Arena Rock Cue

[DanLuedke]

Can I get some feedback on this? All comments welcome! Especially mix advice and how to make drums/bass sound real.

https://soundcloud.com/dansguitarstudio ... nk/s-ViVx3

EPIC ARENA ROCK INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a well-connected Music Supervisor who's currently building a competitive new Music Library from the ground up. Submit Mid-to-Up-Tempo Instrumental Cues in the stylistic ballpark of artists like Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Muse, Angels and Airwaves, Avenged Sevenfold, etc., etc., etc. Epic, face-melting Rock is what's on the menu for this one. Driving guitars, pounding drums, and a bass line that gets the adrenaline pumping will work best. Although there are No Vocals for this pitch, don't be shy about throwing in a lead melodic guitar line; just be sure that it's not so frenetic that it could step on a scene's dialogue. Give 'em that real band feel, and avoid anything that may be too stiff or MIDI-driven. Submissions should be at least 2 minutes in length with easy edit points and a buttoned/stinger ending (preferred).

[teleblaster]

I saw 'Arena Rock' and thought, 'Journey, Toto, Kansas...'; shows how old I am . Full disclosure, I have no acumen to speak of with this genre....

That said the production and arrangement sound great to me. Guits are gristly but not harsh, the drums have a really nice room sound on them, particularly like the short reflection on the snare. My absolute lack of understanding with this genre aside, I think you've got a great track here. Bass might be a smidge hot in the mix is the only thing I can hear; but I'm listening through phones. Hope this is helpful, and best of luck.

[wta]

Have full run through of your tune, the best thing I can say is to pull a Foo Fighter or Avengend Sevenfold tune into your mix and use it as a reference track compare your drums, guitars, bass and final mix and see how close you are. "Face Melting" is a term used in the listing and that is a pretty specific feel to be shooting for, at this point your performance and mix isn't leaving a tan yet though I think with your sonic ideas you could get it there. A big issue with the mix at this point is compression and getting your mix "hotter" with a louder RMS.

Hope that helps, its VERY hard to get mixes into the ballpark you're shooting for but its an amazing goal, its just a matter of time and a lot of trial and error to get there.

Keep rockin'

William

[DanLuedke]

Erich - Thanks for listening. Regardless of acumen, I appreciate the feedback. A Journey, Toto, Kansas listing would be fun.

William - Thanks for the advice. I remixed the cue with RMS in mind and Foo Fighters in my ears. I have been accused in the past of being too heavy handed with compression so I back off this time. Did I go far enough?

https://soundcloud.com/dansguitarstudio ... -2/s-3OdVP

[denalihighway]

Hey Dan,

Cool track - particularly like the drums. I'm a beginner in that area.

Be careful that the breakdown doesn't kill the momentum - there's been a lot of emphasis of sustaining the 'mood' of a piece in the Taxi TV chatter about cues etc lately. If it was me I would shorten the breakdown area a bit.

Also, and this is just me of course...I would go for something a bit more aggressive than the current guitar arpeggio in the outro.

Take with a pound of salt!

Nice work, good luck with it
Gar

[DanLuedke]

Thanks, Gar.

Both of your critiques seem valid to me. I'll see if I can work them in.

[johnlewitt]

Dan,

Reading this listing and thinking of being at a hockey or basketball game, the tracks are generally only played for 20-40 seconds to pump the crowded up. So, my comments are based on that fact.

I would start the song at either 0:11 or 0:22. I don't think there's any room for intro's in this genre - you want to hit it immediately.

As to the mix, there's two things I'd adjust.

One, I'd try and make the snare drums just a little bit bigger. It's definitely in the genre that's being asked for, but you might want to stand out just a bit more than the others.

Secondly, I'd crank up the bass. IMO, you want people to physically feel it while it's being played in the arena.

Hope that helps.

John

[Piewackit1]

Hey Dan,

I like this track. It has tons of energy. The drums sound a bit unnatural in the break down(bridge) section. I think there are cymbal hits without the kick at the beginning...something just sounded off to me. I agree this section may slow the song down too much...it does change the mood a bit.

Other than that great guitar work and lots of energy.

[denalihighway]

Glad to help dude

guitars sound great to my ears too