ValveDriver

47, what's goin' on, man?
It's good to finally see more metal on here than just me.

This is a cool piece, but the mix needs a little adjusting. Individually, everything sounds good. The tones on your guitars are nice and tight. The drums have a nice snap that breaks through the distortion. The bass guitar has a great low end rumble that really supports it all. All of that is good. It's mostly just the levels. Listening to this on my monitors, the metal section needs to come up to the front. Right now, the strings and keys are dominant. It sounds like the bass, drums and guitars are all balanced pretty well with each other. I think if you lower the strings and keys, then boost the master, you might have it taken care of. The vocal sample in the beginning sits right about where it should, so I wouldn't mess with that at all.
Just my opinion, man. Take it for what it's worth.
As far as concept and execution, great work!
Take care.
V.

Darren! This is fantastic!
As a metalhead before all, my brain has become accustomed to frequent riff, chord, and tempo changes. At first I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing really did. But soon enough I relaxed enough to just sit back and let it flow.

I'm glad I waited.

This is some high quality work, my friend. I've always loved listening to trance, but it's one I've never really attempted to create. The few times I did, that metalhead brain of mine kept getting in the way and making it more complicated that it needs to be. So, my hats off to you, mister!
Excellent work.
Take care.
V.

Hi Kay.
This is definitely an upbeat track. I can surely see why people would want dance to it!
You've done a great job with the use of your voice in this one. It's very dynamic!
Excellent work.
Take care.
V.

Pretty cool track, man.
I may be way off here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you're a fan of Rush. Or, maybe it's just because that I am, and with my own exposure to them that I associate some elements of your synth work to their sound. When I first heard the sequenced synth starting at 0:16, my mind went instantly to the intro of "The Spirit Of Radio". There were a few other synths in there that reminded me of their work over the years, too. But, to be clear, I don't mean to take away from your work in the slightest. Quite the opposite, in fact. I mean it as a sincere compliment.
So, either way, excellent work.
Take care.
V.

I can honestly say that this is the first time I've heard Delta Blues on Looperman. I can also honestly say it's a breath of fresh air.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say Johnson and Hooker are some big time influences here. Even if they're not, excellent work.
Take care.
V.

I don't know, man. I think it's perfect just as it is. It would be a good interlude between tracks on an album. I think, though, that if there were vocals, Beth Gibbons would be the only option. Actually, on my third listen through, I can also hear Gilmour and/or Waters as well. In fact, this does have a very Pink Floyd feel to it without it sounding like an imitation.
Good work as always. I like the way you do things.
Take care.
V.

There is it is! There's the Crucethus I ran into over a decade ago!
This definitely reminds me of your earlier work, but with the evolved quality of the now. I love the instrumentation in this. The vocal samples fit so well, too.
You know, I've never been able to put a finger on it, but I think the best way to put it is that you, sir, are the Jackson Pollack of music. You have a way of throwing so much at the canvas, and it all lands exactly where it needs to, and makes the big picture a true work of art.
As far as chill-out...yeah, for me it certainly is. Considering I fall asleep to bands like Infant Annihilator and Cannibal Corpse. It always cracks me up when a dude will say, "Yeah. I listen to some pretty hardcore, shit, dude. Ever hear of a band called Avenged Sevenfold? They fuckin' ROCK, man!". I just want to put my headphones on them, and go full Marty McFly, and hit play on some Larcenia Roe type shit.
Anyhow, I hope everything's going well for you, Steve. It looks like you had pretty rough road lately, and I sincerely hope it's getting better for you, brother.
Take care, bud.
Aaron.

Glenn, Hello. I hope all is well with you.
I may have said this before in an earlier track of yours, but I would absolutely love to hear a collaboration between you and our very own Mr. Tumbleweed. the two of you have a very similar style and level of talent. (That's a compliment to both of you.)
Someone once told me that what makes a truly great artist is the ability to conceal his influences. Normally, I have no problems being able to hear musicians influences. In your case, I detect none. Which makes me wonder, who are your main influences. If I had to choose, I would say Santana is on the list. Maybe David Gilmour?
Either way, beautiful work, sir. I thoroughly enjoyed a few listens through.
Take care.
V.

What an INTERSTELLAR intro. I'd say you went into OVERDRIVE on this one.
As soon as I saw the title, I knew we were in for a treat. I knew the riff before the second note started! I've danced with Floyd for decades. I'd recognize it anywhere.
I have to say, that's an interesting incorporation. With the effects you put on the guitar riff, you really made it fit well. That's not a combination I would have thought of. Industrial with some Floyd. To say it without hearing it, it doesn't seem like it would be something that could work, considering they're such contrasting genres. But you did it. You made it work.
Excellent job!
Take care.
V.

You've definitely mastered the art of dynamic movement, and creating a spacious mix.
Your choice of vocals works so well. Did you build around them, or did you have the song already, and the vocals an afterthought?
Also, do you create your own synth patches, or do you use loops/presets? So far, what I've heard of your music your synths are top notch. So, I was curious.
Excellent work here.
Take care.
V.

You've made some interesting choices with interesting results. Overall, not a bad track.
Take care.
V.

I really like this. It's totally an 80s synth-pop style track. It takes me back, man!
I may have to look into some of the vocal effect plugins you use, because my voice is not exactly fit for use in music. But these last few tracks you've done have had some really great effects on them.
Excellent work, keep it up!
Take care.
V.

Yeah, I gotta say, this is about what it sounds like after having the tranny rebuilt or replaced. This is the feeling of watching that 4 figure dollar amount walk straight out the bank account. Hell, I could use this as my bank notification tone for every time I have to dump more into my Durango.
As far as the track goes, I dig it. It's kind of a Rock/Blues sort of thing. Do you plan on doing more with it? I think it could be something, man. You could do like a true blues track, and make it all about how "she" did you dirty and took all of your money. "She" of course, being your car.
Anyhow, cool track man. Keep it up.
Take care.
V.

Let me tell you something, when you're 19 years old and your first experience with techno is 3 hits deep in an LSD bender in the middle of the night back in 1993, it's something you just kind of fall in love with. Even though I have been a devout metal head since 1986, techno will always hold a special spot. Especially when it's done well.

This was done well, and it takes me back to that night. Thank you.

The quality of the mix is top notch. All of your synths sound amazing. The filters and effects are perfect. It's dynamic. There is a lot of movement, but none of the frequencies trip over each other, or create any "mud" as they float around. The vocals float, but not too far above or below anything else. It's definitely a vast and wide open world you've created in here.
With all due respect to Baobou, I disagree with him on the length. When you're deep in the groove, you want it to last. In my opinion, techno songs should never be less than 5 minutes. Otherwise, about the time you fully submerge, it's over. So, in MY opinion, this could go on for at least another 3 minutes. Easily.
Excellent work. Keep it up.
Take care.
V.

Alright, I absolutely love the crows in here. Coincidentally, I'm working on a track of my own that has crows in it. Something weird, I've lived in this town for 5 years and in that time, I have not seen a single crow. Not one. What kind of curse must be on this place to where even crows won't tread?
Okay, back to the song. This is an absolutely brilliant concept! I think it's something we can all relate to as well. The damned alarm clock, man. I love the way you worked in the alarm without making it completely obvious. For the whole thing I kept thinking, "what is it? What is the sound?? Are we going to find out??" Then there it was. Again, brilliant my friend.
Do take care.
V.

This is not at all my preferred genre, but it doesn't have to be for me to recognize talent.
I am curious though, in general, with the instrumentation of your tracks, (this one and others), do you use a lot of loops, or do you create all of your own (or play) from scratch, or maybe even a little bit of both?

What you've built around the vocals is very well put together. Not only in instrument choices, but the timing and even the effects you used. The wind, although primarily in the background, is absolutely a binding ribbon that makes the entire piece. It's one of those things where you don't notice it at first, but if it wasn't there, you'd definitely miss it and the track just wouldn't be as full.
Excellent work, man. Keep it up.
Take care.
V.

What the hell happened to the comments section, man? It's seriously lacking in substance these days.
Anyhow, that aside, Nice track bro!
Sorry, I had to.
This is cool, man. I imagine that if Linkin' Park and Bone Thugs had a kid, this would be it!
Something I noticed, though. In the first and last sections, the vocals sound a little quiet in the mix. At least compared to the second and third sections. But, that could just be my earbuds. They do tend to be a little bass heavy and drown out some of the mids, so take this with a grain.
Other than that, it sounds good, brother.
Keep on keepin' on!

JKingz, what's happenin'? I haven't seen you around in quite some time. It's good to see you again.
The title here really caught my attention, so I had to give it a play. Although this isn't a style I would normally listen to, I have to say...damn...that's a lot of talent right there. I find it interesting (in a good way) that it started out like a Mexican love song, but ended up an international choir. Having that many voices from as many different places must have been a tricky one to get recorded, synced, mixed and mastered.
I tell ya what, man. If you're not proud of this work, you should be. And if you are proud of it, you should add another 20%. This is job very well done.
Kudos to you, and everyone involved.
Take care.
V.

I don't think this is really about cake at all! ;)
I know Kraftwerk and Rammstein have been mentioned, but to me, that bassline is far more reminiscent of some old Skinny Puppy, or Leather Strip.
I'm just curious, for your synth work, do you use analogue or VST software? The different sounds you have in this are so clean and rich it could easily be analogue. If it is digital, then job well done! Well, even if it's analogue, it's still a job well done.
It's good to hear music here that leans into the industrial. There's not much of it. I hope to hear more from you like this.
Take care.
V.

Glenn, hello.
You left a comment on my track saying there are so many ways guitar can capture your attention. The contrast between that track of mine and this track of yours is like opposite ends of the spectrum. Where mine was loud, heavy and aggressive, yours is so smooth, relaxing and calm. Both tracks on the same instrument, but so vastly different. This definitely caught my attention. Enough so that I listened through 3 times in a row.
This is a lovely song. I imagine that when you're playing this, you're completely submerged in the music. As if nothing else around you exists. It feels as if you just disappear into your playing.
You truly have a talent, and shows that you have a deep passion for it.
Excellent work, my friend.
Take care.
V.

Hey man. This is really impressive for stock plugins. I mean, it's impressive overall, but especially for stock.
I think, as far as overall quality, a couple things that may help would be to use some panning and stereo separation on different instruments. For example, the different guitars. Right now, they're all centered in the mix, so they compete for space and make it sound crowded. For example, (and this is just a suggestion. I'm not telling you how to do your mix.), the pluck guitar, widen that out so it's full stereo. Then do the same with one of the other guitars, but only separate it 50%. Doing so, will give them each their own space in the mix so they can be heard clearly, and leave plenty of room in the center for the lead solo. Once you start widening different parts, there will be room for other parts to fill the space so no frequencies are competing. This will give it a much wider and more dynamic sound. Does that make sense? Hopefully I explained it well.
If you like using piano in your work, I suggest checking out Soundmagic's "Piano One". It's a free download, and you have a lot of control over how it sounds. With a little tweaking, it sounds like a live piano. In my opinion, for a free plugin, it sounds great.
Keep it up, man. I look forward to hearing more from you.
Take care.
V.

I'm looking forward to hearing the second version. I'm intrigued by the nature sounds. Especially with it being a track on the darker side.
Take care.
V

To state the obvious, this is very cautionary. It's very dystopian, while simultaneously being very alluring, and bordering on sensual. At least it is if you take out the meaning of the lyrics, and just focus on the vocals as an instrument. Not to say that your message isn't important, because it is.
You've managed to give it a very wide and spacious dynamic, that allows for all the elements to coincide, but still seem minimal. It's darkness is, for a lack of better terms, embracing. All of your synth work and effect placement is executed brilliantly. Especially the effects on the vocals. All of your choices were the correct ones.
The mix is crystal clear, and very professional sounding. I'm slightly envious. When I sit down to do something dark and minimalist, I always end up adding more and more until it's nothing like what I intended. My tendency is to take it to levels of aggressive distortion that completely squashes any effort of something this silky.
Excellent work. Honestly, I hope to hear more like this from you.
Take care.
V.

Anthony, I believe there may have been a misunderstanding in translation. I liked the song quite a bit. What I described was my interpretation of the song. As if the song was about someone who was bored with "nowhere to go". When I listened to your song, I imagined someone in a room that was watching the aquarium and spider because HE was bored.
I wasn't bored at all. I enjoyed your work!

Anthony, hello.
To me, the "Nowhere to go" is about boredom and complacency. I imagine someone sitting in a room with nothing to do, or anywhere to be. The instruments are all things that are happening in the room that he doesn't even notice anymore. For example, the clock ticking on the wall, the fish in the aquarium, the TV sitting in the corner with a late night commercial playing in the background, that spider up on the ceiling making a web. He's just sitting there tapping his fingers on the table saying, "nowhere to go" because he's bored.
That's my take on it, anyhow.
Either way...what a cool track. It kind of reminds me of something you might hear on a B-side from the late 70s or early 80s. Excellent work.
Take care.
V.