thanks heaps noform
noform said:
a few bits of criticism-
the bass is prominent at the wrong freqs... and the kick/bass/percussion could sit better. one tip i'd say is to grab a 1 bar loop from a favorite professionally produced track, add 1 bar of your track and get the production sounding similar. this is useful with basslines.
i've been experimenting with the interaction between bassline and kick quite a lot. i know an mp3 isn't going to give the best feedback but i've been fairly happy with the results on systems up to 12k - but haven't had a chance to listen on anything bigger yet... at the moment i'm trying to get the kick's sub to sit properly with the bass, which is a touch high in level i think.
-theres not enough constant sounds. one good thing which ties a track together is when you have 2 or 3 distinct sounds that you hear in the intro, and the middle, and the end. let the outro be inspired by the intro. how long did it take you to write this?
i understand what you're getting at here... but i actually prefer the more chaotic nature of the melodic strains running throughout. there are little hints of things past & things to come in the body of the track.
i'm not sure how long it took to write. i've been doing bits of it on and off for about 2 months now, but i don't get much time to focus on music right now.
-10:30 is a bit too long tbh, and most labels wouldnt put it on their compilation at that length. 9 minutes or so is really as long as you want to go if you're a new artist and you're planning to release on compilations.
firstly, i'm not bothered about compilation releases right now - i'm still fine-tuning my work before starting on a second album.
despite that, i'm aware that it's quite long - but one of my restrictions is that this is a live performance. all the guitars and violin parts were recorded live, and it's intended for use in my live set. i need the time to setup the different instruments, configure FX settings etc. whilst still leaving room for on-the-fly tweaking
about a minute or two needs to be chopped out - Barclay told me the same thing
i also felt that the last bit is maybe just a bit too mad. its hard to grab onto any one sound there and ride it... maybe simplify/harmonise it a little bit?
i think that's the nature of the beast to an extent. one of the greatest challenges for me personally is tying together all the different strains without losing focus or presence for any individual component, but it's also one of my strengths as a producer i think. sorting out sounds so that they work together better is definitely something i am working on, but broadly speaking it won't change much stylistically - i like the madness
and dont be afraid to raise the volume of the sounds. check out Liquid Souls remix of Freqs 'Strange Attractor' and check how loud he gets the sounds. the trick is to not have them clashing in their frequencies.
definitely. i always hesitate - probably because the EQing could be more precise throughout - which i think gives the bass too much presence. time to go back with a fine-tooth comb!
thanks again noform for a great & indepth piece of criticism... it's really helpful to hear things from another perspective, and every fresh set of ideas helps.
cheers man