Falling Dream (instrumental)

superelixir

New member
this is not your everyday instrumental. i had a lot of fun making it, so hopefully somebody has fun listening to it...

this is my second attempt at recording a song by myself, so there is probably a lot that can be improved. if you hear anything wrong with the mix please let me know (i can handle constructive criticism). thanks in advance!


edit--new mix as of 8/30:

 
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Hey. This isn't the sort of thing I'd normally listen to, but it's not bad. I find the guitars overpower the drums quite a lot, especially the one that comes in around 0:58 - the drums could be brought up quite a bit and thickened (not sure I'm qualified to specify how, just telling what I hear). When the guitar pans across at 3:01, that's a bit jarring and confusing.

There's some great guitar in this, which I enjoyed.
 
this isn't the kind of thing i'd normally listen to either, so thanks for giving it a chance :)

you're definitely right about the drums. i'll try adding a little more compression, and maybe slightly reducing the lead guitar and bass. i also feel like the rhythm guitar in the chorus is little underpowering, but i'm not sure how to make it sound thicker without interfering with the other guitars...

as for the solo, i thought it kind of fell off near the end so i wanted to spice it up somehow. i guess the panning idea didn't work. :p
 


here is the new mix--i think i addressed most of those problems (compressed the drums more, adjusted the levels, took some low end off bass and guitar). i'm worried there might still some "low mid buildup" but i don't have a good ear for it...
 
Mixing aside, this is a fascinating composition. It is dynamic, ever-changing, with a lot of sonic texture and interesting sounds. It is very well constructed, and kept me engaged the whole time. So well done on the composition!!

I listened through headphones (being late at night), so I couldn't form a deep appreciation of the mix. However, what I heard through headphones was satisfying. I think the instruments were positioned well, enjoyed good clarity, and the sonic spectrum was nicely filled. I appreciated the use of reverb to create space.

I noted jonny deep's comments about guitars overpowering drums, specially at 0:58. That didn't particularly disturb me. In fact I think it is helpful to have the drums not always have a dominant role. However, I wasn't as keen on the guitar solo between 2:42 and 3:07. I understand why it is there, but to my ears it sounded a bit brittle, and somehow disconnected from the rest of the music (i.e. what came before and after, and what was happening during). I'll have to listen to it again to figure this out. Towards the end of the song, from about 3:59 on, I heard some crackling that reminded me of vinyl. I couldn't decide whether this was a deliberate effect, or unwanted noise. Either way, it didn't fire me with excitement.

What this mix demonstrates, though, is an ear with musical sensitivity. And even if I listen to it tomorrow and hear it differently through the speakers, that will not change.
 
thank you so much for the feedback; it means a lot coming from you.

for the solo, i wanted something dissonant with a lot of energy, that would wake the listener up and make their adrenaline flow. i can see what you mean about being disconnected, especially during the second half of the solo, so i'll consider rewriting the solo to make it fit better.

the crackling effect was deliberate; for some reason i wanted the last chorus to sound like vinyl. when i first recorded a demo of this song, someone told me that it should end after the last verse, on a positive note. but i wanted to repeat the chorus, and bring back a mysterious or regretful tone... i guess i used the crackling to fill the silence, so that nobody would anticipate the ending of the song. if i could find a way to make the transition more natural, i think the crackling could go.

i'm really glad you enjoyed the song. your words are very encouraging--i was worried nobody would like this kind of music...
 
sorry for bumping this... i haven't been able to make those changes to the mix yet, because i went off to school and i'm missing some of the sound files.

i was wondering what people think about the first "chorus" part--should the melody sound more brassy or more just like guitar? for some reason it doesn't sound as alive as i wanted it to be. also, the drums have recently started to bother me. i think it's the snare sound... but i'm considering scrapping the samples and just recording acoustic drums.
 
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