StaticNomad

Haven't see you on Looperman in ages so look forward to listening to this when I get the chance as I'm a fan of your stuff. I have very limited internet access right now and can look at the site at work but not listen!

"the screechy effect was created with melodyne by attenuating the fundamental plus some of the lower harmonics and exciting the higher ones."

Well that's really good use of FX as it doesn't sound like you've got any big, obvious effects elsewhere in the track. So, just putting a little, surprising one here is creative and tasteful. I thought there was something odd and unusual about it and not one of the regular effects people use.

I keep meaning to get Melodyne as I'm sure it's great fun on other instruments as well.

"my goal was to build a dj set, so, it's very repetitive, because I wanted to play it along with another track, and mix it live"
Sure, that makes sense to me. I'm not a DJ but I'm familiar with people doing this. Also, I know some people have music they have made cut to vinyl just so they can scratch it live.

I should say that I've got lots of respect from you for one simple reason - you've probably given me the best and most helpful review and suggestions when you gave me advice on my track called Rainbowcatcher a couple of months ago. There's far too much back-slapping and simplistic "Yeah, great track, loved it!" comments on this site so I really appreciate someone taking the time to listen carefully to something and make some helpful, genuinely critical suggestions as to how to improve problem tracks (which that track definitely still is).

I always try to write a reasonable amount and give time references for bits I liked and bits I thought were a problem. It's this kind of thing that I thought the site was suppoed to be all about (ie helping each other improve and giving a higher quality level of analysis than just the average member of the public) but I don't see enough of it. I'm improving all the time and am my own harshest critic and always welcome suggestions on how to improve.

To be honest, I don't get them very often, generally just people saying how much they liked a track and how they can't really fault it. I understand people can be nervous about offending people or aren't sure exactly how to express how they would like things to be improved. Maybe I'm wrong and Looperman's really more about congratulating people on what they've done and collaborating with others online.

Thanks again.

It's clear from my two previous comments how much I like this. I can now tell you that some of the main vocal lines have been stuck in my head days after first hearing it. So, I've been going round the house thinking of those lines that are something like "kikke vi pa morgen". So it's clearly quite a strong, memorable vocal melody.

Oh yes, this has very strong song potential.

Good beat and love all the bass work as well as the synth that sits on top. All sits very nicely and there's lots of space.

Some good little glitchy fills too, especially starting on 2:31.

Not personally being much of a fan of rnb, I'd prefer to see a different type of vocal go on it. All sorts of stuff would work but I guess you'll have to wait and see what you get and what you like.

There's a bit of problem with your repeated sort of woodwind fill eg on 0:18. I think it needs to have reverb on it to mesh it with the other parts. It's too dry so doesn't seem connected with them. What it plays is fine, though.

It has one of the better faded endings I've heard on here recently (because you don't do it too quickly).

Good work so keep going.

This is the second song I've heard from you and it's as good as I expected.

You have a really classic voice with a lot of character that I am sure lots and lots of people would love to record.

I don't think this is that great a song but the tone of your voice makes it sound really good.

"hank you very much. Well Orchestral is according to me, the genre which is most expensive to produce in. There is a lot of samples, but no one that sound realistic enough at a low cost. However, as I've just got a full-time job I hope to soon be able to buy a decent quality string pack.

As for the intro, you are totally right. It's hard to notice things like this when your getting "used" to hear your own song. Thank you very much for the tip, I will totally use it when I get the time.

Nevertheless, I very much appreciate you taking time to listen and giving me a full review of the track. I will surely check out your track called Visible Aura.

Thanks once again,
//Hampus"

Hey, no problem. Whenever I hear something good on here (or anywhere else) some of my first thoughts when thinking back about it are along the lines of "OK, but how can this be better?"

I can generally find some problem areas though whether or not the composer sees them as a problem is hard to know. He/she may love them! This is what I have to do constantly with my own music. And by doing this I make it better all the time. There are almost always ways to improve things, especially when it's a complex piece.

"Orchestral is according to me, the genre which is most expensive to produce in"

Yes, you're probably right though sometimes lower quality ones can have a cool sound anyway and especially if you're adding some effects that stop it from sounding as if you're trying to make it sound like a genuine, real string/brass section.

Good luck with getting much higher quality strings. There are so many choose from! I find it very confusing, actually.

I need to upload a better version of Visible Aura as the intro is way too quiet though the rest is fine. String samples are not high quality but they have a character I really like. And, as I blend in other synths and guitar, I stop it sounding exactly like I'm trying to emulate a real orchestra. I'd be interested to know if you think I've pulled it off.

"Hi there. Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it. Haha, I love Damien Rice... Maybe it had influence on me in this. :)"

I had to say something as I think it's really good but should probably be longer and more developed. I guess it will be better as you're still working on it.

That O Damien Rice album is great but I seem to remember the second one was not and I haven't listened to anything since. Bit of a shame, really.

Recommend me some of your best tracks on here to check out and I will.

I love this even more after listening to it for a second time. My mum loved it too but she didn't realise it was Danish until I told her. And she speaks more Danish than I do!

Could you please post the lyrics so I can read them as there are quite a few words I can't understand.

I also noticed some of the vocal layering and harmonising more when listening again.

This is great. Love the strings, harp, drums, the triumphant movement of all of it. Really excellent stuff.

Reminds me of some of the best songs off Damien Rice's O album. I think the cello line sounds a bit like the cello in the following song.

Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YXVMCHG-Nk

That vocal is really strong. You have an excellent voice with a lot of soul in it. It doesn't really sound like you're making much effort to sing - sounds very natural.

I lived in Denmark for three years in the 1990s but I don't think I've heard any Danish music since then so this is interesting for me.

Some of the guitar is really nice, both acoustic and electric.

I think some of the vocal might be slightly distorted and clipping at some points (see 0:56) so maybe you either lower the volume at those points or maybe re-record those lines/words.

I think the drums could be better, though they work OK as this track is so chilled out.

Dette er favorit pa mig

Virkelig godt arbejde!

I love the movement of that main synth part beginning on 0:12. It's such a cool part you could pretty much remove the drums and any other elements and it would still really groove just the same. It's got such a laid back, cool swing to it that you can really dance to.

On 2:36 there's a bizarre but pretty cool edit you do to the vocal where you seem to cut off "Now" and make it screech somehow. How did you do that?

This could easily be a chart hit.

Yes, this is smooth stuff. Everything sitting nicely, lots of space and melodic too.

Good trance length, breakdown and return. Not much I can fault, really.

Sounds like pretty damn professional stuff.

I like the return to the main theme right at the end. I have a particular like of bookending tracks (starting and ending with pretty much the same thing).

Maybe you could try for a more defintive ending rather than a fade, though that works OK.

"I appreciate the input"

Oh no problem at all - as far as I'm concerned it's exactly what a site like this should be about rather than just the straight, brief backslapping that I see all too often, which doesn't actually help you make it any better, though can help a bit in making you feel a bit better about your music.

I always try to suggest improvements, as you'll see if you look at pretty much all of my comment bistory. If I can't think of anything, which is rare, I say exacly that in order to indicate just how good a track it is (as you pretty much did on my most recent upload). I generally get good appreciation of my suggestions though there are a couple of people on here who have given me quite unpleasant abuse for my comments (and I don't even write especially critical or negative ones - if I really don't like a track or think it's a no-hoper, I don't comment). One guy has about four times left quite specific and personal insults towards me and my comments on a number of other people's tracks. Weird troll behaviour I don't really understand but which has quite angered me.

Anyway, I shouldn't go on about this too much but will say that it's good if I'm helping you a bit and don't mind helping more in this very minor way. It's hard describing music and suggesting what someone should do, especially when you don't know them, but I think if you're just thoughtful and honest and know your music, you might hit upon something useful. And it's sort of a good exercise because you have to do exactly the same analysis with your own music (and then go a hell of a lot deeper).

"I live a wild life." Yes, I live a similarly wild one. I have a track called The Bigger The Fatter The Better, which I've just been working on. It's very powerful and heavy (but not in a death metal way) and it sounds like a pretty badass title. Well, it's not quite that badass as it comes from me asking my mother a few years ago what sort of pastry I should get her from the kitchen. The answer: "The bigger, the fatter, the better".

P.S. I did send you a PM containing details for sending me the Harry The Soapbar files for me to work on at least 10 days ago. I'm guessing you didn't get that message?

Just listening again and I'd now say that that intro is pretty much perfect. The 3 second reverse fade segues perfectly into that cool main riff.

Then on 0:20 we get the next riff plus the drum loop plus a few more things I can't be bothered to type out. Basically, things are arriving nicely in such a way that you can pick out each one. So it's also a good mix.

I think it builds very skilfully up to that main drum beat on 1:24.

The 1:24 to 1:45 sction is probably far too short - should be more like 40 seconds to a minute as you've already spent a while building it up so to then break it down again after only 20 or so seconds seems too premature and a bit of a killing of the energy you've built up.

As I said before, 1:54 to the end needs to be much longer and a return to some of the earlier intro elements (eg with new drums underneath them) would help lengthen what needs to be a longer piece. This isn't pop music so I don't think making it this brief length does it justice.

Cool - first time I've given some advice that I can then see has been taken. Yes, intro/start much much better now and more recognisable. Gets in to the good stuff much quicker. Then it really gets going on about 1:25, as before (I think was 2:22 on the previous version). Mix also sounds better.

The main thing now is to work out how to make it longer as it's definitely too short.

The vocals, guitar and combined emotion and tone on this are really very good. I'm guessing any further analysis won't be appreciated so I'll just leave it at that.

Yeah, pretty cool. Makes me think of some epic sci-fi with robots in the foreground working away assembling something as angels look down on them on their big industrial planet.

I won't use it but good luck to anyone who does. Probably more likely to end up in a dubstep rather than punk song (but anything's possible).

I have a track on here that I put into the grunge section (Debt Black Hole). I then thought I'd see what else was in this category. I was a bit shocked to find that there is a pathetic total of 8 tracks!

Probably thousands of hip hop and dance and electronic.

Anyway, I checked yours out and thought it was cool - the kind of thing I listen to and make, to some extent. But I see it as more psychedelic, groove-driven intelligent emotional alternative rock than any sort of straight grunge.

There's a really laid back and melodic vibe to this and I'm actually struggling to fault it.

Did you make it all? If so, how?

I think the thing this perhaps most reminds me of is a brilliant all-female group called Warpaint. Definitely check them out if you don't know them as they also have brilliant layered vocals.

Oh sure, I totally get that the 'intro' is meant to be a foreboding thing. I'm just a big fan of having something very cool in the first 10 seconds so that soon after pressing play people enjoy and also can easily recognise.

I work very hard at making sure my intros are distinctive and almost an instant hook. I've got a great alternative far out hip hop 12 min track right now that I don't want to post just yet because the intro is good but nowhere near good enough and I know I can make it better so I have to do more experimentation and ripping it apart to work how it can be better. The rest of the track is pretty much done.

Maybe go with the bass that comes in 0:17 as the intro and then slowly bring the previous elements in. I also think that synth pad is maybe taking up too much space so needs to be dropped in volume or filtered (EQ?) to let the bass riffs breathe more.

Also, the track is too short as it feels like it builds to something but then ends once you've got used to it. Good luck.

Yes, Danke is also one of my most consistent listeners and commenters (I think I have about 4 or 5).

It really gets moving on 1:52 and really gets moving on 2:22. The intro up to about 1:00 is far too murky and indistinct in the mix. It sounds more like a middle section that an intro as I don't feel it's distinctive enough to be an intro.

There's loads of good stuff in here but the mix is too crowded eg between 1:00 and 1:52 so maybe you need to remove a whole part or turn it down a lot more.

Might be better to start with the 1:52 riff and then use your intro section later on as a breakdown/middle section.

I hope some of this helps and, if not, you work out how to improve this anyway.

To back Danke up, Morphine are one of my favourite bands of all time. Impossible to sum up what they do except to say it's very unusual (probably unique) and very cool and melodic and interesting and so much more. Their line up was 2-string slide bass (ie played with a slide almost constantly, rarely fretted), drums and baritone sax and vocals. Very powerful sound but not a jazz group - more like a deep grooving power rock trio with the sax player very much playing the role of stunning lead guitarist.

This is good but it doesn't really remind me of Morphine.

I like the vocal on this - very gently and easily delivered and the long harmony on 'blues' is very warm and melodic.

I thought the transition on 0:48 into the drums was a little awkward and could be better.

When the track gets going, the space between the instruments is good. Those sizzly cymbals are a bit strange, though. They seem to last too long and then cut off a bit abruptly.

I think my favourite things were the vocals and guitar, which had a lot of soul and a gentle touch.

No, don't know of any specific mixing tutorials. I'm sure there are loads on the web and certainly if you're prepared to pay for them. I've never done any, just spent a long time learning by doing it over many years rather than reading technical stuff about how to do it (that kind of thing doesn't make much sense to me).

I think this mix is pretty good but there always loads of things you can look at to get better (I do all the time). For a start, if there's something that bothers you at all, really explore why it bothers you. I find out I always turn out to be right and then find a way to improve it.

Apply more EQ on each element of your music to try to bring it out as necessary in the mix. This has helped me so much in the last 2 years and made a massive difference. I keep finding that my drum kits' hi hats need a little extra hi EQ to bring out the hats and my guitar parts generally need a boost of the middle frequencies. And if something has been recorded and is way too noisy/buzzy, you can get rid of that by rolling off all the hi frequencies.

Those are just a few little tips. Also, do lots of soloing of different parts (in your mixer, virtual or hardware). So, just see how your foundations sit together (eg bass and drums) and then work out if the guitar you bring in is somehow clashing with them or whatever.

Just a few ideas to start you off. I think your drums are more of a problem than your mixing as this track has a pretty decent balance to it.

Not sure why you say the piano is in the wrong place. Wrong part of the track or wrong timing in its playing of the notes?

Very smooth and deep and soulful. I don't really listen to this kind of music but, if I did, it would be tracks such as this. There's a lot of warmth and the sounds sit very well. Very laid back stuff...

Had a look at Danke's comment and he's absolutely right. From 4:15 onwards is rather excellent and wasn't so obvious to me on first listen. Bass is cool but then the guitar comes in and outshines it with some very tight sort of emotional Tool-funk playing (maybe not the best description but it'll have to do).

The fade/disappearance of that guitar is also almost perfectly done so that the piano is allowed to come to the fore. And then ending on the percussion provides a new point of interest - the kind of thing I love doing.