EricMilligan

So, this track has a very menacing feel to it. Tension. Aggressive! I think it could definitely be used as part of a soundtrack. Dark, narrow, twisty streets. Innocent potential victim on foot, running almost blindly trying to evade whomever is chasing him/her. Something like that. This track very definitely evokes that kind of emotion, at least in me. That's the mark of good music, I think. Nicely done.

Hey, Lek. Saw your response to the forum post by Loopspringstein and decided to check out your stuff here on Looperman. This track definitely ranks among the most professional sounding tracks I've heard here.

I'm just working through some of your other tracks now, but my immediate reaction is that I'm astounded they have so few listens. I guess it is because you don't set them as "featured" so members aren't as likely to find them. That's a shame because this is really good work. Your mixes are excellent. Very clear and defined. Nice arrangements.

I prefer the "Electronic" tracks over the beat core, but that's purely a matter of taste, not a reflection of the production quality.

Anyway, just wanted to say, "really nice work!"

Eric

So, William:

A catchy pop song for sure.

I realize this is an older track. I think the backing track is far too busy and instruments and backing vocals aren't distinct in the mix. Your more recent tracks are more sparse, and much more effective. You leave plenty of room for the lead vocals.

I'd definitely work up a new arrangement for this one if intended for top 40. But, in my opinion the character of your voice is not really suited for this genre.

That said, there's a lot of country music that successfully incorporates aspects of pop (particularly lead guitar work), so it certainly might be possible to figure out a way to blend both genres for this song.

Again, another very impressive track, Michael. A great gift for you wife. (My wife hates my music, but perhaps if it was as good as your's she'd have a different opinion! Anyway, I bopped in my chair all the way through the track. Infectious! Great guitar work. You clearly have a talent for making this genre of music.

Eric

WOW! I really enjoyed this track, Michael. Great composition. Loved the guitar solo. You threaded the various parts and instruments together very nicely. If Joe gave it the stamp of approval, it must be good! :)

Eric

An oldie but a goodie! I think R&B is my favourite genre and this was a really great example of a fine, fine track!

I see that 1lookurhooked said she'd love to collaborate with you. She is a really fine singer and has the perfect voice for this kind of music. Would be wonderful to see/hear what the two of you could cook up.

Now I have to see what else I can find by you here on Looperman. Made my night! :)

Eric

Definitely my favourite track so far, Lauren. Vocal is tighter and more polished. Nice harmony. Indieground production is really interesting as well. You have a really nice quality in your voice, but it doesn't always come through in the vocals on the other tracks. Do you comp the vocal performances in Logic? Easy to do.

Anyway, I really did enjoy this track. Nice work!

You did a great job with Nexus 2, Paul. I really enjoyed this track. I don't actually know what "UK Garage" is supposed to sound like. To me, this sounded like it could be Neo Soul influenced, or fusion, or whatever. I'm not good at labels. I just know that this was a really good piece of music. Very nice choice of chords and chord progressions were very tasty! :) Mix was excellent. Nice and clear. Well-balanced.

Eric

A really fine track. A great example of how to do a mix properly, with everything having its place within the spectrum and the soundstage. Great clarity. This is an example of how to do it well. Really well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this track, Neo. Beautiful playing. Gorgeous tone. So nice to hear a true musician at work.

Eric

I've been taking a break as well, Skwish Fish, trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! :).

Really enjoyed the track. Dubstep is not my favourite genre, but I do respect the technical skills that are required to make a good track. I really liked the synth parts, both the stabs and the melodic lines. I thought the track was very well balanced sonically. Had good bass content on my headphones. Clean mix and a decent amount of dynamic range, appropriate for the genre. All in all, a very, very nice piece of work!

Heath: Here's the link to Peyote's profile here on Looperman: https://www.looperman.com/users/profile/2693909

She's a singer from Denmark. Has studied Electronic Music production and does very good work. She posted in the Looperman forums looking for producers to collaborate with.

Here's a link to her Soundcloud page:

https://soundcloud.com/peyoteeeee

Her most recent stuff is what I had in mind when I said she might be a good vocalist to work on the track with you. If you listen to her tracks posted over time you can hear the progression in her music.

Eric

I enjoyed the track a lot, Nicolo. Nice balance in the mix. It is very danceable I think. You have a good feel for making this kind of music.

Eric

A great track, Heath. I really liked the way you wove all those threads together. I agree that it could be used as a foundation track for some vocals. Peyote would be a good choice as a vocalist. I think her musical sensibility and your's align quite well. You are both very inventive.

Nice work.

Eric

Hi, Nicolo! You did a really good job on this track. I read your comment about all the work you did on the vocal. That sounds very familiar to me. Getting vocals cleaned up and sitting right in the mix can take a lot of work. Your arrangement/instrumentation was really nice. I think it fit the vocals very well. Chord progressions were very good.

I guess you've now properly translated nglaichan's comment. "Terrific" originally meant "frightening", but the meaning changed over time to mean "excellent". He was telling you that it was a really good track! And, I agree. :)

Eric

A fine track, Jamid! I can definitely see how it would work with a film. But, I also think it might provide a great backing track for something with a vocal. Your melody line would work great as a counterpoint to something not quite operatic, but perhaps heading a bit in that direction. I guess that's an indication that the track has real merit. It evolves different responses in the listeners.

Nice work.

Eric

So, Kyle. (I assume that's your name). I've listened to all three tracks you referenced in the forum post. I think you tracks show a lot of creativity. The drums on this track were really good and you brought in interesting variations in the sounds.

The mix on all three is good, although I found the high frequency drums sounds a bit loud in the mix on the first two tracks. (I liked the balance in this track better.) I've got some degree of high frequency hearing loss so I'm perhaps not the best judge.

I really liked that fact that you kept a good range of dynamics in the tracks. They weren't all compressed and limited to the max.

Chord progressions were limited and repetitive, but that perhaps is characteristic of this EDM genre. I'm hopeless at distinguishing genres of EDM.

I do prefer tracks with more traditional song structure and strong melodic lines, but your tracks kept my interest because I think you were very inventive in morphing sounds and introducing new sounds. And, as I said, the mixes were nice and clean. So, very nice work!

I think this track deserves a comment, xNima.

It sounds different. That's a very good thing. Has good intensity and energy. I like the way it transitions from the relatively quiet first section to the main section.

I do think the chord sequence gets repetitive, though, which is what I think you suggested in your description. I didn't check out the loop you mentioned, so am not sure if the chord sequence was determined by that loop. If there's only one loop to work with, that can be very limiting. At least, that's my experience.

I really prefer tracks that have a structure of some sort. Doesn't have to be V, V, Ch, V, Br, Ch or variations of that, but something more than just a repetition the same chord sequence from beginning to end.

I guess there are genres of music now that work fine (funk doesn't have lot of variation usually - can even be just one chord!), but I favour a structure that introduces distinct sections that perform different roles in the track. Of course, that's a lot harder to do as a producer. Generally, it takes more musical knowledge and definitely takes more work in creating a track that hangs together and that handles the transitions well.

I'm very guilty of not working to ensure variation and develop good structure in my tracks, which is why 99% of them never get completed and 99.99% never get posted here or anyplace else.

Your track was really good. Not the "same-old, same-old". I'd encourage you to extend your production efforts to building a more varied structure in your tracks.

I, for one, would really like to hear what you can do.

Eric

Just found the link to this track in your recent forum post.

I am suitably impressed, although I've come to expect excellence from you. I can tell that a lot of work went into it. Vocals and guitars are really, really good. Must be nice to have talented brother(s).

I do think there's a lot of higher frequency stuff going on in the mix which came across in my headphones (and I use good sennheizers) as creating a sort of noise floor in the mix. Not sure that's really the correct description. Admittedly, this genre of music often does tend to have a "full" sound in the backing track (not really a Phil Spector wall of sound, but getting there).

I can't see this as a synth-pop production, but I think it might be interesting to hear a cover done with a more intimate arrangement (sparse instrumentation, predominantly acoustic guitar, bass, not sure what else). A bit slower tempo.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the track and was most impressed with the professional-level results you achieved. It has a lot of listens here on Looperman (I think the most I've ever seen for a track) and that is well-deserved.

Eric

Yes, you should definitely work on this track, Kirstin. I like where it is going. And, I think the drum part works great.

I do think I'm hearing a bit of a pattern in your tracks where piano and strings predominate in the instrumental backing. You do them both very well. But, I'd encourage you, as your work on this track, to swap them both out for different instruments so you get more variety and range in the tracks.

On my own tracks, most of which I never finish and definitely never post here or anyplace, I often start with keys (usually Keyscape) to work out the chord progressions. Sometimes I keep those parts with the electric or acoustic instruments, but I try to force myself to experiment with other plugins and I will often apply an LFO effects plugin (basically an automated filter) to add movement to what might otherwise just be a series of chords.

You use a lot of arpeggios, which has somewhat the same effect and works very nicely. I think your keyboard chops are much better than mine! :)

Eric

A really good track Kristin. Very good melody line. Has surprises in where it goes, which is really nice.

I think the instrumental backing is kind of busy, or perhaps it just needs to be mixed differently. I thought the vocal worked very well generally. There were a couple of places where you added a little touch that made it really special. That's what I'd like to hear more of, because it is clear that you can do it.

I feel that the mix is missing a bottom end. Your bass line is set up more in the middle of the frequency spectrum. I would experiment adding one or more layered bass parts to balance the sound more. You can use an EQ on each bass instrument, cutting the frequencies that you don't want from it, to focus each instrument on a specific range of the frequency spectrum so the whole thing doesn't get muddy. Route them all to a bass bus. If your DAW has a bass enhancing effects plugin, experiment with that as well. I often use Lowender, but there are others.

Generally, to my ears, the instrumental backing is working the same frequency range as your vocal. And because it has a lot going on, it is competing for attention. I'd look at adjusting the levels and probably automating gain changes on the vocals bus vs. the instruments buses.

If you aren't routing the individual tracks in your DAW to separate mix busses, I would recommend experimenting with that and applying compression and EQ on the busses.

You have a lot more to offer than vocals and lyrics. I'm impressed.

Eric

Eric

Another very good track, Kirstin. Excellent instrumental backing. I don't like the snare/rimshot sound though. I would replace it with something in somewhat lower frequency and a slower attack. Also, I think it's level is too hot in the mix. It's competing for attention sonically with your vocal.

Eric

Hi, Kirstin. I saw your post in response to the request for singers to join the collective. I've been checking out all the singers who responded. So hard to find good singers on Looperman. Anyway, was very pleasantly surprised to find that you were much more than a singer! This is a very good track. The instrumental backing arrangement is really good, with the piano and strings. Very nice work. You should be a valuable addition to the collective.

I generally try to provide substantive comments on tracks (don't comment on many, actually). So, here's my two cents worth. You've said that you have difficulty making beats and that $1800 drum machine is gathering dust. I'm a drummer and for some strange reason, I suck at making beats as well. There are two main aspects of this track that I'd re-do if I was producing it with you (not suggesting that).

First, the beat (drums) is repetitive and kind of boring. I don't think it varied at all throughout the entire track. I'd mute that track in the DAW and find something else that works better. I work with a variety of VST drum instruments and typically use several different ones on a track, often layering them up as the track progresses and builds.

Second, I'd want you to try a different vocal delivery. You've got a strong voice and you've opted for a medium level (i.e., volume) delivery, partly I suspect because you need that to ensure that the vocals stand out over the backing track, which has a lot going on. But, there's a really distinct character in your voice that I think would come through better if the delivery was more intimate and lower volume generally – especially in this song. The melody and the lyrics I think lend themselves to this kind of vocal treatment.

You probably won't agree with these suggestions, but I think you should experiment particularly with the alternative take on the vocals. I think it would bring out and highlight the unique character of your voice.

Eric

So, generally I'm not in to rap all that much (I'm old), but I did like this track a lot. You've got a good voice and I particularly liked the sections where you were singing. I think that you could improve the track a lot by re-working the mix. It sounds a bit muddy in parts, especially where you have the auto-tuned vocals. Too much mid-range I think. The clarity of the rap sections was much better. The vocals stood out distinctly in the mix. I was taught that each instrument in the track needed to be set in its own area of the frequency spectrum. If you've boosted the mid range frequencies of the auto-tuned vocals, I'd roll that back in your equalizer and see how it works in the mix. If it's in the original audio file for the vocals, then cut the bass and mid-range and see how that sounds.

I'd just play around with the mix to see if you can get each element of the track to stand out clearly on its own. It's good and you should definitely keep at it.

A really great laid back feel to this track, Bloomonkey! Must have something to do with the way the river flows through the banks and under the bridge at Inverness. :) Definitely one of our favourite places in Scotland!

As I have said in comment's I've made on other tracks, if I hear a vocal melody line right away when I hear a track that tell's me its got something special. At least to my ears. I'm kind of old school about that, I guess.

Anyway, I got a nice R&B melody line playing in my head right away, so as far as I'm concerned, you did something right with this one.

I'd like it to have an additional chord progression for at least one more section to the song, but that can be hard to accomplish when the song is built on a stand-alone loop. Not sure if Danke provided anything more that would work with it. I should check that out, I guess. But, if left as a funk tune, it can work just as is.

Anyway, very nice work. I enjoyed it greatly.

Eric