O
OSHC
Active member
Hi, hope you'll like my new minimal tribal techno track!
TalismanRich
Well-known member
First comment.... thanks for not subjecting me to a 120BPM thump!!!! I actually listened to the entire track instead of the first 10 seconds.
I guess techo is just one of those genres that doesn't excite me on it's own, but as I was listening to it, I was thinking "this would be a really cool instrumental section of a bigger work", like after a couple of verses, a short guitar solo, then here comes some really cool keyboard antics just before the band makes a big return. Maybe it's from my days of listening to Yes or ELP, etc. where you had 10 or 15 minute songs with different sections that combined to make a complete composition.
I guess techo is just one of those genres that doesn't excite me on it's own, but as I was listening to it, I was thinking "this would be a really cool instrumental section of a bigger work", like after a couple of verses, a short guitar solo, then here comes some really cool keyboard antics just before the band makes a big return. Maybe it's from my days of listening to Yes or ELP, etc. where you had 10 or 15 minute songs with different sections that combined to make a complete composition.
O
OSHC
Active member
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to the entire track. I really appreciate it. Yes, in this particular track I wanted to try something different and not make the kick the main focus for a change
I can totally relate with you about a track like this being a section of a bigger composition. I was just now imagining something like that where an orchestra started playing drums as a build up from the break in this track or a similar track. At the same time, it is also entirely possible that I still need to develop the skill to create a complete composition - like a story with lots of twists and turns. I really appreciate your encouragement. Really glad that you could hear some improvements in my track. Thank you once again!
T
TripleM
Well-known member
Things in general sound OK.
The music, to me, didn't move enough to keep interest up. With no vocal, something needs to attract listener interest. That little 4-bar riff on the bass goes on throughout the song and never changes up.
Maybe add different instruments. Have something provide a counter melody. Add a bridge. That kind of thing.
The music, to me, didn't move enough to keep interest up. With no vocal, something needs to attract listener interest. That little 4-bar riff on the bass goes on throughout the song and never changes up.
Maybe add different instruments. Have something provide a counter melody. Add a bridge. That kind of thing.
O
OSHC
Active member
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to the track. I agree with you about the dynamics of the track. Thanks for pointing that out!
UltimateOutsidr
Member
While this isn't a genre I produce, I do listen to a lot of stuff like this. I listened to this track and several of your others on YouTube. I think you have some interesting ideas (like your genre crossovers) and some mostly solid arrangements. I think there are a few things you can do to make your stuff sound more like it belongs in a minimal techno playlist like this one:
- More bass. In all your tracks I heard, the kick drum is the only element that has any sub-100hz bass energy (and even some of the kicks are on the weak side). Compare any of your tracks to the ones from that playlist above; by and large they have much more activity in the low end of the spectrum.
- More air and space. Your arrangements and production are very tight, but they feel a little claustrophobic. Most of the pro stuff feels bigger due a lot of reverb and delay, but also it feels more vibrant due to the high-frequency content in the mix. I'm not talking about transients so much as harmonics (saturation/distortion).
- More automation. When working in genres that involve minimalist compositions where the melodies and riffs are so sparse and repetitive, you have to work a lot harder to keep the listener's interest. In the track above you do some automation on a mid-range pulse synth, but your bass is pretty static. You could improve things a bit by using a bass patch with a lot of mid/high harmonics and doing some resonant filter sweeps on it throughout the track.
O
OSHC
Active member
Thanks so much for taking the time to listen to my tracks and for your very kind detailed feedback/suggestions above. It really helps me out by giving me some things to keep in the back of my mind while I sit down to produce my next track!! BTW, I really enjoyed listening to your cover of "Reflections" on Soundcloud. Loved the flow and the overall sound of the track!!
K
K-dub
Well-known member
As per usual, often I just go "What Trip said".
I always find my first impression of such is "cool sound!" - which if it doesn't "do something else" wears quickly on me. That's the trick of this genre. I don't go to dance clubs to listen to music for the same reason. So what might work in that environment thins a bit when all one is doing is listening. But - that's why such comments need to be taken with a grain of perspective. This stuff is not meant for listening entertainment like, say, a folk song. So contextually, it may be fine as is. But it is a duck out of water in a critical listening situation. It's meant more as background than extended close listening.
T
TripleM
Well-known member
I think that's true. Many people like to have music playing in the background while they go on about their life - listening passively. And this piece is probably fine for that purpose.
O
OSHC
Active member
Thanks so much for your insightful comment. I totally agree with you about most music in this genre being more like background music!