Registered: Jul 2002
Location: Orlando, Florida, US
Vocal Trance - How NOT to make it cheesy?
Ok there is some really good trance with vocals, but a majority of it is TOTAL CHEZ. DJs and producers listen up, cause I want to start a discussion on exactly how to make your songs CHEESE FREE. First off, let us analyze a few examples:
Not cheese:
Coast 2 Coast - Home
Oakenfold - Southern Sun
Chicane - Autumn Tactics, Saltwater
Traveller In Motion - Believe (key south rmx)
Sholan - Can You Feel
Total Cheese:
Solid Sessions - Janeiro
Fragma - Toca Me (vocal mix) - my vote for the absolute worst vocal mix ever. Way to ruin a decent instrumental.
Lange - I Believe
Iio - Rapture
Motorcycle - as the rush comes
ATB - Let You Go
Ok so what do the non-cheesy tracks have in common that makes them not cheesy?
1) Lyrical Integrity
2) Lyrical Integrity
3) Lyrical Integrity - the most important way to make your song not cheesy. Some "professional" tracks have lyrics that sound like something off the notebook of that weird depressed girl in 7th grade who wrote "really deep" poetry (in reality it was just gay).
4) Subtle, non-obvious melodies - it seems like the best trance tunes have rather subtle melodies. They are usually a bit complex as well, not cheesy 3-5 note main melodies repeated ad-nausem. And most of all, DO NOT make your vocal melody exactly match your music main-melody.
5) Non-repetitive - a lot of vocal samples and melody lines are repeated WAY TOO MUCH. Break that cheesy verse-chorus-verse formula too. The most interesting songs usually do this.
6) Lyrics that can be interpreted in a variety of ways - the lyrics of the best songs (of any genre) can usually be interpreted in many ways. They dont really make any specific statement or message.
Anyway, anyone care to add more way to make songs not cheesy? Or to elaborate on the list of CHEESE and NON-CHEESE tracks?
Yeah, the lyrics to IIO - Rapture are very chees3h, BUT, the singer's voice makes it so fucking good. The instrumental part is also very different from other cheesy tracks. (none of that stereotypical supersaw etc.)
May-13-2004 20:41
mcdpitt
white knight two
Registered: May 2003
Location: Dayton, OH
i think the lange is a non cheese classic...from isos 1. love that track...
add grace - not over yet for non cheesy imo
May-13-2004 21:03
Wretched
adsf
Registered: May 2003
Location: Oregon, USA
Take the whiny "Baaaaby" out of Oceanlab - Satellite
May-13-2004 21:09
Stephenox
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Dallas, TX TA #34
quote:
Originally posted by Ory
Yeah, the lyrics to IIO - Rapture are very chees3h, BUT, the singer's voice makes it so fucking good. The instrumental part is also very different from other cheesy tracks. (none of that stereotypical supersaw etc.)
+1 Definitely agreeing with that. IMO, same can be said with Svenson and Gielen's remix of Delerium's After All. The lyrics in that song are really cheesy/sentimental, but the production is a masterpiece, and the effects on the vocals really touch it up. I love the bass in that song (even if it is kinda simple)... pads are very very nice as well.
Originally posted by Froofy-D
Total Cheese:
Solid Sessions - Janeiro
Motorcycle - as the rush comes
Shame on you.
May-13-2004 21:35
montana
dub come save me
Registered: Mar 2003
Location: södertälje. sweden
quote:
Originally posted by Wretched
Take the whiny "Baaaaby" out of Oceanlab - Satellite
word, and possibly change the vocalist to someone that can sing
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May-13-2004 21:38
DjSimonB
Convergence
Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Glasgow
Re: Vocal Trance - How NOT to make it cheesy?
quote:
Originally posted by Froofy-D
Not cheese:
Oakenfold - Southern Sun
Aye whatever
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May-13-2004 21:54
sharpeye00
b-1 massiv
Registered: Jan 2002
Location: Michigan
Re: Vocal Trance - How NOT to make it cheesy?
quote:
Originally posted by Froofy-D
Total Cheese:
Fragma - Toca Me (vocal mix) - my vote for the absolute worst vocal mix ever. Way to ruin a decent instrumental.
Motorcycle - as the rush comes
never call classics cheese. they may seem sorta dull now but they had their day just like darude-sandstorm did.
May-13-2004 21:57
Tenshi
likes music
Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Mödling, Austria
i think you forgot cass & slide - perception (vocal mix) in your non-cheese category
May-13-2004 22:01
mndeg
;0
Registered: Aug 2002
Location: IL, United States
how come just because as the rush comes gets popular newbies are calling it cheese?
wtf
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