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Sadface - Graduation [Techno-y Prog]
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| Sadface |
So, I finally graduated from Cal and I made a celebratory mix. It turned out really well so I figured I'd share it with you guys. Its kinda chuggy, techno-y prog house/trance with some nice melodic tracks as well as a few bangers. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!
Tracklist
1. Da Funk - Walking on Clouds (Original Mix)
2. Daniel Portman - Starwarrior (Chris Reece Remix)
3. Nosmo - Headache (Original Mix)
4. Rachael Starr - To Forever (Moonbeam Mix)
5. The Skreetch - The Skreetch (Dusty Kid Remix)
6. Robert Babicz - Don't Look Back (Original Mix)
7. Noiz feat. Satory Seine - Gentle Motive (Drive Dealers Remix)
8. Distant Fragment - Photograph (Max Demand Progressive Remix)
9. Orjan - La Guitarra (Original Mix)
10. Oryon - Dirt (Original Mix)
11. Sander Van Doorn - Sushi (Original Mix)
12. Mindskap feat. Lulu - Wonderland (Troy Hall Remix)
13. Steve Mac and Paul Harris - You (Tom Novy Remix)
Download Here |
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| david.michael |
| Looks intriguing, but there's no download link. |
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| Sadface |
| quote: | Originally posted by david.michael
Looks intriguing, but there's no download link. |
Oops! :stongue:
Thanks for letting me know. It should be fixed now. |
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| Sadface |
| Bump for some feedback! :) |
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| |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) |
Looks fantastic.
Review to come. |
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| Sadface |
| quote: | Originally posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |)
Looks fantastic.
Review to come. |
Awesome. Looking forward to it. |
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| |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) |
First and foremost I apologize for the delay as I didn't get a chance to listen to your mix thoroughly. I skimmed through the beginning and was very impressed so I thought I would write a proper review as I have always done in the past.
1. Fantastic opening song which sets a very mellow mood. Love the kick at 2:29 while the hightaps slowly start creeping in at 2:44. Very nice eqing at 4:12. Overall you couldn't have started off much better than this; a big winner in my books.
2. Track slowly starts coming in around 4:27. Beatmatching is off beginning at 4:42-5:12 Bass kicks at 5:12. I would have faded this song in where it kicks at 5:27. Loving the riffs throughout this track but the bass should have been louder when you killed track 1's bass at 5:41. Nice build up at 6:03. Hooj kick here and loving the hypnotic riff in the backround. High taps coming in nicely at 6:18. Nice breather beginning at 6:48 to a sexy buildup at 7:47 - absolutely loving your first 2 opening tracks.
3. High taps kick from track 2 are still kicking at 8:02. 8:46 track 3 starts coming in. Beatmatching is off. You were definately in a rush to crossfade to track 3 as the beatmatching is more noticeable from 9:31 when the bass changes. Final transition kicks at 9:46. Excellent buildup at 10:30. Wow what a trippy buildup that smacks you in the face when it kicks at 12:29. The trippy riffs slowly building up again at 12:58 make it a little over the top to early on the in the set but So far your track selection is exactly is spot on as to my taste.
4. Track 4 fading in very smoothly at 13:50 with it being more evident when the highs hit at 13:57. At 14:11 the bass kicks more - beatmatching is off once again throughout this entire transfer. Final bass transfer comes in at 14:27 - this is where I would have slapped that fader over. You kept track 3 fading all the way up until 14:47 until it sounded like it ran out. Regardless, once again at 15:11 these vocals are heavenly, what a track. 15:27-15:40 - HOOJ vocals. This track creates a lovely vibe and would be a floor stomper at the beginning of a night - I wasn't a fan ofs the sound fx that comes in at 17:09 but nevertheless it only takes awhile mildly from the track as a whole. Still bobbing my head to the vocals that come back in at 17:53 right after a nice breather.
5. 18:38-18:52 track 4 is still fading beautifully. Track 5 starts creeping and what a wonderful bass transition at 18:53 - I would have killed track 4's bass here altogether. Final transition comes in at 19:07. This was a much cleaner transition than your initial 3 tracks. The bass in this track is very thick and electroish. Not a huge fan on electro but the mild flutey riff in the backround takes my mind off that bassline. 19:53 - very trippy bass, loving this part. -- oooohh and the huge creepy backround melody that comes in at 20:00 following a massive buildup at 20:07. Keep it coming I'm really liking this track now. Trippy effect that comes in at 20:22. My vibe changes to a more chilled mood at 21:06 with another relaxing effect in the backround. Ahhh breather at 21:20 with that thick bassline again, mmm good. Track clips at 21:31 - Levels are too high. Ahh heaven with that melody again creeping back in at 21:51.
6. Breather at 23:04 - I could hear track 6 in the backround which you muted at 23:10. At exactly 23:19 I would have drowned the highs on track 5 and brought in track 6. I can hear track 6's beatmatching off immediately when it starts coming in at 23:36 and the double bass and shoes in the dryer effect is very evident. You should have crossfaded a long time ago when you hear the double bass - instead you let this track drag on way too long. You followed suit with the thick electroish bassline - not really enjoying it; especially the highs - sounds like the production was choppy with those hightaps. The breather at 25:16 with the piano riff is stunning... ahh that bassline at 25:39 completely ruins it :| - So far this is your weakest track out of the first 26 minutes of your set. 26:31 has a nice kick but I just don't like the bassline. It doesnt fit with the hightaps and melody of this track.
7. 26:40 I can minutely hear the high taps from track 7 - I would have drowned out the eqs on both mids and highs at exactly 27:00 mins. Likewise this beatmatching is off and very apparent from 27:08-27:37 - Not a fan of these vocals or this break. 27:51 was too apparent when you killed the bassline in track 6. Wow absolutely sick beat when track 7 kicks at 28:06. Loving the hypnotic psychotic feel to this track. Hightaps coming in at 28:36 - they just don't fit right here. Takes away too much from the main hypnotic feel to the track. Very cool sound fx that come in at 29:06 Song continually building into a break at 29:35. Too bad the vocals were in this. Bassline coming back and slamming at 30:04. Oooo keep it comin'. Woow still loving how this track keeps on progressing at 31:33 with that insane bassy fx that follows a big bassline kick at 31:47.
8. 32:04 the track clips - Levels a little too high - at 32:17 was a perfect time to fade the next track in but you need to kill a frequency or two - it sounds far too congested. Bassline in track 7 just ends at 32:46 and track 8s bassline is unoticeable. At 33:01 is when you should killed the bass on track 7 and crossfaded to track 8. Loving this track at at 33:45... what a huge buildup that starts coming in at 34:00mins leading into a piano riff at 34:15. The breakdown for this track is a tad too long for my liking and I had hoped for a more intense progression at 34:59 instead of a melodic climax. 36:00 sounds very out of sync.
9. Ahh you had the perfect time to transition at 37:27 but your beatmatching is off once again and you need to kill the bassline on track 8. Shoes in the dryer all the way up until 37:56 - Bassline is way too low here as well. Should have been alot louder. So far not liking the introduction of this track. At 38:51 theres a wee break followed up a massive slamming buildup at 38:55. I take that back, brilliant track! High taps kicking at 39:10 to add the chaos. At 39:25 the track goes into another breakdown but this one seems a little too premature. This track is very well known and the guitar riff is beautiful.
10. 41:07 track 10 starts coming in. Sounded promising but the double bass is very evident again. 42:36 is a fantastic buildup - at 43:21 when you brought track 10s bassline in you should have faded the track completely instead of letting it fade out so long. Fantastic buildup at 45:04 - what a relief and what a sick beat. High tapes following at 45:19 - loving it, keep those beats coming. 46:03 - sounds way too crowded here. However, this track builds to intensity... very nice. The buildup at 47:02 is soo hooj.
11. 47:22 I can hear track 11 creeping in the backround with the piano melody getting louder and louder. 48:01 bassline kicks - should have been much louder. 48:31 - track is going out of sync. Good thing you transitioned at 48:45. 49:15 track 11 starts progressing. Not a fan of the highs on this track though and it has somewhat of a screeching riff with a chuggy bassline. This track as a whole has way too much going on and sounds far too convuluted... Nexxt.
12. 52:47 - absolutely perfect timing when melting track 12 together with 11. The bassy fx kicking in the backround creeping in. 53:16 - bassline transitions here but it should have been much louder and likewise you should have killed track 11s highs and lows. Vocals are not very impressive so far. This track has that electro theme going on with the bassline sounding very thick, chuggy with that "farty" sound to it. 55:43 - muuuch better progression - really liking the feel of this track now with the added touch of the vocals. 56:00 - high taps come in.
13. 57:12 - I can already hear the hightaps from track 13 creeping and becoming more evident at exactly 57:42. This last track is actually why I downloaded your set as I had used it in one of my latest mixes myself. At 58:11 you bring in this track nicely but the beatmatching throughout has been off a little causing that double bass again. At 58:41 would have been the absolute longest I would have waited to crossfade over to the final track instead of dragging it on all the way up to 58:55.
Conclusion:
Track Selection - 7.5/10
As I had previously stated I simply grabbed this set because of the last track in your mix and it seemed very out of place so I was curious to see how it would fit in this mix. In general, you have a fantastic ear as far as track selection is concerned. Nevertheless, this is the first time in awhile I have downloaded a random set from TA and been impressed with many tracks that I have yet to have heard. Thanks for that :)
Mixing - 5/10
Well my friend, this indeed is where you will have a Sadface :| -- unfortunately almost all of your transitions contained the main ingredient for shoes in the dryer; that is of course the double bass. It is very clear you need to work on your beatmatching. Spend a little more time listening to those heavy basslines intertwine with each other and start playing around more with your EQ's. Of course, the more you practice the easier it will seem to keep a consistant focus on what type of track you want to lead into next.
Flow - 7/10
Mr. Sadface - your flow was SUPERB from the get go all the way up until track 6. While you started the first half of your set off tremendously you seemed to lose your direction approxixmately half way through. It seemed apparent that you were unsure if you wanted to follow through with a more mellow mood or to press on and keep it dark and dirty. Likewise, coming back to my initial statement on your track selection, it is fantastic; with just a little more time and effort you will have mastered that niche of sound you are looking for.
Finale - 7/10
Now before I go any further I would like to state that I don't get a chance to review many sets due to lack of spare time and for reasoning such as the above. That is of course because I like to dig deep in any and all mixes and explain to people in my mind what would make me bounce around in a club as opposed to standing stiller than a statue. Keep in mind however that I am only one individual and we all have our biases towards things. Thus, don't take my critique too harsly and just think of it as as my 2 cents.
With that being said, as a whole I thoroughly enjoyed this set. While alot of tracks seemed like filler for the latter half I still kept an interest despite not understanding the flow you may have intended to achieve throughout. As I have stated, with a little more time and practice you will have perfected your beatmatching errors that will change the flow and add perfectly to your already amazing selection of music.
Cheers! :P |
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| alefort |
| quote: | Originally posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |)
First and foremost I apologize for the delay as I didn't get a chance to listen to your mix thoroughly. I skimmed through the beginning and was very impressed so I thought I would write a proper review as I have always done in the past.
1. Fantastic opening song which sets a very mellow mood. Love the kick at 2:29 while the hightaps slowly start creeping in at 2:44. Very nice eqing at 4:12. Overall you couldn't have started off much better than this; a big winner in my books.
2. Track slowly starts coming in around 4:27. Beatmatching is off beginning at 4:42-5:12 Bass kicks at 5:12. I would have faded this song in where it kicks at 5:27. Loving the riffs throughout this track but the bass should have been louder when you killed track 1's bass at 5:41. Nice build up at 6:03. Hooj kick here and loving the hypnotic riff in the backround. High taps coming in nicely at 6:18. Nice breather beginning at 6:48 to a sexy buildup at 7:47 - absolutely loving your first 2 opening tracks.
3. High taps kick from track 2 are still kicking at 8:02. 8:46 track 3 starts coming in. Beatmatching is off. You were definately in a rush to crossfade to track 3 as the beatmatching is more noticeable from 9:31 when the bass changes. Final transition kicks at 9:46. Excellent buildup at 10:30. Wow what a trippy buildup that smacks you in the face when it kicks at 12:29. The trippy riffs slowly building up again at 12:58 make it a little over the top to early on the in the set but So far your track selection is exactly is spot on as to my taste.
4. Track 4 fading in very smoothly at 13:50 with it being more evident when the highs hit at 13:57. At 14:11 the bass kicks more - beatmatching is off once again throughout this entire transfer. Final bass transfer comes in at 14:27 - this is where I would have slapped that fader over. You kept track 3 fading all the way up until 14:47 until it sounded like it ran out. Regardless, once again at 15:11 these vocals are heavenly, what a track. 15:27-15:40 - HOOJ vocals. This track creates a lovely vibe and would be a floor stomper at the beginning of a night - I wasn't a fan ofs the sound fx that comes in at 17:09 but nevertheless it only takes awhile mildly from the track as a whole. Still bobbing my head to the vocals that come back in at 17:53 right after a nice breather.
5. 18:38-18:52 track 4 is still fading beautifully. Track 5 starts creeping and what a wonderful bass transition at 18:53 - I would have killed track 4's bass here altogether. Final transition comes in at 19:07. This was a much cleaner transition than your initial 3 tracks. The bass in this track is very thick and electroish. Not a huge fan on electro but the mild flutey riff in the backround takes my mind off that bassline. 19:53 - very trippy bass, loving this part. -- oooohh and the huge creepy backround melody that comes in at 20:00 following a massive buildup at 20:07. Keep it coming I'm really liking this track now. Trippy effect that comes in at 20:22. My vibe changes to a more chilled mood at 21:06 with another relaxing effect in the backround. Ahhh breather at 21:20 with that thick bassline again, mmm good. Track clips at 21:31 - Levels are too high. Ahh heaven with that melody again creeping back in at 21:51.
6. Breather at 23:04 - I could hear track 6 in the backround which you muted at 23:10. At exactly 23:19 I would have drowned the highs on track 5 and brought in track 6. I can hear track 6's beatmatching off immediately when it starts coming in at 23:36 and the double bass and shoes in the dryer effect is very evident. You should have crossfaded a long time ago when you hear the double bass - instead you let this track drag on way too long. You followed suit with the thick electroish bassline - not really enjoying it; especially the highs - sounds like the production was choppy with those hightaps. The breather at 25:16 with the piano riff is stunning... ahh that bassline at 25:39 completely ruins it :| - So far this is your weakest track out of the first 26 minutes of your set. 26:31 has a nice kick but I just don't like the bassline. It doesnt fit with the hightaps and melody of this track.
7. 26:40 I can minutely hear the high taps from track 7 - I would have drowned out the eqs on both mids and highs at exactly 27:00 mins. Likewise this beatmatching is off and very apparent from 27:08-27:37 - Not a fan of these vocals or this break. 27:51 was too apparent when you killed the bassline in track 6. Wow absolutely sick beat when track 7 kicks at 28:06. Loving the hypnotic psychotic feel to this track. Hightaps coming in at 28:36 - they just don't fit right here. Takes away too much from the main hypnotic feel to the track. Very cool sound fx that come in at 29:06 Song continually building into a break at 29:35. Too bad the vocals were in this. Bassline coming back and slamming at 30:04. Oooo keep it comin'. Woow still loving how this track keeps on progressing at 31:33 with that insane bassy fx that follows a big bassline kick at 31:47.
8. 32:04 the track clips - Levels a little too high - at 32:17 was a perfect time to fade the next track in but you need to kill a frequency or two - it sounds far too congested. Bassline in track 7 just ends at 32:46 and track 8s bassline is unoticeable. At 33:01 is when you should killed the bass on track 7 and crossfaded to track 8. Loving this track at at 33:45... what a huge buildup that starts coming in at 34:00mins leading into a piano riff at 34:15. The breakdown for this track is a tad too long for my liking and I had hoped for a more intense progression at 34:59 instead of a melodic climax. 36:00 sounds very out of sync.
9. Ahh you had the perfect time to transition at 37:27 but your beatmatching is off once again and you need to kill the bassline on track 8. Shoes in the dryer all the way up until 37:56 - Bassline is way too low here as well. Should have been alot louder. So far not liking the introduction of this track. At 38:51 theres a wee break followed up a massive slamming buildup at 38:55. I take that back, brilliant track! High taps kicking at 39:10 to add the chaos. At 39:25 the track goes into another breakdown but this one seems a little too premature. This track is very well known and the guitar riff is beautiful.
10. 41:07 track 10 starts coming in. Sounded promising but the double bass is very evident again. 42:36 is a fantastic buildup - at 43:21 when you brought track 10s bassline in you should have faded the track completely instead of letting it fade out so long. Fantastic buildup at 45:04 - what a relief and what a sick beat. High tapes following at 45:19 - loving it, keep those beats coming. 46:03 - sounds way too crowded here. However, this track builds to intensity... very nice. The buildup at 47:02 is soo hooj.
11. 47:22 I can hear track 11 creeping in the backround with the piano melody getting louder and louder. 48:01 bassline kicks - should have been much louder. 48:31 - track is going out of sync. Good thing you transitioned at 48:45. 49:15 track 11 starts progressing. Not a fan of the highs on this track though and it has somewhat of a screeching riff with a chuggy bassline. This track as a whole has way too much going on and sounds far too convuluted... Nexxt.
12. 52:47 - absolutely perfect timing when melting track 12 together with 11. The bassy fx kicking in the backround creeping in. 53:16 - bassline transitions here but it should have been much louder and likewise you should have killed track 11s highs and lows. Vocals are not very impressive so far. This track has that electro theme going on with the bassline sounding very thick, chuggy with that "farty" sound to it. 55:43 - muuuch better progression - really liking the feel of this track now with the added touch of the vocals. 56:00 - high taps come in.
13. 57:12 - I can already hear the hightaps from track 13 creeping and becoming more evident at exactly 57:42. This last track is actually why I downloaded your set as I had used it in one of my latest mixes myself. At 58:11 you bring in this track nicely but the beatmatching throughout has been off a little causing that double bass again. At 58:41 would have been the absolute longest I would have waited to crossfade over to the final track instead of dragging it on all the way up to 58:55.
Conclusion:
Track Selection - 7.5/10
As I had previously stated I simply grabbed this set because of the last track in your mix and it seemed very out of place so I was curious to see how it would fit in this mix. In general, you have a fantastic ear as far as track selection is concerned. Nevertheless, this is the first time in awhile I have downloaded a random set from TA and been impressed with many tracks that I have yet to have heard. Thanks for that :)
Mixing - 5/10
Well my friend, this indeed is where you will have a Sadface :| -- unfortunately almost all of your transitions contained the main ingredient for shoes in the dryer; that is of course the double bass. It is very clear you need to work on your beatmatching. Spend a little more time listening to those heavy basslines intertwine with each other and start playing around more with your EQ's. Of course, the more you practice the easier it will seem to keep a consistant focus on what type of track you want to lead into next.
Flow - 7/10
Mr. Sadface - your flow was SUPERB from the get go all the way up until track 6. While you started the first half of your set off tremendously you seemed to lose your direction approxixmately half way through. It seemed apparent that you were unsure if you wanted to follow through with a more mellow mood or to press on and keep it dark and dirty. Likewise, coming back to my initial statement on your track selection, it is fantastic; with just a little more time and effort you will have mastered that niche of sound you are looking for.
Finale - 7/10
Now before I go any further I would like to state that I don't get a chance to review many sets due to lack of spare time and for reasoning such as the above. That is of course because I like to dig deep in any and all mixes and explain to people in my mind what would make me bounce around in a club as opposed to standing stiller than a statue. Keep in mind however that I am only one individual and we all have our biases towards things. Thus, don't take my critique too harsly and just think of it as as my 2 cents.
With that being said, as a whole I thoroughly enjoyed this set. While alot of tracks seemed like filler for the latter half I still kept an interest despite not understanding the flow you may have intended to achieve throughout. As I have stated, with a little more time and practice you will have perfected your beatmatching errors that will change the flow and add perfectly to your already amazing selection of music.
Cheers! :P |
HOLY HELL! I used to post some fairly substantial reviews myself, but this absolutely dwarfs any of my efforts. My lord, so much feedback, overload ! |
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| Sadface |
| quote: | Originally posted by |3 |_ @ Z 3 |)
words |
Wow man, thats awesome. I'm really glad you liked the tracks. I definitely wanted to increase the energy for the latter part of the mix because, as all my mixes are intended for promotion, I want to show some versatility, and that I don't just spin mellow tracks.
As far as the beatmatching goes, in my defense I'm doing it on some cheap numark tt's, but I thought that it was at least serviceable. Although, "double bass" doesn't bother me that much unless its really bad. To me when I hear it I just go "oh, the dj's mixing right now" and just keep dancing. It was a little distracting for me during a couple mixes (3-4 and 8-9), but certainly not deal breaking. Of course, I know I need to work on it anyway.
Also, thanks for the tips about EQ-ing. I definitely need to use them more when I mix. I mostly use just the lows, occasionally the mids, and only rarely do I mess with the highs. I should probably use both of them more frequently.
Anyway, thanks again dude, this kind of feedback is exactly what I need. It's so much more helpful than "I liked your tracks." I know it must have taken you a ridiculous amount of time to write, so I'm really grateful. |
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| |3 |_ @ Z 3 |) |
| quote: | Originally posted by alefort
HOLY HELL! I used to post some fairly substantial reviews myself, but this absolutely dwarfs any of my efforts. My lord, so much feedback, overload ! |
LoL - In my eyes I think feedback like this is a necessity in order for people to understand that positive criticism is very important in understanding where someone can greatly improve for future prosperity.
| quote: | Originally posted by Sadface
Wow man, thats awesome. I'm really glad you liked the tracks. I definitely wanted to increase the energy for the latter part of the mix because, as all my mixes are intended for promotion, I want to show some versatility, and that I don't just spin mellow tracks.
As far as the beatmatching goes, in my defense I'm doing it on some cheap numark tt's, but I thought that it was at least serviceable. Although, "double bass" doesn't bother me that much unless its really bad. To me when I hear it I just go "oh, the dj's mixing right now" and just keep dancing. It was a little distracting for me during a couple mixes (3-4 and 8-9), but certainly not deal breaking. Of course, I know I need to work on it anyway.
Also, thanks for the tips about EQ-ing. I definitely need to use them more when I mix. I mostly use just the lows, occasionally the mids, and only rarely do I mess with the highs. I should probably use both of them more frequently.
Anyway, thanks again dude, this kind of feedback is exactly what I need. It's so much more helpful than "I liked your tracks." I know it must have taken you a ridiculous amount of time to write, so I'm really grateful. |
Agreed on all accounts as far as people saying "I liked your tracks" - it provides absolutely no insight for all the hard work that goes into making the mix. BTW it didn't take that long - probably about 1 1/2 hours - I usually review the mix and write down what I feel immediately while listening.
Anyways, I really do hope that me spending the extra time will greatly help you in the long run. |
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| schlauf |
| The mother of all reviews just encouraged me to download. Review to come :-) |
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