(Symphonic Metal) Prologue - An Ancient Legend, Long Forgotten

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AALLF
Posts: 12
Joined: 23 May 2020
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23 May 2020

Hello Everyone,

I've been using Reason for about 6 years to produce my music (I'm on Reason 7), but I just now released my first EP: "Prologue" at the beginning of this month (May 2020). I used to lurk at the old propellerhead forums, and I really appreciated all of the information that was available. I never felt like I had much to contribute, so I never posted. But, now that I've put a lot of time into the program, and started releasing my own music, I feel like I can.

Everything was produced in Reason, but the vocals are a Vocaloid (Megpoid GUMI).

The first track is an instrumental, the second uses vocals, and the third is an instrumental version of the second track. I have provided Youtube and Spotify links, and a lyric video for the second track. Thank you for providing this forum for us to share our music. I greatly appreciate anyone who chooses to listen. Take care


Full EP:



Lyric Video for Second Track:



Spotify:


rare_shadow
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24 May 2020

I don't like the vocals very much but the rest is awesome!

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teddymcw
Posts: 432
Joined: 13 May 2016

24 May 2020

Whoa, all of it is just excellent but when the drums hit in the first track I was hopping around as much as I was enjoying the quality. So great this was all in Reason, only bc it wouldn't have been my first guess if listening blind. TY for sharing!

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Benedict
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Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
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24 May 2020

Congrats. 6 years is a long time before your first release. But you go there, and with some style too. This is a big proud moment for you.

:-)
Benedict Roff-Marsh
Completely burned and gone

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AALLF
Posts: 12
Joined: 23 May 2020
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25 May 2020

Thank you all for your comments and feedback, its appreciated.
gullum wrote:
24 May 2020
This is quite cool I like it I also make metal using only Reason
Thanks, I'll make sure to check your music out
rare_shadow wrote:
24 May 2020
I don't like the vocals very much but the rest is awesome!
Thanks. Yes, the Vocaloid is an acquired taste, and there is only so much I can do to edit it. The vocaloid I'm using is about 11 years old technology, but I still really like to use it. It's convenient for me being a solo musician. The voices that they have released recently for Vocaloid 5, though, sound really good (to my ear).
teddymcw wrote:
24 May 2020
Whoa, all of it is just excellent but when the drums hit in the first track I was hopping around as much as I was enjoying the quality. So great this was all in Reason, only bc it wouldn't have been my first guess if listening blind. TY for sharing!


Awesome! Yes, everything was mixed using reason 7. The rack extensions/re-fills I used that came from the shop were cakewalk compressor, fet compressor, kuassa amps and cabinets, reason bass and drums, and alt drums. The only 2 things that came from outside were my direct-in guitar and the vocaloid.
Benedict wrote:
24 May 2020
Congrats. 6 years is a long time before your first release. But you go there, and with some style too. This is a big proud moment for you.

:-)
Thanks, I am happy with finally getting my music out there. It took a long time to where I was satisfied with what I was doing, both production and recording wise, and there were real world happenings and responsibilites to keep up with. I have a lot of music (a few full length albums worth) that has backed up over time, but hopefully it will go quicker from now on.

FHtH
Posts: 138
Joined: 21 Jul 2016

25 May 2020

Greetings. Mostly I liked it. The guitar sound, the balance of instruments, especially the orchestra and the guitar, are on top. It seemed to me that it would be better if there were more guitar solos. A little overcompressed snare drum, in my opinion. Well, Fabio Leone on vocals would be better than a vocaloid :). But these are trifles. In fact, it’s great that there are those who record metal in Reason. Good luck!

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MSD
Posts: 22
Joined: 19 Jan 2015
Location: UK
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26 May 2020

AALLF wrote:
23 May 2020
Hello Everyone,

I've been using Reason for about 6 years to produce my music (I'm on Reason 7), but I just now released my first EP: "Prologue" at the beginning of this month (May 2020). I used to lurk at the old propellerhead forums, and I really appreciated all of the information that was available. I never felt like I had much to contribute, so I never posted. But, now that I've put a lot of time into the program, and started releasing my own music, I feel like I can.
Congrats on the release! Love the music, good work. If I had any advice it would be to keep doing it, make more and get them out there.
--
Noisemaker...

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EdwardKiy
Posts: 760
Joined: 02 Oct 2019

26 May 2020

No point waiting that long, mate, because we are here to learn and better ourselves - that's the point of this forum. That and having our wishes for DAW improvements written down as a form of therapy. But thumbs up for holding yourself up to such high standards! :thumbs_up:

Even if you withheld from posting for 25 years, you still risk hearing criticism, such as this:

The mixing is bad, the bits with guitar + chorus sound muddy
The arrangement, harmonic decisions and solos are all good, and that's the hard part for the producer, so a really good job overall :thumbs_up:

Good luck!

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Benedict
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Posts: 2747
Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
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26 May 2020

EdwardKiy wrote:
26 May 2020
Even if you withheld from posting for 25 years, you still risk hearing criticism, such as this:

The mixing is bad, the bits with guitar + chorus sound muddy
The arrangement, harmonic decisions and solos are all good, and that's the hard part for the producer, so a really good job overall :thumbs_up:

Good luck!
Umm, Mr Kiy

Do you mean for that to be as offensive as it reads? You did similar on my album too. This approach is really not helpful (esp when you only show one track and call yourself a newbie).

Sure, the mix here is not perfect perfect. But nor is the mix for many classic Rock tracks from the early days, but no one with any love for music ever criticizes The Who or Steve Miller because their greatness was nothing to do with mixes.

If you really have a valid criticism, you need to explain & back that or this just comes off as insulting & belittling.

:-)
Benedict Roff-Marsh
Completely burned and gone

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EdwardKiy
Posts: 760
Joined: 02 Oct 2019

27 May 2020

Benedict wrote:
26 May 2020
EdwardKiy wrote:
26 May 2020
Even if you withheld from posting for 25 years, you still risk hearing criticism, such as this:

The mixing is bad, the bits with guitar + chorus sound muddy
The arrangement, harmonic decisions and solos are all good, and that's the hard part for the producer, so a really good job overall :thumbs_up:

Good luck!
Do you mean for that to be as offensive as it reads? You did similar on my album too. This approach is really not helpful (esp when you only show one track and call yourself a newbie). es.

If you really have a valid criticism, you need to explain & back that or this just comes off as insulting & belittling.

:-)
Wasn't meant to be, and I think it still isn't at all offensive. You may notice that I've graded the "musical aspect" highly and I even underscored that THIS is the job he should have been focusing on as a producer. If I'd be working on a guitar passage with tasteful guitar shreddage, I'd come to consult this person for it. But regardless of what I may think about my mixing skills, this is the audio engineers' domain and I pointed out that this aspect needs either way more work or straight up consulting an actual audio engineer to make the piece polished.

We ultimately come here to hear an alternative opinion of fellow musicians/producers/engineers, because our own becomes tainted and biased as we put in more hours into the piece. And this is the perfect tool.

This is simply how I work with other musicians when we need to produce something together:
'oh man, bring up the synth, now bring down the base, NOW we can hear that our (snare) is shit, now move that kick a 16th to the left because it's messing up the groove and where the hell is the bottom-end mud coming from still??!" - this is my usual framework and this, I think, is the way to go.

When working as a group nobody ever goes "oh this is great, keep doing what you're doing :thumbs_up: " at something that can be better, because everyone cares for the end product. It would be damaging to lie and give him a false sense of what is right or wrong in his music. Not something I would want for myself, at least.

As to being more constructive on my "this is muddy" comment - I simply don't know for sure what will help, that's why I didn't write it down. Reduce the reverb on either or both instruments (guitar and chorus), or try Eq'ing them both out of each other's way - I really don't know. Trial and error.

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Benedict
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Posts: 2747
Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
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27 May 2020

I am not anti-criticism. I am all for it. But your manner both here and on my post (where sadly your judgment was in error) leaves your attempt to engage more damaging than good. For you too.

Maybe like me you are Autistic and are a bit too "direct". That is between you & your God. But when you write lines that do little more than slag someone it matters little how positive the other lines next to it are. I could well have leveled criticisms at these works. But it would not help the OP? Someone already questioned his use of Vocaloid. He responded. His mix may not be perfect but you know what, it shows his work just fine. What do we gain in saying his first work was "bad". It isn't. I have heard way worse.

Put forward your opinion please. I welcome honest opinions, there are far too few of those among the blindly-opinionated & judgmental garbage that dominated Social Media. Just take time to be sure that you are in the right time & place. On my thread, it was not right. On this thread, it was also not right.

If he shows a WIP or even a later track and it has Vocaloid and the mix is causing real issues (not little technical ones that no one but pedant will care to notice) I will explain the concern, suggestions on another approach, and maybe even offer to mix it myself (using my Mix Walkthrough platform). This is constructive. Yes, I get some people who don't even want constructive criticism but that is on them. But for it to be on them the criticism must be delivered properly in the first place.

Also, do you have more work than that one track on SC? What is it that you do? Having a deeper portfolio helps people understand you better. Many won't take the time but some will.

:-)
Benedict Roff-Marsh
Completely burned and gone

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