The Musician's Gig Room Chat V1 - Songwriting and Sound Design for all!

[chaz13]

[QUOTE=Rich209;47534733]Enjoyed it. Really gives me the vibes of something I'd be listening at night on the road.

I can really tell you've grown as a musician killa101. This stuff is good! Very chill.

Not familiar with the original, but I like the mix of synths. Sounds like something I might here at one of the local bars in town.

___________________________________________________

So I've been hard at work doing a bunch of music. I recently just got finished writing a soundtrack for a short film entered into a film festival in town. We ended up winning the whole festival. Which is great coverage for me!

Anyways I'm going to post a couple different things. Some of which are self contained pieces and the other is the soundtrack. You can pick and choose what you want to listen to.

Just started working on this and it probably is one of the more well written things I've started.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/russiangodfather/legends[/media]

This piece here is something I did a couple weeks ago, but what I did with it is I took a Bach prelude I did as a freshman in college and remixed/worked it into this piece.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/russiangodfather/bach-in-a-minute[/media]

And lastly here is part of the soundtrack. Its the last piece in the set and it is by far my favorite.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/russiangodfather/bad-memories[/media][/QUOTE]

Only listened to the first track so far. I love the melody of the strings that come in, and the chord progression does not follow expectations which was a really nice surprise and it works really well. Perhaps a little more bass?

8 bars of neurofunk I threw together in 30 mins to try out a new style. Izotope on the drums made a ridiculous latency so it's kinda hard to hear how it sounds without bouncing it/makes it unmixable, but hey.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/hmm[/media]

[hobo4president]

[QUOTE=Rich209;47534733]
Just started working on this and it probably is one of the more well written things I've started.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/russiangodfather/legends[/media]

This piece here is something I did a couple weeks ago, but what I did with it is I took a Bach prelude I did as a freshman in college and remixed/worked it into this piece.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/russiangodfather/bach-in-a-minute[/media]

And lastly here is part of the soundtrack. Its the last piece in the set and it is by far my favorite.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/russiangodfather/bad-memories[/media][/QUOTE]

I love all your stuff man.
The first one is lovely, really pleasant sounding instruments you used and the upper strings act as a really nice contrast to that.
The second one is really awesome up until the electric guitar thing comes in, it's got a really nice orchestral feel that turns in to some dark electronic bass sound but I think the guitar doesn't really fit as well. That bass sound is awesome though, so moody. If it went in to some hard crashing drums or spicatto strings I think it would sound massive.
The last one is also really good, I'm not sure what else to say, I love really processed stuff like this.

[QUOTE=chaz13;47541372]Only listened to the first track so far. I love the melody of the strings that come in, and the chord progression does not follow expectations which was a really nice surprise and it works really well. Perhaps a little more bass?

8 bars of neurofunk I threw together in 30 mins to try out a new style. Izotope on the drums made a ridiculous latency so it's kinda hard to hear how it sounds without bouncing it/makes it unmixable, but hey.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/hmm[/media][/QUOTE]

Man this is sick. I think it could use some more stuff to keep it driving besides just the drums and the bassline (Might not be what you're going for but some topline stuff like in this could help fill it out [url]https://youtu.be/NMueKAW4-KE?t=64[/url]). It's sounding really good though man, nice work.

_________________________________________________________________

I finished my remix:

[media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/novo-amor-weather-phil-maah-remix[/media]

The original [url]https://soundcloud.com/novo-amor/weather-1[/url]

[Eyefunk]

[QUOTE=Rich209;47534733]

So I've been hard at work doing a bunch of music. I recently just got finished writing a soundtrack for a short film entered into a film festival in town. We ended up winning the whole festival. Which is great coverage for me!

Anyways I'm going to post a couple different things. Some of which are self contained pieces and the other is the soundtrack. You can pick and choose what you want to listen to.

Just started working on this and it probably is one of the more well written things I've started.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/russiangodfather/legends[/media]
[/QUOTE]

I've always been impressed by your orchestral pieces, Rich. It's quite obvious you have a keen ear for emotional tone, and how it may affect the listener's experience. The piece you've created here is no exception. I love how it starts off with a simple harp, then progresses into something much more developed and full. Great work here, I can't wait to hear the finished piece.
_______________

I put together a compilation of test / unreleased tracks. The compilation is called "Weeper's Curtain", due to that being my sort of hidden side project. All of these tracks were made under that moniker.

[url]https://work-in-progress.bandcamp.com/album/weepers-curtain-test-tracks-2013-15[/url]

Thanks for your attention. I'm releasing an album later this year, or early next year under the name Penny Thief.

[Hakita]

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;47547882]I put together a compilation of test / unreleased tracks. The compilation is called "Weeper's Curtain", due to that being my sort of hidden side project. All of these tracks were made under that moniker.

[url]https://work-in-progress.bandcamp.com/album/weepers-curtain-test-tracks-2013-15[/url]

Thanks for your attention. I'm releasing an album later this year, or early next year under the name Penny Thief.[/QUOTE]
time for opinions and stuff

First track starts off very strong, creepy low-quality speech with some large booming ambiance in the background and some maracas on top. I do feel the maracas are too loud in the mix though, they really take over the whole part and steal attention away from the awesome ambiance and the speech. The celesta or music box or whathaveyou comes in with some really atonal chaotic stuff, really playing off the already creepy speech well, though again the maracas are super loud and steal the attention. There's some dynamic stuff going on, various background instruments coming in and out. After the maracas fade out and come back in a digitally stretched out way, they fit the song much better than at the start. This is where the song really starts getting better, since the maracas are better integrated. Some strong vocal stuff with the maraca subtly backing them, very nice and atmospheric. After that there's some sea ambiance, though it sounds a bit off in a good way, it sounds like a digital reconstruction of what a sea is, unique idea, works well. Very nice drums too, they really add to the ambiance. An unexpected melodic section comes in towards the end, playing off the creep-factor and ambient build-up from earlier, very nicely done, reminds me of Swans' A Piece of the Sky in a way. The synth harp towards the end sounds a bit silly cheesy and some of the additional percussion is very 80's, which is a weird choice to say the least. The bass in the background sounds fantastic though, I wish you'd built a vintage analogue sound over the 80's synth sound, since I feel that'd work better. Overall nice opening track, even if there are a few weird choices.

Mourning Lows is a completely different style and sound, which really does show that this is a compilation instead of a full album. As I've mentioned before, otherwise it's a fantastic track with very nice structure and performance, but the bongo drums or whatever they happen to be clip a couple times in the recording and break the carefully crafted atmosphere by feeling really overpowering in the mix sometimes. They also sound off the mark towards the beginning, though they stay in rhythm after that fairly well. Short track, not much to say, but it's got something going on that could definitely be built on. It's very demo-esque at its current state, but not a bad demo at that.

Violent's Double starts off with some kind of unsure drum build-up, not quite sure where it's going, but as soon as it properly kicks in with the guitar slide at about 35 seconds in, I know I'm in for a ride. The organ and acoustic guitar that come in after that blend into eachother flawlessly and the song reaches a point where everything really comes together after a slightly wonky beginning. Fantastic sound and feel here. Quickly breaks up into an ambient section of voices, similar to how vocals were used in the first track. Subtle cymbal use starts fading in and panning around, which really help build the atmosphere of this part. Nice bell-esque instrument plays a vague melody as the drums start fading back in and the song builds up again. Nice bass sound and I absolutely love the lo-fi drum sound you have going on here, really creates the mood on this track. Synth harps are used here much better than on the first track, they don't silly and out of place anymore and compliment the bell's melody nicely. The ending is disappointing, though. The bell and harp are building up some emotion, ready for a final crescendo, a reprise of the opening booming section, but instead the song just kind of fades out. It makes the song feel incomplete and lacking in structure. If you had an epic climax to this by reprising the melodic section from early on in the track while adding some extra stuff on it slowly, you'd have a damn good post-rock track right here. I hope you'll revisit this track for a full album release in the future.

Dead Bird's Song starts off with some lo-fi drumming until massive, dulcid, eerie vocals come in. Absolutely incredible use of vocals here, really sends chills down my spine. The chords are just atonal enough and the performance has that ghastly dullness to it, fantastic stuff. More drum tracks start fading in overtime, though they dont really add much to the track I feel, especially with how slowly they come in. Fantastic fade into the second section with the lower tones of the vocals stopping and very vintage, kind of formless drumming playing, regaining that eerie vibe. In the last section where the lower tones come back, I feel it could've used something more, honestly. Most of the additional tones don't really do much for the track. I feel you should've focused more on bringing out the ritualistic vibe by using more non-contemporary instruments and elements, rather than just more ordinary drums. It's left kind of incomplete, much like Violent's Double, but shows great promise if you can work on it more. This track really fits the cover you chose for the compilation as well.

The Lion is a short, weird interlude. I understand what you're trying to go for here, but honestly it just doesn't work. The melody and background noise don't really compliment eachother in that dissonant way you're looking for, so it instead sounds crowded and sloppy, like an idea that never came to full fruition, or an improv experiment where the artists arent comfortable with eachother yet. As an interlude it doesn't work either, since it doesn't really build anything up or build anything down, so it feels kind of pointless. It could definitely go somewhere, but if you want something more from this, it needs some really heavy reworking.

The Moon is a Dirty Drumhead starts off with a very different vibe. Here the uncertainty is used to a much stronger result with the weird background synth that conflicts with the piano. This uncertain tension then falls fantastically when the drums come in, bringing in a calm, warm feeling. The production here is fantastic, very Steven Wilson esque. I'm not really feeling the vocals on this track, though. They sound kind of out of place. The background synth comes back in in a more fitting way, which plays off the uncertainty of the intro nicely. Good track, but in a very demo-esque state still and I feel it should definitely be built into something more, since at its current length it doesn't really reach far enough. A great start for a finale for some album, though, could work perfectly if combined with a slow buildup to a release with maybe some use of an earlier motif from the album. You've got some good stuff going on here, but at an unfinished state.

Voiceless it Cries is an odd one. It does have something, but I'm not really sure what it is. I don't know if it would work as an intro, an interlude, an outro or a standalone track. It's very eerie, especially after the additional noises come in around halfway through. Strong atmosphere, but I feel it could use a bit more direction, it feels a bit too unsure at the moment. It's got that really nice grainy sound, though, and could definitely go somewhere or come from somewhere, but as it is now it doesn't really go anywhere and instead just kind of comes in and goes out. It sort of feels like one of those hidden tracks at the end of albums where there's 7 minutes of silence after the last track and then this comes in. It could work as a send-off if done correctly, but as it is now it just feels like another idea that was forgotten and left at an unfinished state.

The finale, A Clearing, comes in with a completely different sound from every other track. Very synthezised, kind of similar to how the opening track ended, but at the same time completely different. This really sounds like a credits song for something. Odd combination of modern sounding synths and very gritty analogue vintage style sounds, but it's not entirely unfitting. It's a very, very unique style that can definitely work. Silent Hill -esque noise combined with this melancholic sound... A single track doesn't really give me enough time to get used to it or really get into it, but if a full album or EP was built in this style, with a bit of tweaking, this could work really well as a send off. It has that dark melancholy but also a bit of hopefulness to it, making it a good ending track. Wouldn't feel out of place as a song that would play during the credits sequence to a good end in a Silent Hill game.

Overall, it's very clear this is a compilation of ideas and unfinished demoes rather than fully fledged, polished songs. The atmosphere in a lot of these tracks is very solid and you definitely do have a knack for this otherwordly, kind of vintage experimental sound. In the end, it wasn't connected together by any threads, nor was it consistent in style or feel, which ultimately made it just feel like a mixtape or a demo tape rather than something that should honestly be released as an album or EP. You've really got some great stuff going on here, though, and I really hope you'll expand on these tracks and are able to create a fully-fledged album with these grainy vintage tones, because I'd without a doubt listen to it. I'd advise you to focus more on structure, since these songs tend to just come and go instead of being satisfying, fully wrapped up experiences. Work more on having proper endings to your tracks instead of things just slowly fading out after a while of playing. Closure is important for every track, since that heavily affects how the listener will hear the next one. Atmosphere and structure is essential in experimental music like this, and while you are exceptional in creating the unique atmosphere that really carries these songs, you should work more on thinking about how the listener will experience it as a whole and how and what would be a satisfying closure to each track. Violent's Double, Dead Bird's Song and The Moon is a Dirty Drumhead are great and I hope you're able to make something out of these songs, since they really show a LOT of promise, even if lacking in structure overall.

no songs of my own to plug here yet, but i'm working on some stuff

[PsychedelicLiz]

[url]http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/msg/4974176767.html[/url] I so want this, but spent all my money on guitars.

[Asmaedus]

[QUOTE=killa101;47522985]

So, a little while ago I finished writing my second drum & bass album. I've been contemplating whether I should make a thread for it or not because RIP music section, but anyways, if anyone wants to check it out I would like to hear what you guys think.

Most of the tracks have a unique sound, as I started on a fresh template with each and every one.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/wakethephantom/lastchancetolive[/media]
[/QUOTE]

This is rad as hell man, reminds me of early pendulum stuff

~~~

Heres a little ditty I've been working on, first thing I've ever written - it needs some work, and more instruments, but I'd appreciate some form of feedback :^)

[media]http://soundcloud.com/dylan-daley-1/wip-ditty[/media]

[Skeeter]

Anyone here play in a band?
If so (or if not, you can still answer :V: ), how do you do with marketing yourself and finding places to play? I'm currently the drummer in a rock-pop outfit called Gråzon (eng translation = greyzone) and I've been mailing and getting in contact with both smaller venues and bigger festivals, but I'm not 100% sure how to really do it.

Currently I'm just writing a hello, checking how they do with booking artists and showing them how we sound through a halfway decent recording of how we sound live, and giving them a small bit of info of who we are and stuff like that (also adding we play a lot live and we've won a few talent competitions, which is a half-truth since the one we won was a buy-ticket-to-win and the other there were too few bands to even make it a competition, which ~counts~ as a win to me).

I've got a very DIY mentality where I just feel that there's no point in practicing to perfection and just trying to become perfect before playing live and instead get out there as soon as possible and work from there, could it be actually hindering our chances of getting places to play, or is the trial-by-fire attitude a good thing?

What do you think?

[lawlavex]

[QUOTE=Asmaedus;47555980]
Heres a little ditty I've been working on, first thing I've ever written - it needs some work, and more instruments, but I'd appreciate some form of feedback :^)

[media]http://soundcloud.com/dylan-daley-1/wip-ditty[/media][/QUOTE]

nice intro! i like the calm feel of this track in the beginning, and you transitioned nicely to the second half. the only problem i could find is that second section gets a bit boring after a while with the same repeated melody. i think writing another chord progression and putting it in after maybe 8 bars would help to break the repetition and make your track more interesting. awesome job for the first thing you've written though, for sure!

i entered another contest where the hosts handed out a free little sample pack and you had to do whatever you could to make your own track out of the given samples. here's how it turned out, let me know what you think:

[media]http://soundcloud.com/vscrl/outta-sync[/media]

[Uzbekistan]

Is it a faux pas to ask for any resources that help learning ableton/general theory? Staying motivated is pretty hard for me sadly, but I managed to make a drum loop I like with the kutmaster kurt sample pack

[Unreliable]

[QUOTE=Skeeter;47558973]Currently I'm just writing a hello, checking how they do with booking artists and showing them how we sound through a halfway decent recording of how we sound live, and giving them a small bit of info of who we are and stuff like that (also adding we play a lot live and we've won a few talent competitions, which is a half-truth since the one we won was a buy-ticket-to-win and the other there were too few bands to even make it a competition, which ~counts~ as a win to me).

I've got a very DIY mentality where I just feel that there's no point in practicing to perfection and just trying to become perfect before playing live and instead get out there as soon as possible and work from there, could it be actually hindering our chances of getting places to play, or is the trial-by-fire attitude a good thing?

What do you think?[/QUOTE]

My band has taken pictures, assembled a small booklet of us with blurbs, and included CDs when doing p2p meets. Usually we go to shows we like and talk to the management at the show. ask them if they like the band and let them know we're looking to play some gigs. Hand them the CD and information packet and maybe chat it up a little. Over email is the same deal, music and pictures, blurb about the music and phrase things that sound like we know what we're doing.

That's just what we do, and it's worked okay so far. Three or four gigs (if you include a fundraiser for kids in arts) so far since being a band for a couple months.

I think you're doing well, it sounds like you've got the important stuff down, sending them music and including descriptions. That's what you do need! As far as the talent show goes, who cares, just tell them you won. Unless this is like a huge talent show in Sweden I'd probably say, "cool, looks like they're pretty good then"

As for DIY mentality, everyone approaches music differently - remember that it's you up on stage and that's the important part. You and other musicians work together with your own unique tastes to assimilate something you all think sounds good. I in fact had this discussion today, of trying new takes on our songs at shows solely for experimentation. We were playing and our drummer started off double time and we came in playing our same set but each of us didn't really care to follow our common structure. After playing, we talked about our friends who are fantastic people and have the ability to take any song and play it in whatever style they want, and how much we'd like to be able to, as well.

I play guitar in this band and hopefully synth later on. Personally, as far as perfection goes, I feel that constant practice and a strive to sound great is important, but I think that's because I listen and have a propensity to play Jazz.

[editline]19th April 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=Uzbekistan;47559332]Is it a faux pas to ask for any resources that help learning ableton/general theory? Staying motivated is pretty hard for me sadly, but I managed to make a drum loop I like with the kutmaster kurt sample pack[/QUOTE]

no way man, everyone needs help at some point.

[RelaxedCreepr]

[QUOTE=Asmaedus;47555980]
Heres a little ditty I've been working on, first thing I've ever written - it needs some work, and more instruments, but I'd appreciate some form of feedback :^)

[media]http://soundcloud.com/dylan-daley-1/wip-ditty[/media][/QUOTE]

Very cool sounding with the guitars and calm beats, I just wish that the drums were a just a bit louder. But, like what lawlavex said, it does get kind of boring, a few different sounds or instruments would definitely help.

[QUOTE=lawlavex;47559144]i entered another contest where the hosts handed out a free little sample pack and you had to do whatever you could to make your own track out of the given samples. here's how it turned out, let me know what you think:

[media]http://soundcloud.com/vscrl/outta-sync[/media][/QUOTE]

Wow, now this is nice. I really like the funky beat and small basses, it just feels calm. But I also think it's cool that you got so creative with just a small set of samples. Keep up the good work!

---

So, I made this remix after hearing the Life is Strange OST (In case you were wondering, this song plays at the end of Ep. 2)

[media]http://soundcloud.com/relaxedcreeper/local-natives-mt-washington-remix[/media]

And I made this a month or two ago and just recently touched up on it.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/relaxedcreeper/bang[/media]

Feedback would be appreciated!

[SentientToilet]

I'm new to this whole music making business, but is producing with common headphones (gamecom 780) without an audio card installed okay or would I have to aim for over-the-top-suitable-for-audiophiles headphones and a mid range audio card? I'm working on my first track right now and I have no idea how it's gonna sound to others and it's a little concerning.

[chaz13]

[QUOTE=TheDrunkenOne;47563843]I'm new to this whole music making business, but is producing with common headphones (gamecom 780) without an audio card installed okay or would I have to aim for over-the-top-suitable-for-audiophiles headphones and a mid range audio card? I'm working on my first track right now and I have no idea how it's gonna sound to others and it's a little concerning.[/QUOTE]

Crappy speakers would probably be preferable to crappy headphones but it depends, really. A sound card isn't important for you at the moment. Just learn basics of mixing/synthesis/composition etc and you'll know when you start to feel limited by your gear.

Also it'll probably be quite some time before other people will have any interest in your music, so for now (and forever really) the focus should be on enjoying yourself and learning.

[Daniel Smith]

snip wrong thread

[Biscuit-Boy]

[QUOTE=chaz13;47541372]8 bars of neurofunk I threw together in 30 mins to try out a new style. Izotope on the drums made a ridiculous latency so it's kinda hard to hear how it sounds without bouncing it/makes it unmixable, but hey.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/hmm[/media][/QUOTE]

Frankly, I'll have to pass on this one. It's certainly interesting- you're hitting some cool frequencies- but I personally don't care for it.

[QUOTE=Hobo4President;47546105]
I finished my remix:

[media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/novo-amor-weather-phil-maah-remix[/media]

The original [url]https://soundcloud.com/novo-amor/weather-1[/url][/QUOTE]

Fuck, this is pretty great. Actually as it goes on I'm like pissing myself. I could listen to this for a long, long time. It's got just a touch of that certain acoustic guitar noise in the mid range that I hate, and the vocals aren't blowing my mind, but the instruments are fantastic. Make me an instrumental version for me please <3 <3 <3 ill give you mega smooches

I'd also like to see more guitars layered on instead of just pumping up the synth towards the end, although I'm not sure if you recorded the guitars or they're sampled.

EDIT: Oh and I always think it's better to have at least a measure or two of silence before your track starts, just so the listener can distances themselves from the action of hitting play before they start to hear the song.

[QUOTE=Asmaedus;47555980]Heres a little ditty I've been working on, first thing I've ever written - it needs some work, and more instruments, but I'd appreciate some form of feedback :^)

[media]http://soundcloud.com/dylan-daley-1/wip-ditty[/media][/QUOTE]

Rain ambience is a bit low fidelity for me, sounds a bit tinny maybe. Not a particular fan of the dissonant chords/detuning early on either. The bass coming in doesn't really redeem it and the drum kit sounds a bit too EZDrummer for me (even if it's something completely different, it sounds like ''drum I've heard before''). Sorry to be just ragging on it, I don't think this type of music is my preference so I wouldn't give it too much weight!

[QUOTE=lawlavex;47559144]i entered another contest where the hosts handed out a free little sample pack and you had to do whatever you could to make your own track out of the given samples. here's how it turned out, let me know what you think:

[media]http://soundcloud.com/vscrl/outta-sync[/media][/QUOTE]

Popping at the start is interesting, but the snare clicks are maybe a bit too much. It could just be my ears adjusting to my headphones after not using them for a while, who knows.

[QUOTE=RelaxedCreepr;47560850]
So, I made this remix after hearing the Life is Strange OST (In case you were wondering, this song plays at the end of Ep. 2)

[media]http://soundcloud.com/relaxedcreeper/local-natives-mt-washington-remix[/media]
[/quote]

I think there's a little too much hiss at the start, it's fine that it's fading out but I might tone it down frequency-wise a couple steps. I really love that double-tap at 0:40 but the weird lead synth sample thing you start doing there isn't really my favorite. A bit too avant garde maybe haha.
[QUOTE=RelaxedCreepr;47560850]
And I made this a month or two ago and just recently touched up on it.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/relaxedcreeper/bang[/media]

Feedback would be appreciated![/QUOTE]

This is pretty cool, dig the intro in particular. The synth that's kind of playing every 2 beats and dropping in pitch, that's more isolated at 0:56 and such, I think it's a bit rough standing on its own but fits fine in the louder sections.

---------------

Aaanyways it's been a long fucking time since I've made anything so I cobbled this together over the last few days until I ran out of ideas. Genuinely no idea what the plan was here, it just came together on its own. I may have a lot of criticism in my feedback for you guys but, sheesh, at least you guys know how to fucking get your tracks to an audible volume level. Still haven't figured that one out.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/logan-mcdaniel/dengars-mystery-box[/media]

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=Biscuit-Boy;47566249]Frankly, I'll have to pass on this one. It's certainly interesting- you're hitting some cool frequencies- but I personally don't care for it.

Fuck, this is pretty great. Actually as it goes on I'm like pissing myself. I could listen to this for a long, long time. It's got just a touch of that certain acoustic guitar noise in the mid range that I hate, and the vocals aren't blowing my mind, but the instruments are fantastic. Make me an instrumental version for me please <3 <3 <3 ill give you mega smooches

I'd also like to see more guitars layered on instead of just pumping up the synth towards the end, although I'm not sure if you recorded the guitars or they're sampled.

EDIT: Oh and I always think it's better to have at least a measure or two of silence before your track starts, just so the listener can distances themselves from the action of hitting play before they start to hear the song.

Rain ambience is a bit low fidelity for me, sounds a bit tinny maybe. Not a particular fan of the dissonant chords/detuning early on either. The bass coming in doesn't really redeem it and the drum kit sounds a bit too EZDrummer for me (even if it's something completely different, it sounds like ''drum I've heard before''). Sorry to be just ragging on it, I don't think this type of music is my preference so I wouldn't give it too much weight!

Popping at the start is interesting, but the snare clicks are maybe a bit too much. It could just be my ears adjusting to my headphones after not using them for a while, who knows.

I think there's a little too much hiss at the start, it's fine that it's fading out but I might tone it down frequency-wise a couple steps. I really love that double-tap at 0:40 but the weird lead synth sample thing you start doing there isn't really my favorite. A bit too avant garde maybe haha.

This is pretty cool, dig the intro in particular. The synth that's kind of playing every 2 beats and dropping in pitch, that's more isolated at 0:56 and such, I think it's a bit rough standing on its own but fits fine in the louder sections.

---------------

Aaanyways it's been a long fucking time since I've made anything so I cobbled this together over the last few days until I ran out of ideas. Genuinely no idea what the plan was here, it just came together on its own. I may have a lot of criticism in my feedback for you guys but, sheesh, at least you guys know how to fucking get your tracks to an audible volume level. Still haven't figured that one out.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/logan-mcdaniel/dengars-mystery-box[/media]

[/QUOTE]

Eh, I think it's good for a relaxing piece. It has a pretty relaxed tempo, a tone that isn't heavy but decently warm. There isn't very many things up-front; the guitars seem to be filtered(?) to have their higher overtones taken out; they don't seem very 'in your face' and tend to blend into the background.
The instruments that I hear coming through as melody are xylophone (or marimba?) and the hits of the drums. The constantly alternating notes of the other guitars almost seem a bit too loud now once I start to pick out the melody. The string pizz at the very end is a nice light touch for the finish; I like it, but it doesn't quite fit into the genre.

If you want to get to a big moment in your piece, you just have to lead up to it.
If you want to quickly get to pretty much any volume level you could just lead up to it with some cymbals; they tend to mask everything that goes on that isn't cymbal. To get the volume down you can cut out instruments one by one for a slow effect, or if you want it fast, you could get all but one instrument to hit a note then decay off if it while the remaining instrument holds onto the note. Or in classical music, you can just cut them all off like this: (Skip to 13 m 40s or so)
He (Stravinsky) does it again at the end of the first half. (Skip to 15m 10s or so)
[video=youtube;02tkp6eeh40]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02tkp6eeh40&t=15m8s[/video]

Yeah it's a bit crazy, but the thing about cutting to complete silence is that you're counting on your viewer to be able to keep the beat. For popular music which tends to have less rests than classical music, I don't think it's a big deal. If you're really paranoid you could use percussion to keep the rhythm.

You could also just start off loud as well. Beethoven's 7th symphony, 2nd mvt, starts off with a decaying woodwind chord that leads into a pretty long string section.
[video=youtube;4uOxOgm5jQ4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uOxOgm5jQ4[/video]

~~~~
Here's my second orchestral short that I composed on Saturday and Sunday, that I may or may not expand (again, lol. My first orchestral short got expanded a little then it just stopped)

[media]http://soundcloud.com/brookie2664/21-short[/media]

Edit: Didn't know that fp didn't support time-tagged youtube

[Biscuit-Boy]

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;47567165]Eh, I think it's good for a relaxing piece. It has a pretty relaxed tempo, a tone that isn't heavy but decently warm. There isn't very many things up-front; the guitars seem to be filtered(?) to have their higher overtones taken out; they don't seem very 'in your face' and tend to blend into the background.
The instruments that I hear coming through as melody are xylophone (or marimba?) and the hits of the drums. The constantly alternating notes of the other guitars almost seem a bit too loud now once I start to pick out the melody. The string pizz at the very end is a nice light touch for the finish; I like it, but it doesn't quite fit into the genre.

If you want to get to a big moment in your piece, you just have to lead up to it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks so much for the feedback. The guitars are EQ'd very aggressively because I have unshielded pickups and no grounded power, so I get horrible noise through my effects pedal and preamps, even clean. So I did want the celesta and kalimba to cut through as the lead parts in the higher frequency with the guitars working as more body/foundation.

As for the volume, I literally mean that my tracks don't seem to play as loudly as anyone else's music on soundcloud or otherwise. I don't know how badly I must be mastering it, but I can't push it any louder without clipping, even with heavy compression/maximizing. I think it's a ProTools thing, because if I throw something together in Audacity it's usually much louder.

Thanks again, and I'll drop some feedback for you soon but I'm already well past my curfew.

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=Biscuit-Boy;47567193]Thanks so much for the feedback. The guitars are EQ'd very aggressively because I have unshielded pickups and no grounded power, so I get horrible noise through my effects pedal and preamps, even clean. So I did want the celesta and kalimba to cut through as the lead parts in the higher frequency with the guitars working as more body/foundation.

As for the volume, I literally mean that my tracks don't seem to play as loudly as anyone else's music on soundcloud or otherwise. I don't know how badly I must be mastering it, but I can't push it any louder without clipping, even with heavy compression/maximizing. I think it's a ProTools thing, because if I throw something together in Audacity it's usually much louder.

Thanks again, and I'll drop some feedback for you soon but I'm already well past my curfew.[/QUOTE]

Hmm. Celeste I'd say is a questionable choice considering how soft it is, but it did work (though you could just amplify it).
Kalimba... interesting. I first thought it was some kind of steelpan listening to it on youtube(ie: hung). The tones generated from it don't seem to be too different imo, just the different attack.

The celeste can definitely be a bit louder; it takes selective listening to follow the celeste as melody. The kalimba... I don't really discern it. It could be that the tones are there, but the attack is just hidden under the celeste's more percussive hits.

If it were a performance though, I'd definitely recommend switching out those instruments for things like vibraphone and marimba just because they're so quiet, they'll be drowned out by everything else. Then again, I doubt you're going to be able to find a group of cellos or double bass to pizz the end.

Hm. I found your volume to be nice, though then again I tend to find most other soundcloud tracks to be too loud. Meanwhile mine's even softer than yours, though that might be because the software I'm using is calibrated to be able to render orchestral tuttis without clipping, and I'm using around half of that or so.

I mean, you could go into audacity and just select all and amplify. Shouldn't change quality at all.

[wauterboi]

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;47567165]
Here's my second orchestral short that I composed on Saturday and Sunday, that I may or may not expand (again, lol. My first orchestral short got expanded a little then it just stopped)

[media]http://soundcloud.com/brookie2664/21-short[/media]

Edit: Didn't know that fp didn't support time-tagged youtube[/QUOTE]
If you can master the art of reverb, you can add a very helpful sense of "fullness" and overall size to your orchestral piece.

Also, when stringed instruments and a lot of other instruments play, they play with phrasing. Basically, they start out with little emphasis, emphasize the middle of their important notes, and then crescendo back down. The same thing occurs with tempo: the BPM varies in a flowing bell up and down.

This isn't always true, but it sounds like it would help your orchestral piece sound more realistic and reach the tone it sounds like you're looking for. Reverb and phrasing, baby.

[Skeeter]

[QUOTE=Unreliable;47560724]My band has taken pictures, assembled a small booklet of us with blurbs, and included CDs when doing p2p meets. Usually we go to shows we like and talk to the management at the show. ask them if they like the band and let them know we're looking to play some gigs. Hand them the CD and information packet and maybe chat it up a little. Over email is the same deal, music and pictures, blurb about the music and phrase things that sound like we know what we're doing.

That's just what we do, and it's worked okay so far. Three or four gigs (if you include a fundraiser for kids in arts) so far since being a band for a couple months.

I think you're doing well, it sounds like you've got the important stuff down, sending them music and including descriptions. That's what you do need! As far as the talent show goes, who cares, just tell them you won. Unless this is like a huge talent show in Sweden I'd probably say, "cool, looks like they're pretty good then"

As for DIY mentality, everyone approaches music differently - remember that it's you up on stage and that's the important part. You and other musicians work together with your own unique tastes to assimilate something you all think sounds good. I in fact had this discussion today, of trying new takes on our songs at shows solely for experimentation. We were playing and our drummer started off double time and we came in playing our same set but each of us didn't really care to follow our common structure. After playing, we talked about our friends who are fantastic people and have the ability to take any song and play it in whatever style they want, and how much we'd like to be able to, as well.

I play guitar in this band and hopefully synth later on. Personally, as far as perfection goes, I feel that constant practice and a strive to sound great is important, but I think that's because I listen and have a propensity to play Jazz.

[editline]19th April 2015[/editline]

no way man, everyone needs help at some point.[/QUOTE]

Alright, sounds like a solid plan as well to meet the establishments in person too :) Thanks for the long and thoughtful answer too, it puts some off my mind to hear how others do it and that I'm not completely off course on how I approach this.

I really like the attitude of mixing things up with the tracks you have! You guys don't happen to have any videos or recordings of how you sound? I'd love to hear how y'all sounds :)

I second the notion that everyone needs help at some point, NEVER be afraid to ask for help! The only people who will shun you are the kind of people you don't want any association with anyways.

[redBadger]

[t]http://i.imgur.com/pF5nsVS.jpg[/t]

Anyone have experience using the S6? My studio just got one of them working a few weeks ago and I've finally got a chance to try it out. I LOVE mixing on this thing. Everything feels so intimate. I hit that touch/latch automation and go ham on a mix. Plus the track attenuation window on the right hand side there is so helpful! I can easily adjust my EQ and compression on the fly or even automate that from time to time.

If anyone's curious about the setup - L/R Genelec monitors, MacPro 1TB SSD, Intel Xeon 8 core 3.5ghz, 64 gig ram, Pro Tools | HD.

Haven't had a chance to play with the preamps but I'm really looking forward to playing with them.

[Biscuit-Boy]

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;47567165]
Here's my second orchestral short that I composed on Saturday and Sunday, that I may or may not expand (again, lol. My first orchestral short got expanded a little then it just stopped)[media]http://soundcloud.com/brookie2664/21-short[/media][/QUOTE]

I probably won't speak much towards the actual composition, but the first thing I'm noticing is the violin holding out the high notes seems particularly fake, particularly when the bowing 'changes directions' during the long sustained legato notes. Something with the attack of the notes. Obviously you can't do much about it, but it's not holding up as well as the rest of the other instruments, so if you do have other options I'd urge you to explore them.

I suppose my main criticism is that it's a bit unremarkable in that it sounds like something some professional music person came up with, it'd fit right in with a score but I don't think it stands out in any particular fashion. Not that that's something you HAVE to do, of course, but since the composition is fine by my ears and I'm sure it'd sound much better played by an actual orchestra or a more expensive VST kit, there's not much else to offer.

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=Biscuit-Boy;47570436]I probably won't speak much towards the actual composition, but the first thing I'm noticing is the violin holding out the high notes seems particularly fake, particularly when the bowing 'changes directions' during the long sustained legato notes. Something with the attack of the notes. Obviously you can't do much about it, but it's not holding up as well as the rest of the other instruments, so if you do have other options I'd urge you to explore them.

I suppose my main criticism is that it's a bit unremarkable in that it sounds like something some professional music person came up with, it'd fit right in with a score but I don't think it stands out in any particular fashion. Not that that's something you HAVE to do, of course, but since the composition is fine by my ears and I'm sure it'd sound much better played by an actual orchestra or a more expensive VST kit, there's not much else to offer.[/QUOTE]

(and also kind-of a reply to wauterboi)

Hmm.

The samples that I'm using are Sibelius's default samples, and I don't know how the sibelius synthesizer works. It's a music notation program, not a DAW or other software; it's supposed to put notes on a page so musicians can read it and play it, not really to synthesize a good recording. However, the reason why I use sibelius is simply because they have the best samples that I could find, since I didn't want to shell out 600$ for the real thing and another 300$ for EWQLSO (east west quantum leap symphonic orchestra). I've left out a great deal of phrasing dynamics mostly because I expect musicians to do them.

What I can do about the first violins' sustained notes is just to slur/tie all of them; I'll probably write 'stagger bowing' in there later.

[redBadger]

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;47572582](and also kind-of a reply to wauterboi)

Hmm.

The samples that I'm using are Sibelius's default samples, and I don't know how the sibelius synthesizer works. It's a music notation program, not a DAW or other software; it's supposed to put notes on a page so musicians can read it and play it, not really to synthesize a good recording. However, the reason why I use sibelius is simply because they have the best samples that I could find, since I didn't want to shell out 600$ for the real thing and another 300$ for EWQLSO (east west quantum leap symphonic orchestra). I've left out a great deal of phrasing dynamics mostly because I expect musicians to do them.

What I can do about the first violins' sustained notes is just to slur/tie all of them; I'll probably write 'stagger bowing' in there later.[/QUOTE]

I've used Sibelius as well for my orchestral compositions and I cannot stand it either. It's way too hard to find a cheaper alternative.

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;47567165]

[media]http://soundcloud.com/brookie2664/21-short[/media]

Edit: Didn't know that fp didn't support time-tagged youtube[/QUOTE]

But wow that's actually really fantastic. It sounds great even with sibelius sounds. I love your instrumentation, mind if I ask what it is? I'd love to emulate it. The piano sounds beautiful and your chord progression is very solid.

I don't think sibelius can do this but it's got a very sharp attack on each chord which is your main standing out problem. Otherwise it's quite amazing. Let me know what your instrumentation is, you're making me want to compose again :)

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[media]https://soundcloud.com/redbadger/unfamiliar-territory[/media]

Going back and listening to some of my old stuff, definitely good at the time but there's a shit ton I can easily improve now. I'll hopefully be writing new songs soon.

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[media]http://soundcloud.com/redbadger/unfamiliar-territory[/media]

fixed

[Nukedrabbit95]

Hey guys! I'm an amateur musician (read: someone who mashes buttons in FL Studio sometimes) and just stumbled upon this thread, so I thought maybe I'd share some things I've done.

--------------------------------

Here're some tracks I made for this game that I and a couple of friends tried to make a little while back. The project pretty much died before it began, but not before some concept art, a shitty UDK test project, and the start of a soundtrack.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/nukedrabbit95/incipient-fire[/media]

Was gonna be the game's intro theme. My personal favorite.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/nukedrabbit95/requiem-for-broken-glass[/media]

A more ambient track. This was supposed to play as you descended a mountain overlooking a city that had been destroyed by an alien weapon, which causes crystalline structures to grow on metal, destroying buildings and infrastructure.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/nukedrabbit95/pulsar[/media]

Unfinished. The game was going to involve space combat, and this was going to be one of the battle tracks. I fucking loved this intro, but sadly couldn't actually figure out what the hell to [i]do[/i] with it. A problem I have a lot, unfortunately. Loosely inspired by the track [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSzisPX-i5g"]Space Journey 2[/URL] from Tyrian 2000.

--------------------------------

[QUOTE=redBadger;47573081]
Going back and listening to some of my old stuff, definitely good at the time but there's a shit ton I can easily improve now. I'll hopefully be writing new songs soon.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/redbadger/unfamiliar-territory[/media]
[/QUOTE]

It's a serviceable track, but one thing that keeps me from liking it more is that it seems too... unfocused? Not that it goes on for too long or that the song itself feels structureless, but moment to moment, it just feels kind of disorganized and jumpy. Sorry if that's really vague, I don't really know how to articulate what I mean. Something more concrete I noted was that the intro has this odd arrhythmic effect, like some of the notes were reversed or a little off-time. I feel like if you made it more regular and simplistic in that regard, it would sound much better.

I did love the breakdown at 0:49 though, that was my favorite part.

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=redBadger;47573081]I've used Sibelius as well for my orchestral compositions and I cannot stand it either. It's way too hard to find a cheaper alternative.

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

But wow that's actually really fantastic. It sounds great even with sibelius sounds. I love your instrumentation, mind if I ask what it is? I'd love to emulate it. The piano sounds beautiful and your chord progression is very solid.

I don't think sibelius can do this but it's got a very sharp attack on each chord which is your main standing out problem. Otherwise it's quite amazing. Let me know what your instrumentation is, you're making me want to compose again :)

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[media]https://soundcloud.com/redbadger/unfamiliar-territory[/media]

Going back and listening to some of my old stuff, definitely good at the time but there's a shit ton I can easily improve now. I'll hopefully be writing new songs soon.

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[media]http://soundcloud.com/redbadger/unfamiliar-territory[/media]

fixed[/QUOTE]

IIRC, the start is bass pizz, and cellos, violas and 2nd violins holding a suspended chord: DEGA just above middle C (divisi for viola and 2nd violin), and first violin holding a high D. There's nothing between the 1st violin and 2nd violin apart from harp in the background (and yeah, it's harp not piano :v:)
Every chord is just bass pizzing the bass line, cellos usually holding the same note an octave above, violas and 2nd violin holding out the chord in a tight clump (i think mostly in root position), then the 1st violins at the very top shimmering.

The rumbling at the back are timpani rolls.
Flute solo melody on top of that, which transitions into oboe.

The part where it starts to transition into the new key... The second violins stop playing their notes and start doing a repeating motif thing, it's pretty easy to hear. This leaves the violas alone in filling out the 3rd and 5th of the chords.

The arpeggios that crescendo into the new key are clarinet, horn and bassoon.

After that the clarinets play harmonies with the melodies in the oboe and flute. Horn, trombone and tuba hold long tones with the strings (with the exception of 2nd violin), and bass drum is added with the bass pizz to make it heavier.

Actually, why don't i just link you the full score.

[URL="http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_ksHGWf3UMEVGxYd0x6ZHFuZ0U/view?usp=sharing"]http://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_ksHGWf3UMEVGxYd0x6ZHFuZ0U/view?usp=sharing[/URL]

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=redBadger;47573081]I've used Sibelius as well for my orchestral compositions and I cannot stand it either. It's way too hard to find a cheaper alternative.

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

But wow that's actually really fantastic. It sounds great even with sibelius sounds. I love your instrumentation, mind if I ask what it is? I'd love to emulate it. The piano sounds beautiful and your chord progression is very solid.

I don't think sibelius can do this but it's got a very sharp attack on each chord which is your main standing out problem. Otherwise it's quite amazing. Let me know what your instrumentation is, you're making me want to compose again :)

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[media]https://soundcloud.com/redbadger/unfamiliar-territory[/media]

Going back and listening to some of my old stuff, definitely good at the time but there's a shit ton I can easily improve now. I'll hopefully be writing new songs soon.

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[media]http://soundcloud.com/redbadger/unfamiliar-territory[/media]

fixed[/QUOTE]

At the beginning, I don't feel like there's much of a sense of beat. It's only at the first section with percussion that I figure out that the beat is 7/8. I don't think the cellos (or violas? maybe even second violin?) are playing an attack short enough to
At 30-ish, it seems a bit repetitive but for me it seemed okay mostly because I was trying to figure out the beat.
I feel like there's a bit too much triangle.
You could use some different chord progressions. There seems to be quite a bit of repetition. I like the dominant 7th at 3:29.

I think the gliss at the end is just makes it comical; I don't like it.
I don't feel like horn is exactly the best instrument to use around 0:49 and every time they have the melody. I think it's too wishy-washy since it's hard to accent well on them.

Overall I think some of the notes can just be shorter to make it more clear and accentuated, and could have more variety.
Something about the orchestration makes it seem lacking in warmth. Probably not enough bass or just 'stuff' to fill in the middle. That's up to you to change though.

[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=Nukedrabbit95;47573378]Hey guys! I'm an amateur musician (read: someone who mashes buttons in FL Studio sometimes) and just stumbled upon this thread, so I thought maybe I'd share some things I've done.

--------------------------------

Here're some tracks I made for this game that I and a couple of friends tried to make a little while back. The project pretty much died before it began, but not before some concept art, a shitty UDK test project, and the start of a soundtrack.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/nukedrabbit95/incipient-fire[/media]

Was gonna be the game's intro theme. My personal favorite.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/nukedrabbit95/requiem-for-broken-glass[/media]

A more ambient track. This was supposed to play as you descended a mountain overlooking a city that had been destroyed by an alien weapon, which causes crystalline structures to grow on metal, destroying buildings and infrastructure.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/nukedrabbit95/pulsar[/media]

Unfinished. The game was going to involve space combat, and this was going to be one of the battle tracks. I fucking loved this intro, but sadly couldn't actually figure out what the hell to [i]do[/i] with it. A problem I have a lot, unfortunately. Loosely inspired by the track [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSzisPX-i5g"]Space Journey 2[/URL] from Tyrian 2000.

--------------------------------

It's a serviceable track, but one thing that keeps me from liking it more is that it seems too... unfocused? Not that it goes on for too long or that the song itself feels structureless, but moment to moment, it just feels kind of disorganized and jumpy. Sorry if that's really vague, I don't really know how to articulate what I mean. Something more concrete I noted was that the intro has this odd arrhythmic effect, like some of the notes were reversed or a little off-time. I feel like if you made it more regular and simplistic in that regard, it would sound much better.

I did love the breakdown at 0:49 though, that was my favorite part.[/QUOTE]

1st track:
I like the start.
Only problem is, even though the beat is clear, I still have no idea what the time signature is. Not really a big problem, you could just have it that way (i listen to stravinsky's rite of spring quite a bit, changing time signatures every bar)
It doesn't really progress anywhere though. It's one chord progression over and over, with more voices added to the middle and faded out at the end. I think it'd get pretty repetitive very fast, since there's not a lot of variety at all.

2nd track:
It's a tone and lots of higher overtones causing a nasal buzz.
I don't quite see how this would reflect a city coated in crystal though.
The repeating motif, I think, repeats a bit too much (probably because it repeats in a short period).

3rd track:
Hm. For a battle track, I feel like the intro is too slow. I always think of battle tracks having to leap into action rather quickly.
I also feel like it's not as intense as it should be for a battle track. The ostinato (repeating motif throughout the whole thing) doesn't change, but the drum beat near the end does change our perception; I like it.
Again there's not very much variety.

I think something that you can improve in general are transitions from one chord to another and transitions from a current orchestration to another. And who else too look at other than beethoven.

[video=youtube;xAQFJ1YpFaI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAQFJ1YpFaI[/video]

The important thing to look at is how he brings in instruments and how he takes them away, and how he transitions from one particular sound to another, and to different chords, etc.

You can cut out repeating motifs and replace them with other ones, or just take them out altogether, or replace with other instruments, etc.

[wauterboi]

I got an IRC channel going for the Musician's Gig Room if people want to populate it and make sure it isn't dead.

[url]http://facepunch.club/[/url]

Go here and then type "/j #gigroom"

[Hakita]

i don't think that a room for one of the least active threads on facepunch is going to last long

[Skeeter]

How about we make a facepunch collaborative album again? We can keep the work within this thread since it isn't particulary active.

[Uzbekistan]

[QUOTE=Uzbekistan;47559332]Is it a faux pas to ask for any resources that help learning ableton/general theory? Staying motivated is pretty hard for me sadly, but I managed to make a drum loop I like with the kutmaster kurt sample pack[/QUOTE]

Reposting my question from the previous page (again apologies if this is a faux pas)