Review the track(s) above you

[FritzyBeat]

This was my first real venture into recording, minus simply screwing around with Garageband a year prior. The song is entitled "Little Wings," as it is a tribute and semi-cover of the similarly named Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix. It was really just me playing along to a backing track I found of the SRV version (thus why the bass and drums were left almost untouched).

I'm not doing any further edits to this in any way. I just want to know what I could have done better, from EQ to playing.

I remember seeing this on your channel a few days back, and man is it chill! =D
Every time I listen to it I feel like I stumbled into some sort of mystery film….. with ponies *shot*

The occasional voice clips also add a nice touch, keep the song interesting all the way through (as if your awesome guitar playing didn't already do that XP)
The song is varied all the way through too, I don't think I heard one repeated set of chords twice, at least for a looooong time.

So really, I don't have anything bad to say about this song. Its well played, well recorded, well mixed, and overall just a joy to listen to =) Keep up the amazing work!

-

so, I guess I have to put something up now eh?
Well, I posted this in a thread a while back, and after getting some feedback on it, I re-mastered and mixed it to try and fix any problems people pointed out, and this was the result:



Its still my first venture into My Little Pony music, so try to be as critical as you can. I want to be able to improve after all don't I? XD

[ArisingFlame]

Awwwh. I gots skipped. T_T

[Snoopy 20111]

Awwwh. I gots skipped. T_T

I didn't do it on purpose! I only have time to be on here at school, and school wifi blocks Soundcloud. I'm certain your track is good.

[FritzyBeat]

Oopsie, Sorry about that XP

https://soundcloud.com/t-jayson/bottle-up-snippet
FL has started to go wonky on me so I though I'd save where I was and pick it up in a bit. The intro, 1st, and 2nd verses are yet to be recorded, so I just exported it from the bridge after the 2nd verse on.

Urk. Just realized how loud the vocals are on the 2nd chorus there. Gotta fix that.

The first thing that really jumps out at me about this song is the percussion, mixed with the guitar (which is playing slightly slower) it really sets the true pace of the song, and is very much a joy to listen to =D

The vocals also fit perfectly with the style of music, although I do find if rather hard to understand the lyrics being sung. That however, is more just a pet peeve of mine then something actually wrong with the song =P

The only thing I didn't really like was the bridge. While the music at both ends of the song flowed really nicely, the bridge just seemed to loose that power when the chord progression slowed, and judging by the vocals at that part of the song, I assume you were trying to go for something MORE powerful then the rest of the song, and it just seems to miss the mark there. Perhaps if you could fill it out a little more it might help, or come up with a new melody line that enforces the power of the vocals then this one.

But other then that. The music, the guitar, the drums, the vocals, it all just screens awesome at me XD Gives me the same sort of feeling I get when I'm listening to Linkin Park if you know what I mean =) Very good job!


Now, IO won't post a new song here, but you guys can always scroll up to my last one if need be XP

[ArisingFlame]

Oopsie, Sorry about that XP

The first thing that really jumps out at me about this song is the percussion, mixed with the guitar (which is playing slightly slower) it really sets the true pace of the song, and is very much a joy to listen to =D

The vocals also fit perfectly with the style of music, although I do find if rather hard to understand the lyrics being sung. That however, is more just a pet peeve of mine then something actually wrong with the song =P

The only thing I didn't really like was the bridge. While the music at both ends of the song flowed really nicely, the bridge just seemed to loose that power when the chord progression slowed, and judging by the vocals at that part of the song, I assume you were trying to go for something MORE powerful then the rest of the song, and it just seems to miss the mark there. Perhaps if you could fill it out a little more it might help, or come up with a new melody line that enforces the power of the vocals then this one.

But other then that. The music, the guitar, the drums, the vocals, it all just screens awesome at me XD Gives me the same sort of feeling I get when I'm listening to Linkin Park if you know what I mean =) Very good job!


Now, IO won't post a new song here, but you guys can always scroll up to my last one if need be XP

Haha. This is the third person to bring up LP. Not that I'm complaining.

Thanks for the review. I feel where you're coming from with the bridge. Not entirely sure how to fix it though. I've tried quite a few things, but to no avail. Hmm.... maybe if I added some more bass-ish elements. A few Massive tracks perhaps. I'll post the result of my twerking.


As for Oxygen, I'll type as I listen.

Love the intro. It gets me excited, but it isn't too anticipatory.
Oooh. Strong vocals. Good and bright. The little elements you bring in with the vocals really help it shine. Perfect on the Reeverb especially.
Those snares after the break may be a little loud, but that's just nitpicking.
Beautiful buildup and drop there. It's very calming, but energetic at the same time.

All in all, my only (tiny) gripe is the snares in the first buildup may be a tad too loud, but aside from that, amazing.

::EDIT::
Tweaking... not twerking...

[ArisingFlame]

https://soundcloud.com/t-jayson/bottle-up-snippet-v2
Here is my result so far. I think it helps.

[Kaoss-Walker]

https://soundcloud.com/t-jayson/bottle-up-snippet-v2
Here is my result so far. I think it helps.

I Like the Remix to "I've Got To Find a Way." I think it sounds really 'happy' compared to the original song, but I like that about it.

I've got a cover of the song myself. My friend did vocals, and unfortunately I had to mutilate them to fit my instrumental. This is some of my older work.

I (at least now a days) do more upbeat 'get up and jump' songs. I do electronic metal. The song in my signature is similar to this song here.

[Dr. Plague]

https://soundcloud.com/t-jayson/bottle-up-snippet-v2
Here is my result so far. I think it helps.

I Like the Remix to "I've Got To Find a Way." I think it sounds really 'happy' compared to the original song, but I like that about it.

Via this thread:

First off I will give my definition of ‘worthwhile/constructive feedback. Feedback is criticism, there needs to be some meat in your response that is helpful for the producer. Just saying “nice track, you’re cool” and leaving it there is not at all helpful for the artist looking to get better, yes it’s encouraging and it’s a good thing to say but it’s not helpful feedback. Proper feedback should be, more or less, a list of the parts of the track that, to your ears, did not sound right/good. Again it’s not simply “your bass sucks”, it needs to contain your reasoning so the producer knows you’re not just trolling around. Write as much as you can, no short answers, put time into it and you both will benefit.

In short, feedback needs substance and it needs to be helpful.

I've got a cover of the song myself. My friend did vocals, and unfortunately I had to mutilate them to fit my instrumental. This is some of my older work.

I (at least now a days) do more upbeat 'get up and jump' songs. I do electronic metal. The song in my signature is similar to this song here.

I think the general rule of the thread was to post one song at a time so as to be fair, especially considering you "reviewed" one track above you and ignored the rest.

Sorry for the mini-modding, guys. Will be back later to review tracks myself. Just been pretty busy as of late, but I've got a new track I really want to drop on you. :3

[v.lossity]

Fritzy:
I really like this track. Some of the consonants in the vocals are a bit overpowering I think. I would tone down the highs a bit, the "S" and "T"s are really piercing (at least on my headphones).
I love that instrument that comes in around 2:20. Is that you singing? The vocals are pretty good for the most part but they get a bit nasally occasionally. Also, if a word ends with a consonant, you should hold the vowel until the last moment and then do the consonant. I mean, unless that was a stylistic decision. Which is fine. Just passing along what singing tips I've been taught :)
I would like to hear the theme a bit earlier and maybe some more variation on it, but it doesn't stick out really. There really isnt too much here I can criticize, I wish I had more for you.

ArisingFlame: The first thing I notice is that there is some weird stuff going on with the panning of the vocals in the beginning. Is it supposed to be the same vocal line repeated for the whole song? Also, in the bridge I don't know if you were going for some bigtime dissonance but you got it. If not, I would go back and redo the harmonies. Also, the little flourish at the end is a bit delayed.
I like the feel of this track but I feel like to become a full track it needs some development I think. Perhaps some chord pattern changes, some more complex lyrics at the least. Even if you kept the same lyrics you could add variation with chord pattern changes or by changing the voices singing harmony.

Here is my track. Its a collab I'm doing with a friend. Im currently doing some tweaks on the master. I would love any and all criticism :)

Stream: https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ms7cscj8qo7dfj ... aster9.wav

[Stakeout Punch]

Previous 6 tracks GO:
@Dr. Plague:
Very neat intro! At 0.45 the sidechaining is a little heavy, its mashing things.
Overall, very groovy! The transition at ~2.48 is incredible, I love tempo changing transitions, and you pulled it off!

@Arising Flame: (V1)
This is cool, but the vocals are pretty loud compared to the everything else. Focusing on the drums, the lack of dynamics are a song killer. I can tell that for the most part the drums are straight up sequenced with not much if any volume manipulation. It's not a hard thing to fix, it just takes the time to mess with it. As Fritzy mentioned already, the bridge is lacking in power. You could try using a different guitar (maybe a more distorted sound) or layer another instrument of some sort.
I wonder, how much of this is sequenced in FL versus being recorded? Obviously the vocals are recorded :P

@Snoopy:
Coming from someone that has no idea how to play guitar, your playing sounds amazing. The guitar sounds great to me! The thing that would need more attention would be the backing tracks you used, they sound like stock loops (But they are, right?) Overall they don't kill the song because your playing is the focal point and is more than entertaining enough to keep my ADHD focus.

@Fritzy:
Consonant sounds! Also, as a personal preference I would have EQ'd your voice with a higher spectrum presence. Everything else in the song is bright sounding, then your voice is mellow. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with your voice! It sounds great, but post production wise you might want to put a shallow highpass on it.

Song wise the melodies and beats are splendid. I have nothing else to say, your song is amazing.

@Arising Flame: (V2)
The vocals still seem a little loud to me. It might just be my preference.
Oh man this breakdown is definitely much better. Drums still need some volume variation, program that robot drummer!
I just had an idea: You could record a higher vocal harmony in the last chorus for some extra power.

@V.lossity:
Great intro, perfect build. Seriously my only critique of the entire song is that one open hat panned to the right in the intro. It stuck out to me because of how dry it is, a highpassed reverb would sound nice on it I think.

Here is my track, it was made with LMMS then had each track bounced to FL to mix and master + some effects. Time spent on it: less than 6 cumulative hours (started on it last night after dinner).
https://soundcloud.com/stakeoutpunch/broken-christmas

[ArisingFlame]

ArisingFlame: The first thing I notice is that there is some weird stuff going on with the panning of the vocals in the beginning. Is it supposed to be the same vocal line repeated for the whole song? Also, in the bridge I don't know if you were going for some bigtime dissonance but you got it. If not, I would go back and redo the harmonies. Also, the little flourish at the end is a bit delayed.
I like the feel of this track but I feel like to become a full track it needs some development I think. Perhaps some chord pattern changes, some more complex lyrics at the least. Even if you kept the same lyrics you could add variation with chord pattern changes or by changing the voices singing harmony.

Well, it is technically just the end choruses and a bridge. The rest of the song is not present in this render.
The harmony is not a bad idea though. I actually don't have ANY harmonies on it right now. haha

Previous 6 tracks GO:
@Arising Flame: (V1)
This is cool, but the vocals are pretty loud compared to the everything else. Focusing on the drums, the lack of dynamics are a song killer. I can tell that for the most part the drums are straight up sequenced with not much if any volume manipulation. It's not a hard thing to fix, it just takes the time to mess with it. As Fritzy mentioned already, the bridge is lacking in power. You could try using a different guitar (maybe a more distorted sound) or layer another instrument of some sort.
I wonder, how much of this is sequenced in FL versus being recorded? Obviously the vocals are recorded :P

@Arising Flame: (V2)
The vocals still seem a little loud to me. It might just be my preference.
Oh man this breakdown is definitely much better. Drums still need some volume variation, program that robot drummer!
I just had an idea: You could record a higher vocal harmony in the last chorus for some extra power.

I do need to add some more... depth to it. I'm not really good at drums per se. I need to work on that a lot.
And there's the suggestion for harmonies again. I'd better listen!

Thanks for the input guys

[Dr. Plague]

I'm not doing any further edits to this in any way. I just want to know what I could have done better, from EQ to playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns_9mKPODBE

Honestly, despite understanding the theme behind the song title and Scootaloo, I think that this would do better without the Scootaloo samples -- or, at the very least, with less of them. It's just a bit intrusive to the listening experience imo.

The only other 'negative criticism' I have is that it was hard to feel the groove at the beginning of the track, but that being said (I use that phrase a lot, don't I?), I picked up a good head-bobbing before the drums even came in, so that might just be me.

Great piece, nice and chilllllll. I'm not even particularly a fan of Hendrix (though I respect his musical influence) and this was good.

Well, I posted this in a thread a while back, and after getting some feedback on it, I re-mastered and mixed it to try and fix any problems people pointed out, and this was the result:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_AYXdVovfs

Its still my first venture into My Little Pony music, so try to be as critical as you can. I want to be able to improve after all don't I? XD

I can take prog house, but I'm not generally a fan of these kind of vocals... so when I say I dislike them, it's not personal, it's just me. I'll leave further critique of the vocals and such out because that's purely personal preference.

Very well-produced. I'm totally jealous for sure. Great composition as well, overall very smooth transitions, though the one from 2:27 to 2:31 seemed like it faded out a little fast. If that's what you were going for, it's fine (as I always say), but, again, personal preference here.

I lied about not saying anything more about the vocals. I'll admit the slight phone filter (or whatever) effect is a nice touch. I'm a sucker for that in music.

I SO DID NOT MEAN TO CALL YOU FROSTSHART, BUT THAT SHIT WAS HILARIOUS

Heh.

https://soundcloud.com/t-jayson/bottle-up-snippet-v2
FL has started to go wonky on me so I though I'd save where I was and pick it up in a bit. The intro, 1st, and 2nd verses are yet to be recorded, so I just exported it from the bridge after the 2nd verse on.

Urk. Just realized how loud the vocals are on the 2nd chorus there. Gotta fix that.

Actually, I'd say the vocals are a little loud in the mix from the start. From around 0:50 to 1:10, though, they're placed better in the mix imo (and on my headphones, can't check with my speakers 'cause of sleeping parental units).

Also, again, won't mention anything more about vocals because I'm not a fan of this post-hardcore-ish style of singing.

The drop synths you pulled at 0:49 were, well, to put it bluntly, random and kind of out of nowhere. Other than the more digital-sounding drums, there was nothing prior to that part letting us know that this wasn't going to be a straight up post-hardcore/hard rock song. I don't have any specific examples to suggest, but somehow introduce the electronic element (that is, not the specific synths, but just some kind of electronic music sound in general) earlier in the song so it doesn't seem so sudden. I hope that made sense.

Here is my track. Its a collab I'm doing with a friend. Im currently doing some tweaks on the master. I would love any and all criticism :)

Stream: https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ms7cscj8qo7dfj ... aster9.wav

Stop that. Stop being good at prog house. Jealous. :(

Something about the drum roll at 1:30 had me feeling like it was a bit empty. Maybe some kind of sine drop (or similar effect) after the roll would go well? That's, as I've said a lot through this post, though, just personal taste for me.

Having the same melody from 1:40 through 2:45 without change (other than risers and claps, from what I heard) was a bit repetitive, though. If the chords did change, I apologize, I'm bad at hearing notes a bit, heh...

Still, I guess I don't have much criticism on the master, so if that was all you're really tweaking, sounds good. :)

https://soundcloud.com/stakeoutpunch/broken-christmas

Your kick and snare could do with a bit more punch to them, unless you were keeping them a bit more in the background just for the beat, in which case the snare could still do with a bit more presence.

I really like the overall idea of this, though. Kind of dissonant at parts but not in a sense of actual clashing or being out of tune or anything, but like... you know what I mean. I'm sure you do. It's what you were going for, I'm sure. And man, those crazy gritty crashes and reverb booms. :D

It could do with being mastered better, but otherwise, I totally dug that.

---

One of my friends has gotten into the producing game fairly recently, and he asked me to remix the second track he's made so far. I tried my best to go above and beyond what I've done so far, and while I don't think I quite managed to achieve that much, I am fairly happy with what I did. HE EVEN MADE ME SONG ART OMG

https://soundcloud.com/dr_plague/stormy ... plague-oni

Yes, I did reuse that growl, but I'm thinking of putting together an oni-themed EP what with having already named that growl my "oni growl"~~
bad excuses Nick bad excuses

So yeah, lemme know what you think. I wanna say the melody I introduced about halfway through (around 2:30 or whatever) is in the same key and chord progression and what not, but I'm not really sure considering how simple the melody the original was. I just kind of made what sounded cool. Definitely would like to know on that.

[v.lossity]

Thanks for the feedback.
@Dr.Plague - Unfortunately, I was already aware of the problem with the repetitiveness but I couldn't do much once I was mastering. Also, with the drum roll I tried all kinds of things to make that sound good, and because this track is peaking so hard throughout the track I couldn't get the drum roll to sound big and full without peaking so hard that it distorted badly. Good ears. I might have to come to you with some future WIPs :)

[itroitnyah]

@Arising Flames's track [Link]

First off, the vocals. It sounds like you spent more time staying on pitch than putting emotion into the song. Sing that emotion that you're trying to convey. Make the listener believe you have a black hatred that you are putting behind you. Music is also about yelling and screaming and being loud. Nevermind that there are other people in the house, when you sing, sing like you mean it. Open your mouth wide and make out each word with your lips. Breath through your stomach, not into your upper chest, etc. I'd go into more detail about breathing and singing right, but that'd take a long time, and I think there's a thread somewhere in the composition subforum about vocals that I've put a wall of text in.

Composition is well done, no complaints here. The only thing about it is how repetitive it is, and how the only change that there is in the song's composition only occurs once in the entire song.

For sound design, the bassy pluck (example of what I'm talking about can be found at 1.56ish) sounds really basic. Saw waves distorted with an envelope on the LP filter. It could stand to be touched up a bit, although it's really up to opinion, whether you agree with me or not.

Mixing is mostly opinion stuff, based on what elements you want to be the center and which ones are just there to add, etc.

@v.lossity's track [Link]

Sound design is the most noticable part to me that needs improvement. This is tricky to critique because I can't exactly say "it has too much bitcrusher" or anything unless it has way too much and is obvious in a not good way. The most I can say is that the sound design sounds pretty basic. Sound design can take a lot of time to master though, so just practice.

The composition is next. it sounds slightly generic, but that can be fine, if that's what you're going for. It's a bit repetitive, imo. 3:18 it changes up, which is OK, I suppose. I sounds almost like you're trying to freestyle? You end up returning to the original pattern, which is good.

Mixing has some slight things, nothing too major though. Mostly just parts where perhaps the ducking is too much for me, etc. Other than that, the song sounds pretty good.

Steakoutponi's track [Link]

The sound design is really meh. A lot of it sounds really distorted. I'm debating whether it's intentional or not, due to the title of the track. A lot of it sounds almost like 8-bit type stuff.

The composition it good though.

Mixing could use some work, mostly with which elements are the ones that are the main point and which ones are just adding, otherwise the song sounds pretty great.

Dr. Plague's track [Link]

The composition is well done, I enjoyed it. It's structured well, etc. At least, in the beginning. As the track progresses, I sorta feel like you added on more and more instruments to add to the mix, but I feel like it sorta ruins the quality. Or perhaps, it's just that; the mixing

The mixing seems 50/50. It's decently done, but sometimes it doesn't feel like there's an element you want to be standing out. Not much critique for mixing beyond that.

The sound design is a mixture between OK and good. Can't complain about it though.

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

Now I have a track that I wish to have critiqued:



It's not properly mixed, because I haven't done a proper mix down yet. Other than that, critique away!

[JacksonMiller]

Personally you might need not to have few melodies clash in the drop. The intro melody is really good though, reminds me of Better off alone. 5/10

https://soundcloud.com/jacksonmiller/hounds-of-hell-remix

[Nine Volt]

Personally you might need not to have few melodies clash in the drop. The intro melody is really good though, reminds me of Better off alone. 5/10

https://soundcloud.com/jacksonmiller/hounds-of-hell-remix

Holy hell dissonance out the ass. Right around that part where that guy said "No." and the drop and probably everywhere else (I skimmed).

This isn't a review, I just wanted to say that. So still review everyone else's tracks.

[itroitnyah]

@jacksonmiller's song

That's not dissonance, I don't think. But it sounds like you really distorted it somehow. The melody, that is. The drop seems well composed. The mixing is pretty good, can't complain here. The composition is also good. I can't really offer critique of the song very well.

Anyways, I made some changes to my WIP that I posted recently, including doing a proper mixdown and a bit of restructuring.

Tell me what you guys think: le link

[CaptainFluffatun]

Anyways, I made some changes to my WIP that I posted recently, including doing a proper mixdown and a bit of restructuring.

Tell me what you guys think: le link

The kick is disproportionately loud compared to the snare (:54). In fact, I didn't even notice the snare for a few seconds after it came in. Also at :54, most of the elements seem pretty lifeless. I think you should decrease the volume of that main arpeggio and add other elements. If there is a bass it's hardly audible. I think you need to work more on simply the volume balance between instruments. You'd be surprised what panning and balancing volumes can do to a mix. Also, I'm not personally a fan of that minor pentatonic melody you have in the beginning. It's possible that it's just the synth I don't like the tone of (too simple), but I think it's probably the composition in general.

As far as fixing the volume balance goes, try taking all the mixer sliders down to zero. The bring the kick up so that the volume meter peaks at about -6 dB. Next, bring up your snare to closely match that. Use your ears to find an appropriate balance (because sometimes the meter doesn't help for that). If you think you want to check your balance after this, you can both post a WIP on here, but you can PM it to me as well and I will make sure to give it another close listen. Anyway, after your snare, bring up your hats. Don't try to make them too loud.You might adjust them after you bring in the melodic stuff. Next you should bring up the bass. This is because it's harder to distinguish bass frequencies as you add more in. Next, just continue up the frequency range until you have all your instruments in the mix. As for balancing those, decide which one you want to stand out the most, and make the others a little quieter.

I suggest you also look into some sound design tutorials. While simple tones can DEFINITELY work in a track, I don't think they work here because it's one of the only synths in the beginning, and my ears want the simplicity to be more complex (???).

Don't think I'm just trying to shit all over your song. I think the atmosphere has a great potential to be some sort of bittersweet song. The mixing and execution just needs some work.



Here's a beat I'm working on for a collab. While waiting on the vocalists, I may as well get an opinion

[Injustrial]

Here's a beat I'm working on for a collab. While waiting on the vocalists, I may as well get an opinion

Error (403)

You've gotta copy the public link, so we can see it

[CaptainFluffatun]

Oops! https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53819319/Beat.mp3

Thought I did

[Injustrial]

Pros:
- Crackled intro, giving it atmosphere
- Dark, rolling bassline, which carries the song well
- Variation in the kick
- Melody is composed of several instruments, giving it depth and making it interesting
- Oneshot bells. Always loved oneshot bells


Cons
- The guitar feels a bit nylon-y to me. As if you're muting the strings completely, only having the attack itself picked up. It's a matter of personal opinion, though. But it sounds like it's sorta drowning in the harmonics of the bass.
- Reminds me of Gangstas Paradise. So sick of that song. Not your fault, I just can't take that song anymore.

Your pros certainly outweigh your cons, that's for sure... And I've got nothing to post myself, so I'll just pass the floor to the next one wanting to get a track reviewed.

*skateboards off*

[itroitnyah]

As far as fixing the volume balance goes, try taking all the mixer sliders down to zero. The bring the kick up so that the volume meter peaks at about -6 dB. Next, bring up your snare to closely match that. Use your ears to find an appropriate balance (because sometimes the meter doesn't help for that). If you think you want to check your balance after this, you can both post a WIP on here, but you can PM it to me as well and I will make sure to give it another close listen. Anyway, after your snare, bring up your hats. Don't try to make them too loud.You might adjust them after you bring in the melodic stuff. Next you should bring up the bass. This is because it's harder to distinguish bass frequencies as you add more in. Next, just continue up the frequency range until you have all your instruments in the mix. As for balancing those, decide which one you want to stand out the most, and make the others a little quieter.

That is literally how I already mix. Not quite, I'm sorta bringing up sliders in different orders, seeing how I order the sliders makes a difference (it really makes a huge difference). Other than that, I'm working on practicing everything you've listed. I've only been going at this for a little under two years so far, and I still have a long ways to go, considering when I started with music production I knew diddly squat about anything and only knew a little piano.

[itroitnyah]

Oh, I suppose I should review the track you made fluffy.

Something seems off about the crackling at the start, like it's popping too much. I like the vibe of the song, it conveys the emotion very well. I love the composition on the piano, it's really neat and sounds great. Did you record the guitar yourself? Or is it a library? My biggest comment on the guitar is that the sound of the cords being plucked is a bit loud, I guess. I'm not sure that's something that you can change, so oh well. I like how you had the two violin(?) patterns going off on separate channels at the same time, it gave a nifty twist. The bell thing is good, but the composition just feels a bit off from the rest of the song, like it has a bit of a different emotion to it compared to the rest of the song, and the qualities of it's composition isn't quite as good as the rest of the song. Other than that, the kick could use some low end, imo.

I did a bit of brushing up on my mixing for my track. I'm pretty pleased for the most part, so I think I'll leave it like i have it and then master it next week: link

[ClaviSound]

CaptainFluffaton: The track jerks from the vinyl-laden intro to the beat proper a bit too suddenly; I'd recommend taking out the bells or snare from the drum pattern for the first four bars or so, lengthen the build-up out of the beginning, or possibly ease it in with just one part playing a bar or something before everything else kicks in.

Speaking of kicks, your kickdrum choice is a bit too distinctive in the mix, and it can get a bit tired as the song goes on. itroitnyah's point about adding some low end would help, but I'd also see if you can't lessen the high end a bit as well to make it less consciously noticeable, since it distracts away from the other instruments (including the voice I'm assuming is going to be put over it).

I agree with Injustrial that the guitar sounds a bit too sharp on the attack, especially with most everything else (particularly the strings) relatively soft on it in comparison. Also, it sounds a bit off-tempo as well. The array of sounds you're using is nicely varied, though, with the guitar, strings, bells, and piano making it fairly sonically complete and memorable.

itroitnyah: I'm unversed in this subgenre (so unversed in fact that I don't even know what it is), so I hope you'll excuse my heathen ignorance as I pick at it by ear.

The kicks at :51 leading to 8 bars of nothing drum-wise are good, but it goes a bit too long before they kick back in on a musical front; you only have one synth holding down the fort, so to speak, and the build to the B section is lost there. The movement to pads at 2:31 sounds really nice, but the chord changes don't fade into each other, so if you're going for a "breakdown" it's a bit too stilted.

The section right after it though, with the staccato harmonies to the main melody, is really nice, and I do loves me some o' dat non-2-and-4 snare hit placement, as it really does keep the song from plodding. I'd easily recommend this to someone looking for zone music, or do homework to it. Your synths complement each other very nicely, and I've no complaints about sound design whatsoever, for what it's worth.

Alright, here's my thing. It's a sorta-kinda collab with Rhyme Flow, and I say that because it's over "Amplifyre," which has already been rapped over, but nonetheless we each wrote new parts to it. In addition to the rap, I'd like to hear critiques on the mixing and whether it could stand improvement in one aspect or another. The instrumental itself isn't editable, so I hope it goes without saying that if you have one issue or another with that, we won't be able to act on it.

For those (like me) who prefer lyrics in front of them, here's a GDoc for you.

[Facade]

@jackson miller

pretty good not really into this style of dubstep so i cant say much

pros

nice sounds melodies and over all sound design

cons

though the sounds are good ive heard them everywhere

some of the samples are over used in this genre

and the drum patterns didnt really pop though this is minor and they work well

sorry everyone else i couldnt review you cause drop box isnt working for some reason

heres mine its still wip

https://soundcloud.com/facade-of-ages/wubadubdub-wip

just realized thats almost a week old heres a more recent wip

https://soundcloud.com/facade-of-ages/wubadubdubwip2