WIP Thread - GIVE FEEDBACK TO OTHERS BEFORE POSTING!!!

[skerrick]

yeah man lurk my dub tunes, ive been trying to make a deep wobble by adding crunch from a filtered saw wave and layering it over a 50hz sine wobble... i want that huge metallic sound though needa bust out some squares.

[twilitez]

You already got an awesome metallic-y sound in the intro right there. The synth/ sample or whatever it is sounds great. Needs to come back into the arrangement later somehow as well imo.

[skerrick]

true man true haha nah i left it out cos i wanted it just as intro mystery haha

[axxessdenied]

@npcompl33t: https://soundcloud.com/npcompl33t/9k
Nice intro! This is a pretty sick track!! Wish I could offer you some advice on how to achieve what you're looking for. This sounds like a pretty solid track so far

@Sinestepper: http://soundcloud.com/gnrldubs/nine-0-work-in-progress
This sounds pretty good so far! I like the subtle build up from around 2 min on. Pretty sick bass sound.

@Kongret: http://soundcloud.com/kongret/feather/s-03IZQ
Sweet track! Love that drop around 40sec. You got a really sick bass sound that should have a bit more presence on the track. I'd try and bring it forward a lil somehow Nice outro.


@Skerrick: thanks for listening to the tune, bro! Pretty happy with how the mix came out since it's my first go at doing any serious mixing on anything I've recorded and using synths (came from playing rock, blues and metal ). I need to get back and finish up that tune since I picked up Slate VCC a few days ago. i saved your suggestions for when I get back run vcc on that track

I started working on a new track a few days ago:

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Still needs a lot of work so I haven't made it a public track yet
Need to tighten up the guitars in some parts since I quad-tracked them. work on the glitches some more. The mix still needs a lot of work.
I think I need to tame the bass on the kick a bit? I haven't done anything with vocals yet so I wanted to start using some samples and have some fun!
Song done in Studio One with the synths that it comes with. I like what I got so far though. Any suggestions would be awesome
Soundcloud
----------------------------------~~~~WIP TUNE~~~~----------------------------------------

[mthrfnk]

@axxessdenied: Intro is quite cool - I like the guitars although they seem a little muddy, maybe try scooping some mids out and adding more high end distortion. As for the kick, it sounds a little too boomy at the start, but definitely hits hard enough - maybe lower it slightly in the mix? I likethe bit from 1:35 onwards. Overall the track seems a little disjointed, try making the structure so that it flows a bit better and as for the mix, you need to clean up the lows and mids and try and get everything sitting tight. Great work though - nice to hear a properly original track.

@Sinestepper: Some nice ideas, got an early 90s feel to it. Drums and basses sound clean - lots of breathing space. I like how you build the intro & breakdown, especially the blips. Not sure what to suggest on this one man - seems like you're on top of everything, perhaps tweak the mix to add some more low end on both the kick and basses?

@npcompl33t: Nice quick build on the intro. Tbh I'm really not a fan of trap so the hats sound really annoying to me. The intro synths also seem a tad basic (plain fuzzy saws) - try liven them up a bit. The drop is quite cool with some nice work on the basses. Try cleaning up the mix and this could become a really tight tune - I love the fuzz on the synths at the 4x4 bit.

Just some stuff I've been working with today, playing with new ideas and samples - not really mixed, just slapped Ozone on to bring up the volume:

Soundcloud

(lol at the waveform)

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

I will add more bass to the kicks. I tend to over compensate and turn it down because the krk rp5s are real bassy.

[almostskate100]

@mthrfnk: Such a happy tune - definitely brightened my day, so thank you for that . Love the way the track / space opens up at 1:02 - well done. The small vocal samples add a lot of character and feeling to the track. They were exactly what I was waiting for. I'm not the biggest fan of the "flute"y sound that comes in around 2:00. It just sounds a little out of place in terms of timbral quality. Overall though, I think the track is successful. You've got a lot of nice melodic layers. I'd suggest maybe adding a few more percussive sounds with super heavy reverb just to add an extra layer of depth to the track.

@axxessdenied: Interesting mix of sounds / genres. The chunky guitar part sounds really cool, esp with the little bubbly synth going on in the background. I think the snare is a little too loud in the mix, same with the vocals. But the vocal samples are sick, and I'd definitely leave them in. I like how the beat gets pretty shuffled at ~1:30. The pitched up vocals work really well here too. I get that you're trying to go for a sort of "broken beat" feel, but at times, I think the beat gets a little distracting - like at 0:55. I think once you address some of the mixdown issues, it could be a really unique and lively track. Cool style man, keep it up.

@sinestepper: Really nice intro pads. That midrange bass sound is filthy too, really like it. The beat sounds really crisp to me - I wouldn't change much about it. Has a lot of movement and a nice bounce too it. I'm actually really digging this track and I'm finding it hard to come up with any helpful criticism. Really like the glitchy synth that comes in during the two breakdowns too. Builds up perfectly to the second drop. Great work dude. I wouldn't change much, other than some minor EQ work if you feel it's necessary.

Here's my WIP:
Soundcloud

[mthrfnk]

@mthrfnk: Such a happy tune - definitely brightened my day, so thank you for that . Love the way the track / space opens up at 1:02 - well done. The small vocal samples add a lot of character and feeling to the track. They were exactly what I was waiting for. I'm not the biggest fan of the "flute"y sound that comes in around 2:00. It just sounds a little out of place in terms of timbral quality. Overall though, I think the track is successful. You've got a lot of nice melodic layers. I'd suggest maybe adding a few more percussive sounds with super heavy reverb just to add an extra layer of depth to the track.

Thanks

I know what you mean, I cycled through 10 different instruments before I settled on the flute, I'm not feeling it either. Might try some extra drum hits shuffled around in places

Love the ambiance on the intro in your track, the little "coin shake" noises panned around are excellent - I love things like that. Did you record all the background stuff yourself? If so - it sounds great. I'm not too sure about the part where the "plonky" noises come to the forefront at 1:10 - they sounded nicer in the background. One thing that I think would sound quite cool is on the 2nd half to have a rolling, warm, wobbly bassline, with a slow LFO perhaps? Other than that - sounds really nice

Edit: Updated my WIP, waverform looks nicer now

[axxessdenied]

Thanks for taking the time to listen

@axxessdenied: Intro is quite cool - I like the guitars although they seem a little muddy, maybe try scooping some mids out and adding more high end distortion. As for the kick, it sounds a little too boomy at the start, but definitely hits hard enough - maybe lower it slightly in the mix? I likethe bit from 1:35 onwards. Overall the track seems a little disjointed, try making the structure so that it flows a bit better and as for the mix, you need to clean up the lows and mids and try and get everything sitting tight. Great work though - nice to hear a properly original track.

Thanks, man! Totally agree with the guitar. I need to get back and edit my tone patches on my pod hd and tighten up the guitars. I like the tone just not how muddy it came out Still need to work on the composition as well but I'm happy with it being still in the early stages. I feel like the part around 0:55 needs a lot of work. Probably my least favourite element atm.

@axxessdenied: Interesting mix of sounds / genres. The chunky guitar part sounds really cool, esp with the little bubbly synth going on in the background. I think the snare is a little too loud in the mix, same with the vocals. But the vocal samples are sick, and I'd definitely leave them in. I like how the beat gets pretty shuffled at ~1:30. The pitched up vocals work really well here too. I get that you're trying to go for a sort of "broken beat" feel, but at times, I think the beat gets a little distracting - like at 0:55. I think once you address some of the mixdown issues, it could be a really unique and lively track. Cool style man, keep it up.

Glad people are enjoying the style! I really would like to have a distinct sound / style I definitely agree with you about the part around 0:55. Maybe a big part of it is because the snare is so loud. I'm still trying to figure out what to do to make it work. I'm sure something good will pop into my head at some point

Lots of good suggestions here guys! I'm at work right now but will be home in a few hours so I'll be back to listen to your songs!! Can't wait to get back to working on some more tunes This current track is kicking my CPUs ass! I think I might need to start bouncing midi to audio

[SaveMidnight]

axxessdenied- kick is way too boomy, needs a little more attack. Or if thats the kick you want maybe eq the other sounds so it stands out a little more. Also, bring the distorted guitar to the front of the song, its sounding weird being forced to the back. The break section is nice, but it doesn't really go anywhere after the break. the second section after the break is really cool. Keep up with this, it good.

mthrfnk- lulz for the waveform. kudos for the track. Most of your stuff sounds cinematic, and this is no exception. I didn't like the robotic sounding vocal in the middle, that blew my buzz. But other than that its great. Nothing seems to be stepping on any toes, and it sounds really solid. The vocal chops are professional and everything seems to be in order. If it was anyone else I might tell them it needs more percs but your synth work is so good it doesn't really matter.

almostskate100-Loving those recorded (im assuming) sounds. And I agree with mthrfnk, it really could do with some bass, wobble or not. even if you went with a double bass sound, something to fill out the lower end would be nice. It loses its rhythm around 1.05ish. good stuff overall.

NEW WIP
Well, here is a figure-style drumstep thing. Its loud and obnoxious and everything that people on this board hate, but I wan't to know what people think about it as I don't usually make this kind of dubstep/drumstep/whatever.
Soundcloud

[Turnipish_Thoughts]

@mthrfnk that tune is wicked man. I love the melodies and emotional vibe it's got. This isn't constructive feedback by the way, just letting you know it's fully inspired me to make a track along the same lines.

[zen3013]

@sine stepper "Nine-0" like that shuffle "garagy" drums, For me the drops needs some more action there. maybe some short vocal samples.
Enjoy the track at all. Can't say anything bad about mix quality. And these pads and synth on intro and breakdown - gives so dark feeling to the
track, as a midbass in the drops.

@mthrfnk "find your way" tune is obviously cheers me up. I would add some high string-like melody lines in drops.but not sure - the mix sounds
pretty full. short vocal samples come in handy. leaves an impression after listening to a great rock song, dunno what it is,maybe guitar. Good
mix quality.

@axxessdenied "First World Problems" interesting mix, like the vocals. bass drum sounds awesome. song seems pretty complete.

here my wip. not sure about mix and sounds. think it need more clarity

Soundcloud

[npcompl33t]

@Houston Weather
Your intro sounds well mixed to me. The synth you have stereo spread after the drop seems a bit loud to me - I cant really hear any of the drums after the drop (though i can hear the hi hat a little better than the kick.) There doesnt really seem to be enough low end IMO either (though this could be because i cant really hear the kick).

@mthrfnk
I listened to your updated version - im not sure if you added some tape distortion to make it sound sort of vinyl-ish but i can here something that sounds like that a bit at the front, middle and end when the track winds down- i figured you probably added it but thought i would mention it. Did you reverse the flute part at around 2:38? I couldnt tell if i was imagining it or not but it sounded like the attack was at the end of the notes instead of the beginning - it seemed to sound pretty tight so if i was imagining it you should give it a try . This sounds pretty well done though man way to go! Good choice w/ the flute btw it sounds great.

axxessdenied
I would agree with mthrfnk on the kick being a bit to boomy - i dont think you need to change the levels on it tho you can fix that with compression. Just throw a compresser on with an attack long enough to miss the transient and put enough of a release on it it so that it catches the tail "boomy" end and it will bring it down. Its hard for me to tell what the levels are like because that kick kinda drowns alot out with the end - but right now i think the guitar should be a little higher in the mix - maybe the vocals should be a bit lower. You might not need to change anything though wonce you fix that kick.

@sinestepper Love that low square wobble but Im not really a fan of the percussive squareish bass - seems a like a little to much syncopation/dissonance to me but there are plenty of dub songs like that (nuke em by datsik and frz9000 by 16 bit come to mind - not really a fan of the drops in those either lol). I feel like you could make a really sick drop by opening with that square wobble but maybe thats not what you are going for.

Here is another WIP - I would love some feedback! Thanks!
Soundcloud

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

Thanks for the comment guys! i might kill the syncopation on the stabs a little because they are really off the grid haha

[jimbeaux]

@skerrick - really abstract type of sound here. i like it though, theres so much going on it gives you the feel of high energy but yet its still kinda chill. nice man.

@axxessdenied - nice touch with the guitar sounds man. i've been thinkin of doing something like this. heavily resampling guitars for reeses would be ill. very cool idea for a multi genre sound man. keep it up

@mthrfnk - i've been hearing your tracks for a while now on here, an i must say your getting really good man. i really respect the work on different type styles you do. this track is really cloud like, the ladies ought to really dig this one man. great work.

@sinestepper - wicked intro there mate. body of the track is very cool sounding. really funky an airy. pretty cool track man.

@almostskate100 - very good layering with the ambiance in this. dreamy feel yet interesting enough to keep you listening. i like that grit type sound in there to, that fuzzy crackles.

@houston weather - beefy intro. mid freqs came off a bit strong in this, try a lower mid scoop an a upper mid scoop on that bass group. your snare an kick are drowned out pretty badly to. sound design is cool. just get those basses under control an let those drums sit on top an breath. keep it up man

@zen3013 - the top end sounds great on headphones. the kick could use a bit of boosting. but im loving the highs in this, an the layer is great. maybe some kinda vocal work, just cuts and stabs of female vocals here an there... long 'ahhhh' reverbs

@npcompl33t - hey man, nice professional sound on your track. not dubstep but man, i respect your work on this though. loads of tension. pure melody, keeps you interested. the instruments are panned nice an stereo spread is breathing. awesome work yo.

did another trap style beat. but i followed a more down tempo dub feel. added some project pat vocals an some sounds i created from resampling noises with my field recorder. what do you guys think so far?
Soundcloud

[Eye_siC]

@axxessdenied, i played guitar in a death metal band before i started producing, so i can really appreciate the idea i would say mess around with a sub layer, and remove the very low end of that kick, it seems flabby to me. also you already said it but, i would tighten up the riffs a bit. i really liked the glitchy effects on it though, good work

@houston weather, i would work on a little more melody in the intro, and at the break i would have a fast break beat with a lot of choppy hits in it, make it sound more layered up like traditional dnb. when it drops its a bit much for me, i definitely think the level of the mids could be brought down a smidge, and im not a huge fan of high pitched noises. either way i liked the ideas, a proper mixdown and more work on a melody would compliment the tune nicely

@zen, i really liked the ideas in this tune. i would say the break at about :49 takes away from the initial idea. i liked the percussion, but i would have more variation in that area, and i would tighten the hits on the drums. maybe some compression would do the trick. the sub was fun to bounce around to, haha. i really love the plucks in this as well.

@npcompl33t,there is so much good to say about this tune. its very well done, i loved that melody break in the intro, and it ALL transitions well. i would say tighten up the drums a smidge, use a fatter kick, and i usually prefer a clap on a tune like this but thats preference obviously. seriously good job, tis an epic song, i enjoyed it throughout.

@jimbeaux, i can always enjoy some trap since mimosa showed me what it was all about at electric forest XD. everything about it is propper for a trap tune. i would have more original vocal samples personally. stuff thats not already in hiphop songs =P. i have yet to make a trap tune so i cant give much advice when it comes to it as i have no experience, but like i said, sounds propper mate.

hello again guys, this new tune im uploading has a bit of an empty intro, but its only really an intro and an a section so give it a chance XD. got an odd reaction from people ive showed so idk what to think of it really.
ps: i made this tune with soft sounds so its "bumpable"
Soundcloud

[npcompl33t]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

@jimbeaux - do you have stereo spread on your sub? it feels really overwhelming. Definately the hardest part for me making trap is getting the sub mixed right - stereo on the sub always seems to sound better but its a terrible idea as most speaker systems will only have a single sub anyways and so it wont get played back in stereo - meanwhile your eating up your headroom with it. If you listen to some flosstradamous, the hats and snare are usually very loud/aggressive in trap music so bring them forward a bit in the mix.

@Eye-siC Nice job with that kick man - it sounds perfect. Love the filtered drums in the intro as well. Nice ambience/pads on the intro as well. Drop sounds very well mixed too - if i had to come up with some feedback for you to change something i would say maybe find a way to make your wobble a tad more aggressive - but im not sure how i would go about doing it.

[Living_Tragedy]

Not sure how useful any of my feedback will be 'cause my own mixdown is shit but here goes.

@Eye-siC I'd put a bit of delay on the crashes so they last longer. I think the lowpassed drums should also be a bit louder. I like the sub in the drop. Might be worth variating the second part of the drop just a little bit to make it a bit more interesting. Drums sound really nice though.

@jimbeaux My speakers aren't good enough to give you any decent feedback here, the sub isn't coming through much at all. Only thing I could say is maybe to bring the sub up a bit more to account for people with shitty speakers.

@npcompl33t I'd use more than one snare for the moombahbeat bit just to variate it a bit. Give the second one a bit more release or reverb. I'd sidechain all the synths to the kick just to make it sound like they're following the beat and bring them out a bit more. I like the synth at about 2:05. The build up needs a sweep of white noise to build the energy and the drop needs white noise over it sidechained to the kick. Some of the synths could do with some reverb and delay. The drums are getting drowned out in parts during the drop as well (another reason to sidechain). The drums could do with hitting harder as well. Try some layering and EQing. The melody work on this seems pretty good. Better than I could make. Good effort here, keep working on it.

Mine hasn't been mixed and there's no sub because I always add that last (don't ask me why). Main thing here is I need to know if the synths sound a bit I-just-followed-loads-of-tutorials-to-get-this-sound-y. Which sound good and which need work. I'm also not sure about my drum levels.

Pick me apart and make me scream, guys.

Soundcloud

[axxessdenied]

@mthrfnk http://soundcloud.com/spectrafunk/find- ... -wip-ideas
good tune! i'm really enjoying it! listened to the updated version. really great song!

@almostskate100: http://soundcloud.com/unimode/flow-right-through
I like what you have going so far. needs a sick mellow bassline to carry it or somehing

@Houston Weather: http://soundcloud.com/houstonweather/pu ... ight-music
I like the intro. when the synths come in and the loud pew pews the drums kind of get lost. Lots of interesting stuff going on. Going to sound sick with a proper mix!

@zen3013: http://soundcloud.com/zen3013/soulless
loving this! song has a great flow to it. don't know if I can offer any advice. I think it sounds great!


@npcompl33t: https://soundcloud.com/npcompl33t/trance-machine
I like how the track flows, nice composition. Sounds pretty good. got my head going

@jimbeaux: http://soundcloud.com/jimbeaux/fuckdathoe
not something i typically listen to. But, it sounds pretty good! The bass sounds pretty good on my computer speakers here! I didn't have it too cranked though.
try lowering the bass a bit and bring up the drums a bit and see what happens.

@Eye-sIC: http://soundcloud.com/eyesic/lost-wip
I like the intro. but I feel like the sound of the drums needs a tiny bit of work. maybe a bit more dirtyness or maybe some slight eq adjustment. Interested to hear where this goes!

WIP AHEAD!

same song from before but I had some time to sit down and make a few adjustments with the advice from you guys! I just upgraded to windows 8 the other day so I had to get all my stuff back in order! I wrote up a response last night to some of the songs posted but I forgot I wasn't logged in and then lost the whole response so I'm back here now

I played with compression on the kick. lowered the snare a bit. I think i added some compression to the bass synth. lowered the vocals a touch and re-recorded the guitars with the addition of another tone patch, 4 tracks 100 % L/R pan on two of them and 40% L/R pan on the other two.
Soundcloud

Signature ahead! Thanks for listening

[RARRR_]

Houston Weather - Change your bass:P I left my headphones on a bit too loud and now my ears felt all violated

zen3013 - i agree with what you said about needing more clarity - the one thing i noticed was that it didnt feel like the sub was hitting the right frequencies. Song design is wicked though

npcompl33t - Drums feel like they are getting drowned out by the sexy synth's - bit more eq/verb/shaping and maybe an extra layer or two would be sweet

Eye-siC - Sounding good! Have you thought about dropping the song down to the echoed snare? just to mix things up a bit/add some variation

Living_Tragedy- Bit of pan on the hat/ride perhaps? The drums were a bit hard to hear but there was heaps going on and im not an expert nor do i listen to brostep so i cant really give anything useful sorry!

axxessdenied - The kick confused me at the start and by this i mean the guitars reminded me of infected mushroom but there was no bouncing psy trancish kick to back it up
Later on it sounded almost like trap but theres no 808/booming sub - I Guess what i mean by this is that the kick is contradicts the rest of the song

so my wips are made in between my exam study, knew i didnt have enough time to finish a song so i tried to get main bits done so i could fill in the gaps later.

Soundcloud

also

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