another up for critique

T

toobalicious

New member
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maybe i shouldve approached this differently.

i am truly looking for criticisms, both good and bad, on the mix, the sound quality, and yes, the music content. i usually have a vision, and this time is no exception, but i am quite curious what the "unbiased stranger" thinks.

sort of hard to categorize, as it is a bit different from most things i have heard, while retaining elements of the same. these tunes are downtempo, kind of smooth and almost jazzy, with a strong, sometimes nasty groove, and a little acid on top. i am working on compiling an album-length "set" that will most likely have each track mixed into the next in typical dj fashion (using ableton, which makes that task almost too easy). i just want to do something different. i want someone to listen to my stuff and feel like they might never have heard anything quite like it, whether they like the music or not.
i have been a guitarist for 17 years, and i feel like there isnt much to add to "rock music"; somebody somewhere has already written that song or played that lead. tried the hip hop route, but i sound impossibly like the middle-class white boy that i am, lol. and while there may currently be a market for that (cough, def jux), it feels pretty disingenuous.

anyway, tear me apart if you want, lol.

a
 
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Overall I'd say this is pretty fine. If you ever listen to SOMA FM or some of the other 'mellow' electronica radio stations, this piece would fit right in. It also reminds me a little of St Germain in the incorporation of jazz elements. Both versions were interesting. I think the simpler mix is a bit better in my mind in that it's less busy and the effects aren't overdone. The simpler mix does put the emphasis on the drums in the middle of the piece- so I'd bring them up a bit and perhaps give them a "lead" rhythm to guide the listener.

The flute and sax parts are really nice - how were they recorded? I'm always looking for good brass/woodwind softsynths so if you can suggest some I'd be obliged.

My only criticism is that the main organ melody motif is a little trite, and becomes irritating after the start of the piece. It's ok to introduce the piece, but needs to either go away or change after the ~30second point. That's just me, though.

Thanks for posting this.
 
jmasek said:
I think the simpler mix is a bit better in my mind in that it's less busy and the effects aren't overdone. The simpler mix does put the emphasis on the drums in the middle of the piece- so I'd bring them up a bit and perhaps give them a "lead" rhythm to guide the listener.

The flute and sax parts are really nice - how were they recorded? I'm always looking for good brass/woodwind softsynths so if you can suggest some I'd be obliged.

My only criticism is that the main organ melody motif is a little trite, and becomes irritating after the start of the piece. It's ok to introduce the piece, but needs to either go away or change after the ~30second point. That's just me, though.
Click to expand...
excellent. thanks for the input, and the compliment. actually, i was never fully in love with that organ parts. the whole groove kind of started with that organ, but as the music progressed, it became more and more out of place. i have changed it a bit in the first link (dust jam v2), as well as the acid synth in the middle part, making it a little more cohesive. sometimes i get carried away with warping out stuff. anyway, please listen again, if you would.

oh, the wind sounds are all samples. i basically cut and pasted a bunch of samples together to get what i wanted. time consuming? yes.

i will play with the other mix tonight. i know that drum break in the middle runs a bit long, but the key change presents some transitional issues without some sort of segue. i agree though, it needs something.

thanks for the time. and please listen to the other stuff on the soundclick page, if you feel so inclined.
a
 
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