EricMilligan

Hi, Bloomonkey! Hello from Ottawa! Nice to meet you! (Inverness is one our our favourite places in Scotland, especially the River Walk.)

Saw your post in the forum and took a listen to your track. I agree with Bear on most of his comments. I liked the way you introduced different elements as the track progressed. Panning is good. I didn't hear it more pronounced on the left side, but probably worth checking how your Master level meters are looking in Logic. (I use Logic as well.) I was pleased to see that you had quite a good bit of dynamic range in the track. It doesn't just max out continuously in the wave form display.

That said, I do have some suggestions. First: there are only two chords in the track, played repeatedly by the synth pad. The other elements do help to make the track not overwhelming repetitive and boring, but it really would be improved by adding in at least one additional chord progression.

Second, I also think there's no variation in the drum pattern throughout the track, at least not enough to be noticeable. I'm guilty of the same thing in my tracks, but your track really needs more elements that will maintain interest. So, I'd consider layering some other drum/percussion patterns at points. Not sure what you have other than Ultrabeat (the drum synth that comes with Logic), but it actually has lots of patterns as presets and is easy to program patterns from scratch.

I think the bass line is good, but should be more pronounced in the mix. It is submerged relative to the two-chord pad part. The timbre of the bass patch is OK, but in addition to increasing the level in the mix, you might experiment with EQ settings to give it a bit more bite and some compression also if you don't have that already on the bass track.

You can't go wrong with using one of Patricia's vocals. If you create an arrangement with an additional chord progression, you might be able to use something else from her acapella, not just repeat the same phrase.

Overall, I think the mix is a bit muddy, largely due I think to the prominence of the synth pad which dominates the middle to upper low frequency range. I would experiment with EQing the synth pad track to make room for the bass line and reduce the level of the synth pad track in the mix as well, relative to other parts.

Those are my comments, for what it's worth. I did like the track. I'd say it represents a good foundation. Needs a little bit of fine-tuning of the mix and, as Bear also said, a tempo or chord change (I favour a chord progression change) to make the arrangement even more engaging for the listener.

Eric

So, AzzaroKane, I think this is a great track and you should set it as a "featured" track so it gets more attention here on Looperman. Trance is definitely my favourite EDM genre and I really enjoyed this track. I don't really have any specific suggestions about any polishing you might do, frankly. And, I'm not usually shy about offering what I think might be constructive advice on arrangements or mixes. You have lots of good stuff going on and it keeps up the listener's interest. I did think the quiet section from 1:35 to 1:50 might be shortened a bit, although that was probably more due to the fact that I liked the uptempo part so much I was just impatient to get back to more of it. :)

All in all, a really good piece of work. No sure what you mean by "going official", but if you mean releasing on paid streaming services, I think it definitely qualifies. But, really good that you put it up here on Looperman for all of us to hear.

Regards from Ottawa (where it snowed today),

Eric

MadZo:

I agree with Steve. Very good indeed!

I've listened now to several of your tracks, going back to 2013. You definitely know how to make good dance music. Actually, the inventiveness of the arrangements in your tracks reminds me a lot of Steve's stuff, which is different for sure, but is always full of interesting musical surprises!

Your mixes are very good, which makes sense because you've got a lot of experience clearly. I do think, at least on some parts, there's more reverb than I would be inclined to use. I suppose you are going for a Phil Spector "wall of sound" approach to establish a foundation for the tracks. That said, you do have elements (leads, pluck sounds, FX) that cut through nicely in the mix on top. I gather, from some of your comments on earlier tracks, that you program/customize a lot of your sounds. Drum parts are really well done.

Anyway, just wanted to provide some supportive feedback to you. Your tracks deserve a lot more listens. Not sure why they aren't getting more attention here on Looperman. They should be.

Regards from Ottawa (where apparently we might be getting snow Easter Sunday! :(

Eric

Hey, Micky! Loved this track. Great musicianship. It has a great groove going and really tasty instrumental backing. The lead vocal melody was very good. Interesting and fit perfectly with the instrumental backing.

I noticed that the waveform display had the levels maxing out pretty much for the entire song, except for a couple of sections. I didn't really hear any distortion, but I'd be interested in hearing a mix version that had more dynamic range because the production was really good, the playing was excellent. It would be nice to see if more of the fine detail would be audible in a mix output mastered at a lower volume. I try to keep my master output levels peaking at no more than -3 db max, and usually lower than that if at all possible.

Eric

Bass sounded good to me on this track, AtticElla. You did great job of weaving all those intricate different parts together on the track. And, you definitely know how to place a vocal in the mix properly. Very clean mix. Another excellent piece of work.

Eric

Hi, AtticaElla! I just finished reading your forum thread about why more people don't engage more with the featured tracks. Wasn't sure what I'd find with your stuff, but was VERY impressed with this track. I only post a comment when I really like the track, or think it shows that the LM member has great promise and deserves some encouragement. In this case, it clearly is a very polished piece of work and demonstrates that you definitely can create a really good house track. I''m impressed.

My favourite DM genre is trance, but I think house probably is a close second. I really did enjoy this.

I usually try to provide some constructive comments, although (as in this case) there's no way I could come close to making a track that sounds as good as this. But here goes.

I thought the bass part was a bit indistinct in the mix. I think it was actually the bass patch (timbre), not the level. I am not familiar with the original version, but it would be interesting to hear your remake with a tighter bass sound.

Also, I thought the drums were a bit too prominent in the mix, at least at the end of the track. But, that's really a matter of taste I think, and maybe integral to the sound of the house genre. I never know, in my own tracks, how loud to make the drums parts. They often sound OK on my headphones when I'm doing the mix, but way too prominent when I listen to the mp3 bounce in my car.

Anyway, very nice work! I'm definitely going to check out some of your other tracks! :)

Eric

Well, I don't listen to much rap or Hip Hop, but this track caught my interest. Very good lyrics and, I think, quite a departure from the topics normally covered in this genre. I thought the vocal delivery and overall production was really good. Tweaked my interest, so I'm taking a listen to some of your other tracks as well.

Eric

Very nice track, Dan. I was inclined to call it a "challenging" listen, because it is complex and constantly varying. I think it has a consistent time signature, but the way you have the drums and synths programmed it seems to be evolving continuously and most particularly in the last minute of so. I thought you did a really good job of integrating the vocal chant. Just the right touch on that.

Was nice to see that there was some dynamic range in the piece, although I would have liked to hear a version with even more variation. But, that's just my latest hobby-horse.

All in all, an innovative piece of music. You and Crucethus are inhabiting the same zone I think. Very nice work!

Eric

Hey, Steve! I missed this one the first time out. I was thinking that your music had become much more innovative and adventuresome as time went on, but clearly I was wrong. It ALWAYS was innovative and adventuresome!

You clearly are working on a different plane than most of us, I think. I'm gravitating back to wanting to hear more House and Trance. So, this really hit the spot for me. Thanks for digging it out again. :)

Eric

Really enjoyed this track, Lek. Great energy! Yes, easy to make this kind of music repetitive, but you avoided that with continuous evolvement of the instrumental tracks. (Not sure if "evolvement" is even a real word, but you know what I mean! :)

I might take a look at the EQ situation of a quite high pitched arpeggiated synth sound starting at 2:59 and then again at 4:58. It worked OK the first time it appeared, although I would drop the level a wee bit. For the second time, I think part of the signal definitely needed to be notched down with an EQ or perhaps the level of the the entire part dropped a wee bit.

Other than that, I really liked what I heard.

Yes, it's a shame that it isn't getting more attention on your Soundcloud page, but that's entirely a function of the unbelievable volume of stuff on SC, not the quality of the track.

Posting here is much more rewarding because LM members actually listen and many provide meaningful comments/suggestions. Even I don't agree with comments (and I usually do agree), I appreciate that somebody took the time to help me improve.

Eric

You really captured the 80's sound with this track! Nicely done! I actually agree with Lek that it would be a great track for vocals.

I have a couple of suggestions if you were to do any further work on it. Several members have suggested it needs a bit more embellishment/variation. You've got a good ear for melody, so one suggestion I have is to repeat the melody line a maximum of 8 bars, not more in any section of the song. That's basically two phrases of the melody. Since you seem to have a good handle of generating memorable melody lines, disciplining yourself to compose more variation should be do-able.

It's a thing I struggle with myself. You get attached to a melody and just like to hear it over and over again. But, without at least additional elements every couple of bars, that tends to wear thin. You also seem to have a good sense of adding additional elements/counterpoint parts, so getting more variation that way works as well.

I found the part starting at 1:03 where the high arpeggiated synth takes over the lead to have a drop in energy, compared with the part with the lower pitched lead melody synth which preceded it.

Generally, a track should build in intensity and excitement. You definitely can have short parts which drop the energy level down, and you do have that later on, but this is an extended section which I felt needed more.

If there was a vocal, the backing of this section would be OK, except that the high pitched synth part might conflict with the vocal. I'd be looking for a different synth patch for the arpeggiated line and probably would shorten this section by at least four bars.

All that said, I definitely really liked the track. One "test" I have for the instrumental tracks I hear on Looperman is whether a vocal melody line starts forming in my head as I listen. When that happens I find that I invariably like the track, regardless of whether it's perfect or actually ready for vocals. It happened with this track so, at least for me, you've got something very good here. :)

Eric

You've definitely found a great collaborator with Mickey. Don't know who Mickey is. I assume another Looperman member? Anyway, I very much enjoyed this track. In parts, it reminded me of stuff from a group called The Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Very avant guard orchestration. But, then, Mickey's arrangement veered off into what Steve (Crucethus) called "psychedelic" territory, which was surprising and sounded great! The vocals were meshed in the production very tastefully. The entire thing kept my interest from beginning to end. Very nice work!

Eric

No question. This is a great dance track! I don't know how I missed it. Just put a smile on my face for the whole thing. Needed that. Thanks.

Eric

Acoustic guitar worked really well in this track. The mix was really clean and well-balanced. All the different parts clearly had their own place in the frequency spectrum. I liked it a lot. Nice work!

Eric

Nice track, Lek. Definitely a banger! My comments are entirely subjective, but here goes: I thought the drums were great and the combination of drums and bass worked really well together. Won't comment on the vocal because it was obviously done by a pro. Sounded great, of course and you placed it nicely in the mix. My reservations relate to the arpeggiated synth part that ran through most of the track, up until about the 3 minute mark. The frequency range of that part was competing with the vocals in my opinion and was mixed too high in the mix. There was a synth pad part that was at lower frequency range, but it was not as prominent in the mix. I would try reversing the volume settings of those two parts, or possibly even finding a different patch for the arpeggiated synth part, or at least applying EQ to shave off the upper frequencies. I couldn't decide whether I should be listening to the vocal or the arpeggiated synth part. I liked the tonal balance you had for the final section of the track a lot. I think that might work better earlier in the track as well.

Eric

Hi, Magnetic. A very nice track and thoughtful. Had a conversation with an acquaintance this morning who was telling me about the toll the pandemic and lockdowns were taking on the mental health of his employees. I think music like your's could definitely be helping people get through this. It's going to be a while yet.

Eric

Well, I think this might be my favourite track so far. A very professional pop track. The arrangement was just great. Your mix, as usual, was excellent. Again, the bass part on this was really nice and I would have set it a bit higher in the mix to provide a counter-balance to Patricia's vocals. Reminded me of a Whitney Houston song, Wanna Dance with Somebody. Had the same great feel to it. Syncopation of the backing instrumental track was excellent in the arrangement. I'm thinking that you are actually a pro. Very fine musicianship.

Eric

Well, this is really, really special. The sax work by Leo Jannsen is just superb! Loved the congas as well. Did you play them? Is there anything you don't play? :)

Patricia is right. You've given her a Sade kind of treatment with with track. I think she must be very happy with the great tracks you are making with her vocals. I am enjoying all your tracks. Thank-you for posting them here on Looperman. I visit infrequently and if I hadn't seen your post in the forum about the acapella you were trying to located, I wouldn't have found your stuff. You deserve a lot more listens than you are getting.

Eric

I agree with Patricia. Love the bass on this track! I am getting more and more impressed with the music you are making. Very tasty reggae treatment on this one. Again, the mix was very nice and clean. I think the balance of vocals vs. instrumental backing was just right. You do really good work.

Eric

Really nice work on this. You've got a real feel for this kind of music, clearly. Lead guitar lines were great. And, so was the drumming. I assume that was you playing live. Toms sounded really nice and fat.

I actually think the mix could be improved a bit. I felt it was missing a bit of bottom end. Patricia's vocals and the lead guitar are generally in the same frequency range and the keys and snare are up there too I think. I think it would have benefitted by a heavier foundation. I couldn't download the track to check it on a spectrum meter plugin so am just working from what my ears are telling me. Mix was a bit thin, but overall another really good piece of work.

Eric

This is really nicely produced track, Paulusx1. You've done a great job with the mix. Very clean. Nice arrangement. Patricia's vocals are such a joy to work with. We are really fortunate that she's making them available to us.

Eric

Great song, Patricia! Loved the melody and the message. Richie's backing track was excellent. I wouldn't call this pop. Has more of a gospel flavour, particularly with the chord choices and progression for the piano part. But, not really gospel in terms of message either. But, frankly, it doesn't matter. Message is uplifting. Music is uplifting. Who could ask for anything more - particularly at this time?

Thanks to both of you for this.

Eric

Hi, Michel:

Haven't been on LM for a while. Just found this track. Truly excellent work. Great character in the timbre of the vocals by Lauren Anne Hoff, so you did good finding a different register for her. I'd like to hear something from her even more intimate and close-miked, in the same register. She's got a very distinctive voice I think. Backing track was superb. I'm assuming you played everything?

Eric

Was quite late for me last night when I discovered your acapellas. That's probably why I didn't think to check out your tracks here on Looperman. Very nice stuff. You clearly have a great feel for this kind of music. Loved the vocals, including the "answer" backup vocals.

I agree with comments about the mix. I've downloaded the file and will see if using some of my mastering tools on it will beef it up a bit. Would be better to do that with the stems in the original mix, but I recognize that you are working with limited tools. But, with whatever you have, you are really are making great music in my opinion.

I saw that you are open to collabs. I may have an unfinished R&B track that could work for you. I had envisioned a Barry White type vocal delivery, and I think your range is wee bit higher, but still might work. I do have partially completed lyrics. You seem to be pretty good at lyrics, so the collab would involve more than just the vocals. I hadn't contemplated backing vocals, but yours are really good, so perhaps there's potential for lightening up the instrumental backing track (Patricia Edwards tells me that I'm putting too much in them) and working up backing vocals instead.

Eric

Great house track, Micky! I really liked what you did with it. I agree with Steven that the percussion and synth parts were really good. I was bopping in my chair fro start to finish. Nice work! We are very lucky to have Patricia's vocals to work with. They have formed the basis of some really good tracks here on Looperman. This one is a prime example.

Eric