EricMilligan

I agree with Crucethus. A very beautiful melody on this track. This track deserves a lot more listens and a lot more comments, in my view.

Your voice is very distinctive. It has a lot of character and it works really well on your tracks. But, I think that you haven't quite found the right treatment for it in recording. I've got very little experience recording vocals so I don't really know what I'd do differently. But, I think I'd experiment a bit to get an even more intimate "feel". You have moments in this track where I hear that coming through, but not consistently and I want to have even more of that. Might be the volume you sign at. Might be how close you are to the mic. Might be the type of mic. Might be a question of compression and EQ. Or, all of the above. You have it really close on this track.

Well, TA. This is one of your tracks that I hadn't heard before. It was very enjoyable. I think I've said it in other comments, the thing I particularly appreciate about your music is the strong emphasis on melody. And, even more, melodies that can actually stick in your head. Your arrangements are quite engaging as well. I guess you play a lot of the instruments live?

I'm enjoying working through your music there on Looperman. I don't know how I lost track of you.

Regards,

Eric

Well, I see that I've heard this track previously, TA. Now, that I have re-discovered it I totally agree with my comment posted back in 2017. This track could definitely support some vocals. I heard a melody line in my head again as I was listening to it. That, for me, is the sign of a track that connects with me. Always is.

OK. I very much liked this track. And yes, you got the mechanical/cold feel you were aiming for. The melody was spot on for the track.

And, the vocal was excellent, in my view. I really liked it. But, I think it was set too low in the mix. I think that might have been was centralsdev was suggesting. That particularly applies to the sections where you pitched up the vocal. It was barely detectable above the backing track.

I've done that on some of my tracks where I, very reluctantly, had to do the vocal myself. I'm a lousy vocalist, so I bury the vocal on purpose. Your vocal was perfect for the track, so there was no need to do that.

Now I'm going to search your profile to see if you've posted other good stuff! :)

Hi, GoldenOokami. This is a very promising track. You've clearly got good keyboard chops and you definitely know how to use the mod wheel and pitch bend well.

Since this is a "beta" version, I'm going to give you my two cents worth on the track. The guitar solo section was a lot better than I can do, but it still sounded like it was being played on a keyboard in many places.

Getting a convincing replication of a guitar using keyboard is really difficult. The best versions I've ever heard come from alternate controllers like the Roli Seaboard Rise. But I think they really hard to master.

I actually thought the guitar solo might be better using a synth patch, similar to the Steve Winwood sound. It really reminded me of his stuff.

My next favourite was the piano solo section. In both the guitar and piano solos, I thought you started out really nicely, but I felt that things started to wander off after a while in each solo. You do a good job of using silence in your solos, but I think more structure and a bit more discipline in your improvisation would really improve things even more. I'm a big believer in "less is more".

I'd also suggest that you experiment with some different bass patches. I thought the bass you used had too much attack transients and not enough sustain on the notes for this type of track. Or, perhaps layer in a second bass patch that doesn't have such a sharp attack and more sustain (e.g. a sampled acoustic bass patch). Or perhaps a synth-generated patch based on a sine wave setting on the OSC. I suspect that when you add vocals to the track, the bass will need to be toned down in any case, so that it isn't competing for attention with the vocals.

So, for what it's worth, those are my comments. I definitely enjoyed the track. Wish I could play jazz like that. I'd definitely be interested hearing it with vocals added.

Regards,

Eric

Much of my comments are subjective, of course.

So, Kyle. I liked this track a lot. I understand that Verdiqo may have found it repetitive. I agree with that, but I was "hearing" it (with some re-mixing) as a backing track for vocals. With vocals the repetition issue would be solved because the variation comes from the vocal performance and lyrics. The track has choppy rhythm, so the vocals would be legato to provide contrast.

Another option instead of adding a vocal melody line would be to cut back on the number of bars that a particular sequence (loop) plays. Instead of 8 bars, try 4. Problem with that idea is that I could be totally out to lunch. I aspire to make good EDM, but I'm more attuned to pop and R&B stuff. For dance music I know that extended sections which introduce subtle changes in the track are really effective. So, what might seem repetitive to a listener would work really well for dancers. At least, that's what I've been told.

Anyway, that's my two cents worth. I like all kinds of music, but I do know that on Looperman, if I listen to a track and a vocal line springs into my head, it's a track worth pursuing. Nice work!

Loved this one, guys! To my ears, this is Neo Soul. I immediately "heard" a vocal melody line that would work with it and started singing along. When that happens, I know I'm listening to a really fine track. We really need some good R&B singers here on Looperman to help take tracks like this one to the next level.

OK. You nailed this one for sure. Your revisions to the drum track were, I think, perfect. You made the right decision for sure, leaving syncopation throughout. It definitely made it sound much more contemporary. I think this is one of the very best tracks I've heard on Looperman. Great production. Sounds like a pro production in my view. Deserves more listens. :)

I agree with Ed (Tumbleweed). Track has a nice feel to it. I like your melody ideas a lot. Definitely evokes Abba. I happen to like Abba. Instrumental backing needs work. Needs a good bass part to set the foundation. Generally, it has too much going on in the high frequency range and it competes with the vocals. Also, the various instruments aren't really distinct in the mix. I think this is partly a question of how the mix has been constructed, but also might be attributable to the arrangement.

The track has a lot of promise, actually. I think you have an ear for melody. That's really important.

Eric

Hi, Zeus. I liked the track. Had nice "lilting" feel to it, which I guess must be characteristic of the genre. I agree with FetalDecline about the mix, however. I think the mix had too much going on in the upper frequency range, and not enough balance across the spectrum. I'm not suggesting going for a big heavy bass. Just. more balance. The peaceful feeling you want is, I would think, very dependent on the mid-range frequencies. Also, I think there might be a bit too much reverb generally. I'm not sure if you were applying it globally to the entire mix bus, or individual to each instrument track. I'd definitely opt for the latter approach so you can fine-tune the placement of each instrument spatially in the mix. And, it will allow each instrument to be more cleanly differentiated as well.

All that being said, I did like the track a lot. If I were going to remix it, I'd experiment with the things I identified to see if it made the track better, or perhaps not as good. I don't have enough experience to know for sure if something will work. I always need to try it on for size.

Regards from Ottawa

Eric

You did a great job on this one! The vocals are really nicely placed in the mix. Backing instrument track is very nice, especially the EP.

I do have one issue with it. I think the drum part is way too "busy" for this kind of song. I think it competes with the vocals and, to some extent, with the other instruments in the backing track.

I would have used a far simpler, less syncopated beat for the first part with the vocals up to about 2:04. Then, introduced your more complex beat for the instrumental break running up to around 3:40 I think. Then back, to a simpler drum track (but probably with some added elements, but still without a lot of syncopation) for the remainder of the song.

I know from your other tracks that you are really good at fashioning complex drum tracks with really interesting syncopation and it is something that I admire in your music. For this ballad, however, I think simpler is better.

Your ending was excellent. Endings are hard. This was really nice.

Beautiful, rich sound, Miazyo!

With respect, your tracks are soooo good. I'd like to see more of them here on Looperman. In particular, I think it would be great if you posted "Marvins Cellar" and "Ella es la cosa Mas preciada que tengo" here. They are fantastic.

Would be nice to see more information about you in your profile. I think you must be a pro. And, an accomplished musician. Also, I must comment on the quality of your mixes. They are examples of how to do it properly. Much to learn from you.

Aha! Using an Ampeg amp on a bass indicates that you really know your stuff, Ronabo! (I used to own an Ampeg guitar amp. Great sound for jazz. Not enough power to keep up with the Fender Twin Reverb that our lead guitar used, though.)

Layering bass instruments is a great technique. I use it periodically myself. Usually EQ each instrument differently to focus on the specific timbre that I want from that instrument. Same on kicks.

Stinger Bass is from the EXS-24 plugin, right? I don't think I've ever used that patch. Will have to explore it now that I've heard what it can do.

Eric

Second set of comments:

Now for the really hard part. Figure out at least one additional chord sequence to create another section in the track. I have the greatest difficulty doing this myself and so often end up doing tracks with only one repetitive chord sequence. But, I know that my tracks would be better if I made the effort to figure how where to go with a new sequence that works in the track. And, I figure that the more I try, the easier it will be for future tracks.

Finally, I actually kind of liked the ending. It was really unusual. I'm not sure how you did it. That being said, I think Danke's suggestion is a good one. I tend to use fade-outs myself because I can't figure out how to end my tracks. Danke is right that figuring out how to end a song is perhaps the hardest thing. A good fadeout is not a bad choice, but it can't be the only method used. If you produce and EP or an album, and every song ended with a fadeout, that would be pretty obvious. Remember that lower frequencies have more power than high frequencies, so you might need to adjust the EQ on the master outputs as you do the fade-out to maintain the balance.

I'd be very interested to hear how this track sounds if you do a bit more work on it.

Regards

Eric

Well, I agree with Danke that this track shows great promise. I see from your profile that you play several instruments, but not sax. So, I'm assuming that the sax sound is either a VST or a loop. Getting a VST saw to sound right is a real challenge in my experience. I think some processing might help with that on this track, specifically some reverb.

In the spirit of constructive advice, here's my suggestions on the track. First, it sounds to me like everything has been quantized. Very rigid timing. Jazz needs to be more fluid. Not just the sax lead, but also the drums, bass, and particularly the Rhodes comping. Assuming you played in the Rhodes chords, try fine-tuning the midi timing on them, and don't make all the notes in the chord sound at exactly the same time.

Drum track needs work. Is too simple. I'm a drummer and I suck at doing drum tracks from scratch which is why I tend to use midi loops and drum instrument VSTs. But I think you did program this, so you have a decent start. Adjust timing. Try adding a swing groove to it if you have that available in your DAW. See how that feels. I'd experiment shifting the kick drum a few milliseconds early, and the snare a few milliseconds late. Need some fills. Try adding a ride cymbal for the second part of the track. Get more variation in the drum part. I'd EQ the drums a bit as well.

Try adding more activity and syncopation in your bass line. It has parts where you have that already, but not enough. The bass line with only one note on each downbeat in each measure for much of the track kind of drags down the feel of the music. Try delaying at least some of the bass notes by a few milliseconds to help establish the groove. Audition the track using only the bass and drum parts to see if they work together.

Rather than repeat the sax melody lines a second time, try layering over a piano (pitched above the chords) instead. Will give more variation and maintain interest.

I have more comments but the length exceeds the 3000 character limit set by Looperman, so will put then in a second comment.

Eric

Bonjour, Nous2! Very nice track! I think your vocal was actually quite good. So, I would encourage you to do more. I especially liked the fact that the lyrics were in French. French, like Italian and Spanish, is a very musical language. Much better than English I think. More emphasis on vowel sounds.

I think that your wife would be very pleased with this song for her. It is a very special gift.

Anyway, if I were working on the mix for this track I'd experiment with a few things. I'd try tightening up the bass using a compressor and EQ. I think the mid-low frequencies are a bit too prominent in the mix and makes it sound a bit "muddy". It sounds "full", but it would be worth some effort to see how it sounds if each instrument/voice in the track is placed in its own area of the frequency spectrum. Personally, I liked how the vocal sounded and I'd bring up its level in the mix a little bit - at least in some sections.

I liked the vocoder that you introduced at the end of the track, but I thought that the synth sound with the filter sweep competed with it too much. I would experiment with either dropping the filter sweep treatment, or reducing its intensity, or at least reducing the level of that instrument in the mix. I think the vocoder part was really interesting and should be the focus of attention for the listener.

My last comment is definitely subjective and you probably won't agree. Again, if I were mixing the track I think I would try dropping some of the new elements you introduce as the track progresses. I thought that simplifying the arrangement a little bit might make it more impactful. You have lots of variety as the track progresses, but I'm not sure that they all contribute to a cohesive experience. I could be entirely wrong about this and it might be more a question of the level they have in the mix rather than eliminating some of them entirely. But, I would definitely experiment. Each new element in the track needs to have a purpose and should somehow tie in with the fundamental essence of the track.

All that being said, it is entirely possible that having experimented with all those things I mentioned, I'd leave the track unaltered because it just sounds really good the way it is right now, keeps my interest from beginning to end, and conveys the emotion effectively. After all, that's really the true purpose of any piece of music. N'est pas?

Definitely heading in an interesting direction, Ronabo. The new strings and horns instruments that now have been added to Logic Pro are actually pretty good! I've used them in tracks I'm working on and have been pleased with the result.

I also like the bass work you did on this track. Sounds really good. What instrument is that? Sounds like it could actually be a real live bass!

Finally, I think that this track, pared down, could be the basis for a really tasty R&B track. In parts, it has the right feel for sure.

Final thoughts. Some tips I've picked up on string arrangements (most of which I ignore because I'm too lazy to follow them). Rather than playing chords on the keyboard, play in the notes for each instrument on a separate track. So first violins get one track, second violins (usually playing a harmony line) get a second track. Violas on a third track. Cellos on a fourth, etc. If you do this the result can sound more realistic because the timing is a little bit more fluid and you are more likely to use what amounts to different chord inversions.

Second thought. If you are using a full strings section patch, play in the strings part using three note chord in the right hand and octave bass in the left hand. Then, using the midi editing view in Logic Pro, try re-arranging some of the notes in the right hand chords to get variation in the voicing for the strings.

There is a relatively new guy on Youtube that has done some excellent tutorials on making cinematic music. He has a really good video on doing chord progressions with strings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxxe2DMasf0

Anyway, I thought your strings sounded pretty good as they were on this track, but these tips might come in handy for you on future tracks that you compose.

Regards,

Eric

Orlando and Ed: An excellent track. I'm not sure if it was "chill" or "orchestral". Either way, it was really good. To my ear, it had flavours of Celtic and asian music. The melody line could easily have been played by a flute (breathy. And parts of the background could have been played by something like a Koto. I think the title was very appropriate. For he, the track definitely communicated a feeling of gliding along a gently weaving road out in the middle of nowhere. The image I kept getting was some really rural roads I once travelled on when lost driving down to Ayre in Scotland. Single lane, ancient low stone walls on the sides of the fields, wild heather everywhere. Very nice!

Saw your response in the collab forum posting to the singer who was looking for a producer for "experimental pop". I have no idea what that is, but I actually like pop (or at least some of it) so decided to check out the Looperman members who responded. Just wanted to say that you do really nice work! I'm very impressed with the clarity and balance of your mixes. I'm currently struggling with a very muddy mix. Too much boomy bass and to much reverb I think. You set a good example of how to do it right! :)

Great track. Wonderful sounding mix. I could use this as a reference track. Wish my stuff sounded this good.

This is SO annoying. I had written you a very long comment and then for some strange reason, my browser "reloaded the page because it was using significant memory" and I lost everything. I'm not going to recreate my full comment. Here's the short version.

I really like this track. Sounded very "rich".

Ronabo is really good. I'd be very interested in hearing what he comes up with with your track.

But, and here I'm going to be blunt, I think you've given up to easily trying to extend the track. It has great promise. I know the situation you are in very well because I find it really hard to figure out a new section and new chord progression once I've mentally locked into a track and spent a lot of time getting it to sound right. It's a habit I'm trying to break, but it's hard. I'm forcing myself to work on creating tracks with more varied structure.

I think your track is a really good start and that it deserves a bit more effort to extend it. If you can do something that sounds this good, you can take it the next step.

Step back from the track for a few days, then give it 30 minutes of effort to see what chord sequence would work as the next section. I put the last 4 bars of the track on loop/repeat, but extend the repeat area out at least 8 to 16 bars beyond the end of the track. Then, I just activate a new instrument track with a piano instrument and fiddle around experimenting with chords until I find the first chord that works with the last chord of the first section. That's your starting point for the new section.

If I knew more about music theory and song structure I'd probably know what chords would work, but I don't so I have to figure it out by experimentation. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But it's worth making the effort. I think it gets easier the more you try.

Regards,

Eric

This might be my favourite so far, BlancFroid. Like Danke said, it catches you from the first note. I have neglected to mention in my other comments that your mixes are really good. Very clean and the various instruments are nicely set out in their own areas of the frequency spectrum. This mix was particularly good I think. In my own projects, I'm trying to be more disciplined and EQ each track, cutting back rather than boosting frequency ranges where other instrument tracks need to be heard. I don't know if you were doing that with the mix on this track, but it sure sounded clean and transparent. Everything in its place. I was impressed.

As soon as this track started my mind immediately brought up memories of "Altered Carbon", the sci fi series filmed in Vancouver. This track would have worked perfectly for some of the more desolate (not exactly the right word) urban scenes in that excellent series. I think you really have a knack for eliciting images/scenes in your music. At least, you do with me. :)

Very, very nice song, BabyGee.

I agree with Perko93 that this is worth putting more effort, adding perhaps some harmony on the vocals, strings, etc. Would help provide more variation on the bed instrumental piano track in the project. I think your recording levels got a bit too hot toward the end of the track when you increased the volume of your singing. Heard some distortion in the vocals at that point. You can see that in the peaks of the waveform graphic display.

Generally, though, was very nicely done. You have a lovely voice. Nice character to it and you are very good at staying on pitch. I'd be interested in hearing you deliver a vocal track with an even more intimate (close-miked, lower level, light compression) approach. My guess is that it would work really really well with your voice. If I were mixing this, I'd also experiment with some analogue type processing plugins to give the vocals some more depth and warmth.

All of that is to say that this was a really nice piece of work and I liked it a lot.

If you ever are interested in a collab, please keep me in mind. I think it would be fun to work with you on something.

Regards from Ottawa,

Eric

So, Renabo. Way back in 2013 you posted a track called, "Rain Chills" which I really liked. Downloaded it and set a melody to it, which is something I do on occasion when I really like a track I hear on Looperman. I must say that you have really advanced your music incredibly since then. This new track is really, really good. I haven't experimented yet with the new instruments in the latest update to Logic Pro X. You've done a wonderful job with them. Nice dynamics and expression. You must have put a lot of work into this.

I have two suggestions/observations on the track. 1) I think the bass sounds could be tightened up. I found the lower frequencies of the mix to be too muddy. I think that's probably what you were going for, creating a deep almost continuous sub-bass "bed" for the track. Not sure if some compression, or just lower levels in the mix, or what might be an option worth experimenting with. 2) I really like your playing and feel. You seem to know how to voice R&B chords really well. I'd really like to hear tracks from you with a more complete and varied structure (Intro, Verse, Prechorus, Chorus, Bridge, Outro, etc.). More variation in the chord progressions. In my own playing I find that to be a real challenge and I'm not good at figuring out where to go with new sections to make a more complete project. Most of the time I just give up and stick to one repetitive chord sequence. But you are better at this stuff than I am, so I think it would really pay off big time for your music.

Anyway, Ronabo, that's my two bits. Nice work. Really nice work on this one.

Regards

Eric