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

[Bass_Jacka]

@ DJens - TURN ON
It might just be me but the bassline in this track kinda hurts my ears the sound itself is pretty sick, it might be where it's quite repetative. I'd have a few breaks with other sounds in that bassline to give the listeners ears a rest. Intro was a bit 'bland' and snare could maybe do with fattening up a bit. But this is all just my opinion. Had a listen to your other tracks on soundcloud; really liking your 'Like That' track! Dirty!

@ RvCKvs - DERP
I'd lay off the crash/cymbal a bit, slightly in your face with all the crashing going on - the kick gets lost behind all that crashing too. You should maybe work on your sound design, the bassline/wobble sounds really basic and not very 'nasty' - sounds like something you've knocked up in a couple of minutes - try varying the modulation of the bassline, rather than just using a plain sine wave lfo. Try adding some musicality to the track, some melodic stabs, keys, pads or something - just sounds really dull and boring. You said the bass is pretty fat for just using Sylenth and Ohmicide....... MATEEEEEEE, with sylenth and ohmicide you can make some fuc*ing sick sounds, much much better than the one in this track. Honestly, it bored the hell out of me - don't mean to be rude or offend you, but theres nothing to it apart from a beat, loads of crashes and a VERY basic wobble!

@ mthrfnk - SUMMER BREEZE
I'm liking this track! The way you've cut the vocal up at the start sounds pretty good, thought it might have been some keys coming in the way you filtered it up in the intro but sounded good filtered up. The vibrato on the lead sounds really nice - overall this track made me smile! Maybe try a different sounding lead half way throug to change it up a bit, or maybe make it a bit glitchy half way through with some stabs/keys cutting into that lead! Good work!

@ dotcurrency - HEARTBREAK
Really like this tune so far. Could maybe have some more elements added to give it more depth. Before I even looked at the name of the track the emotion I got from listeneing to it was 'sadness' - so aptly named with Heartbreak, I think you've done pretty well getting that emotion across. Liking the beat arrangement in this track! The keys etc that are already in this track all fit very well together and accompany eachother nicely. Would be good to hear the finished product with this track.



I have already posted this track, but would appreciate some more feedback from other people.... I feel like the track is kind of missing something, but not sure what. Input would be much appreciated The track is in my signature - would be good if people could check out my other tracks on my soundcloud too.

Much love!

[Nickelwound]

@Bass Jacka - Sunshine
I love the overall vibe, I certainly think you are a better producer than me so I don't have that much critique. Lovin' the percussion, but maybe the melody synth could be a more original sound so to speak? It sounds a little flat in my opinion, so maybe that sound could be tweaked a little. Am not a big fan of the pad sounds in the beginning (chord pads, not the stereo ones). So maybe you could tweak those again. (can't give you any specifics since I'm not that with familiar with production) But lovin the vibe of the whole track. What it may need musically wise is some suspense (so maybe change up some chords, instead of basically the same melody but with different intensities).

Anyway, my two cents about it. Most of it is more subject to personal taste.

@DJ Jens - Turn On
Nice dark vibe. I personally miss a heavy sub bass, some atmospheric layers here and there, but otherwise good start. I like this loungy kind off thing. Maybe change the lfo pattern here and there. (try to listen to the guitar in reggae music, and replicate the feel somewhat on your midrange bass. Keep me updated if that worked out for you, haven't tried it specifically myself)

@RvCKvs - derp?
I personally like the ambient sound effects the most you put in there. The wobble bass may need some mixing, and maybe change the sound design a bit? Maybe start the intro with the bass/wobble you have before the buildup, to get that scary vibe going, so to speak. Don't have much else to say till I hear the final track, and besides that production wise I'm not the brightest boy.

So this is a track that's been giving me a headache. I can't seem to find the next direction it needs to go in. I didn't mix anything, it still needs a lot of polishing. Maybe you guys have any ideas on what direction (what kind of feel) or if there are certain sounds which may inspire to new places. Peace & love.
https://soundcloud.com/nickelwound/at-m ... d-this-wip

[Reversed]

@mthrfnk about We Can Dream: Pretty great tune, but something about the lead in the main section seems off, something about its rhythm / the rhythm of the pitchbends, and it's sort of loud. The mix is sounding really clinical and overly clean to me, but that's just, like, my opinion, man.
i was also going to point out the mix problems in Summer Breeze but you seem to be well aware of them. I'd try processing the vocal sample differently too, but I can't tell you much on that since i haven't worked much with vocals (yet).

@RvCKvs mix sounds okay i guess, but I'd work on the arrangement mainly, it sounds really generic and linear.

@DJens the sounddesign on the synth is great, but the tune sounds really empty. might want to add a shaker on top of the drums and maybe use / make more interesting kick / snare samples. I guess some interesting fills wouldn't be bad either.

So i tried to start making a title track for my just-for-fun concept LP, and it turned out really strange:

Soundcloud

I'm mainly concerned about the chords in main section (not music-theorywise, but about how they sound). Can you people give me some opinions on those? I know the main section sounds a bit empty and i compensated for that with some shakers i made, and the intro needs some restructuring too.

[VirusTI]

@Reversed - Digging the glitchy feel of this, those samples / whatever really complements the bitcrushed chords in the background and it builds up well. Good make those basses a lot fatter at around 40 secs, atm feel about weak and lost in the mix, but they could really move it and give it some depth if you make them a bit bigger/ powerful. Would also more or less say the same about the bass where it 'drops', clean up the sound of the bass, give it more sub and higher frequencies etc. otherwise, liking it.

@Nickelwound - Liking the use of guitar in this, very chilled out kindda track, not too sure what to offer in terms of development of the track as it's not typically the kindda thing I'd make tbh, but otherwise I'm digging the feel of this man

@Bass Jacka - This kindda minimalistic percussion at the beginning is pretty dope man, was gonna comment it wasn't powerful enough but then that kick / snare came through and it sounds good! Maybe make some of those pads / chords / synths a bit brighter and more powerful (although to be fair, may be difficult without overpowering the sub you got there - which I would bring up somewhat and perhaps add slightly more power behind). Otherwise is sounding good man!

This is actually a Drum & Bass track (Fuck the police), but spent today and yesterday making it and got it sounding pretty dope so far. Would really like some opinions on it so far, both composition and mix wise so far!

Soundcloud

[dotcurrency]

VirusTI Really liking the intro and the drop! Not a fan of the reese sounding bass however. I think the sub is a bit too overpowering, but I can't really tell to well. I like the rhythm, its kind of classy/jazzy. I'd say work on the drop more because right now It kind of sounds like everything has too much reverb on it (specially them siren synths)

Reversed Liked it from the very intro! It reminds me of some espionage kind of film music hahaha. The helicopter sound fits nicely, I'd say add some variation to the piano like have it delay at some parts, etc. The reese in the background at the drop is killer!!! Too much empty space at the breakdown, shouldn't be hard for you to fix considering how well you filled up the intro The drop is a bit empty to, but since you already said you know that no need for me to comment much on it, I'd say add some pads, sub/bass guitar, more piano movement, some nice arpeggios, and your drop should be good!

Nickelwound Too quiet, but as you said, it's not mixed yet. I like it though! especially little reverse part you've got going around 0.58. Hmm...I'd say make this a drum and bass track man! The intro is fitting for some fast riff filled drum and bass vibes. Feel's kind of happy too, so I'd definitely say shoot for making the drop, whatever you decide that to be, really really powerful and uplifting. Good luck!

I'm stuck on this. I've never tried to make a drop like this and I'm stuck on what kind of synths to fill this with and how not to make this too repetitive. Like I said I'm not used to this kind of supersaw drop and I felt like it would fit with the intro I had made (I started with the intro lol). So yeah, looking for tips on synth/design on this one as well as opinions on what it sounds like now.
Soundcloud

[Nokko]

Nickelwound: Sounds cool, feels like it could almost be a build up to a post rock song! I think it would sound really good with some natural sounding drums, maybe even incorporating some more tribal or unusual drum sounds or patterns! This actually reminds me somehow of this song: https://soundcloud.com/big-chocolate/bypass . Might give you some inspiration in terms of where you could go with your track!

Reversed: This is really cool, I like the sort of empty feel, its not a "bad" empty feeling, I think it suits the song. The intro sounds great, I really like what you did there! I cant really think of much in the way of improvements, other than maybe adding some reverb to the snare. The chords in the main section sound good, I think they go well with the rest of the parts. Sorry I can't think of much else to add, it sounds great, I'd like to hear the full song!

VirusTI: Digging the feel of this song. I would try experimenting a little bit with velocities on the piano lead that starts at 0:26 to get a bit more natural sounding, specifically I would turn the velocities down a bit and vary them a little. Maybe add in one lower octave of the same lead underneath, using the piano or I even feel like the synth that comes in at 1:10 would go well underneath the piano lead and add a bit of warmth to it at a low volume. Mainly I think they could be a bit softer or gentle sounding, if you know what I mean? For the main part from 1:50, I would try side-chaining the delay/reverb on the high pitched sound to the kick and snare. Sounding good in general, I can see this being a really driving DnB song with a little more work!

Dotcurrency: Liking the intro! I think you could draw it out a bit longer and have the synth that comes in at 0:12 enter more slowly with an automated low pass like you have just before 0:12, with a little more resonance. For the drop, I would say to turn the reverb down a notch on the saws, and clean them up with some EQ on the lower to mid end and maybe bring down the release on the synth. Keep it up! Looking forward to seeing the progress.


Heres a WIP of mine, I had posted an earlier WIP of it a while ago and sort of let it sit for some time, but I started work on it again recently and I think it is nearing completion. It's missing a proper transition after the first main part to the next build and the end isn't there yet either. The main part however is quite complete though I think. I'd love to hear what you have to say or how I can improve the song! Cheers.

Soundcloud

[Ada]

Here is my latest WIP, any feedback welcome.
Soundcloud

@Bass Jacka:
That is really smooth I like it! The piano and pads remind me of Mafia II soundtrack main theme.
I'd perhaps make the pads and melody bigger, the drums take almost all space right now. Sounds great that way but I think maybe 1-2 dB more on piano and pads would be nice. Good job!

@Reversed
That is cool. The intro sounds like the intro to some really awesome thriller or huge Hollywood movie. I like the piano sounding pluck thing. How'd you make that? Nice sound!

@VirusTI
Yea productionwise that sounds really dope. I like the dnb/vintage sounding drum rolls. Adds really nice flavour to the song.

[Augment]

@Ada: Liking the melody, the main synth(or instrument? haha) in the intro is a bit loud around 1000hz I think. Nice summerfeeling from this tune. Reminds me of Avicii alot, which I guess you were going for? Not sure what else to add. Oh, the downriser at the very end sounds so out of tune, might wanna look into that. Aaand may wanna add more elements, like a (if you're gonna go really cheesy with this one) a supersaw pad or something similar.

@Nokko: I'm guessing you have dimension expander/short verb on the bass? Might wanna turn down the time/dry/wet on it. Funky stuff. Sudden silence at 2:00 could've been made smoother imo, like an upriser and downriser before and after.
Sounding nice overall, a bit empty maybe.

@dotcurrency: Crazy percs haha, I like it. Not too sure about the intro saw chords. The supersaws after the drop sound empty aswell, try layering a fat distorted saw under them, and bringing down the dry/wet on the verb, increase the verb decay and either compressing the saw and the verb so the verb gets louder once the saws release, or manually editing the volume of the verb to be a bit louder after the saws have released. This way u get that nice verb tail, but it doesnt push the chords back while they're playing. Might want to try that Not sure about some of the fill sounds, doesn't flow that well imo, if not changing the sounds themselves, maybe the automation or something..

@VirusTI: I'd personally change out the snare, but that's subjective I guess. White noise upriser was pretty loud, could be turned down some dbs. There's some higher freq's that was a bit annoying during the intro, guess you've highpassed a bass. Maybe bring down the volume or change for something else. Not sure how I feel about the drop and the lazers. The bass layer under the lazers sounds wet as fuk. Intro was nice tho.

@Reversed: Intro is sounding nice, piano is nice. Part after 0:38 is dope with the reeses drowned in verb. Not feeling the drop though, just the reese sounds so empty and pushed back. Part after 1:52 has nice potential tho, I liked it.

Alright here's my WIP for now, faaar from completion. There's no real drop as of yet, just something to fill in where it will be. Obviously the mixdown has not been touched too much as of yet, just looking for general opinions about what's there so far, and what could've been there
Soundcloud

[Ada]

blinkesko

Cool thanks for the feedback! I'll take it to mind! =)
I can't seem to find the downriser in the end you say is out of tune. Which one is it you mean? =) After the main part?

About your mix I like it. Sounds good. Might add some melodish element over the chordy synths? Other than that I don't really have much to say. Will be interesting to hear how it turns it out in the end. =)

[Augment]

The one that hits right at the start, and several more times throughout the tune, at first it sounds nice, but the very last bit of it sounds out of tune to me Haha, saw now that I typed end yeah, meant beginning.. silly me hahaha

[Ada]

The one that hits right at the start, and several more times throughout the tune, at first it sounds nice, but the very last bit of it sounds out of tune to me Haha, saw now that I typed end yeah, meant beginning.. silly me hahaha

Ah ok do you mean the hall kick or the high sweeps?

[Augment]

The one that hits right at the start, and several more times throughout the tune, at first it sounds nice, but the very last bit of it sounds out of tune to me Haha, saw now that I typed end yeah, meant beginning.. silly me hahaha

Ah ok do you mean the hall kick or the high sweeps?

haha not sure, but from 0:01 to 0:02 is the part Im talking about, it just goes out of tune

[Ada]

The one that hits right at the start, and several more times throughout the tune, at first it sounds nice, but the very last bit of it sounds out of tune to me Haha, saw now that I typed end yeah, meant beginning.. silly me hahaha

Ah ok do you mean the hall kick or the high sweeps?

haha not sure, but from 0:01 to 0:02 is the part Im talking about, it just goes out of tune

haha xD maybe its the pitch slide of the sub? The hall kick I use has the sub/bass pitch sliding but it is intended.

[Augment]

haha, yeah probably hard to tell, just something that I felt was off atleast xD

[mthrfnk]

@blinkesko: I love this intro, the vocals are slotted in perfectly, the reverse bits are awesome. What is this a remix of? The drums come a little abruptly, maybe more of a pause before you bring them in. The sidechained section gets a little repetitive imo, maybe add some filtering or phaser to the lead to add progression into the next vocal bit. The twisiting reeses under the vocals are awesome - make them more prominent, they need to stand out (I'd also pump up the drums but like you said the mix isn't done). This is shaping up really nicely man, looking forward to hearing a final mix.

@Ada: Again really nice stuff - defitely got that Swedish/Pop vibe that Avicii etc. use. I feel the intro sounds a little empty though, some saw stabs with a layered kick up to the build section could sound good to add energy, because to me the progression is too similar, as in there isn't a proper build and drop (that's explained kinda badly but I hope it makes some sense). Otherwise the melodies are nice and the synths work. The kick drum could perhaps be a touch heavier on the top end, a layered cymbal may help. I also get what blink is saying, those kicks/bass downpitches

@Nokko: Quite a cool intro with the glichy/chopped elements. The bass has a too much delay/verb on it, sounds like it's crackling as it decays which isn't nice. The bass slap loop is a nice touch too. The drop is really groovy, but the drums could kick a little harder, and some wide supersaws to counter that heavy bass may fill out the track a little. The silence is weird, try and add something there like a downshifter and maybe let the synth reverb tails trail off too before the next section.

@dotcurrency: I like the bassy intro, it's quite melodic with the chords. The percussion is really nice and at the moment the mix sounds good. The build is a bit lame with it just being one riser, perhaps add more energy to the build. The supersaws sound okay, a touch heavy on the reverb maybe - and try to give them a more central thick bass layer. The wubs/midrange bassy chops are a bit off imo - the chords don't blend well into them, partly because they seem louder than the chords. Not sure how you'd blend them better - bussing + comp glue might help, aside from that the drums on the drop really need bringing up in the mix to keep the track driving forward.

Update on that previous track I posted:
Soundcloud

[Ada]

Thanks mthrfnk! Hmm really interesting about the pitch slide. I've never thought of it as "out of tune" (more like "dissonance" to add some feeling) but I think I understand what you're talking about now. Thanks for pointing that out though! Really thankful. =)

[mthrfnk]

Thanks mthrfnk! Hmm really interesting about the pitch slide. I've never thought of it as "out of tune" (more like "dissonance" to add some feeling) but I think I understand what you're talking about now. Thanks for pointing that out though! Really thankful. =)

Just realised I never finished my sentence above, I was literally about to write "it sounds like you wanted it to be dissonant" hahah - it sounds okay but maybe make sure the original note and end note are in tune with your track (e.g. make sure it's like a full octave slide or something).

[Ada]

Thanks mthrfnk! Hmm really interesting about the pitch slide. I've never thought of it as "out of tune" (more like "dissonance" to add some feeling) but I think I understand what you're talking about now. Thanks for pointing that out though! Really thankful. =)

Just realised I never finished my sentence above, I was literally about to write "it sounds like you wanted it to be dissonant" hahah - it sounds okay but maybe make sure the original note and end note are in tune with your track (e.g. make sure it's like a full octave slide or something).

Yea that sounds like an idea.
I want some dissonance overall to make it feel abit more "real" (even though it is all "digital"). I want this small touch and feeling of human origin.

[Dislokate]

@dotcurrency

I was really feeling the tribal style percs and drums on the intro - but i felt the whole tune was a bit too high pitched - that style of intro would imo really work well with some deep dark dubstep. lots of drums, sub-bass and energy.

@Nokko

pretty nice tune, enjoys the intro, thought the mix sounded a little weak but this maybe my headphones im listening on.

@Ada

Nice pads during the intro - would maybe say turn down the high pitch lead in the intro or eq it so it sits more within the mix.
Melody is nice - feeling the vibes

@blinkesko

Cant really comment too much as its not my style of tune - it does sound nice though and its well structured - would say it needs maybe a lead or 2 to give it another kick.



Here is my WIP - made it within 1-2 hours on logic after recently making the switch from fl studio.

http://soundcloud.com/dislokatemusic/di ... d-dub-clip

safee

[Augment]

@blinkesko: What is this a remix of?

Linkin Park - Castle of Glass
I have yet to hear the original haha, just found an album on spotify of theirs with all the acapellas for their newest album, so I downloaded this one