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

[QUOTE=ZephyrSly;49942224] Here's a track I just (re-)finished a few hours ago: [media]https://soundcloud.com/reaceblack/fall-with-me-heavy-version[/media][/QUOTE] The intro to me is much better than the drop, the drums are fine but I don't like the lead synth and bass they seem a bit too stagnant. I think with a stronger melody it would sound better. I also think a bit (or more if you already have some) sidechaining would go a long way to also give it some more groove. [QUOTE=papkee;49944564] Here's two songs I put out recently. One's a dance song and one's an orchestral composition. Figured I ask for some commentary on both. [media]https://soundcloud.com/papkee/several-friends[/media] [URL="http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/671335"]Here's the orchestral one. Can't embed it.[/URL][/QUOTE] First one: I really like the chord synth and the progression. I also like the plucky synth at the top you have coming in. The notes the piano plays seem fine but it sounds really artificial in the moment, imo you should play around with the velocities/timing to help with that. Second one: The piano sounds much better in this one, I really love the reverberating drone sound in the background. The strings also sound really good in this one. Good work on this one. [QUOTE=TheDrunkenOne;49947370] Anywayssssss after working on a track for two weeks and not getting anywhere I decided to make a new track and ended up finishing it less than three days later. Looking for feedback on equalization and mixing mostly. [media]https://soundcloud.com/venadore/outsider-venadore-remix[/media] [/QUOTE] I like it, especially a massive fan of the piano and record cracking at the beginning. I'm not a big fan of the bass synth that comes in, I think it's the constant droning I think it could use some slight variation, that said the vocal chops that accompany it are pretty sick. The percussion also sounds good except my one problem is the snare sounds a bit flat once everything comes in, it sounds super mono while everything else sounds really wide. The bass synth also sounds much better here I think the tambourines help give groove to the bassline that isn't there when it's just the vocal chops/bass and kick. [QUOTE=ZephyrSly;49954978] [media]https://soundcloud.com/reaceblack/monsters-under-my-bed-preview[/media] If you guys could give me tips into how to improve my producing and such that would be awesome (tbf, saying anything about it is awesome, I really appreciate feedback)!!![/QUOTE] First off I'd recommend not using the standard white noise sweep, it sounds way too generic especially when it's that frequent. I prefer this one over the last one at the drop but before that I think there should be more than just the arpy pluck. Try adding some pads or keys underneath so it doesn't sound as empty. [QUOTE=Ms. Gyroscope;49956444]I'm remastering a track from like a year ago since its still an amazing song and I was wondering if you guys think its a good mix or not. all I need is confirmation that it sounds substancially better than the original remaster [url]https://soundcloud.com/corn-mouth/stay-happy-girl-remastered-mix[/url] Original [url]https://soundcloud.com/corn-mouth/kit-katarine-stay-happy-girl[/url] Im gonna go ahead an make the remastered one unprivate butt ill take it down if its bad[/QUOTE] Well it definitely sounds much louder and you don't really lose any clarity so good work. [QUOTE=General J;49969412]hey, DAW and general music noob here. I have a question: Let's say I generate a MIDI that I like. Then I convert that MIDI to a piano sound. Now it kind of sounds fine, but the piano sound is too harsh. Like it starts and stops on a dime and retains a singular unchanging "tone". I think I understand why this happens, because of the nature of MIDI's but what is the process called for tuning the notes so they hold and fade like a real instrument sound?[/QUOTE] What UnknownDude said is right but building on that; Attack means how long it takes to hit the peak volume Decay means how long it takes to go from the peak volume to the sustain volume Sustain is the level at which the volume will remain while the key is pressed Release is how long it takes to go from the sustain volume to zero after the note is released [QUOTE=chaz13;49973156]Good job on that remaster! It's obviously a lot louder, but there's decent clarity too and it's not fatiguing. WIP of a remix of The Hills: [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/the-hills-remix[/media][/QUOTE] This sounds really cool man. The vocals seem to have some weird phasing going on with them at times though. I like the future chords but they interfere with the vocals a bit, I think they could use some panning at points to make them less centred throughout. I also think some filter changes on it could help to give more movement. That said I like it, good work man. [QUOTE=Hentie;49988477] I don't know if its the synth or if its the vocals but there's something high pitch that feels like grinding on my ears. I think it's most likely the vocals. [media]https://soundcloud.com/kid64/spend-the-week[/media] make fun of my song[/QUOTE] The bass and chords at the start are cool but I think when the standard supersaw comes in it sounds quite generic. The vocal samples are pretty cool and remind me a bit of the samples porter used in worlds. This could definitely be really cool if you toned down the arpy synths and the chords a bit during the body and gave it a strong hook. [QUOTE=ZephyrSly;49990944] So here's another original track from me, opinions and technical improvements are, as always, extremely welcome: [media]https://soundcloud.com/reaceblack/thoughtless[/media] p.s I know about the filter issues at the beginning and end, I'm working on fixing them in this track, but it's being difficult, as usual ^^[/QUOTE] Once again I feel you should add something else melodic to the intro to make it sound less empty. While the pluck seems to be sitting in a lot of the frequencies it seems like you could eq out a bunch of the lows and add something else down there, or turn down the highs and add something else up there. [QUOTE=Ms. Gyroscope;49991308]Im currently making a 30 second 225 bpm breakcore song for each letter of the alphabet with all the same drums samples and broken sounding synth to practice my drum programming. [url]https://soundcloud.com/corn-mouth/sets/awful-alphabet[/url] If youre curious lol[/QUOTE] The samples and synths themselves sound fine but I don't know what else to critique sorry, I'm not a fan of breakcore. ____________________________________________ So I started working on something over today and I'm not sure which direction I want to go so I made two variations and want to get some opinions on them (they're both the same up until ~1 minute) [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/dark[/media] [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/bright[/media]

Definitely go with the bright version, it keeps the momentum of the intro going. The dark version sounds good on its own, but it contrasts with the intro in a bad way; there's way too much of a disconnect between it and the intro.

[QUOTE=Ms. Gyroscope;49991308]Im currently making a 30 second 225 bpm breakcore song for each letter of the alphabet with all the same drums samples and broken sounding synth to practice my drum programming. [url]https://soundcloud.com/corn-mouth/sets/awful-alphabet[/url] If youre curious lol[/QUOTE] At around 20 seconds AAAAA starts to sound a bit "jumbled" but I'm not sure if that's how breakcore is meant to be. I like the drums and synth though, are the drums the same as that Renard guy uses? Sounds familiar. Sorry I can't be a bit more help

[QUOTE=SGTSpartans;49978746][video]https://youtu.be/YPWG6af-cQA[/video] If anyone wants to give this a listen and shoot me some feedback, feel free to drop it in my private messages or here![/QUOTE] Please obey the rules of the thread! [QUOTE=Ms. Gyroscope;49991308]Im currently making a 30 second 225 bpm breakcore song for each letter of the alphabet with all the same drums samples and broken sounding synth to practice my drum programming. [url]https://soundcloud.com/corn-mouth/sets/awful-alphabet[/url] If youre curious lol[/QUOTE] Please obey the rules of the thread! [QUOTE=mechanicalocean;49982004]threw together a "demo reel" [url]https://soundcloud.com/golfkiloalpha/sets/demo-reel[/url][/QUOTE] Please obey the rules of the thread! It's a shame despite the feedback rules the thread is still very slow moving but I still think its a much better atmosphere

[QUOTE=Hobo4President;49991550]_________ So I started working on something over today and I'm not sure which direction I want to go so I made two variations and want to get some opinions on them (they're both the same up until ~1 minute) [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/dark[/media] [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/bright[/media][/QUOTE] First track is my favourite, but I do like them both. They're similar enough you could probably mix them a little, perhaps a little breakdown from the second in the first? I'm curious, how many synth layers are going on during the intro? It's very full and nice sounding. I'd guess the arp, a bass, and maybe two pads? That's something I've been focussing on getting good at lately. Drop is really nice, was kinda unexpected (in terms ofstyle) but worked great, it kept the energy up but wasn't too overpowering or crazy, nicely laid back. No comments on the production, it's all solid. Meanwhile I'm working on some neurostep/trap/thing: (Intro is just a placeholder :v: ) [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/neurosteptrapthing[/media]

[QUOTE=chaz13;50004052] Meanwhile I'm working on some neurostep/trap/thing: (Intro is just a placeholder :v: ) [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/neurosteptrapthing[/media][/QUOTE] This is pretty neat! It reminds me of one of the battle songs in Borderlands 2, albeit a little slower paced.

[QUOTE=killerteacup;50002660]Please obey the rules of the thread! Please obey the rules of the thread! Please obey the rules of the thread! It's a shame despite the feedback rules the thread is still very slow moving but I still think its a much better atmosphere[/QUOTE] Ay I didnt ask for a cirtique I was just sharing.

[QUOTE=Ms. Gyroscope;50007131]Ay I didnt ask for a cirtique I was just sharing.[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/qlFuRED.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Ms. Gyroscope;50007131]Ay I didnt ask for a cirtique I was just sharing.[/QUOTE] We decided many many months ago that this was not an adequate reason

fucking lol i just saved myself £80 in interface + cables by gain staging my eris e8's properly [img]https://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-suicide.gif[/img]

[QUOTE=ZephyrSly;49990944]So here's another original track from me, opinions and technical improvements are, as always, extremely welcome: [media]https://soundcloud.com/reaceblack/thoughtless[/media] p.s I know about the filter issues at the beginning and end, I'm working on fixing them in this track, but it's being difficult, as usual ^^[/QUOTE] The first "drop" seems really loud and crowded. I agree with Hobo4President that you should maybe experiment with some sidechain to bring it down a bit. The rest of the song sounds pretty great. [QUOTE=Hobo4President;49991550]So I started working on something over today and I'm not sure which direction I want to go so I made two variations and want to get some opinions on them (they're both the same up until ~1 minute) [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/dark[/media] [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/bright[/media][/QUOTE] The dark version. PLease for the love of god the dark version. The bright variant is definitely keeping with the vibe but variation in a single track is not a bad thing at all. Eventually you'll have to brighten it up anyway so couldn't you just transition back to the brighter version later?

[QUOTE=Hobo4President;49991550] ____________________________________________ So I started working on something over today and I'm not sure which direction I want to go so I made two variations and want to get some opinions on them (they're both the same up until ~1 minute) [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/dark[/media] [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/bright[/media][/QUOTE] definitely dark imo, i'd recommend some kind of panning on a return channel with your higher frequency elements after the beat kicks in around 1 minute. absolutely fuckin solid though, big up [editline]27th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=ZephyrSly;49990944]Make fun of your song? How can I make fun of how good it sounds?!? :p I love it, especially the way the mix fills every little soundspace it can, whilst keeping everything at the right levels, not destroying my ears and such. It's really relaxing actually, although I almost feel like the drums are shouting "rap section incoming", I really get that vibe for some reason! All in all, a really sweet track man! So here's another original track from me, opinions and technical improvements are, as always, extremely welcome: [media]https://soundcloud.com/reaceblack/thoughtless[/media] p.s I know about the filter issues at the beginning and end, I'm working on fixing them in this track, but it's being difficult, as usual ^^[/QUOTE] very energetic, powerful. not sure if stylistic but the kick drum seems to be hogging the mix earlier on in the track, seems to resolve itself later on though personally i'd shave off some of the delay from those plucks or automate it up and down the growl around 2:40 works extremely well and the wubs after that, oh my stars [editline]27th March 2016[/editline] [media]https://soundcloud.com/geogzm/transfer-wip1[/media] first work in progress i've uploaded since owning a pair of monitors, still feeling them out but i'm curious to see how this turned out. whether i work on it more or not depends on what else i start producing :v:

The instrumentation honestly just sounds like MIDI. Make the offbeat pluck shorter and more pronounced. Pianos don't play the same note twice very fast. Get a piano with velocity layers. Also the C in your piano doesn't fit in with the scale. The bass and drums are good, but the FM-sounding thing that follows it at 0:14 doesn't have great harmony (there's some high frequencies that don't meld).

[QUOTE=Ott;50015982]The instrumentation honestly just sounds like MIDI. Make the offbeat pluck shorter and more pronounced. Pianos don't play the same note twice very fast. Get a piano with velocity layers. Also the C in your piano doesn't fit in with the scale. The bass and drums are good, but the FM-sounding thing that follows it at 0:14 doesn't have great harmony (there's some high frequencies that don't meld).[/QUOTE] after watching your avatar dance to it, I've finally managed to absorb your feedback :v: the FM thing (massive, using groan wavetables and some filters, most linked to an LFO) is what i started off the track with and i had a feeling that would be one of the notable flaws, not entirely sure what to replace it with. synth design is something i really need to start learning about inside out. i've got a bit of a conflict between trying to get a unique sound and trying not to go too far outside of the box to the point where things start to sound, well, MIDI the offbeat chop sounds fine to me though. i wonder if that's just because i've just got monitors and i'm sort of still excited by everything i hear through them :v: [editline]27th March 2016[/editline] mostly, i'm relieved by the bass - that's one thing off my 'things you're really fucking awful at' checklist if others agree with you on that one

The chops is fine with the highpass, but the mids ring for too long. Reggae chops are usually muted (I think, I don't listen to a lot of it).

ss

[QUOTE=geogzm;50015889]definitely dark imo, i'd recommend some kind of panning on a return channel with your higher frequency elements after the beat kicks in around 1 minute. absolutely fuckin solid though, big up [editline]27th March 2016[/editline] very energetic, powerful. not sure if stylistic but the kick drum seems to be hogging the mix earlier on in the track, seems to resolve itself later on though personally i'd shave off some of the delay from those plucks or automate it up and down the growl around 2:40 works extremely well and the wubs after that, oh my stars [editline]27th March 2016[/editline] [media]https://soundcloud.com/geogzm/transfer-wip1[/media] first work in progress i've uploaded since owning a pair of monitors, still feeling them out but i'm curious to see how this turned out. whether i work on it more or not depends on what else i start producing :v:[/QUOTE] Your sub bass is real solid. One thing I didn't like was that after 0:27, the reversed snare is just as loud as the actual snare, and it takes the punch away from it.

[QUOTE=Ott;50016076]The chops is fine with the highpass, but the mids ring for too long. Reggae chops are usually muted (I think, I don't listen to a lot of it).[/QUOTE] reggae chops come in a variety of styles however, when it comes to mixing, i think it's instrument-dependent. i know that with guitars the highs are kept in, the mids sometimes get attenuated depending on how busy the track is, it just feels like cutting the mids from my instruments kills their weight entirely - i know this is erroneous thinking but i'm not sure how to handle multiple instruments that both claim the midrange, aside from panning and trying to get surgical with narrow-Q bands e.g you're probably right :v: [editline]28th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=MilkBagz;50018713]Your sub bass is real solid. One thing I didn't like was that after 0:27, the reversed snare is just as loud as the actual snare, and it takes the punch away from it.[/QUOTE] went for minimal drums with rims, not sure if i want punchy drums or not for this one (unless you mean like, the snare sounds muddy because of the reversed one) although to be fair, if i had a bit more dynamic range in my track everything would probably sound tighter and i could make use of a poppy snare man, i love this thread. it's hard to get useful feedback anywhere else online [editline]28th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=NeuFeX;50018189]this is rad af. reminds me a lot of the ost for the bionic commando side-scroller remake. did up a pretty simple quickie with my roland to test out the UR12 i picked up [media]https://soundcloud.com/conoross/toys[/media][/QUOTE] she's a wailer

[QUOTE=Hobo4President;49991550] So I started working on something over today and I'm not sure which direction I want to go so I made two variations and want to get some opinions on them (they're both the same up until ~1 minute) [URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL] [URL]https://soundcloud.com/philmaah/dark[/URL] [URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL] [URL]https://soundcloud.com/philmaah/bright[/URL] [/QUOTE] First off, really congrats. I've been listening to your stuff for a while and you're really getting better. Also I prefer the bright one mainly just because I feel like there's more potential but both are nice. [QUOTE=Hentie;49988477] [URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL] [URL]https://soundcloud.com/kid64/spend-the-week[/URL] make fun of my song[/QUOTE] Sounds nice. That lead that comes in at like 0:13 is loud and hurts my ears, EQ maybe? The pad and the lead also conflict. [QUOTE=chaz13;50004052] [URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL] [URL]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/neurosteptrapthing[/URL] [/QUOTE] intro reminds me of someone eating crisps. Anyway, the synths are hard and the drums really nice and powerful. It's sounding pretty great at the moment. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Haven't posted in a while, I make a song I like, finish it(or almost finish it) then take a few months off and make a new one. Really gotta start trying to crank out more material. Sorta feel like I'm plateauing. Song isn't finished yet though, just wanted some feedback on it. [media]https://soundcloud.com/bytecry/startofsomenewv1[/media]

[QUOTE=Bytecry;50020259] [media]https://soundcloud.com/bytecry/startofsomenewv1[/media][/QUOTE] Ooh, love it when the chords first come in. Funky but not too over the top. It might be nice to change the melody of the first synth as the intro progresses (you do near the end but perhaps a little further on), as it gets a little same-y after a while. Sounds good though! After the drop I feel it's a tiny bit cluttered which isn't giving the drums enough space to properly stick out - perhaps side chaining all the synth to the kick would make it "breathe" a little better, and bringing the funky chords down just a tiny bit in volume. Could go a little over the top with the side chain if you wanna follow the latest trends, too :v: Adding more. Getting there: [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/darkintroneurosteptrapthing[/media]

[QUOTE=NeuFeX;50018189] did up a pretty simple quickie with my roland to test out the UR12 i picked up [URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL] [URL]https://soundcloud.com/conoross/toys[/URL] [/QUOTE] Love the eeriness of the sounds. The swells give it a near nightmarish quality. Kind of reminds me of some stuff from Hotline Miami's OST, the bass especially. [QUOTE=Bytecry;50020259]Haven't posted in a while, I make a song I like, finish it(or almost finish it) then take a few months off and make a new one. Really gotta start trying to crank out more material. Sorta feel like I'm plateauing. Song isn't finished yet though, just wanted some feedback on it. [URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL] [URL]https://soundcloud.com/bytecry/startofsomenewv1[/URL] [/QUOTE] I really like the slow buildup towards the beat at 0:55. It has a really nice and mellow groove to it once it gets there. My only gripe would be that after the 1:00 mark at times it sounds a bit chaotic with all the wet synths, it is a bit exhausting. However, once you get familiar with the melodies, the mushiness kind of fades. I like it! So I decided to produce a good old instrumental metal song. Haven't made any for a long time. Here's a video of me playing it, I posted it in the video section, but eh what the hell. Any feedback and criticism greatly appreciated! [video=youtube;qS7cKrXV_1I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7cKrXV_1I[/video]

[QUOTE=CupUp;50027571] So I decided to produce a good old instrumental metal song. Haven't made any for a long time. Here's a video of me playing it, I posted it in the video section, but eh what the hell. Any feedback and criticism greatly appreciated! [video=youtube;qS7cKrXV_1I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7cKrXV_1I[/video][/QUOTE] Not normally a fan of metal, but I listened to this whole thing in the background while doing some work. It's got good drive and arrangement for sure. My only complaint is it's mastered slightly weird. The guitar seems too low compared to the drums and bass. Bump it up a bit and you'll be gold. So I'm back again with another new electro house song. I still only sort of know what I'm doing. [media]https://soundcloud.com/papkee/by-nature[/media]

[QUOTE=chaz13;50021670] Adding more. Getting there: [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/darkintroneurosteptrapthing[/media][/QUOTE] Really cool sounds, man. Sounds like the introduction for like a villain in a movie or something. What synth are you using for those cool FM sounds? Reminds me of some stuff SeamlessR does. The intro is really awesome, really good spacing with the percussion. I love the balance of percussion and background noise, it makes an atmosphere but also keeps rhythm at the same time, very nicely done. Definitely dig the overall dirty sound you made. Maybe just do some more variation with the synth modulation. You don't really have to go the complex wub wub direction with it (unless you really want to), but maybe a little more variation than just the one note and the other half step up note. Definitely keep working at it, it's something worth finishing. maybe this track won't get ignored in this forum like most of my posts do... [media]https://soundcloud.com/thehoyticus/reflection-in-the-water[/media]

[QUOTE=CupUp;50027571] So I decided to produce a good old instrumental metal song. Haven't made any for a long time. Here's a video of me playing it, I posted it in the video section, but eh what the hell. Any feedback and criticism greatly appreciated! [video=youtube;qS7cKrXV_1I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7cKrXV_1I[/video][/QUOTE] You definitely know how to write catchy and clever riffs. One of the biggest problems I have with a lot of prog metal/rock music is the lack of sustaining motifs throughout songs, as if the song is just a long list of ideas just consecutively being thrown at the listener one after another. There needs to be a string holding all of this together for it to be a cohesive track. Your song does have a few motifs though, which really help with the progression of the track in general. Maybe adding different tones and effects to your track could help develop it more. Also, another big mistake people make with drums and cymbals is panning. The panning at the beginning of the track with the delayed cymbals is a bit obnoxious, random, and all over the place. Maybe try creating a pattern that's recognizable and supports the track with it, or try being a little less intensive with the panning. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyways, MERRY APRIL FOOLS. My friend and I made this joke rap group called Land Before Rhymes a loooooooong time ago. It's been a year since we've released any new content, but for this special day, we wanted to get at least something out there. It's not done, but it's what we got. It's about aliens. I mean, we're both white as hell. My friend wrote and did the first verse, that's me on the second verse. I did all of the production. Please enjoy: [media]https://soundcloud.com/land-before-rhymes/first-hand-contact[/media]

[url]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/965202/WIP%20Music/Hey%20Ya%20Hey.mp3[/url] I'm working on some sound design for the 80's and some of those popular frenchy synths. If you're reading this and there's no critique, that's because I'm typing up some. Give a sec. [editline]2nd April 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Eyefunk;50049892][media]https://soundcloud.com/land-before-rhymes/first-hand-contact[/media][/QUOTE] I know it's a joke song but that synth is way too loud while the guy is rapping. Mix everything around the vocals instead of mixing everything as a block of cheese. :P ("Block of cheese" is actually criticism someone gave my tracks before.) The bass could also be a tad lower but I think it's the synths that get in the way. The vocals sound good. I kind of wanna take the vocals and mess with them myself using Earthbound synths and stuff. [editline]2nd April 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Hoyticus;50040452]maybe this track won't get ignored in this forum like most of my posts do... [media]https://soundcloud.com/thehoyticus/reflection-in-the-water[/media][/QUOTE] Maybe you'll just have to take matters into your own hands. Find a gun, find postal, and make him reign hell on this thread. This summer, Hoyticus will eat the Declaration of Independence. Anyway, about the song itself, first thing that catches my attention: what are you encoding this at? It sounds weirdly low quality, like something I'd hear on a Shoutcast station from the early 90's. Fortunately, the music also reflects that too, and it sounds fun and groovy. I like the main synth, although if I were mixing it myself I'd tone the reverb down by gating it or doing a side-chain where the loudness of the synth drowns out its own reverb. It gets muddy in some parts, particularly 2:35. Again, it's hard to really tell when the encoding isn't so well. :( Re-encode it at better quality and I'll give you another criticism. It sounds good though. [editline]2nd April 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=papkee;50031446]Not normally a fan of metal, but I listened to this whole thing in the background while doing some work. It's got good drive and arrangement for sure. My only complaint is it's mastered slightly weird. The guitar seems too low compared to the drums and bass. Bump it up a bit and you'll be gold. So I'm back again with another new electro house song. I still only sort of know what I'm doing. [media]https://soundcloud.com/papkee/by-nature[/media][/QUOTE] My first thought is those chords are quite overused. The next thought is that automated anti-decaying saw that comes in is quite overused. My next thought is deadmau5. Technically, the song sounds fine, it fits in its genre quite well, and that's really why I wouldn't choose to listen to it myself. The only credit I'd give is the piano that comes in, but it's otherwise boring and safe. Perhaps that's harsh, but if the status quo is your goal, you hit it. Whether or not that is good is up to you.

[QUOTE=wauterboi;50056127] I know it's a joke song but that synth is way too loud while the guy is rapping. Mix everything around the vocals instead of mixing everything as a block of cheese. :P ("Block of cheese" is actually criticism someone gave my tracks before.) The bass could also be a tad lower but I think it's the synths that get in the way. The vocals sound good. I kind of wanna take the vocals and mess with them myself using Earthbound synths and stuff. [/QUOTE] Not a block of cheese. Got it. I've never produced this sort of stuff before (I sorta took this seriously production-wise), so I appreciate the critique! I'll definitely work on that. For the vocals, I had to add in some intense high range treble boosting to make them more present in the heavy bass stuff, never had to do that before so all of this is kinda new. I'm pretty dang bad at mixing, it's definitely a huge weak point for me.

[QUOTE=CupUp;50027571] [video=youtube;qS7cKrXV_1I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7cKrXV_1I[/video][/QUOTE]Really digging the guitar tone and use of fx, overall a really nice job. [QUOTE=Hoyticus;50040452] [media]https://soundcloud.com/thehoyticus/reflection-in-the-water[/media][/QUOTE] Do you have a soundgoodizer put onto the main chords? I used to do that when I first started and now in my opinion it really kills the atmosphere you're giving with the reverb as it basically squashes the room to a condensed tube. The sound quality in general seems low, but that sounds like an issue on your exporting settings. Other than the mastering, I like melodic sequences and just the general mood. Makes me nostalgic over the stuff I tried to make when I first started out c:

[QUOTE=Eyefunk;50057816]Not a block of cheese. Got it. I've never produced this sort of stuff before (I sorta took this seriously production-wise), so I appreciate the critique! I'll definitely work on that. For the vocals, I had to add in some intense high range treble boosting to make them more present in the heavy bass stuff, never had to do that before so all of this is kinda new. I'm pretty dang bad at mixing, it's definitely a huge weak point for me.[/QUOTE] I still suck at mixing. I have to twiddle with knobs constantly and play around with things with huge breaks in between so I can get a fresh pair of ears. Sometimes I return and I think, "what the fuck was I doing"?

[QUOTE=wauterboi;50058067]I still suck at mixing. I have to twiddle with knobs constantly and play around with things with huge breaks in between so I can get a fresh pair of ears. Sometimes I return and I think, "what the fuck was I doing"?[/QUOTE] YES. This always happens to me. I should really consider taking some audio engineering courses, lol.

You shouldn't unless you plan on doing anything with them professionally. I mix until things sound alright and call it a day.