Rainbow & Rooted: One Last Shot

[CommandSpry]

Rule #1300130038

When offered constructive criticism, never claim it's because it's X genre. Producers know what genre it is.

it sounds very hollow, you need a more impactful snare, and a bigger kick to carry the song, otherwise it's very empty

[Ocular]

Yeah, it's a WIP

[serratedskies]

It said something about getting feedback on what was good and what should be changed? Can I get some of that?

Again plz read whats been said recently in the thread. If you can't give feedback TO other people don't expect to get some FROM people. It has to be a 2 way street when you come here.

Didn't see that, but I'd be glad to!

[CommandSpry]

then uh..do it?

[Wisp]

It said something about getting feedback on what was good and what should be changed? Can I get some of that?

Here's some unorganized feedback:
The kick is way too quiet. When the song gets going, it gets really hard to hear it or even notice it. Nice punchy snare, though even that could stand to be louder. Some proper compression could fix that.
I really like the feel of this song.
The instruments you use sound really good. The drum beats are also placed very well, and sound really good.
I don't really have much else to say, because I really liked it overall!

Here's a WIP of my track for this. If someone could give me some feedback, that would be excellent.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/172027973/One%20Last%20Shot%20WIP.wav

[R-Y-S-E]

You see, that's a trick only the most professional musicians and magicians (we're related by phonetics) know. Now, watch as I make the track... REAPPEAR!
*poof*
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/600 ... 20Dash.mp3

WALLAH!

Sorry I took my time. Here's some feedback. Through the song (except the very start), mainly the middle of it, the beat/percussion could be slightly - just a tad - louder (except the kick, I like the kick). The transition at 1:46 sounded a bit... abrupt to me and took away from the flow of the track before that which I enjoyed. Loved the bass after that part though, except it seemed a bit too loud in comparison to all the other sounds. Again just after 2:30. Also the piano that comes in at 2:00 might sound better with a bit more reverb to make it sound a bit softer (also back at 1:05). Really enjoyed the melodies around this part though, and enjoyed all the variation in this track overall. Outro seems a bit unusual though, I'm not sure what I'd suggest though

Here's a WIP of my track for this. If someone could give me some feedback, that would be excellent.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/172 ... %20WIP.wav

Nice intro. I like how the volume pulses at the start. The buildup was good. The kicks sounded kinda like blips though and could be more powerful. Also, I think after the drop the lead sounds kinda out of tune compared to the melody in the build up. The tune was very enjoyable though and the transitions work well. I liked the melodic part at 1:55. The drum effect at 2:00 is too quiet imo. Also, I think the transition at 2:09 could be replaced with the two melodies blending into each other cause they're so similar. I much preferred the drop at 2:26. Nice outro. Enjoyed it overall, and I think the sounds varied enough, but there could be slight changes to the tune as all the different sounds seemed to have the same tune all the way through (except at the start).

( BTW, hopefully this feedback is useful, cause I'm not using the best headphones at the moment )

[Wisp]

Thanks for the feedback!

[DXsmiley]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/172027973/One%20Last%20Shot%20WIP.wav

Here's by rather disjointed feedback, written as a was listening.

Synth at start overpowered by static burst (it's a lovely synth though).
Drums at 0:14 sound like they're clipping (or just distorted).
Really good drop, however I think you should add a harmony to the main melody.
1:40 Drums really clipping (especially snare).
2:22 Beeping noise has some really high frequencies attached to it. I find them physically painful.
Yay, a harmony

Overall It's a good song, but more variation in the melody would be nice.


And here's my WIP:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/454 ... %20WIP.mp3

[Wisp]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/172027973/One%20Last%20Shot%20WIP.wav

Here's by rather disjointed feedback, written as a was listening.

Synth at start overpowered by static burst (it's a lovely synth though).
Drums at 0:14 sound like they're clipping (or just distorted).
Really good drop, however I think you should add a harmony to the main melody.
1:40 Drums really clipping (especially snare).
2:22 Beeping noise has some really high frequencies attached to it. I find them physically painful.
Yay, a harmony

Overall It's a good song, but more variation in the melody would be nice.


And here's my WIP:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/454 ... %20WIP.mp3

Thanks a bunch for the feedback! I'll definitely vary up the song some more during the drop.

Now I'll give you some feedback:
Nice intro, but I feel like it goes on for too long.
Very nice synths. I'm not sure, but it feels like some of the synths might be a little off the beat. I'm not sure though. I could be wrong.
I like the feel of the song a lot. The melody is also good.
I feel like the ending was a little weak, but maybe that's just personal preference.

Overall, I liked it!

[Bronytastic]

Bronytastic [Feelsy]: I really love the synth design here, but the melody you start with is a little disoriently atonal. Also, after 0:36 you are doing a phaser effect with the lead synth where it pans back and forth… get rid of that. It’s really annoying when wearing headphones. Also, you have a lot to fit the high end of your song, but the lower end seems a little lacking. Try adding a bit more low end to the kick to fill it out, and maybe add another synth to play the chords in the lower end like you have after 1:14.

Thanks for that. I worked a bit to fix everything you mentioned. I don't know if the melody at the beginning is all that better now. But at least it sounds better now.
http://soundcloud.com/sky-torrent/misunderstanding-wip
(The track even has a name now ^.^)

And here's my WIP:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/454 ... %20WIP.mp3

Overall it is very pleasant to listen to and I really like that main melody and the synth.
However something with the low, snarky noize bass thing, that appears around the middle of the song irks me. It just sounds wrong... It's just me, but I'd suggest using a different synth there, best would be a nice square bass, I'd imagine, instead of just the noize. If you wanted to preserve the harshness there, you could also take some kind of detuned saw bass.

Oh, and in the beginning, I'd guess it is intended, but the bass there sound very off beat. As a personal preference, I don't like it too much, but it sounds okay.
Concerning the ending, I'd agree with Wisp.
It's a bit weak compared to the rest of the song and rather abrupt. With this kind of song, a slow fade-out-ish ending would totally suit. Just be careful it is not too boring.

Hope this helps.

~Torrent

[Symphon]

@Ryse: Thanks for all the feedback. Fixed everything. c: Except the transitions and outro... But I kinda wanted them to be abrupt (as weird as they are), so I'm not too worried.

[Belgerum]

Well, this thread looks to be much more productive than others I've seen. Might as well drop my WIP, ask for some much needed advice on it and such, (I've been trying to work on my mixing/mastering/sounding good)and give some other people feedback, despite being inferior to almost everypony here.

Direct:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/45k ... HBmqKx6osg
DL for those who can't do direct:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/45knifate7dcg ... ystals.mp3

I hope you guys like 11/8 and 14/8 time.

I worked a bit to fix everything you mentioned. I don't know if the melody at the beginning is all that better now. But at least it sounds better now.
http://soundcloud.com/sky-torrent/misunderstanding-wip
(The track even has a name now ^.^)

Firstly, looking at the previous comments without listening to the previous version, I don't hear anything that sounds too atonal, the low end is fine, and all the above don't seem to apply much anymore, at least to my ear. Sounds like you fixed it.

Considering the rather abrupt and unsatisfying ending, I assume you plan to add more material to the end of this. I don't know what you're planning to add or where to go next, but in my opinion, since you've already cut the percussion and had slow crescendos twice, leading to the two bigger sections in what exists, I recommend not doing it again, for the sake of keeping the track from being too repetitive, but rather thinking of another way to make the track sound fresh with the repeating chordal structure and melodic material. Or better yet, add new chord or melodic material to keep it interesting.

That put aside, I like how it sounds a lot. =)

If anyone else wants some feedback on their things, I'll be following this thread for a little while, so feel free to ask.

[TheAnonymousColt]

I'm glad this thread hasn't turned into the atrocity the R&R thread became...I guess i'll post a WIP soon...

[AJ_]

So a whole new track... not the one intended for R&R?
If so, I am going to work on it tomorrow.

[Retrotype]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27IoezqfxiE

[Nine Volt]

I'm glad this thread hasn't turned into the atrocity the R&R thread became...I guess i'll post a WIP soon...

Yes, because having an opinion you disagree with = atrocity
Also, argument = atrocity

[UltimateRiff]

I'll probably start something for this... I'm thinking synthpunk would be fun to do.

And a few questions... Could I submit a song of my own and a collab as well? Is there a limit to how many songs I can submit?

[Alycs]

I'm like 99% sure yes as nothing was said about it and its been okay for every other album in the series; and no, but as a general rule you should concentrate on making one or two goods songs rather than a lot of mediocre.

Also, I'm going to do a lot of reviews later tonight once I get back from Karate, but my computer with dropbox on it is about to loose its charge and I lost the charger so here is a WIP.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5vw5038eic1cy ... 20Bang.mp3

I promise the review like every track in about two hours

[GCKrastin]

Made a second track for this, I still might change it a tiny bit though.
https://soundcloud.com/gckrastin/crystal-mountains-preview
The sub is far more prominent in the final track (I'm actually completely done with it), that's just a short clip with the sub taken out so people on SoundCloud don't steal the song. :3
This is my first try at liquid dnb, so gimme some advice!
And if you missed it, my first track for this was here, which I also would like criticism for.

I'll work on reviews for some of the wips posted here later today, possibly tomorrow.

[cheztheguy]

Are we allowed to participate in this even if we didn't participate in the original R&R?

[UltimateRiff]

@AlycsYeah, I was thinking of working on one, or maybe two songs if an idea comes to me.

@Chez: I would assume so.

[Alycs]

Symphon: Off the bat it’s really good. I like the intro and the talking bass you bring in shortly after; however, by 0:35 its gotten firmly repetitive. I’d change up the chording or the rhythm to keep it interesting. Maybe do a fast “glitch” and slice it up into 16th and 32nd notes and do a Skrillex style vocal drop san-vocals (I’d do this around 0:55) and start a new chord progression or push it up an octave. It just needs something to make it interesting.
At 1:03, that piano sounds fake as hell. The main problem is the lack of low-end depth, and the fact that the sustained staccato articulation sounds mechanical and not like anything except maybe a hyper-Baroque performer. EQ the lows back in, add a reverb on the highs, add a (very) slight chorus on the lows and mids, and finish it up with a slight delay, and you might have a passable piano sound. What I’d do to make it easier is to get the 4front piano VST and substitute the current sample with that.
I liked the drop at 1:17. But the part afterwards seems a little empty in the lower end and the mids. I’d boost the bass frequencies on the kick and maybe the 500Hz on the snare. Also, the high synth could use a little more stereo presence. Its not bad, and it dominates it frequency range so it’s easily hearable, but as the sole melody holder with no backing harmonies, I’d recommend a slight stereo enhancer to bring it out. This is personal preference, though.
The build-back was fairly solid, but I’d still swap out the piano. Getting a better emulation can really do nothing but help you. Also, I feel like it went a little too high before dropping in, and then didn’t quite come back fast enough. It felt more like a “wave” of sound rather than a “drop”; this could be intended, but it didn’t fit in my opinion with the rest of the track.
Subsequent part is a fairly nice simplification of the previous section; nothing really to say. I like you playing around with the various counter-melodies. This section is solid.
The final part is pretty decent too. I have the same feelings as its predecessor (paragraph 3), and I’d recommend bringing in the piano as backing just to give it a nice closure.
Overall, it’s a pretty solid song, but it needs a few minor tweaks.


Cyphers Wolf: Okay, I’m going to review this, but I’m just going to tell you that the album won’t accept it just because it’s a rejected track. Sorry, that’s just how it goes. Anyway:
The lead in synth has a resonance that is self-clashing. When playing the melody, its causing distortion that, while a nice effect, leaves a slightly unpleasant feeling when you add the reverb. The piano you follow it up with sounds pretty fake, too. I’d recommend you read what I said to Symphon (but don’t add more reverb, it has more than enough already). The electric synth right afterwards is nice, and it fits with the theme, but it doesn’t fit with the piano. The piano and the synth clash when playing the same melody, which could be due to the heavy reverb you put on both, or the fact that the normally rich sound of the piano sounds much more compressed in this song, and thus its frequency range is more sharp than normal, leading it to clash with the synth above it. Whatever the reason, they are not blending, and as they make up a good part of the song, they really need to. I’d use a more accurate VST and see if that helps by adding more depth to the frequency range.
I really the sidechain you have going; that is nicely done. However, the kick is still being lost because you sidechained it to a more mid-level frequency, and its being lost in the sub. For a more powerful sound, I’d recommend EQing back in the mid-level frequencies to the kick (assuming it had them to begin with, if not, get a kick that does), this with will give it more presence.
The melody is good, but it gets repetitive. Even though you throw variations in, its too simplistic and rhythmically repetitive to hold interest.
Also, 1:44 onward… I know what you are trying to do… but it didn’t quite work that way. The synth you held is simply too “big” both frequency and stereo-wise to hold the drone. It overpowers the drums and the other instruments. I don’t know a good way to fix it and still keep the feeling, but it needs something else. When if first started, I didn’t even register it was the song and thought it was my computer freezing up. The backing behind it is good, and it’s a fairly solid leading in, but the drone frequency just kinda ruins it for me.
In the part past that it’s the same problem I had before. The piano and the synths don’t blend and the melody is far too repetitive.
Everything past that would be me repeating myself, so I’ll stop here. I think it’s a fairly decent song, and it has merit, but it needs some mixing.

((Okay, at this point I know I said I’d review ALL the recent tracks, but I’ve realized that there are too many to do an indepth like this; so I’m only going to do the actual WIP’s for this album past this; I’ll do the others later if I have time))

Ocular Invisible:
Okay, I don’t listen to “Techstep” or whatever this is, but I’m going to rate it from a generic music standpoint, so I’m sorry if I criticize generic qualities of the genre.
Its hallow. That’s the thing that hit me most. It has really nice synth design and rhythms and I think its already a pretty solid song, but it didn’t have any meat for me. The drop felts “staged” without any real lead in, and I spent the entire song waiting for a melody or harmony or chord change that never came. Instead, it was basically one wobble bass with thick reverb over a drum track. There was nothing really there. It had a great drum line (I’d like a fuller snare with more in the line of lower frequencies, as the current one stands above the mix too much for my liking), but the song as a whole didn’t do it.
EDIT: I just listened to like 20 minutes of some guy on youtube’s compo of techstep and I’ll have to say, I still think yours needs something. A lot of their songs employed pitched drums and background FX’s to fill out the song and occasional breaks of other synths and rhythms and breakdowns to keep it interesting. One that stood out to me was Dom&Roland’s “Peace Keeper”. You probably know more about the genre than me; but theirs seemed to be much more interesting just because it did more. That’s all your song needs. Its really well mixed, but it needs its meat to fill out the bones.

Wisp: It leads in quite nicely. Having the synths filter in was really nice with the harmonic backing… very nice. If I could really be bugged by anything it’s that the snares at 0:14 are too “clicky”. I’d just use a different sample or slow down the roll. However, I’d get rid of that slight gap at 0:44 before going into the piano; imo its too early in the song to start recapitulating the beginning.
Also the piano… read above; though this one sounds much, much better; really, at this point its actually pretty good, but it could be a little better.
The drop after 1:25 is pretty solid, but I feel it needs a melody. The side chained synth you have going is nice, but it is chordier. I’d have just a small saw or square lead to provide a simple melody. (Maybe a simple version of the one you had at the beginning?)
In the section after 1:40, the main thing that got me was the clap/snare. It sounded very distorted and unpleasant with the rest of the mix. Either swap the sample or turn it down a little and see if you can have it sounding a little smoother.
And that’s it! I actually really like this and I think it has a lot of potential if you keep going with it.

GCKrastin:
This is actually quite good. It’s a little simplistic though in terms of structure (both synth/drum and progression wise) The pianoish thing (I’m not going to complain because I don’t think its even a piano…) is nice, but the chords are all done the same way. While this would be fine for a backing arp, for a solo melody it needs more variation. Try fitting in some neighbor notes and sus. chords to add character, and switch the direction every once and a while, add a few repeating notes… just give it a little more character.
In the breakdown section… it has good chording, but the kick needs a little more punch, as it is now, the whole thing seems very cut-paste. Also, when you start the kick-roll, you are leaving the backing in the dust. Bring in a short melody or harmony so it has something to keep up with the kicks.
The break at 1:33 is REALLY awkward. Its not short enough to provide character, and not long enough to provide suspense. It sounds like a mistake, and you have to do something about that. Either find what caused it and fix it, or extend it. The part afterwards has the same issue I said before. The arp needs more character.
I look forward to seeing where you go with this after the sub is added back in. It has potential but atm it’s a little simple.

</end tome>

[cheztheguy]

If someone can tell me how to make this cruddy track better (as it's a WIP), go for it :3
I'm a beginner so...

https://soundcloud.com/cheztheguy/untitled-stuff

[v.lossity]

If someone can tell me how to make this cruddy track better (as it's a WIP), go for it :3
I'm a beginner so...

https://soundcloud.com/cheztheguy/untitled-stuff

give, and ye shall receive

[DXsmiley]

If someone can tell me how to make this cruddy track better (as it's a WIP), go for it :3
I'm a beginner so...

https://soundcloud.com/cheztheguy/untitled-stuff

Synth at start needs an echo & reverb.
With that long attack (reversed?) synth, it sounds slightly off beat. Bring the whole thing forwards a tiny bit (make it sooner).
Turn down your hi-hats, I think they're clipping slightly and are quite dominating.
Add a bass. A smooth one.

---

Anyhow, I've got the second version of my WIP here. I'm not really sure when people said the bass is 'off beat'. I swapped out the harsh bass for something smoother, though I'm not certain I prefer it. I've also shortened the intro and made the ending stronger (it turns out it was returning to the original key for those final two bars).
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/454 ... IP%202.mp3