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dogcow

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So, I sorta have this track almost written but as you can tell the production sux :)

What am I doing wrong? I've tried everything I could think of but it still sounds awfull.

The track is a bit technoish, but I think I like how it ended up :) It aint completely finished yet but I can't make myself do anything with it until I get it to sound better.

http://members.chello.at/dogcow/dogcow%20-...%20soldiers.mp3

Hope that link above works out. Anyway, any suggestions/critics/tips would be well appreciated :)
 
yes, definitely there is something wrong with the production, because when I played it i was sure it was encoded in max 64kbps and 8bit resolution, but then I checked and it wasn't (192 kbps, 16bit). I don't know? maybe you should check some setings in the app where you render it to wav? does it sound the same in your sequencer?

and apart from that it's really interesting tune! not really my style, but the last two minutes are very good. but I think this kick doesn't really fit in, but that's only my opinion...
 
My first impressions were :

Layering - nice.
Variation - nice.
Choice of key (melodic stuff) - v. nice.

I'd say that the kick is wrong for the style and too far back (quiet) in the mix - it almost sounds like you've filtered out the frequencies that add 'kick' to the kick. Most kickdrums in psytrance (that I've heard) are fundamentally made by taking a low frequency waveform (say, a sine wave at 50Hz), then using a downward pitch bend and repeating to taste. (Google for 'Infected kickdrum tutorial' for a better explanation).

Would be interested to know what sequencer/instruments you're using...

J.
 
I'm using logic audio and sampling with exs. The sounds come from my beatmachine (quasimidi) and the waldorf pulse. Its all sampled and then played back via exs and then just bounced into wav. Then I converted the wav into mp3.

Yes, it sound the same coming out of logic :(
 
oh yeah, the kick. its the old goa style kick. I like it :) It doesnt have much in the upper freqs but it has lots of bass :)
 
Your call. :)

I'll give it a listen through some proper speakers this evening and see if it's just the headphones I'm using at work - it's just sounding a bit 'muddy' to me.

'Course, as it's your tune and not mine, it's none of my business! :lol:

J.
 
yeh, i tried different things with the hats. i can get them nice and crispy if i turn up the cut off and res on them but they sort of loose a lot in the flow. i cant quite describe it but they just sorta end up sounding separate from the rest of the tune.

its the same thing wih the kick and the bline. if i get it to sound clean (sorta) then it looses in the flow. maybe i'm just used to how this version sounds and everything else sounds funny now. I've done a few other versions too but i like this one best. i would upload the alternative version too but my isp only lets me have 10megs webspace :(

thanks for your comments tho :)
 
Well, well, well.

You CERTAINLY have the potential. Ideas wise this is awesome!

I reckon if you sort out the kick, you'll have won the battle, and everything else will sort itself out... I reckon at the mo, you are having to compensate on everything else for the kick??? Some weird psychomatic thing that i do myself.

Kick drums give me the most problems in my productions myself, but here goes..

Change the decay on the kick - make it much shorter, and get some snap into it! Make sure that it has minimal bass frequencies. Then make a second kick which is all sub, and shove underneath the first.

Once you've sorted out the kick, i reckon this track will be well on its way! Good luck man, and keep us informed - you have great potential. Don't give up!
 
hey wow, thanks for the praise man :D

I'll try to do the kick thing. It makes sense :) I could do the snap thingy on top and see if I can have long sub under it. Or did you mean it would be better to have a short kick in there all together? I like how this kick sorta pushes you forward and I think its cos its a long one. But, seeing as everyone says the kick has to go, I'll try the layering tip like you said and see what happens. Something has to change in the track to make the sound better. Might as well start with the kick :)

cheers
 
IME once you've got the kick, other stuff tends to fall into place quite rapidly.

Then you go and layer a load of stuff over it, and you can lose the quality of the kick if you're not careful (this was where I used to *frequently* go wrong). So then you save a copy out, solo the kick, then add in the rest of the tracks one at a time, setting a good level relative to the kick (and as you progress, the other sounds) as you go.

If you're on x86(PC), you might be able to brighten up the hi-hats a bit with this:

http://www.rgcaudio.com/downloads/freeware.../hfstimdx10.exe

made by the guys who made Z3ta+, Pentagon I and all that jazz...

Failing that I'm sure Logic's got some pretty good stuff for that hidden away somewhere...

Speakafreaka's right about the potential - your noggin's coming up with some good stuff, so that's the hardest bit done already - now you've just got to get yer hands dirty. :)

J.
 
The length kick isn't the problem.

The body of the kick, which i think you are using as an attack section (the slidy down bit of the kick) should slide down faster, have more sliding from higher to lower, and be pitched higher. imo. This would free up room in the mix as well. Try general (and gentle) eq boosts at around 2000hz to increase the click of the kick, which will allow you to push the kick further back in the mix, without it getting lost.

The sub can be as long as you like, but make sure it isn't fucking up the bass line. Uncompromising compression can help here. Don't be shy! - Squash it! If you want that low sweepy kick sound, this is the place to look.

As i have already said - kick drums give me big problems, and i am certainly not the most authoritative source around these parts... I may well have got bits of this wrong, but this is where i'm at in my own productions at the mo.

again - good luck
 
grrr....
:wacko: :wacko: :wacko:
okay.

buy computer music.

grab cm505 of the front cover, and proceed with above advice.

if you don't want to use computer music...

head over to the k-v-r vst site, and grab either drumatic or ers drums. :rolleyes:
:)
 
Actually, I'm using a beatmachine by quasimidi called raveolution 309. The drums are good but the machine really produces a lot of hiss so I have to cut off the highs a bit after I sample the sounds. That takes the bite off the kick too though.

What i plan to do after I get home from work is take this kick I already have, low pass it and then take another kick, high pass it and then compress them together.

Thats the plan anyway. Need to find the right combo tho.

I tried that plugin by rgcaudio before I went to work this morning and it sounds brilliant. Crispy hats within 10secs. Thanks a ton for that link :) I'm sure it works on other stuff too but I havent had time to try it.
 
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