Assistance Needed

[Creativemind]

Hi All!

Been working on this track for a few days, off and on. Not loads, about 3-4 hrs in total perhaps. Most of that was tweaking and production. The main arrangement took me about an hour probably. Couldn't think of a name so excuse the title lol!

I want critique, feedback and help regarding production and arrangement of it.

It's not the best thing I've ever written lol! but thought I'd make it kinda of a collab and let people on here give feedback / input and maybe build the track up from what people suggest.

I don't know what genre it is, it's electronic so, at 124bpm, probably house, as that's usually my thing. Done on Reason 8.3.

It has 5 tracks:-

1 - NN-XT Grand Piano
2 - Malstrom Bass (From 1001 Malstrom Patches Refill)
3 - Redrum (with a 909 patch loaded in. Clap was changed to a better more reverbed clap,I changed the Hi-Hat to a better 909 one and a Crash from the 909 added as one wasn't there). Don't ask me why the 909 patch open hi-hats and claps weren't as good but not as good as other samples I had. The OH was panned to 11 o'clock and the clap panned to 10 o'clock.
4 - NN-XT Strings (NN-XT Fatorchstrings patch with a M-Class Stereo Imager applied, don't really know what I'm doing with that particularly)
5 - More Cowbell (with an RV7000MkII and The Echo added)

It's a bit repetitive atm. The Crash needs something doing to it (always sounds dead dry and has no dunno, niceness to it I guess. The kick (need to get a grip of this layering kick drums business) is a bit lifeless and lacks bigness / oomph too.

My songs always tend to sound a bit mono too, need to start panning more haha!

Next thing to do is to subgroup the 5 drums used so they have an individual mix channel on the main mixer and master fader.



Sorry for the abrupt end.

Thanks!

[Creativemind]

Sorry, should this thread be in Tutorials and Techniques?

Just tryna ping pong my delayed / reverbed cowbell now. I had The Echo on it and it didn't ping pong (left ear to right ear) for some reason, not even by adjusting the Pan L/R knob? I'm about to read the manual on The Echo now to understand why.

It's worked with the DDL though by simply panning the pan knob to the right.

I think a vocal sample is needed in this track too. The only thing is, I can never seem to find the sample I can hear in my head and if I do find something online kinda like what I was going for, it's shite quality lol!

[Creativemind]

Well here's take 2.

I've gotten better results from the DDL-Digital Delay Line than I have The Echo as far as ping ponging goes but still as yet, not ping ponging left to right exactly how I want.

I've subgrouped the Redrum so each of the 5 drum elements have their own channel and now the whole kit has a master fader on the SSL.

For some reason the drums all sounded louder after the subgroup, if anyone can tell me why it would be interesting. I had the main volume on the redrum fully up and had to turn it down as the drums were way too loud.

I have slightly adjusted the claps too, as the first clap in the bar sounded out of place. Now however, the first clap is bang on time with a snare which I didn't necessarily want but I'll go with
Also adjusted the patch on the Malstrom, as I could hear something in the harmonics that didn't sound great so I adjusted the motion and index on the second oscillator (strings)to get rid of this recurring sound I could hear and it's great now.

I've also left a bit of space at the end so it doesn't end so abruptly.



When all the elements come in at 1:18s. The cowbell now sounds tonal (I suppose it is) but does anyone else think it now sounds out of tune / pitch with the track. Any ideas on how to fix this would be appreciated.

I don't know if this is 'not sounding' like house now lol!

I need something happening (probably a vocal sample like I said but something else as well) happening before 1:02. I'm not sure if a bit more of a build up is needed too rather than it just starting - bang - straight into the piano bass but neither sounded very good on their own.

Thanks!

[Creativemind]

Here's my latest version.

Added a Saxophone done on the Korg M1 exported into Reason as a wav. I used the ECF to muffle it in slowly and at the end I used the Alligator to gate it in 16th's.

[Creativemind]

The latest version is now called Sax On the Beach and has crashing ocean waves / seagulls added with reverb and a touch of delay.

The track is now my signature as you might have noticed.

[pushedbutton]

I've had a bad day so here's some constructive criticism for you
The piano needs more flourishes
the violins sounds very synthy
there is very little development once the components are in place, you can see that there are 7 sections that are essentially variations of the same loop.
Not a bad sound but needs to be filled out a bit more so the listener doesn't tune it out. I'd say the main thing that reminds me how loopy it is comes from the piano, maybe something for the right hand to play would help.

[Zac]

My comment would be... the musical theme is the most important thing. It sounds ok but I find it a bit repetitive.
This gets said about a lot of my stuff too but I just keep on producing and taking down the failures. Keep on going. It's all good exercise, is the way I keep my spirits up.

[Creativemind]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'd agree with most of what you've said. It does sound repetitive and the piano is quite undeveloping. The bass and piano were the foundation elements of the track and this wasn't really gonna go anywhere I thought (but started to enjoy the more I layered it). I'm not sure how to embellish the piano. Any ideas? It has along with the bass though, just become the pad or backing that holds the piece together and I have decided (although not done it yet) to expand the sax part with pitch bend etc as that is the main melody and focus or the song now.

I could do with improving my kicks to be honest on tracks like this to make them bigger.

The strings will sound synthy I suppose (which I don't mind) because it's the fatorch strings patch. Does the sax sound realistic seeing as it's synth? I think so.

Just trying sort the quijada sound out at tye moment as it doesn't stretch a bar and timestretching it alters the sound too much and nothing seems to be working. Then it's find a decent vocal sample that works.

Thanks!

[aburazaru]

Post the reason file and let us play with it!

[WongoTheSane]

Post the reason file and let us play with it!

Yep, I second that. Or tell us where you at now? Don't go all ABC on us, dropping the series after only 4 episodes!

[Creativemind]

I'm still working on the quijada. Had a day off from the track. Today, will sort the quijada out, get it the right length, then gonna vary the sax up so it has a different section with a slightly alternative tune and I'm gonna find some vocal sample to go in it.

Keep you posted, later on today.

[Creativemind]

Sorry folks, not been well today.

Anyway, felt better earlier then spent the best part of an hour on FL Studio tryna pitch bend the Korg M1 sax in this track. So if anyone is FL Studio proficient then lemme know.

I will get something updated tomorrow, deffo.

[aburazaru]

Just out of curiosity, why not bend them pitches in reason?

[jonheal]

I've read that post title many times, but for some reason, it registered this time as "Assassin Needed."

[Creativemind]

Just out of curiosity, why not bend them pitches in reason?

I tried using the nn-xt but it didn't sound right. Also the quijada not playing ball and it's these things not going right that's made me lose interest in the track. Need to find a vocal sample put in there as well.

Perhaps I'll just not pan the quijada left to right and then making it last a whole bar won't be an issue then.

I will get back onto it at some point.