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

[Healthpoint]

[QUOTE=redBadger;46931573]Because when you say you work on FL to entire group of tech majors they'll laugh and make fun of you.[/QUOTE]
You must be underage, because at a certain point most people stop giving a shit about what other people think about the things you do/use. Especially something as trivial as a DAW.

That's like laughing at someone because he uses X brand knives over Y brand to slice his bread. They both get the job done, so why bother.

[redBadger]

[QUOTE=healthpoint;46941302]You must be underage, because at a certain point most people stop giving a shit about what other people think about the things you do/use. Especially something as trivial as a DAW.

That's like laughing at someone because he uses X brand knives over Y brand to slice his bread. They both get the job done, so why bother.[/QUOTE]

I'm 20 dude. Go to any music tech school and I guarantee they'd be doing the same thing.

I tend not to care. I use the same argument as well, it doesn't matter what daw you use, its what you make with it.

[killerteacup]

Yeah there's a lot of elitism when it comes to music production

I recommend using something other than FL but that's speaking from personal experience more than anything else. I will push Reaper til the day I die

[Healthpoint]

[QUOTE=redBadger;46941317]I'm 20 dude. [B]Go to any music tech school and I guarantee they'd be doing the same thing.[/B]
[/QUOTE]

I do, and luckily there's very few people left still wasting their time with dick waving contests about which DAW is superior to all others. I don't hang out with these people.

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=ScreamingGerbil;46937461]As you said, it does need a bit of cleanup, the bass is a bit loud IMO, makes the track sound a bit muddy. I think you could emphasize the vocals more by moving them higher up in the mix, and the fade in you put on the vocals in the beginning is a bit fast, or so it seems to me at least. Maybe extend the fade-in a bit more to make the vocals slide in in a nicer way. Apart from that I don't have anything else to say, the track is chill as fuck! great work :)

A new thing I'm working on (should I add vocals? y/n?)

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

[media]http://soundcloud.com/color-deaf/find-a-place-demo-instrumental-wip[/media]

[/QUOTE]

Honestly, I think that piece can work by itself without vocals. It might not be the most 'comfortable' thing to listen to for some people due to the diminished octaves and tritones/unorthodox harmonies, but since I'm a massive fan of stravinsky/shostakovich/schoenberg I find it quite appealing.

If I were to criticize it, I'd say that it does get a bit repetitive with some of the repeating 'motifs', and at some bits (beginning and end) I'd personally say there's a bit too much treble with the effects (though that may be my headphones not having too much bass). For the most part (inbetween), the bass sometimes borders on too much.

Also, the piece itself seems to be only one chord but with a bunch of interesting permutations. There are limitless possibilities in creating a bridge to another bass note, and build many ways to go back and forth. I encourage you to explore those and see how you can use those chord changes to your advantage.

I think the usage of effects is a little much, and the variety of effects used is a bit on the small side. Combine this with the chord changes and I think you can go much further with this piece.

This isn't so much of a criticism but more of a warning, but with unorthodox harmonies like this, I'm not sure if you'll find a large audience. It may be difficult to promote music.

And here's the short 1-minute orchestral piece that I'm expanding.

[media]http://soundcloud.com/brookie2664/15-short[/media]

(aaaahhhh I don't know how to embed soundcloud)
(Thanks)

[MilkBagz]

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;46943698](aaaahhhh I don't know how to embed soundcloud)[/QUOTE]

(media)soundcloud link with http, not https(/media)

except with square brackets, of course

[source]

-didnt read op-

[MilkBagz]

[QUOTE=sourcegamer101;46944211][media]http://soundcloud.com/sourcegamer101/solodemo2[/media]

Here is a rough snippet of something I'm working on. How is my soloing? I'm working with my friend on his rap song, him doing the writing, pre-mixing and such, and me supporting on post mixing and bass guitar lead. Should I add more wankery, or should I make it more melodic?

for the theory ppl, I'm soloing to the chord progression of Bbadd9, G#min, and Fmin, and near the end, I'm shredding across a giant G# major scale. Unbeknownst to me and him, the pitch of the beat had been sharpened by 2% when he recorded the vocals, so I had to sharpen my tracks as well. If I corrected the pitch, there would be some obvious artifacts[/QUOTE]

Read the OP.

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=sourcegamer101;46944211]-didnt read op-[/QUOTE]

I hope i'm not a bad person even if I give him my own advice against what's posted against guidelines...
No, I'm not trying to encourage this kind of behaviour, but I still want to say something.

The chord progressions you say don't quite match up to what I'm hearing... From what I can hear it sounds like Bb min +9, C min7, Fmin+something. But that doesn't matter that much.

Now, be aware that essentially everything I say is according to my personal taste and I can't say for everyone; some people will disagree and some won't.

Personally I like the solo up to around the 10s mark, but after that when you switch over to the lower strings, there's a jarring shift of timbre. It's characteristic of the guitar, but I think it could be helpful to include some of these lower, warmer notes in the previous parts so there isn't as much of a shock.

At 14s, there's the octave Ab's. Personally I don't like octaves but again this is personal taste; in my opinion, octaves aren't all that interesting. Instead I would give it a major 7th to spice it up a bit but again, this is personal preference.

After that until about 21s is more melodic, though that has to do with the intro of the vocalist. That's fine; I personally like the soft intro for the vocalist as too much stuff going on distracts the listener.

The last bit until 26s is where there's a bunch of notes going down.
I can't distinguish a bunch of those notes unless I slow it down. I think it would help to play these on higher strings where their brighter timbres help distinguish the notes, but that also gives it a different tone colour. The speed itself can stay about the same if it's more clear, but I think it would have to slow down if you want to solo down there on the darker strings.

Now, I know that it seems that I'm generally trying to cut down on the diversity but I don't necessarily want to do that; that would otherwise be boring. A solo is supposed to show off your skills (sometimes). These are just my opinions of what's working and what isn't.
I do have to say that I have little experience on a guitar and bass guitar, so I can't advise you on the technical aspects. That I think you'll have to work out for yourself.

[isak]

Does anyone here use Reaper? I've been dicking around with it trying to learn stuff, but I'm not exactly the most dedicated or musically-inclined person so I haven't figured it out very much.

Also, might be a bit too much of a beginner question to get a good answer for, but what would you guys say a good price range for vocal lessons would be? I've never learned to sing and I'm awful at matching pitch, but I have a pretty good vocal range and I'm looking to learn enough to be a passable singer without dumping thousands into lessons.

[killerteacup]

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;46944953]I hope i'm not a bad person even if I give him my own advice against what's posted against guidelines...
No, I'm not trying to encourage this kind of behaviour, but I still want to say something.

The chord progressions you say don't quite match up to what I'm hearing... From what I can hear it sounds like Bb min +9, C min7, Fmin+something. But that doesn't matter that much.

Now, be aware that essentially everything I say is according to my personal taste and I can't say for everyone; some people will disagree and some won't.

Personally I like the solo up to around the 10s mark, but after that when you switch over to the lower strings, there's a jarring shift of timbre. It's characteristic of the guitar, but I think it could be helpful to include some of these lower, warmer notes in the previous parts so there isn't as much of a shock.

At 14s, there's the octave Ab's. Personally I don't like octaves but again this is personal taste; in my opinion, octaves aren't all that interesting. Instead I would give it a major 7th to spice it up a bit but again, this is personal preference.

After that until about 21s is more melodic, though that has to do with the intro of the vocalist. That's fine; I personally like the soft intro for the vocalist as too much stuff going on distracts the listener.

The last bit until 26s is where there's a bunch of notes going down.
I can't distinguish a bunch of those notes unless I slow it down. I think it would help to play these on higher strings where their brighter timbres help distinguish the notes, but that also gives it a different tone colour. The speed itself can stay about the same if it's more clear, but I think it would have to slow down if you want to solo down there on the darker strings.

Now, I know that it seems that I'm generally trying to cut down on the diversity but I don't necessarily want to do that; that would otherwise be boring. A solo is supposed to show off your skills (sometimes). These are just my opinions of what's working and what isn't.
I do have to say that I have little experience on a guitar and bass guitar, so I can't advise you on the technical aspects. That I think you'll have to work out for yourself.[/QUOTE]

You're perfectly entitled to give feedback even if the other person hasn't, its just a point of politeness that people who post their work should spend some of their time listening to other people's work in the thread - because that's what they're asking everyone to do themselves

[QUOTE=.Isak.;46945042]Does anyone here use Reaper? I've been dicking around with it trying to learn stuff, but I'm not exactly the most dedicated or musically-inclined person so I haven't figured it out very much.

Also, might be a bit too much of a beginner question to get a good answer for, but what would you guys say a good price range for vocal lessons would be? I've never learned to sing and I'm awful at matching pitch, but I have a pretty good vocal range and I'm looking to learn enough to be a passable singer without dumping thousands into lessons.[/QUOTE]

I do, its my main DAW and I push it pretty heavily here

great for bedroom producers because of its price point

[Number-41]

[QUOTE=sourcegamer101;46944211]-didnt read op-[/QUOTE]

IMHO, less shredding, more melody, add some silence in there too so it's not crammed full with notes. Maybe some appoggiotura's (like at the end) to spice things up. You could loop it and just jam out on it for 5 minutes and then pick the best ones, it will relax your playing because you don't have the feeling you only have one shot (even if that's not the case).

Also try to acknowledge the chord progression more so it sounds less scale-y.

I think the progression is also more something like Bbm6 or DbMaj7 or Gm7b5/Db followed by Cm7 - Fm7 (9) (the first three come down to the same thing basically). Definitely no natural D in there like that Bb add9 would imply.

[source]

thanks for the feedback and sorry for being a selfish arse and not giving anyone else feedback. it went over my head at the time. this iteration of the solo was picked and practised from 20 minutes of improvisation, which is why i didn't highlight any real interesting melodic intervals like 7s or keep track of my timbre or aggressiveness. i chose what was more convenient for me. octaves and 5ths are versatile for minors and majors, so i used those. i never thought of going deeper and using more intricate intervals or using arpeggios, but that sounds really good in my head. i'm gonna do some more thorough jamming to get the best sound

[Number-41]

Well using the full range of the instrument is a good thing and is often forgotten, but in a short fragment like that it's hard to incorporate long scale-runs well because they aren't that expressive compared to rhythmic or melodic things. They're fine if you have lots of time to build up a solo. You could use a scale run to build up to a motive though, for example Adderley on alto sax does this (5:11 the first few bars that )

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKNzdBNJ7Bg#t=311[/media]

I'd also put a little more groove in it, try to acknowledge the drums. Here Jamiroquai plays (around 5:00, although the trumpet solo is neat too) approximately the same chord progression (IVm7 V7 Im7, the V7 and Vm7 are in this context almost interchangeable)

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgjOVuE6y6M#t=301[/media]

It's a very common progression in funk/soul stuff and this was the first example I could dig up.

There's some good ideas in the keyboard solo because it's kinda similar to your part in the sense that it's not a fully fledged solo but rather a sort of background/intro/chill kinda thing. Later on rhythm guitar also does some things on the same chord progression. Oh and the blues scale/blues motives could really provide for some neat ideas too.

[DesolateGrun]

i'm choosing a guitar tom, Should I go with the DG9 or the Gemini, the price is basically the same i got the dg9 to go down to 100

[URL]http://cnj.craigslist.org/msg/4838835419.html[/URL] [URL]http://cnj.craigslist.org/msg/4828640400.html[/URL]

I'm a beginner and i'm meeting with one of them on sat, i've emailed both and will test the guitars out before hand with my guitar playing brother. I like the look of the DG9, but I hear the Gemini is very reliable

[bbls]

[t]http://puu.sh/eCmMj/4a3d90c688.jpg[/t]
my baby<3

[Legion Varus]

Nice alto. I play saxophone as well, but my main instrument is piano.

[Hakita]

time to listen to every track posted in this thread cause big batches of music need big batches of reviews (well not really it's more of a personal thing)

[QUOTE=CLungcancer;46925397][media]http://soundcloud.com/shpe/vault[/media][/QUOTE]
production is great but i'm not really feeling the dissonant out-of-rhythm notes on this one
if it were one or the other they might fit better, but being out of place both notally and rhythmically just makes them feel really out of place and not in a good way
that kept throwing me off the atmosphere of the song so i couldn't properly get into it, but other than that very solid stuff, as expected from you

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;46926572][media]http://soundcloud.com/prosper-blue/the-moon-is-a-dirty-drumhead[/media][/QUOTE]
very porcupine tree in both production and sound
the vocals could've used a little extra something to make them softer, though, i feel they're a bit too sharp still
very good atmosphere and production, short but sweet

[QUOTE=inebriaticxp;46926834][media]http://soundcloud.com/sharkalarm/egodeath-f[/media][/QUOTE]
fantastic production on this track, everything sounds very snappy and in place, kind of like a perfectly polished city-tour, if that makes any sense...
sadly i'm not feeling the vocals on this one, she does sound like she's talented and can sing well, but the way it's recorded makes it feel so out of place
the mic sounds very stuffy as opposed to the clean crystal clear sound of the production and it feels like a vocal cover on youtube rather than what is actually supposed to be on the song
her parts should be re-recorded with sharper, clearer equipment, other than that great job on this track

[QUOTE=Alec W;46931527][media]http://soundcloud.com/micaw/lofticries-micaw-remix[/media][/QUOTE]
the kick really overpowers the whole track here, maybe it's a stylistic choice or a part of the genre it's based on, but i personally at least don't like it
the part at 2.22 is too sharp and high-pitched, it hurts my ears to listen to it at loud volumes, you should tone down the sharpness a bit or make it quieter than it currently is
other than those i don't really have any complaints, it's decent stuff

[QUOTE=ScreamingGerbil;46937461][media]http://soundcloud.com/color-deaf/find-a-place-demo-instrumental-wip[/media][/QUOTE]
i just dont feel this track at all, something about the songwriting is just... not right
none of the notes and chords sound like they're where they're supposed to be, everything sounds a bit out of tune
the production seems good but i am just not feeling the songwriting on this at all, i can't really put my finger on why

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;46943698][media]http://soundcloud.com/brookie2664/15-short[/media][/QUOTE]
wow, that's some really strong songwriting!
this sounds extremely professional, fantastic work
the midi-esque sound adds another level of charm to it as well, i'm really feeling this, would love to hear the full work when it's done
the chord progression, midi-sound and overall atmosphere and feel really remind me of this track from the dreamcast Berserk game: [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX2p09RIlUA[/url]

__________________________________________________

so, it's been a while since i've posted music or even uploaded music really, but i've got some news now
i've started a side-project called "redherring.", which is basically a Bull of Heaven inspired "musical exploration and experimentation" project
basically, i just write whatever i feel like, experiment with all kinds of different sounds and styles and just release my results under the artist name of redherring.
i'm uploading the works in batches of 5, and here's the first batch:

[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/001-colossus-of-destiny-cleanse-this-world-2]001: Colossus of Destiny, Cleanse This World[/url] (ritual ambient, dark ambient, not quite sure what to call Part 2)
[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/002-she-was-sharp-as-the-name-of-needles]002: She Was Sharp as the Name of Needles[/url] (drone, ambient, minimalism)
[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/003-the-machine-is-bleeding-to-death]003: The Machine is Bleeding to Death[/url] (noise, dark ambient)
[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/004-hollow-towers-of-ivory]004: Hollow Towers of Ivory[/url] (drone metal, drone (maybe even a bit post-rock?))
[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/005-a-pocketful-of-flowers-at-my-grave]005: A Pocketful of Flowers at My Grave[/url] (minimalism, post-rock)

please listen and give feedback, even though i know these styles and genres are [I]very[/I] niche.

[editline]17th January 2015[/editline]

forgot to mention: these redherring. works are the first time i've made full songs with real instruments!

[Eyefunk]

[QUOTE=Hakita;46952786]so, it's been a while since i've posted music or even uploaded music really, but i've got some news now
i've started a side-project called "redherring.", which is basically a Bull of Heaven inspired "musical exploration and experimentation" project
basically, i just write whatever i feel like, experiment with all kinds of different sounds and styles and just release my results under the artist name of redherring.
i'm uploading the works in batches of 5, and here's the first batch:

[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/001-colossus-of-destiny-cleanse-this-world-2]001: Colossus of Destiny, Cleanse This World[/url] (ritual ambient, dark ambient, not quite sure what to call Part 2)
[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/002-she-was-sharp-as-the-name-of-needles]002: She Was Sharp as the Name of Needles[/url] (drone, ambient, minimalism)
[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/003-the-machine-is-bleeding-to-death]003: The Machine is Bleeding to Death[/url] (noise, dark ambient)
[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/004-hollow-towers-of-ivory]004: Hollow Towers of Ivory[/url] (drone metal, drone (maybe even a bit post-rock?))
[url=https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/005-a-pocketful-of-flowers-at-my-grave]005: A Pocketful of Flowers at My Grave[/url] (minimalism, post-rock)

please listen and give feedback, even though i know these styles and genres are [I]very[/I] niche.

[editline]17th January 2015[/editline]

forgot to mention: these redherring. works are the first time i've made full songs with real instruments![/QUOTE]

So, I've listened through 001, 002, 003, and 004 so far.

001 - The first half of the piece is very different from the second half. Honestly, I find that well put for the entire piece in general, for it gives it more variety in sound. Okay, so I love the breathing sounds going back and forth. It almost sounds as if the colossus was breathing... it's very well done. Also, your use of silence and dynamics throughout the track keep it interesting for the most part, though I do think the track could use some more intricate sounds catalyzing the dark ambient sound you're going for. I wish the two pieces transitioned into eachother through some droning sound or something, rather than just silence.

The second half of the piece is definitely ritual ambient sounding, so you got that right. That guitar at 6:10 is really intriguing, and supports the main beat nicely; it makes a rather abrasive, full sound. That's you playing guitar right? Cool. Live instrumentation is always nice, for the human element always creates nice dynamics within the sounds. At 12:15, the guitars adding some melody were needed, nice job on that. The screeching guitar buildup to the end was fantastic. Seriously, the only problem I had with this track was the last few seconds. That breathing sound effect feels just thrown in, as if it were a last minute attempt to bring the first and second half of the piece together as a whole.

While I did enjoy the second half a LOT more since it had more going on in general, the whole piece kept a similar atmosphere, which is good.

For the long lengths of each song, you did a great job keeping the listener intrigued and compelled to keep listening. I can't wait to hear more of these, man. Keep up the good work.
_________________

I'm learning piano. I started teaching myself from the beginning of January. Here's something I wrote for the hell of it, using piano in one take.
(it's a bit of a joke, but whatever. it was fun)
[media]http://soundcloud.com/weeperscurtain/ste-035b[/media]

[Hakita]

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;46954041]So, I've listened through 001, 002, 003, and 004 so far.

001 - The first half of the piece is very different from the second half. Honestly, I find that well put for the entire piece in general, for it gives it more variety in sound. Okay, so I love the breathing sounds going back and forth. It almost sounds as if the colossus was breathing... it's very well done. Also, your use of silence and dynamics throughout the track keep it interesting for the most part, though I do think the track could use some more intricate sounds catalyzing the dark ambient sound you're going for. I wish the two pieces transitioned into eachother through some droning sound or something, rather than just silence.

The second half of the piece is definitely ritual ambient sounding, so you got that right. That guitar at 6:10 is really intriguing, and supports the main beat nicely; it makes a rather abrasive, full sound. That's you playing guitar right? Cool. Live instrumentation is always nice, for the human element always creates nice dynamics within the sounds. At 12:15, the guitars adding some melody were needed, nice job on that. The screeching guitar buildup to the end was fantastic. Seriously, the only problem I had with this track was the last few seconds. That breathing sound effect feels just thrown in, as if it were a last minute attempt to bring the first and second half of the piece together as a whole.

While I did enjoy the second half a LOT more since it had more going on in general, the whole piece kept a similar atmosphere, which is good.

For the long lengths of each song, you did a great job keeping the listener intrigued and compelled to keep listening. I can't wait to hear more of these, man. Keep up the good work.[/QUOTE]

thanks a lot man, i was a bit unsure about how these would be received since dark ambient and such are still very new territories for me so i'm glad you liked it
not quite sure with what you mean by "catalyzing the dark ambient sound", do you just mean more subtleties in general?
also, the end of part 1 does have a quiet bassy ambiance that leads into part 2's initial hit, i guess i made it too quiet if you couldn't hear it
i definitely understand what you mean by the ending breath to part 2, listening to it now it does sound quite out of place
it's actually an edited version of the very first drumhit of the second part to make it sound like the breathing in part 1, but yeah just a single breath at the end with no transition is pretty janky now that you mention it

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;46954041][media]http://soundcloud.com/weeperscurtain/ste-035b[/media][/QUOTE]
oh man, the start of that is absolutely fantastic, extremely eerie while still having a slight aura of innocence to it
it's like from a nightmare scene from a kids' animated movie where toys come to life or something, very neat
after the long chord the song kind of fell flat for me, but that might just be because of how good the start was

also listened to that song you posted earlier that i couldnt listen to, updated my batch post

[Eyefunk]

[QUOTE=Hakita;46954161]thanks a lot man, i was a bit unsure about how these would be received since dark ambient and such are still very new territories for me so i'm glad you liked it
not quite sure with what you mean by "catalyzing the dark ambient sound", do you just mean more subtleties in general?
also, the end of part 1 does have a quiet bassy ambiance that leads into part 2's initial hit, i guess i made it too quiet if you couldn't hear it
i definitely understand what you mean by the ending breath to part 2, listening to it now it does sound quite out of place
it's actually an edited version of the very first drumhit of the second part to make it sound like the breathing in part 1, but yeah just a single breath at the end with no transition is pretty janky now that you mention it

oh man, the start of that is absolutely fantastic, extremely eerie while still having a slight aura of innocence to it
it's like from a nightmare scene from a kids' animated movie where toys come to life or something, very neat
after the long chord the song kind of fell flat for me, but that might just be because of how good the start was

also listened to that song you posted earlier that i couldnt listen to, updated my batch post[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the criticism.

What I meant by "catalyzing the dark ambient sound"... Have you listened to Leyland Kirby's side project, The Stranger? He had an album release in 2013 called Watching Dead Empires in Decay. Throughout that album, he uses field recordings of just about everything, then mixes them into the dark ambient tracks. For instance, one of the tracks uses the creaking of a chair, but tuned down to a point where it sounds like otherworldly groaning. Or even when he uses industrial-esque cymbols floating back and forth between both ears. Or thunder and rain tuned down. Little tiny things like that, which direct the listener's attention in a specific direction while still pertaining to the song's atmosphere. That's sort of what I meant.

[Hakita]

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;46954313]Thank you for the criticism.

What I meant by "catalyzing the dark ambient sound"... Have you listened to Leyland Kirby's side project, The Stranger? He had an album release in 2013 called Watching Dead Empires in Decay. Throughout that album, he uses field recordings of just about everything, then mixes them into the dark ambient tracks. For instance, one of the tracks uses the creaking of a chair, but tuned down to a point where it sounds like otherworldly groaning. Or even when he uses industrial-esque cymbols floating back and forth between both ears. Or thunder and rain tuned down. Little tiny things like that, which direct the listener's attention in a specific direction while still pertaining to the song's atmosphere. That's sort of what I meant.[/QUOTE]
that's what im mostly doing actually, for an example, 001 Part 1 is a 30 second sample of my computer humming, that i edited really really hard and turned into a simplistic, weird electronic song and then edited it down into weird humming again

[MilkBagz]

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;46926572]love that modulating synth playing all the weird chords. Regarding Teacup's comment, I personally think there's enough bass. I'm using Sennheiser HD 598s. Also, this is easily one of your more accessible songs, which is interesting. I would like to hear more of this style in later works!

- - - - - - -

So, I posted this in the last thread, but it didn't really get much notice. Could I get some feedback on this?

[media]http://soundcloud.com/weeperscurtain/the-moon-is-a-dirty-drumhead[/media][/QUOTE]

I honestly just wish this was longer. The first time I listened to it, I got a little excited when the drums started. The snare and hihats are perfect. If there was one thing I didn't like, it would probably be that the kick sounds a bit weak, but you might be better off leaving it that way if you're trying to keep the untouched, acoustic sound of it.

[editline]17th January 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=ScreamingGerbil;46937461][media]http://soundcloud.com/color-deaf/find-a-place-demo-instrumental-wip[/media][/QUOTE]

The sound that the track starts out with kills the shit out of my ears at 0:16, 0:34, and 0:46. Other than that, I think the intro's fine. The kick & bass sound nice when they come in.

During the first drop and throughout the rest of the track, everything sounds weird and out of key to me. At 2:55, the bass drowns everything out a lot, and then it sounds like there's some clipping on that high-pitch voice thing at 3:06.

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;46943698][media]http://soundcloud.com/brookie2664/15-short[/media][/QUOTE]

I think the strings & bass drum could use some more reverb, and the bass drum would sound better if you boosted the low end of it a little bit. The song itself is good though, I liked the intro the most.

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;46954041][media]http://soundcloud.com/weeperscurtain/ste-035b[/media][/QUOTE]

I don't know why, but I like that part between like 0:24 and 0:50. The "doooooooo" sound is actually kind of nice after it fades down a little bit. :v:

[editline]17th January 2015[/editline]

I'll post some shit in a sec. Still waiting for it to upload, and I need a shower.

[killerteacup]

Hey Eyefunk, how do you do those sick drums in the moon is a dirty dumbhead

[Eyefunk]

[QUOTE=killerteacup;46956198]Hey Eyefunk, how do you do those sick drums in the moon is a dirty dumbhead[/QUOTE]

I play drums, and record them using a Zoom H4n handy recorder. I don't have the money to do a conventional mic setup for my drums, so I just ghetto rig it in a sense. Ghetto rigging drums is hard.

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=Hakita;46952786]
so, it's been a while since i've posted music or even uploaded music really, but i've got some news now
i've started a side-project called "redherring.", which is basically a Bull of Heaven inspired "musical exploration and experimentation" project
basically, i just write whatever i feel like, experiment with all kinds of different sounds and styles and just release my results under the artist name of redherring.
i'm uploading the works in batches of 5, and here's the first batch:

[URL="https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/001-colossus-of-destiny-cleanse-this-world-2"]001: Colossus of Destiny, Cleanse This World[/URL] (ritual ambient, dark ambient, not quite sure what to call Part 2)
[URL="https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/002-she-was-sharp-as-the-name-of-needles"]002: She Was Sharp as the Name of Needles[/URL] (drone, ambient, minimalism)
[URL="https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/003-the-machine-is-bleeding-to-death"]003: The Machine is Bleeding to Death[/URL] (noise, dark ambient)
[URL="https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/004-hollow-towers-of-ivory"]004: Hollow Towers of Ivory[/URL] (drone metal, drone (maybe even a bit post-rock?))
[URL="https://redherringproject.bandcamp.com/album/005-a-pocketful-of-flowers-at-my-grave"]005: A Pocketful of Flowers at My Grave[/URL] (minimalism, post-rock)

please listen and give feedback, even though i know these styles and genres are [I]very[/I] niche.
[/QUOTE]

001, Part 2:
The nature of the piece is repetitive but I can excuse that because of its ambient nature.
Considering its name, I'm guessing that it's supposed to be rather dark and sinister. The drum that starts off at the beginning I think could have a deeper bass for a more ominous sound (kind of like how Stravinsky uses the double basses at the beginning of the firebird: [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZkIAVGlfWk&t=20s[/URL] )
Personally I think it could be a little bit slower but the current speed gives a sense of urgency.
The claves.... I don't know. I think they stick out but they also give a certain feel to the tonal texture, but they also have the distinction of having a somewhat-discernable pitch.
The distortion that starts right around 4min8s or so builds up over 8 seconds into a radical new tone (i think it's played by heavily distorted guitar). I personally think that there could be a more gradual buildup in distortion; with an ambient piece like this, you have lots of time to subtly start the distortion before it becomes noticeable.
The notes that jump in at around 4min 16s imo are a bit... imo, uninteresting. However, without the synth F below it to give it a tonal centre, it sounds rather unsupported and free-floating.
With the heavily distorted sounds coming in around the 6min mark, I can still hear the bass come through. That's good, giving the section rhythm that wouldn't be there otherwise.
But I do have to say that the first half of the distorted guitars drops off rather suddenly a little after the 7-min mark. Imo it kinda makes the second part of the distorted guitars sound a bit lost.
8min mark: Low C, and slowdown. Near the end of the slow down, the cymbals sound rather 'closed in' because of the sound shifts; it's lacking the bright confusion of overtones that usually identify it as cymbals. Imo, it sounds a bit silly. But the bass drum is much more ominous now.
The reintroduction of the motif at 12min is a bit jarring.
The usage of slowed down cymbals with normal-speed instruments near the end of 14mins imo doesn't quite mix well.
The tones at around 18min 44s are a bit... well, sound almost like they're trying to drill into my skull. It's a bit harsh but then again I'm not really familiar with this type of music.

In general, I think that you could be more gradual and subtle with some of the changes for an ambient piece; I think that an ambient piece shouldn't really draw attention to itself but rather add to atmosphere.

I'm curious to what drums you used throughout the piece.

[MilkBagz]

Posted feedback a minute ago, I'm just gonna do this in a new post though, since there's a few others already.

Alright, here's another version of Long.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/masonkaskiw/long-wip[/media]

And some trashy, oldschool-ish hip hop.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/masonkaskiw/hr-sml[/media]

Both are still WIP.

[killerteacup]

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;46956231]I play drums, and record them using a Zoom H4n handy recorder. I don't have the money to do a conventional mic setup for my drums, so I just ghetto rig it in a sense. Ghetto rigging drums is hard.[/QUOTE]

dang. sounds great though

[Breakfast Buddy]

It's been over 6 months since I've done a thing

[media]http://soundcloud.com/breakfastbuddy/runrunthisisnofun[/media]

[Hakita]

[QUOTE=brooklynlord;46956380]001, Part 2:
The nature of the piece is repetitive but I can excuse that because of its ambient nature.
Considering its name, I'm guessing that it's supposed to be rather dark and sinister. The drum that starts off at the beginning I think could have a deeper bass for a more ominous sound (kind of like how Stravinsky uses the double basses at the beginning of the firebird: [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZkIAVGlfWk&t=20s[/URL] )
Personally I think it could be a little bit slower but the current speed gives a sense of urgency.
The claves.... I don't know. I think they stick out but they also give a certain feel to the tonal texture, but they also have the distinction of having a somewhat-discernable pitch.
The distortion that starts right around 4min8s or so builds up over 8 seconds into a radical new tone (i think it's played by heavily distorted guitar). I personally think that there could be a more gradual buildup in distortion; with an ambient piece like this, you have lots of time to subtly start the distortion before it becomes noticeable.
The notes that jump in at around 4min 16s imo are a bit... imo, uninteresting. However, without the synth F below it to give it a tonal centre, it sounds rather unsupported and free-floating.
With the heavily distorted sounds coming in around the 6min mark, I can still hear the bass come through. That's good, giving the section rhythm that wouldn't be there otherwise.
But I do have to say that the first half of the distorted guitars drops off rather suddenly a little after the 7-min mark. Imo it kinda makes the second part of the distorted guitars sound a bit lost.
8min mark: Low C, and slowdown. Near the end of the slow down, the cymbals sound rather 'closed in' because of the sound shifts; it's lacking the bright confusion of overtones that usually identify it as cymbals. Imo, it sounds a bit silly. But the bass drum is much more ominous now.
The reintroduction of the motif at 12min is a bit jarring.
The usage of slowed down cymbals with normal-speed instruments near the end of 14mins imo doesn't quite mix well.
The tones at around 18min 44s are a bit... well, sound almost like they're trying to drill into my skull. It's a bit harsh but then again I'm not really familiar with this type of music.

In general, I think that you could be more gradual and subtle with some of the changes for an ambient piece; I think that an ambient piece shouldn't really draw attention to itself but rather add to atmosphere.

I'm curious to what drums you used throughout the piece.[/QUOTE]
thanks for all that feedback
001, Part 2 isn't really very ambient nor was it meant to be that, reptition is just something i really enjoy using in songwriting, Part 1 is the ambient part
seems you're more into classical, which is more or less the opposite of that, i can definitely understand if you don't like that style
i can see you're well versed in the technical side of music, you're using a lot of phrases and stuff i dont really understand
For an example "without the synth F below it to give it a tonal centre, it sounds rather unsupported and free-floating", i don't really know what you mean here, unsupported and free-floating is what i'm striving for with the guitars at that point to contrast the heavy use of percussion, plus to really bring the heavy rhythmic sense and free-floating feel together with the reintroduction of the motif after the drone section
the harshness and unpleasantness is what the noise towards the end is supposed to achieve, so i guess that worked then

there's a lot of parts of this feedback where i don't really understand the criticism, especially when you're talking about stuff like the overtones of cymbals and their unrecognisability or the tonal texture of claves
very in-depth regardless, this would definitely help if I was writing a classical piece

drums are a mish-mash of various eastern and far-eastern drums that i found on my electronic drumset

[editline]18th January 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=Glitchman;46956640]It's been over 6 months since I've done a thing

[media]http://soundcloud.com/breakfastbuddy/runrunthisisnofun[/media][/QUOTE]
read the op man
[img]http://i.imgur.com/qlFuRED.jpg[/img]