modecca wrote: ↑25 Jun 2022
Chizmata wrote: ↑24 Jun 2022
would you mind sharing a bit about your ambitions and techniques in making music? because i kinda have a hard time judging it. on the one hand, there are obviously really good sequences, the FM bass "solo" is something the prodigy might have done and the following trancy sequence is right from top class 90s techtrance. on the other hand, the sequences dont always feel connected very well (could be worse though, there is still musical coherence) and when i reach the end of the track, i get the impression that i just listened to a demo instead of a thorough exploration and developement of the source material. so it would be helpful to know where you actually want to go with your music. are you happy "as is" or are you looking for criticism? also, i feel like the musical skill is heavily supported by presets of all kinds (sounds, drumsets, midi loops etc. ). that wouldnt make the music worse, but i'm curious.
ok im not sure what to make of this video. i found my criticism, while a bit challenging, still thoroughly respectful and rational. but i'll take criticism of my criticism. i'll adress 2 points:
1st. i'll straight admit that i overlooked this:
Only used my own synth sounds in this one, mostly patches from the Tritone refills I've posted here.
and also this:
Haven't really decided if this is the final version or if there will be tweaks to the mix or changes to the arrangement. We'll see. I'm gonna let the song be for a week or so and see how I feel about it. But for now, this is what I've got.
i just stopped at reading "90"s and then gave it a listen.
2nd, lets talk actual music. elaborating on this:
on the other hand, the sequences dont always feel connected very well (could be worse though, there is still musical coherence)
the track has not much going on in terms of transitions, except the dedicated sequence at 1:15. not much drum variation or change of sound colour in the moments before a new sequence starts.
thats not generally bad, but i think this only works well in one of two cases in this track. it does work well at 0:34, when the first, thinner trancy part goes into the fm bass part and i think this is why: the sound of the bass melody is varied from a rather muffled, deep to a strong, clear fm bass, while only slightly varying the rhythm from
++-+-++-++-+-+++ to
+-++-++-+-++-+++
(imagining a step sequencer)
the alarm sound that replaces the pad roughly keeps the 1-bar accent, while the fm bass and the alarm together also roughly replace the frequency area the pad previously occupied. these changes introduce a significant change in the feeling of the song without changing the intensity or the musical content too much. thats why i think this transition works well without any further breaks, snare rolls or whatever. i'm actually a fan of that.
i think it doesnt work so well in the next transition at 0:48, from fm bass to the "big" trancy sequence, for reasons that should be logical now: while significantly changing the feeling of the song, it does not keep enough similarities to make it feel fully consistent to me. the pad is now playing big chords and the high echo blips are introduced - even though a bit ahead to work towards the transition and actually continuing the bass melody. but feeling, intensity and musical content still change relatively abrupt. if id make a suggestion for a transition, it would be to morph or intensify the sum of fm bass and alarm towards the intensity and sound of the following chords, maybe through distortion or some other effect.