1/10 for Hip Hop Dramedy

[mteezykeys]

I won't bore everyone with posting all 10 tracks. But I didn't agree with the Screener on these 2 of the return comments.

Fool Me Once

I think you could improve this song by
I'm hearing distortion on the piano where it sounds like it is overly compressed/limited (it is pretty loud). The bass is also pretty aggressive in this track, so there is some potential root-cause clash there. I would suggest reworking the mix so that the piano is not quite so loud, is panned more middle in this instance, and sidechain it against the bass (or vice-versa). Additionally, some of the FX do not fit well and come across as distracting.
returned or forwarded this song because
There is some distortion in the mix on the piano that will need to be resolved for this track to be of broadcast quality. There are also some distracting FX sounds that either need to be removed or lowered in the mix.

Lurky Quirky

I think you could improve this song by
This track has some really cool vibes to it, but at places in the track, I'm getting distortion when the bass/piano are layered on top of each other. This will need to be fixed in order for this track to be able to move forward.
I returned or forwarded this song because
Distortion in the mix that will need to be corrected to be broadcast quality.

I'm just not hearing the distortion he's speaking of, on my home speakers and headphones. Unless he's just not liking the bass patch a chose. What are your thoughts?

[macomposer]

Hey Mike,

Yeah, I'm not hearing distortion either. Both pieces just a touch of that clipped sound that you hear in Trap, but it's not distorted.

My guess is the screener just wasn't digging that sound. But you hear it all the time now with those types of pieces. I mean, maybe the piano could come down just a tad in the first piece, but if you do that, then the balance is off between the mids and the low end.

I also didn't hear a root(tonic) clash, but some of the lines are moving quickly and unless you listen really close, you might get what I call a ghost clash (the overtones of one note are there when a new note hits and they seem to clash..) But I didn't actually hear a clash.

And I hear the FX that is considered annoying... Wasn't bothered by it.

Yeah, I love the bass/piano on Lurky Quirky... Not hearing distortion... I mean, you could maybe a 2 db dip at 300 on the bass, which might just give a tiny bit of space for them, but they sound good to me.

I got two returns on this listing too, and am wondering if I want to post about them. We'll see.

All the best and hang on in there,
Mark

[RealPickle]

Hi Mike,

First, I really dig the subtle Caribbean/Reggae vibes right at the end

Mark already gave you really comprehensive feedback, and I agree with basically all of it.

All I'd add is that possibly the perceived distortion in the piano comes from the bells playing in unison. Something about the attack of that instrument simultaneously with the piano gives it a little bit of a jarring, distorted sound. You get used to it after a while but it is a little bit startling at first. You might try experimenting with a less strident bell sound, or EQing it a little. (again, I agree the piano isn't distorted)

I actually think the bass sounds distorted (rather than too loud). I'm a big fan of distorting 808s on trap music so I like the sound, but that might be what the screener is referring to.

Anyway, I thought it was cool overall, and it seems like this screener set a super high bar for this listing. The good news is you got a forward, and if the library reaches out you've got a ton more to offer them!

Best,
Geoff