Static - without you (r&b step)

[xstatic]

lookin' for some tips and feedback. thanks for listening

[jeanblanc]

This is a cool chilled out track with a lot of emotion to it, which is really important imo. I think you need to look at your mixdown, although I don't think I'm really qualified to say exactly what to do except listen to it with fresh ears and maybe compare it to a few similar tracks. Also I though that it didn't quite work going into the breakdown, perhaps you could find a way of making a smoother transition (although I did like the breakdown). Enjoyed it, though, well done.

[xstatic]

thanks dude much appreciated. i know what you mean about that transition, but im not sure what to do about it... ill try a few things out. could you be more specific about what is wrong with the mixdown? im just a bit puzzled about what you're getting at

[kiene]

thoroughly enjoyed that
but it doesnt feel like a finished track
to the average person/non-producer---this track would be nice for the first few bars then they'd play somethin else

[jeanblanc]

Well I was mainly unsure about the bass, it seems to cut through well in some part and then the lower parts don't and perhaps clashes a bit with the lower part of the pad sound (although I like the pad soound, so wouldn't want to mess with that much). I actually think that it might have a lot to do with the (lack of) quality of my speakers, and it's not something I'm particularly confident with myself, so I would not take too much notice of me in that respect!

[xstatic]

@kiene, ya i hear that. originally i had a sax lead come in after the first section loops and starts over, but i didn't like it enough, so i got rid of it. i might try and add something similar though, just to keep it interesting.

@jeanblanc, you might be right about the pad clashing with the bass. i didnt eq the pad, so i might go back and cut the low end out of it.

thanks for the feedback!

[phrex]

get your levels right. you should invest way more time in the mixup!

[xstatic]

@vulvavibration here's the thing: i don't know what it means for a level to be "right". i balance everything by ear, and i obviously tried to do it as best i could. i am certainly willing to invest more time in it, but if i don't know what im aiming for, all the time in the world isn't going to make a difference.

so yeah i appreciate the feedback, but it means basically nothing to me. a bit of elaboration would help

[phrex]

@vulvavibration here's the thing: i don't know what it means for a level to be "right". i balance everything by ear, and i obviously tried to do it as best i could. i am certainly willing to invest more time in it, but if i don't know what im aiming for, all the time in the world isn't going to make a difference.

so yeah i appreciate the feedback, but it means basically nothing to me. a bit of elaboration would help

listen to a lot of music (diverse - not strictly dubstep). listen to how the elements sit in the whole mix.
listen to a lot!

don't do mixup right after finishing arrangement/production. give your ears a daytime/nighttime rest - maybe some sleep.
mixup in a decent level. i do mixup at 85-90db which isn't much. (you don't have to get a db-meter to do this :p just keep the level of the monitors rather low)
you hear more sensible when it isn't loud! all about the details!
also try imagening a 3-dimensional room.. where would you want the drums/percs to be in that room?
sometimes it can accur that it isn't about the right volume only - also about the right EQing!
EQing is very important!

on what setup are you doing your mixup? get either monitors or HD-25 II (preferably monitors).

good luck&big up

[xstatic]

im not even totally sure what you mean by mixup to be honest haha. but that's some good advice all the same. i do all my producing on beyerdynamic dt 990. i don't have monitor speakers...

im guessing, by mixup, you just mean that stage when you go back and adjust all the levels and add eqing to make sure it's all balanced?

club cairo is a sick tune by the way!

[Aleckz]

pretty chilling but i prefer more action