Civilization of the Mind (synthwave funk)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stevie_M
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I'm listening on a pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones and the mix sounds pretty good in terms over overall balance. I usually listen for excess mud and excess harshness, and I didn't really hear anything terrible. The drums might need some work, though. The kick and the snare sound small in the mix and a little low in volume. The kick doesn't sound particularly fat and the snare might be a little too compressed.

My ears also wanted a little more variety in the arrangement. It's a fairly long song, and I'd like to hear more variation. There is a change at roughy 2:20, but I would do more to break things up. I always live by the rule of thumb that not everything needs to be playing all the time. It helps me and it might work for you, too.
 
dwillis45 said:
I'm listening on a pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones and the mix sounds pretty good in terms over overall balance. I usually listen for excess mud and excess harshness, and I didn't really hear anything terrible. The drums might need some work, though. The kick and the snare sound small in the mix and a little low in volume. The kick doesn't sound particularly fat and the snare might be a little too compressed.

My ears also wanted a little more variety in the arrangement. It's a fairly long song, and I'd like to hear more variation. There is a change at roughy 2:20, but I would do more to break things up. I always live by the rule of thumb that not everything needs to be playing all the time. It helps me and it might work for you, too.
Click to expand...

Dwill, thanks for the review. I upped the drum levels and slightly boosted the kick low end. Let me know if they sound more forward in the mix. I actually do want to give the synths a slightly dominant sound. You are right about the variation - the open space is eventually going to be filled with vocals so I think that'll take care of that.
 
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Stevie_M said:
Dwill, thanks for the review. I upped the drum levels and slightly boosted the kick low end. Let me know if they sound more forward in the mix. I actually do want to give the synths a slightly dominant sound. You are right about the variation - the open space is eventually going to be filled with vocals so I think that'll take care of that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the vocals will probably break things up. I wasn't clear if this was purely instrumental or not.
 
The mix currently linked is the one with the boosted drums? They sound forward enough for me. They're a little high-rangey maybe. Of course, with the synths taking up so much sonic space, boosting them in the low end might muddy things up.

Do you have the vocal part written yet? I suspect you'll want a very dynamic vocal part to add variety.

I like that additional synth you bring in after the breakdown. Kinda pink-floyd esque.
 
Alright, I think I figured out the drums. It was my damn limiter settings...do they kick through the mix better now? Same link above to the updated track - plus NEW VOCALS. And thank you to all who provided input!
 
Just my ears, but it sounds like the vocals need to fit better in the mix. There is a lot going on in the instrumental section, particularly in the 200-500z region, It's fairly thick and when you add the vocal, the low end lacks clarity. Maybe if you cut the vocal a db or two around 220hz it might fit better. Either that or just cut at the same frequency on some of the other instruments. You might also take one synth out of the mix when the vocal comes in. It will add space and make the song more dynamic. Whenever I mix my own stuff, I remind myself of the eternal wisdom: Not all instruments have to play at the same time. And sometimes less is more. :D
 
Don't think I've heard of 'synthwave funk' as a genre, and maybe I was expecting something funkier.
My initial thought on the snare was that it was gated too hard, but as the track went on I got used to it. Reminded me of the 80's drum sounds - Visage, Human League. The levels are pretty balanced overall. I find vocals the hardest to blend into a mix, you've done pretty well here. Maybe a slight muddy/cloudiness in the lower reaches. Good jam though, I enjoyed it
 
Bulls Hit said:
Don't think I've heard of 'synthwave funk' as a genre, and maybe I was expecting something funkier.
Click to expand...

Synthwave is a very chill genre in general, so I don't know how much funk can even be injected

I like the mix with vox. I'd recommend some harmonies maybe, especially after the octave jump, but it's pretty close now.
 
dwillis45 said:
Not the early Synthwave I remember. Nothing chill about it. Maybe the song needs some Normal injected into it. :D

...
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I don't think that's synthwave? Synthwave is usually used to describe the genre that emerged in the last decade that is best described as "music from a 80s video game set in Miami at sunset"
 
I like it - I put out electronic stuff too with only a couple of real instruments.

With a couple of fixes this will be even better. I agree with Steve, it went very Floyd after the change up. Reminded me a bit of the guitar in Meddle's Echoes and you can't go wrong with that.

I'm a guy who likes the snare to fit and have a snap to it. This snare is almost there, and I'm afraid I don't have the words to describe what it needs to be perfect. And I think the guitar licks need to come forward to really make this song go. And I think you have EQ work to do with so that the listener can better hear the effects on the vocals.

Nice job on this Stevie.

Tim
 
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VomitHatSteve said:
I don't think that's synthwave? Synthwave is usually used to describe the genre that emerged in the last decade that is best described as "music from a 80s video game set in Miami at sunset"
Click to expand...

I'm always amazed by the amount of genre creep that's out there. There are too many to keep track of and nobody seems to be able to agree on nomenclature.

This guy seems to have the longest and most comprehensive list and it's absolutely mind-boggling.

Music Genre List - A complete list of music styles, types and genres

I'm not sure when all this started but maybe we should blame the people that put Country with Western or Folk with Rock. I know one thing for sure, it's completely out of hand. :D
 
With a couple of fixes this will be even better. I agree with Steve, it went very Floyd after the change up. Reminded me a bit of the guitar in Meddle's Echoes and you can't go wrong with that.

I'm a guy who likes the snare to fit and have a snap to it. This snare is almost there, and I'm afraid I don't have the words to describe what it needs to be perfect. And I think the guitar licks need to come forward to really make this song go. And I think you have EQ work to do with so that the listener can better hear the effects on the vocals.
Click to expand...

Yellow, thank you. I hear what you're saying about the snare and will be fixing it soon. I also need to cut some 200-300hz mud off the vox, good call. That is so funny you say the guitar is reminiscent of Echoes. I was going for a more Nile Rodgers muted funk. I an enormously influenced by the Floyd (I made a full cover of their Animals album) and, if anything, that the synth solo and vocals feel the most Floyd-influenced.

Animals (2018) by Mothers Talk | Free Listening on SoundCloud
 
YellowDwarf said:
I like it - I put out electronic stuff too with only a couple of real instruments.

With a couple of fixes this will be even better. I agree with Steve, it went very Floyd after the change up. Reminded me a bit of the guitar in Meddle's Echoes and you can't go wrong with that.

I'm a guy who likes the snare to fit and have a snap to it. This snare is almost there, and I'm afraid I don't have the words to describe what it needs to be perfect. And I think the guitar licks need to come forward to really make this song go. And I think you have EQ work to do with so that the listener can better hear the effects on the vocals.

Tim
Click to expand...

Hey so I realized my kick was mixed rather low and was contributing to the "flat" snare. I upped the kick by +2.5dB and I think it fattens up that snare punch noticeably more - how does it sound to you? Am I crazy? Same link in original post.
 
Overall I thought it sounded pretty good. Good sounding synths. I think they're covering the vocal just a bit. I might give the synths a cut in the mid-2Ks to see if the vocal pops thru better.

The kick is stronger than the bass. I'd raise the bass level just a bit.
 
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