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Originally posted by MoN-SooN damn I focused on analyzing tracks and didn't express my personal feeling about this set. It is like 8.5/10 for me. I am going to keep it on my HD!

Thanks for you brutal honesty. If that is truly how you feel then that just means I have to push my game up a notch for my next mix which is probably going to be progressive house. I don't expect you to like that one because I know you're more of trance man at heart.

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Originally posted by djmetatron The next couple tracks were nice and consistent and had a purpose but I think they may have been a little to uninteresting to the listener. Roads is such a beautiful tune but I think that somehow it's power didn't come across at this point. I can't put my finger on it though.....This mix may be too consistent and could have used some variety. Anyway hope that helps. Very suprising that I would say one of your set's is too chill as I believe that you've knocked me for that in the past.

That was spot on metatron. The reason my mix seemed too consistent is because a little planning went it to the making of my mix and out of all the listeners you're the only one that caught that. Thanks for your review and for the next time I'll try to be more spontaneous and free with my mixing instead of so robotic.

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Originally posted by Sanjoy wow, nice set! I love the songs, and the mixing too, especially in the first 40min..! -That part of the set is just so beautiful.. But the rest of the set is also really good..! The only thing I didn't like that much, was the transition from novocaine to saltwater.. It isn't bad, but.. It sounds like the transition is a bit out of tune.. the pitch in the two songs doesn't match each other.. (I'm not sure if I'm using the correct words/expressions here, but I hope you understand what I mean..) But except for that, I really liked your set and I will definitely listen to it agian..!

I'm very happy to hear this, you really made my day with those comments. As for the pitch between the Novocaine and Saltwater tracks you're right it is slightly off because I was more or less taking advantage of the bass of those 2 tracks since they had the same structure musically as opposed to the melody which I ignored.

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Originally posted by Arraias ok ... awesome mix ... amazing selection of tunes ... only for Saltwater this mix goes to my favs ... I'm not a mixer expert ... but this mix is really well worked ... congratulations ...

I am honored that you enjoyed my mix. Thanks for listening!

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Originally posted by stevieboy32808 in reply to djmetatron That was spot on metatron. The reason my mix seemed too consistent is because a little planning went it to the making of my mix and out of all the listeners you're the only one that caught that. Thanks for your review and for the next time I'll try to be more spontaneous and free with my mixing instead of so robotic.

lol, in fact i was trying to talk about that consistency and a main theme in my first post here. But I was in a rush so I didn't express it directly and therefore my gibberish wasn't clear enough Also stevieboy was a bit disappointed with my raw remarks thinking I don't like the set... damn, I suck in this thread

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My recent collaboration mix: Crosswinds (with DJ Metatron)

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Originally posted by MoN-SooN Also stevieboy was a bit disappointed with my raw remarks thinking I don't like the set... damn, I suck in this thread

Don't feel bad or compelled to like my set because we're colleagues. You would actually be doing me a disservice. I'd much rather hear the truth even if it is negative because it's from the negative remarks that you learn from the best. If you would have given me a 1/10 I would have accepted that. Don't worry about my feelings, I'm a big boy I can take it.

But it is not compelling. I just didn't express myself well in the first post. 8.5/10 is fair and objective.

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My recent collaboration mix: Crosswinds (with DJ Metatron)

Just finished downloading. Good to see you spend ALOT of time digging through all the mainstream music out there to find the gold. Thorough review to come soon.

01) Nice atmospheric opening with those vocals. Loving those high taps at 1:29. 2:42 -- Nicely building here and a soothing melody that kicks at 2:57. 5:40 -- The melody changes here, not liking this part. Seems all too familiar. This track is well over 8mins which seems to drag on a little too long. Good track nonetheless and a very solid opener.

02) 8:58 -- Heard the bass immediately hit. You should have cut the bass on track 1 at 8:51 as I can hear both bass' giving that shoes in the dryer effect. 9:21 -- Final transition worked great but bass needed to be louder at 9:35. This track was seemed quite bland to me even though it has a nice bass. Quite repetitive throughout. I'd use this song as a break song throughout a hard hitting set.

03) 14:43 -- Transition was fairly good here. But once again I would have completely cut the bass on track 2 as its too heavy and sounds quite distorted. 15:32 -- Too much of an abrupt bass cut here. This song had a nice piano melody and it follows suit perfectly with track 2 but it still has a very standard feel to it and doesn't grab my attention and hold on. 18:08 -- Nice break here and the vocals work great.

04) Now this is what I like to hear where the tracks almost completely melt together. XLNT transition with a very dominating bassline that comes in at 20:48. Final transition at 21:17. This track has a very nice kick to it right from the get go, I like I like. 22:15 -- Loving this buildup here with those high taps that kick in. Winner in my books.

05) 25:22 -- XLNT transition. Basslines are matched perfectly but you should have turned down tracks 4 bass to let track 5 dominate the transition. You turned the bass down slowly around 25:30 but then abruptly cut the bassline too much at 25:45. In this situation since track 4's bass was still overpowering track 5 I would have left it the way it was until the final transition at 25:51. 26:49 -- Lovely melody here. Very soothing to say the least that has that moody element to it.

06) 28:45 -- Very very rough transition here. Waaay too much going on in this transition. 29:13 -- Final bass transition here. Should have done this earlier on right at 28:45. Fairly good melody throughout the song but just seems far too familiar.

07) 33:23 -- Bass comes in here. 33:51 -- I would have made the final transition right here instead of dragging on the last song as it songs too overcrowded with track 6's highs. 34:20 -- Final transition ending here. 36:15-37: -- Loving this nice break with that guitar melody echoing in the backround. This track seemed fairly standard until the break. Has a very emotional feel after the break when it kicks at 37:41.

08) 39:36 -- Transitioning here. 39:52 -- Shoes in the dryer. This track starts off great. XLNT melody. Ah yes, taking another at your tracklist it is the classic Saltwater. 41:44 -- Now I remember why I didn't like this track in the past, those vocals just don't cut it for me.

09) 47:26 -- Bass transition works good here. Far too drastic of a flow change at 48:08. You went from very soft melodies to a very hard track. I'm guessing that was what you were trying to do to switch things up but didn't work for me.

10) 54:24 -- XLNT transition. See, now all you had to do was slowly lower the bass like you did here in track 9 and then boom bring in the next track. Now, I must say I absolutely love Tilt's remix of The Loves We Lost but I'm not a fan of the original. However, I LOVE the kick at 56:15 which makes this track much more enjoyable. The intro of the track just doesn't grab my attention like the last half. Vocals are sooo nice and soothing which start that break of 57:39. That whiny sounding melody is absolutely to die for at 58:24. Reminds me of a very nice trippy remix from Blade Runner.

11) 60:39 -- Nice bass transition to start but once again you need to just completely cut the previous track out so its a nice clean transition. Final bass transition at 61:49 is very good but you should have completely cut track 10 instead of letting it run out at 62:02. This has a XLNT vocal with a nice end of the night feel to it. As if you just finished dancing your partypants off for hours on end and need a nice relaxing beat to conlclude your clubbing experience.

Conclusion:

You started and ended your mix so well but I must say although you have searched through the 80+ pages of Beatports archive I found that most of these tracks you've selected were mediocre at best. They seem to carry the same theme most productions do making it seem all too familiar. Your flow was XLNT to say the least except near the end where it took a drastic change from track 8 to 9. I think you needed to have another filler track in between 8 & 9 in order for it to progress efficiently. Your mixing is where I think needs the most improvement. Whilst, you are quite good at keeping your levels up to par your bass transitions are far from smooth giving the listener that constant shoes in the dryer effect. You are however fairly good at matching the basslines themselves, its just transitioning the basslines where you need to improve on which is simply a matter of cutting one bass completely so it doesn't sounddistorted. The overall feel to the set was nice but I think since most of the set it was quite mellow you should have kept it that way instead of going into the harder tracks at 9 & 10.

Drum roll...

Mixing/Beatmatching -- 7.5/10
Track Selection -- 7/10
Flow -- 8.5/10

The Set -- 7/10

The key thing I gripe about in almost every mix is usually the flow. As stated, you do a very good job at keeping the pace going which is a skill most people are not aware of. It is crucial for people to understand that no matter how good you are at beatmatching, unless the set is structured so it flows nicely you will simply fall on your face everytime. Now your track selection could have been far better but I see why you've chosen to compile this mix the way it is and thats simply because each track compliments eachother nicely. Nevertheless, Beatport always has some stellar tracks... they are just hiding. All the underground talented productions is where its at. You just have to keep digging through the sh!t to find the gold. In this case, the tracks you've selected are far from being bad, they just did not grab my attention like I had hoped. All in all I still enjoyed your mix but I had high hopes reading your initial comment of 80+ pages of Beatport -- I'll have to give this a few more listens and see if my comments need to be edited but for now just keep at it as you've got a skill not many people have and that is what I stress the most, flow. Once your mixing is perfected you will definately be a DJ to look out for in the future.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to review my latest set. Your feedback was XLNT in my previous Hauseh mix and hit the spot dead on. Eternal Darkness has far more energy and as you suggested, pick up the pace which is what I have done in my latest mix.

Ciao 8^)

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Originally Posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) 01)…This track is well over 8mins which seems to drag on a little too long. Good track nonetheless and a very solid opener. Seems all too familiar… 02…This track was seemed quite bland to me even though it has a nice bass. Quite repetitive throughout… 06) Fairly good melody throughout the song but just seems far too familiar.

You’re the third person after Metatron and Mon-Soon to say that. I’ll practice being more free and liberated with my mixing instead of being so uptight and robotic. I did plan a little for this set which may account for the few hints of monotony throughout my set or ‘too familiar’ as you put it.

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Originally Posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) 07)…as it songs too overcrowded with track 6's highs. 08) -- Shoes in the dryer [again]. Part of Conclusion Whilst, you are quite good at keeping your levels up to par your bass transitions are far from smooth giving the listener that constant shoes in the dryer effect…..Your mixing is where I think needs the most improvement. You are however fairly good at matching the basslines themselves, its just transitioning the basslines where you need to improve on which is simply a matter of cutting one bass completely so it doesn't sounddistorted.

Yes, I agree, the eq'ing is not my best strength, but that’s because I mix with this: http://i6.tinypic.com/14eco5h.jpg

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Originally Posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) 09) Far too drastic of a flow change at 48:08. You went from very soft melodies to a very hard track. I'm guessing that was what you were trying to do to switch things up but didn't work for me.

I have to disagree with you on this one. This was my intention and in fact one of my favorite parts of the mix which I wouldn’t have changed for the world. That is just my style. I mix a little different, yes, but that’s what makes you and me unique.

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Originally Posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) 11) 60:39 -- Nice bass transition to start but once again you need to just completely cut the previous track out so its a nice clean transition. Final bass transition at 61:49 is very good but you should have completely cut track 10 instead of letting it run out at 62:02. This has a XLNT vocal with a nice end of the night feel to it. As if you just finished dancing your partypants off for hours on end and need a nice relaxing beat to conlclude your clubbing experience.

I’m surprised you actually like this part. I thought this was my worst transition in terms of equalization. The beatmatching is tight but the bass is way too loud from both tracks. Unfortunately I lack an eq. to correct such a problem. Creative-wise I thought it was mint.

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Originally Posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) You started and ended your mix so well but I must say although you have searched through the 80+ pages of Beatports archive I found that most of these tracks you've selected were mediocre at best.

To be honest if I had the chance to turn back time I would have changed the first 30 minutes. As you and previous people have stated it was too consistent and I thought that’s what brought about the mediocrity in my track selection. Also I probably would have kept the first track but mixed in different tunes after that.

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Originally Posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) I think you needed to have another filler track in between 8 & 9 in order for it to progress efficiently.

Not a big fan of filler, sorry.

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Originally Posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) The overall feel to the set was nice but I think since most of the set it was quite mellow you should have kept it that way instead of going into the harder tracks at 9 & 10. Drum roll... Mixing/Beatmatching -- 7.5/10 Track Selection -- 7/10 Flow -- 8.5/10 The Set -- 7/10 -- I'll have to give this a few more listens and see if my comments need to be edited but for now just keep at it as you've got a skill not many people have and that is what I stress the most, flow. Once your mixing is perfected you will definately be a DJ to look out for in the future.

Your review does mean a lot and I thank you greatly for your input. I really am glad you listened and overall I will take everything into consideration and apply any necessary improvements.

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Originally Posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) I would greatly appreciate it if you could take the time to review my latest set. Your feedback was XLNT in my previous Hauseh mix and hit the spot dead on. Eternal Darkness has far more energy and as you suggested, pick up the pace which is what I have done in my latest mix.

I actually already listened to it quite some time ago and all I remember was not being pleased with your mix so I refrained from posting anything at all. Most of the time I find myself giving nothing but negative feedback here in the DJ Promo section and I don’t want people to get the wrong impression of me so I try to balance out all my comments accordingly. But I will listen again and many times over to get the true feel of what you were trying to go for and return you a proper review.

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Originally posted by stevieboy32808 Yes, I agree, the eq'ing is not my best strength, but that’s because I mix with this: http://i6.tinypic.com/14eco5h.jpg

Damn stevie, its no wonder. Do you do all of your mixing on that program? If that IS the case you will run into the same problem I did in the past and that is why its impossible to have perfect transitions because you can not turn one bass down on one track while turning the other up or like I suggested you can't cut one bass real quick because you can only click one thing at a time. If you love DJing in software you should check out Virtual DJ. Not sure if you've tried it before but its what I use and it can be quite powerful. Now mind you I only use the software now to load and play the songs, everything else is hardware based. I'll see if I have a pic somewhere I can post to show you my setup.

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I’m surprised you actually like this part. I thought this was my worst transition in terms of equalization. The beatmatching is tight but the bass is way too loud from both tracks. Unfortunately I lack an eq. to correct such a problem. Creative-wise I thought it was mint.

Yes thats what I meant to say is that your beatmatching was XLNT here but the bass was LOUD which is why I said you need to cut the bass on the other track so its a "clean" transition. Of course we can always improve on our levels but I took your intial comment in your first post and disregarded how loud it was going to be since I expected it.

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Not a big fan of filler, sorry.

Probably using the wrong term here. I more or less mean another track that builds up to the harder beat. Something half and half, not too hard not too melodicy and not too soft... just right :P

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I actually already listened to it quite some time ago and all I remember was not being pleased with your mix so I refrained from posting anything at all. Most of the time I find myself giving nothing but negative feedback here in the DJ Promo section and I don’t want people to get the wrong impression of me so I try to balance out all my comments accordingly. But I will listen again and many times over to get the true feel of what you were trying to go for and return you a proper review.

stevieboy, I'm exactly the same was as you as far style is concerned. We ALL have our only little unique blend of sounds. Not everyone will like what we mix no matter how good we think we did. Its simply a matter of personal preference. The reason I do my reviews the way I do them is to give the person an idea of exactly why I didn't like a certain part of the set or why I loved it... but that will ALWAYS be MY personal preference as to what I THINK sounds "good". But as far as critiquing is concerned and since you say you give negative feedback most of the time then simply do what I do and critique the persons technical skills rather than the mix itself. This is where I leave my bias aside and give them my full attention. Im far from being great at the technical aspect of DJing, but I know how to structure my sets so that it does have a nice flow. So please, don't be afraid to leave some negative feedback, but do try to be unbiased towards the techincal side of things (mixing, beatmatching and flow). Track selection is a different story. I already know for a fact judging but your initial comment that you just simply don't like that darker type of house/trance music...

Anyways, I've finished my rant and I hope that you don't take me TOO seriously as far as my review is concerned. Look at the technical aspect of my review moreso than the track selection because I will always have my bias, as is with everyone else. 8^)

Good set overall, good tunes I've never heard before so thats always a plus.
However, one complaint i have is that everytime a song moves into the climax where all the different elements come together, you seem to lower the volume? It's almost anti-climatic in it's own sense, and you do it for almost every tune.

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The time flies. The time flies feed on rotting clocks.