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BrandonL
New Member
United States
66 posts
Joined: Apr, 2012
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 Posted - 2017/05/03 : 23:59:02
So I've been making tracks for a while now, but I can't seem to get my production to get to the next level. If you've got a few, I'd love to get some feedback on my most recent tracks and get some constructive criticism on them. Don't pull your punches, either! No need to sugar-coat your critique.
https://soundcloud.com/brandonlaniog/brandon-legacy-let-you-go-1
https://soundcloud.com/brandonlaniog/brandon-legacy-spectre
There are other tracks on my SC, but those are the most recent.
Thanks for taking a look!
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Check my sounds!:
http://soundcloud.com/brandonlaniog
Like my page!:
http://www.facebook.com/brandonlaniogpage
Watch on YouTube!:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrandonLaniog
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Impulse_Response
Advanced Member
United States
724 posts
Joined: Jun, 2013
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Posted - 2017/05/04 : 02:38:45
I like the melodies of both tracks!
I think there is an issue with the bass. It sounds muddy on my monitors. The bass synth, and maybe the kick, could use some filtering to make the sound less muddy.
I also think the bassline might be a bit too loud, as it overpowers the rest of the mix in both tracks.
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Producers and record labels, please stop "loudness war" mastering everything. It sounds terrible.
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Edited by - Impulse_Response on 2017/05/04 02:39:32 |
DJ_FunDaBounce
Advanced Member
Colombia
2,001 posts
Joined: Nov, 2001
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Posted - 2017/05/08 : 02:34:15
Impulse_Response beat me to it.
Agreed on muddiness in bass and the filtering. And Yes, the melodies are really nice. especially like "let you go".
one thing I noticed is that your high frequencies are a bit too crisp and your low end is too boomy.
maybe you should try referencing with other productions you like the sound of.
Make like a top 10. and keep going back and forth between those and your own material. great way to keep perspective, especially if your monitoring system isn't optimum.
Good work, man. :)
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"Fun with a capital F-D-B!"
http://www.brightspeedrecordings.com/
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Elipton
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
1,268 posts
Joined: Apr, 2013
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Posted - 2017/05/08 : 06:37:37
As mentioned, bass felt quite muddy. I get the impression you're being quite heavyhanded with the EQ, and you're boosting highs of the cymbals and raising the lows of the kick and bass. I think contrary to intention, you're making the frequencies of everything overlap more than they should. Remember, sample packs like the Vengeance material are all pre-mastered and post-processed.
I use VST less than I used to for basslines. I find that a sawtooth bassline is too raw, and it doesn't glue the track together like it should. I tend to layer a synth bassline with a sample, and add a Sine sub-bass layer underneath. That gives it a nice warm feeling without intruding on the rest of the track unless I purposely include a higher freq sound like a donk or a saw layer.
I find that risers and sweeps layering over transitions (but with a reduced gain) are subtle ways to make your track flow properly. At the moment, your snare build ups feel quite isolated, and it takes impact away from your drops.
Your tracks are quite old-fashioned in style with the melody writing, so you might enjoy going in a totally new direction and producing a Trancecore-esque set of tracks. A producer who wrote similar styles of riffs was +12V. He wrote tracks like Usambara that were really good. I don't know where that guy went (I think he had demons eating at him, sadly), but he'd be quite helpful to talk to, I feel.
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Edited by - Elipton on 2017/05/08 06:44:17 |
getgood
Starting Member
Australia
1 post
Joined: May, 2017
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Posted - 2017/05/12 : 17:57:27
Hi Brandon.
I really like your hardcore tracks dude. 'Let You Go' is my favorite one.
I'd just add a few risers and some more minor details like drum fills and stutters for the complexity aspect.
Also Hi everyone I'm new here. I'm a bedroom producer.
I'd also love some critique on my new track please.
https://soundcloud.com/getgoodhappyhardcore/what-you-want
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ENCHANTED 2004 :-)
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BrandonL
New Member
United States
66 posts
Joined: Apr, 2012
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Posted - 2017/05/16 : 13:36:09
Thank you so much for the critique, everyone! I'll definitely pay more attention to the highs and lows during my mixdown, especially the low end which seems to be my main problem.
Thanks for checking it out! I'll keep all your feedback in mind for future tracks! :)
__________________________________
Check my sounds!:
http://soundcloud.com/brandonlaniog
Like my page!:
http://www.facebook.com/brandonlaniogpage
Watch on YouTube!:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrandonLaniog
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ViolonC
Average Member
Germany
243 posts
Joined: Sep, 2014
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Posted - 2017/05/16 : 16:08:01
Please see the following as constructive criticism.
First thing that comes up is, as already mentioned the EQing. I'd guess you are boosting the lows on the master bus (don't do that!) but it could just be on drum and/or bass itself. Use a reference track to get that sorted and don't make a bathtub out of your EQ curve.
Next thing is your sound design. The bass is relatively weak and sounds unfinished. I know from my own experience how hard good bass design can be. But you will have to focus here to improve as this is holding you back a lot. Your other synths will grow with everything. You can try to recreate sound from other artists you like. This can teach you a lot.
I would say your main problem though is your arrangement. Both tracks seem a bit sparse, especially the breakdowns. Simply put you need more going on, background elements that support the main ones. Sweeps, arps, percussion, (reverse) crashes, pads consisting of multiple layers. I have a rule of thumb that at all times there need to be at least three independent harmonic/melodic/rhythmic elements going on, not counting Kick/Drums/Bass. This rule can only be broken with a good reason.
Keep at it. Learning music production takes longer than ppl want to believe.
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https://soundcloud.com/violonc
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