[D&B] STINGRAY

[danc]

I haven't made a D&B track for ages. Instead I've been focused on slower Techno and House tracks. Anyway... after reading a Sub Focus interview about his production process, he was commenting (moaning) on the sad state of affairs that the D&B market is pretty much going down a path of massive big sounds, and totally lacking a melody and musical structure.... noise for noise sake. Not taking people on a journey.

....well.... I have totally stayed away just sounds for sounds sake... I have actually got a melody and more "traditional" arrangement - like Sub Focus strives for.

The lead and various arps are SERUM - going in Counterpoint directions against the chord pads - makes it sounds really emotional and cinematic. The pads are ANA 2. All sounds are made from scratch - no presets here. The bass sounds is something I concocted and grooved up in Bass Master - and given grit using Rift and D16 Devastor. The melody is tons of voices that I chopped to death. Re the pads... I've focused on giving it an old Hammond organ, with a string machine, type feel and automated making it come and go from really subtle to seriously in your face. The swirl feel has been got by playing around with Shaperbox.

I've used some live trumpet playing to emphasise end/start of sections.

I wanted the drums to have a really unique latin'esque groove. Plus added an Asian hand-drum feel. Pretty much created entirely inside Battery - single drum hits and an age was spent make them groove together.

One thing... I've used absolutely loads of production technique (especially around compression) I have learnt from making Techno. Especially around separation of each layer to give each instrument a unique section in audio whole spectrum. Also - I've got a SSL UC1 and totally loving mixing with a superb EQ and bus compressor.

Enough rambling... what are your thoughts?

[djsmex]

I like it, nice work

[LaudusDeWire]

I like and enjoy it. Nice track.

Only thing I miss a bit is a reverb or delay on/after the trumpet. For me it has an abrupt end and is not connected to the track like the other elements.

Overal:

[danc]

I like and enjoy it. Nice track.

Only thing I miss a bit is a reverb or delay on/after the trumpet. For me it has an abrupt end and is not connected to the track like the other elements.

Overal:

Thanks for positive feedback - totally agree - will fix and this and re-post update.

[danc]

I like and enjoy it. Nice track.

Only thing I miss a bit is a reverb or delay on/after the trumpet. For me it has an abrupt end and is not connected to the track like the other elements.

Overal:

Ok - I've brought the trumpet trills much further back in the mix and added verb and delay as suggested, softening them up loads. Will take a break and listen again to the overall mix... to see if anything else needs more work. Oh - I also cleaned up the latter part of the track - gave a bit more breathing room around 2:37 for 16 bars.

[danc]

I like it, nice work

THANKS = appreciate your thumbs up!

[Uman's]

Hi

Beware it's more complicated than it seems !
A very good management of the different frequencies, the impressive number of instruments and the overall holding of events.
A titanic job !

Well done !

[Popey]

This is a really cool track DanC and i tend to agree with Sub Focus when it comes to the direction DNB has been taken. The only feedback i would say is in my opinion you could do with bringing up a bit of the lower frequencies as it is missing a little bit of bass for the genre.

[raymondh]

That's pretty amazing! (I wish I could program percussion like that)
Great work!!

[danc]

This is a really cool track DanC and i tend to agree with Sub Focus when it comes to the direction DNB has been taken. The only feedback i would say is in my opinion you could do with bringing up a bit of the lower frequencies as it is missing a little bit of bass for the genre.

Thanks popey! Will take a closer listen on various headphones and my Adam monitors... see what I can do to bring up the bass.

[klasson]

Yea, not much to add. This sounds really good!

[danc]

Yea, not much to add. This sounds really good!

I guess I'll do a few more d and b tracks. Seems to be popular around these parts!

[danc]

That's pretty amazing! (I wish I could program percussion like that)
Great work!!

Glad you appreciate the percussion. The advantage of creating your own rhythms is that you can build it around the melody... helping to emphasise it. Whereas... dropping loops in is totally hit and miss.. and they are most likely going to bury the melody. You want your drums to work as a team with everything else.

[Last Alternative]

Hell of a beat you made from 1-shots. I don’t use loops either. Quite an upbeat jam, my friend!