To begin, here's a sample of the song in question that I'm working on. I've been using Cubase 4 for almost 6 months now, and I'd decided to focus on one project and try to complete my first song.

Anyways, here's the problem. I like this song's melody, but this song is not complete, something else needs to be happening in it. I've tried different leads and pads, but nothing seems to mesh or sound good. First of all, everything I try to layer in drowns out my existing melody. Or secondly, everything I've tried doesn't musically synergize with the existing melody. It just... does it's own thing, doesn't go together.

I really need ideas. Is there a reason why I'm seeing this phenomenon? I suspect that part of the problem is that the melody takes up the entire middle frequency range. I tried shifting it up an octave, but that made it sound crappy. Or is it still possible to drive another part right through that range, and it'll still work?

Or if anyone likes it enough to want to try something with it, I'll send the tracks and files... I'm just really frustrated now.

I need to finish something!

Have you been comparing it to other tracks that are similar? Can you EQ it so you can fit other elements into the track?

What about more percussion?

Seriously tho, I'd start by comparing similar tracks by pros and working out what they have and you don't and see if you can extract some ideas from them.

Either that or start work on something else, to give your mind a break. Before you do that though you should mix it down to a single track and once you've had a break, don't bring up your DAW, just listen to the mixdown and pretend you've never heard it before

I would say for one thing, some sidechain , You need like some stab hits, sweeping effects, somewhere but, not through the whole thing, like you said, some pads but, they gotta be right. And it is just my opinion, but, I think it should be speed up just a bit, like maybe 2 more bpm. Also, you say about something else in there with the melody but nothing fits, I would try maybe some higher pitched bells or just a different higher melody. You really need to experiment, do you have a keyboard? For me I will get to this point and this is where I have to use my midi keyboard and just jam along till I find something. But, it is a potentially good track, I know it is mp3, but to my ears it could use some eq but, maybe you are waiting to do that. anyways, just my 2 cents

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Some percussion transitions may help. It feels like the same loop over and over. You may try minimizing that melody you like and using that as an alternating melody. Muting it for the time being may help your creativity because you mentioned that you really like that melody... my experience is that when you like a particular sound too much, it distorts what you are hearing and stunts creativity. Try putting that particular meldody in just a small portion of the song and move on to the next portion... If a new sounds drowns out the existing melody, it may be a good thing.

yes sidechain everything... if your track isn't very good, this should fix the entire thing....

OH MY GOD

so somebody has been working on music for a few months and we're telling him to sidechain?

let's focus on the basics before we go to the holy grail of "i suck and i can't mix down my bottom end without this trick"

david

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quote:

Originally posted by davidbuhau yes sidechain everything... if your track isn't very good, this should fix the entire thing.... OH MY GOD so somebody has been working on music for a few months and we're telling him to sidechain? let's focus on the basics before we go to the holy grail of "i suck and i can't mix down my bottom end without this trick" david

...Yeah... I was thinking the same thing....
I understand the various uses of compression using a sidechained input, and it's even in there a little. But that strikes me as entirely irrelevant. Mixing does not save an ill-arranged track, and I haven't even bothered with mixing yet. Though, it's possible that it's the source of my problem, a simple cut here & boost there. I suspect it's instead a matter of being very full chords.

Maybe I didn't properly explain my predicament. I know it's repetative, I know it could use this or that fiddlybit trick to spicen it up, make it less repetative... But my primary concern is whether or not it's realistic to layer something on top of the melody synth. So far, all the different song elements I've made, which you're not hearing in the recording, crowds it out, drowns it out, doesn't go together.

I am starting to think it's not realistic, and I'll end up abbreviating it, and just use it as a smaller element somewhere in the song, as Ray_Chapell suggested(Thank you).

a) I was not trying to imply that sidechaining fixed everything, I was being somewhat sarcastic, and just commenting on the sound and what I might have done at this point. I never said sidechaining would fix his problems, it was merly a suggestion.

b) When I listened to it, I heard other melody's in my head that I thought could go over it, and that is why I said like a bell or something. Maybe a pluck but, not something that drowns everything out. You must just be very careful with mixing. If you don't mix it right then maybe you will not be able to fit another melody in. Personally I am mixing my tracks while I am composing and producing them. (that is just my way)And also to Dave's comment about MOK being noob, simply put I did not know he was a noob, I just thought he was stuck.


edit-----> I see now he said he wants to complete his first song, ok I guess you are somewhat noob. My apologies, I was high when I read it

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it's always good to have other low level stuff running along with your lead... in trance music, low level arpeggios are key to filling out the sound...

also pads, or sweeps, or little squeeky squeeks are good in any kind of music... but keep in mind that the lead is called the lead cuz it's the lead... ie the most prominant thing in the mix when it's playing... so running stuff "over" the lead is not really the answer... but stuff that compliments the lead is always a great idea...

just play around yo, rome wasn't built in a day...

david

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lolololol. the word sidechain is always a cue for sarcasm on this forum.

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I think sidechaining is a very handy tool, and why not teach a noob how to do that. It's pretty simple to do, and can solve a lot of low-end problems.

But that's not the discussion. I think your track sounds pretty empty, there isn't much going on in it. Try using some FX samples during the track to make it more 'living'. Or take a atmospheric sound and put it on the background, that really fills up your track.

p.s. I love Sidechaining (although I don't use it that much)

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quote:

Originally posted by MOK Maybe I didn't properly explain my predicament. I know it's repetative, I know it could use this or that fiddlybit trick to spicen it up, make it less repetative... But my primary concern is whether or not it's realistic to layer something on top of the melody synth. So far, all the different song elements I've made, which you're not hearing in the recording, crowds it out, drowns it out, doesn't go together.

once again, of course you need other stuff going on dude

but be careful, try not to put too much other stuff in the same frequency range as the lead, cuz you don't wanna wash out or muddy up the most prominant element of your track

david

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