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-- 2 months In hoping for some advice/feedback

2 months In hoping for some advice/feedback

I am just in the process of finishing my first 'track' (I use the term loosely)
There is bound to be plenty wrong with it as I only started 2 months ago but instead of just bumming around making loops and half finished crap wanted to get something done asap even if it is just a noob tune instead of striving to sound like a pro from the off, there is some stuff I want to change that I am not happy with even for that standard and I was going to do most of that before letting anyone hear it but would probably just end up getting sick of it and ditching it all together.

Its pretty basic I ain't tried to do anything clever, (I have barely listened to any EDM for last 4/5 years since quitting dj'ing so its probably very dated sounding and I aint tried to sound like anyone I have just gone with the flow and seen what came out) there is a few basic effects but I haven't learned much on that front yet and not looked into mixing/mastering etc so none of that's been done yet.

its all done in reason on a 7 year old pc and some pc speakers which makes it hard to judge the sound in any real depth but I can tell it needs a fair bit of work all round.

Anyways instead of being a fanny and not putting it up for fear of getting ripped to shreds until it was ''done'' I thought I would just get it up and see if I can get some pointers and see If I am on the right tracks, you have to start somewhere or you will go nowhere.



Edit to add
when I have just listened to it on sc after uploading it on my laptop downstairs on some shitty earphones there seems to be some kind of click in my drum loops and its soudning a bit like being ice picked in the ears which it didn't in reason so not sure if that's the shitty laptop or something I have done wrong when ripping ot from reason

and that place to start is the forum where everyone else seems to post their stuff.


a side note

Don't give a pre-emptive reason to explain why it may suck. All you are doing is taking away any sort of ownership of your work. You should expect to be judged as is in the current state given you were a professional.

Otherwise, you will get , not bad for a noob. And that is not going to help you.

I din't want to post it in their as I thought that was more for promoting yourself/tracks and I wouldn't say its even close being classed on that level

Take your point about explaining why it may suck though pal, I just thought it only fair to pre warn people who have sensitive ears

why ?

when i read it, it reads like an excuse. Take ownership. When you deal with the criticism, you know how long you have been up to it.

A tip in asking for advice. Be specific. Because just saying what do you think, you invite assholes, and hey i've done it, that will say it fucking blows. So be very specific in what you want appraised. Don't ask if it is good. That is about as useful as someone saying it sucks

in fact shitty is about as useful as good. In fact saying something is good is probably the least helpful thing someone can say. At least shitty means you have something to work on if you get the details why.

I've been rather cruel to some people. And it really has to do with the way they ask. And where they ask. I would of posted it in the other forum first. Then if nothing, as a last resort and explain that.

But as it is....

That sound at :31 (and throughout the track) sounds pretty awkward, lol.
Wouldn't say it sucks, but it sounds weird.

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney why ? when i read it, it reads like an excuse. Take ownership. When you deal with the criticism, you know how long you have been up to it. A tip in asking for advice. Be specific. Because just saying what do you think, you invite assholes, and hey i've done it, that will say it fucking blows. So be very specific in what you want appraised. Don't ask if it is good. That is about as useful as someone saying it sucks in fact shitty is about as useful as good. In fact saying something is good is probably the least helpful thing someone can say. At least shitty means you have something to work on if you get the details why. I've been rather cruel to some people. And it really has to do with the way they ask. And where they ask. I would of posted it in the other forum first. Then if nothing, as a last resort and explain that. But as it is....

cheers fella appreciate you taking the time to reply and the advice

I guess I was just looking for general feedback on where I am on the right and wrong tracks and see if it matches up with what I am already thinking, also what it sounds like on some proper decent monitors, (ie which sounds are close and which ones need lots of work on the eq/mixing front) I noticed a fair people whacking a load of loops together and calling it a tune but wanted to try and write my own chords/melodies/drum loops etc instead of that.
I know I need to look into synthesis tons more before I can get exactly the sounds I want, for instance I like stuff with a darker edge while still being emotive/melodic but struggled to get any dark edge in this one.

quote:

Originally posted by fredjan That sound at :31 (and throughout the track) sounds pretty awkward, lol. Wouldn't say it sucks, but it sounds weird.

Yeah its one of the things I was thinking about changing, I change my mind with it on each listen, kind of stumbled on it when making my drum loop and it seemed to work at first as was just trying to add a bit of life to it. more curious as to if people think the parts of the track work such as melody, what I could improve in general regarding arrangement, if the sounds mix well and what I could look at more closely before I finish it off.

production isnt too bad, the percs dont seem to fit the track right, they seem to stick out a bit, not dying about the melody

So youve made that track. Time to start a new one

Is that your African Grey? Those birds are amazing

Track is alright doesn't have much to say for itself but at least it's not obnoxious, and I do like the little breakdown. I would say stop making music until you get a decent monitoring setup

quote:

Originally posted by meriter Is that your African Grey? Those birds are amazing Track is alright doesn't have much to say for itself but at least it's not obnoxious, and I do like the little breakdown. I would say stop making music until you get a decent monitoring setup

Yeah mate, well was at least, sadly he passed away a couple of weeks ago had him since I was a little un so was/am Gutted, you are right they are utterly amazing so much character (used to dance around to tunes,swear pretend to be a cat..all sorts) I would say the best pet you can ever have, but they are much more than a pet, but yeah it was part of the reason I was determined to get it done, helped take my mind of stuff as well and convey a bit of emotion..hopefully but need to work on that.

thanks for the feedback pal, Not going to stop though as could be a long time till I have an ideal set up as out of work at moment and it keeps me out of trouble, I'll just hook up my old dj monitors in meantime If I can find somewhere to put them.

quote:

Originally posted by evo8 production isnt too bad, the percs dont seem to fit the track right, they seem to stick out a bit, not dying about the melody So youve made that track. Time to start a new one

Thanks for the advice about the percs, time to play around with them a bit

Yep will be doing that asap.

My main point is not to get too hung up on this track, just take what uve learned from this track and move on to the next one, you can end up going round and round in circles when the track isnt worth it

Thanks for the replies so far, decided it was some way off what I wanted so have totally remade the track over the weekend and wrote a different melody which kind of came from nowhere just felt the original was kind of lame after a few more listens and it didn't convey what I wanted at all

Anyway pretty happy with it for a first track, still not finished few things I want to tweek and no mix down/mastering as not learnt that yet (dont even know If i can in just reason?)

Hope someone enjoys it

I quite enjoyed the listen, it has some emotional playing style to it. Long way to go of course, hope you can tough out the journey your'e embarking on.

How come the kick sounds so weak, the bottom end needs some serious turning up.. other then that nice melody. Keep at it!

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Butler I quite enjoyed the listen, it has some emotional playing style to it. Long way to go of course, hope you can tough out the journey your'e embarking on.

Glad you enjoyed it buddy, and really happy you felt some emotion was evident, that's the main thing for me, far more than the technical side which imo seems to be where a lot of the newer producers seems to center their attentions (getting a pro sound rather than making something from the heart, you can tell it a mile off)
Yep a very very long way to go but pretty happy with progress so far...well some days at least, others feel like I am banging my head against the wall.

Aye should not be a problem, had a few much tougher journeys along the way so this should be a piece of piss (apart from the moment I realize nobody likes the music I put my heart and soul into and fall into a pit of depression)

quote:

Originally posted by Whip_lash How come the kick sounds so weak, the bottom end needs some serious turning up.. other then that nice melody. Keep at it!

To be honest I am not quite sure, struggling with the bottom end a bit due to shit monitors, listened on a couple of different speakers and it sounds ok-ish on some, have tried to a bit of a mix down so will upload that one, need to look into mixing and mastering though, thought it would be best to concentrate on other things first.

thanks for the feedback though pal


Also I let a couple of mates who have been producing for around a year have a listen and they said it ''sounded strange'', and '' I think it goes on a bit and needs separating properly to define where the bars are'' not sure I get what they mean about the bars, they make hard house though so maybe they are just used to all tunes following same formula

ever hear of the 10,000 hour rule??

it really just comes down to alot of practice.. workijng and re-working your techniques as you get better and better... of course this only takes care of the fit-and-finish of a track... as posted above, what many budding producers seem to lose track of is that the most important thing is to make *good* music... anyone can bang out a copy of the latest style track but that doesnt translate to making something memorable...

just keep at it...

Think I have heard it mentioned pal yeah, is it a theory on how long it takes to become good/proficient at something ? or along those lines

I can deal with that, I am one lazy fuck at times but total opposite when its something I am into and my heart is in I suddenly develop drive and a thirst for knowledge, been at it 10 weeks now and would say put in 500 hours or so give or take, loving the learning, how to compose stuff etc some of the more production orientated goes over my head at moment because there is so much to take in so tend to move onto things my brain will absorb easier (pretty hard as when I read stuff I very often seem to read eg a few pages and then think ''what the fuck have I just read'', like I have read it but not been taking anything in

First track above I just wanted to get opinions on the actual musicality of it as in am I on the right tracks composing a melody/basslines/chords etc, does it work at a basic level or am one of these guys who bangs out the most awful shit you could imagine yet deluded enough to think it sounds good.
didn't really focus on the technical side as I am thinking get the basics right first (how to actually make/write a tune) and move onto the more technical side gradually as I go along picking stuff up along the way (ie using effects and having a clue why I am using them)

New track I am working on I have just wrote the melody/chords/drum pattern/bassline but struggling fitting them all together, well the pads mainly, the rest sound sweet together (to me at least) but stick the pads in and its great..until the melody comes in where it sounds superfuckingwank, so now I am trying to learn about why and how to resolve it if possible, which I seem a bit limited by in reason4 but thats probs just cause I don't know what tools to use for the best at moment (only started working on this today)

so basically next track I am trying to work more on the production side and practice making it sound less like its been banged out by ..erm.. me

I actually think this is really nice. Definitely sounds much better than the tracks I was making 2 months in.

I don't really think the kick needs fattening up and such. Not every track needs to be a dancefloor banger. This reminds me of some of the more ambient progressive tracks of the late 90s.

quote:

Originally posted by david.michael I actually think this is really nice. Definitely sounds much better than the tracks I was making 2 months in. I don't really think the kick needs fattening up and such. Not every track needs to be a dancefloor banger. This reminds me of some of the more ambient progressive tracks of the late 90s.

Cheers pal, really glad to hear a few people enjoyed it.
Long long way to go but happy with the start, Think I need to start really studying synthesis as I am having no problems writing melodies, bass lines, strings etc, but getting the sound I want for the melody etc I am struggling with a lot more, Guess that will come with experience.

If you have no problems adding melodies why don't you add some more to make the song more complex and interesting to listen to? If synthesis is keeping you from doing this I suggest you start reverse-engineering presets from your favourite synth.

Pretty bad, but decent considering it's 2 months of work. Try showing us again after about 6 months to a year, to save us having to listen to such a poor quality track. No feedback is going to replace time spent practicing.

quote:

Originally posted by Evolve140 Pretty bad, but decent considering it's 2 months of work. Try showing us again after about 6 months to a year, to save us having to listen to such a poor quality track. No feedback is going to replace time spent practicing.

Cheers for the feedback, which elements would you say are ''poor quality'' ie production/composition etc or parts of the track such as bass/melody/drums etc

I am practicing 4-10 hours a day but mostly on composition (as I had never wrote a melody/bassline etc etc or had any idea of music theory until I started) just starting to learn more about synthesis and sound design as well slowly.
actual production techniques/skills I am mostly leaving till later apart from what I learn along the way.

quote:

Originally posted by Greeny1210 Cheers for the feedback, which elements would you say are ''poor quality'' ie production/composition etc or parts of the track such as bass/melody/drums etc

This sort of question is very difficult to provide a meaningful answer to. Essentialy your musical ideas are ok, nothing outstanding yet, and the sounds themselves are a long way off (you acknowledge the technical side you have yet to really embark on).

So to zero in on your original question about the musicality, you have an ok bit of jamming if you like, but remember, there are a million organ and Yamaha keyboard players that could jam, and indeed play very well. How can you separate your output / achievment from thiers?


So your agenda for me would be to turn from a noodler / busker and into a producer. Most people I think don't ever achieve this fully.

It has a lot to do with selections. Knowing how to make a killer hook with just the right sound ( a killer hook in itself is nothing without the right sound to 'breath life into it'). People often say to me that a great melody is a great melody, and yes it can be if the original sounded just right, but I used to buy these crappy immitations of Jarres music done by organ player types, and they sounded terrible and would never in thier own right have been a sucess inspite of the great melodies they contained. A good melody is thus typically a function of the soundscape it originally used. Afrer that melody then hits the pysche, it will sound good even on a penny whistle.


In a word, producing is ablout class. Listeners won't know about subs and reverbs, but they insticntively recognise class.

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