[Closed] Rate my electronica four months on (shameless self promotion)

You still using Ableton? Or you progressed onto something else yet?

Your production skills have definitely come on massively, and I'll be fair, you must have spent AGES on soundcloud now following people, and harvesting followers! And if not, how come you've picked up so many?

Tunes not my thing per se, but can see where you're going...

Yep still using Ableton, see no reason to use anything else currently.

Thanks, well I've taken advantage of the system but certainly not spam levels, joined and put my music in the right groups, have followed the right people but I'm not on there following and unfollowing constantly. I think it's foolish not to enhance your following this way as there are some excellent artists out there with like 30 followers who are never going to get anywhere if no-one is listening to their stuff.

Cheers for the feedback.

McHamish is listening...will revert on opinion.

Wake Up has just started and so far this is my favourite...good intro.

Sounds like the muasic that you get on those 'How it's made' programs on Discovery Channel.

not my cup of tea, but production sounds good. Keep it up, and good luck

Marked to listen later when at home with decent monitors.

Sounds like the muasic that you get on those 'How it's made' programs on Discovery Channel.

I was awake all night trying to think if there was something worse anyone could say, but nope I think you nailed it right there.

Thanks 😀

Something to work to, will have a listen 🙂

Musically it's really good, however I do think you need to work on your drums, they need more grit and attitude, more compression, would be a nice contrast against the lush pads and synths. also the tracks are a too long, tracks in this genre are sometimes under 3 minutes, 5-8 minutes should be left for the dance mixes IMO, always best to leave the listener wanting more.

Keep it up though, you thought about using logic audio's ultrabeat and native instruments macshine for drums?

For drum references check out flying lotus and jimmy edgar, hopefully you'll get what I mean.

I was awake all night trying to think if there was something worse anyone could say, but nope I think you nailed it right there.

Thanks

Sorry, but I believe in honesty being the best policy when it comes to such matters, or else we end up with an emperor's new clothes scenario.

It's not without some merit, and technically the sound is very good, but it's not 'saying' anything much to me. It's a bit 'safe' and undemanding. Muzak rather than Music. That's purely my subjective opinion though.

What's with the silly genres? 'Forward thinking sci-fi beats', 'Ambi-sci-fi-future-funk'? I don't mean to be critical but really what do these mean?

Quite like the Toward the Vortex one BTW 🙂

Cheers Rewski, two things I've really been working on - compression levels (how much is too much), parallel compression across the drum bus and keeping things short and sweet, my brother's always saying say what you need to say and get out which I know is true.

I've had a dabble with Arturia Spark and Stylus RMX but I'm really enjoying the workflow using Ableton drum racks.

They are both in my collection, digging 'Until the Quiet Comes'. In a similar vein had 11 Tigers listening to my stuff this morning.

They're just silly genres, I'm not really sure how you'd categorize my music?

What sort of stuff do you normally listen to Mike?

Just posted another track up myself on my soundcloud... (shameless self promotion! :-p )

[url] http://soundcloud.com/markbonnes/fat-ghost [/url]

Have a listen see what you think...

compression levels (how much is too much)

If it sounds totally flat and has no dynamics, then that's too much. If it sounds too quiet except for the kick drum, then not enough... Sorry to not be a huge amount more help, but compression is a bit of an art form rather than a science. I'm still learning too, but the more you go on, the more you get a feel for it. Using sidechain compression for most/all of the instruments against the kick drum as you will probably already know, is a very effective way of getting your track to swing/pump/groove along. But it can also be a fine line between too much, and too little. As a start for a sidechain compression, use approx a 6:1 ratio, with a very fast attack (3ms or therabouts) and a quick(ish) release (depends on the tempo of the track, but for house at 120-130bpm I use between 60 and 80ms depending on what sounds right for the track). And you only want it compressing by maybe 6dB, absolute tops 8dB otherwise it'll start to sound like the kick drum is just decimating the rest of the track rather than pulsing through it.

For mastering compression (an even darker art!) the key is as little as you can get away with really, without it sounding too quiet... Use gentle compression ratios to just tickle the tops away rather than smash it all to pieces.

Posted on your thread. 🙂

Yeah that's what I meant regarding the compression I'm kind of feeling my way but I think progressing a bit each tune, certainly learning something new every day. I run a fat 'silent' kick and sidechain the bass and pads/leads on most things, tend to run a slower release though due to the tempo.

I'm guessing you use a brickwall on the master what kind of db do you aim for? Originally I was aiming for about -12 but it seems everyone is going to -8 or higher, I want it loud but don't want to flatten off the dynamics too much.

I don't know if you've heard the new tune I put up the other day but it's the first one I've properly played with stereo imaging, makes everything else I've done sound very 2d so I'm going to go back and tweak a few things.

http://soundcloud.com/800-xl/joy-division-love-will-tear-us

Really liking 'actually I do mind'. If the drums where abit heavier hitting and there was some subtle sub-bass that would be an even better tune. Strong work.

As others have said the vocals, synths and pads are bang on just gotta get abit more depth in them drums and bass.

Keep it up. I could never get my head around production or have the patience for it.

Honestly? Very dull 2/10.

Have you heard B-Bravo?

Cheers Rob.

I'd not heard of but just had a listen on youtube and sounds pretty good.

Very dull 2/10.

Tough crowd.

Will listen and review later when Mrs Labsey isn't around. Not a fan of electronica.

Yeah that's what I meant regarding the compression I'm kind of feeling my way but I think progressing a bit each tune, certainly learning something new every day. I run a fat 'silent' kick and sidechain the bass and pads/leads on most things, tend to run a slower release though due to the tempo.

You will progress obviously, as you learn what sounds better each time, I'm still learning shedloads every time I fire up Logic!

You don't need to do "silent kick" thing, just send the actual kick(s) to a bus, then sidechain from that bus. The thing with using a silent kick that I've found to trigger the sidechain, is you don't know what it's supposed to sound like, and how the compressor will react to it. The idea behind compressing the rest of the track to the beat of the kick, is that the kick you can hear actually cuts through the track. Kick drums usually have a very sharp initial sound, with a lot of decay, so only the initial sound is usually particularly loud. Is this making sense? If not, just try it anyway, see if it helps, should allow you to have more control (or more consistent results) from your sidechain compression, because you will know what to expect for certain settings.

I'm guessing you use a brickwall on the master what kind of db do you aim for? Originally I was aiming for about -12 but it seems everyone is going to -8 or higher, I want it loud but don't want to flatten off the dynamics too much.

I have done NO mastering whatsoever on any of the tracks on my Soundcloud! Mastering compression is all too often used to mask a poorly mixed track. Worry about mixing a track properly first, then get good at mastering, that's the philosophy I'm taking... Seems to be paying off too as I'm getting good at mixing tracks for sure (even if I do say so myself!)

I don't know if you've heard the new tune I put up the other day but it's the first one I've properly played with stereo imaging, makes everything else I've done sound very 2d so I'm going to go back and tweak a few things.

Had a quick listen yeah, stereo imaging is/isn't important dependent on who you're making music for and what they'll be listening on. It's kinda sad that these days most pop music is flat, lifeless, over compressed and has no kind of stereo imaging going on at all, but then most people listen on laptop speakers, or in nightclubs on (usually Mono) soundsystems... I'm still a fan of Hifi though, and will fight til the bitter end for well mixed/produced music with life, dynamics and soul to it. But I also expect that anything I want to release to the masses, I'll have to create an over-compressed "radio edit" to get played out lots.

I am a big fan of electronic music but honestly it did nothing for me. Too slow, no direction and after about 20 secs the tracks bored me. It does have a musak element to it, Sorry!

The start of "actually I do mind" sounds like the sort of thing Mills might kick off a set with (it also sounds pretty familiar), but he would only use that 20 secs before he started rocking.

Sounds like the music that you get on those 'How it's made' programs on Discovery Channel.

I have to agree. The production is definitely there but the actual end product doesn't really go anywhere. Reminds me of really chilled Groove Armada.

5/10. Don't hate it, wouldn't buy it.

schrickvr6 - Member

Very dull 2/10.

Tough crowd.

sorry to sound harsh, just trying to be cruel to be kind, it's not very good.