is really 70 BPM (when you consider the actual phrasing), folks just don't like thinking about 32nd notes (the hats) because it blows their mind, so doubling the tempo and making less time increments is simpler, even though it leads to expression issues later, for instance when attaching a swing value in the wrong increment, as well as shorter phrases and smaller more repetitive loops.
To experiment, start with only drums and vox, line it up via swing percentage, then apply the lined up value (8th note swing%) to the remaining instruments. I've experimented with multiple swing values per instrument, but it was pretty much a mess. A single value for everything works better. I also tend to perform the parts and leave them unquantized, giving them both a natural swing value and some tasteful "inaccuracy."
It took me a long time to realize what swing even was. I had always though of it as a triplet feel, but it's really the potential space between a triplet feel (33%) and "straight 8" (0%), or the shuffle (19 beat) equivalent. Swing values are what makes boombap and reggae so good, especially when you remove the first beat from the phrase on occasion.
Hope that wasn't too much info, just some food for thought.
Hey, we live in the information age, no such thing as too much info..lol
on Trouts Truth by pseudoble
Sometime I will write MIDI, render it as a wav, and then use another MIDI content as reference points to place chops or sweeteners, using the rendered wav.
Any combination of these kinds of tricks will exploit a larger palette without much effort or an increase in written content. In other words, efficient "tricks" for avant garde sounds.
You can also render the entire song, so that you have a choppable master handy if you want global FX for a small part (like tailored reverb during a pause), without having to wire a bunch of busses into a premaster channel.
Food for thought, faved, keep it up.