Advice on sounding more "contemporary"

[Mmichaelis]

Greetings!

Ahhh...the quest to sound more "contemporary." I was hoping to get some feedback on a return. I acknowledge I have a lot to learn in the contemporary world I'm just not quite sure how to get there.

Here was the listing:

CONTEMPORARY GUITAR and BASS-Driven INDIE POP/ROCK INSTRUMENTALS. references: “No Roots” by Alice Merton and "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man (listing S200711GB)

Here is the song:

https://soundcloud.com/matt-michaelis/feelin-my-groove

The feedback that I got was good. The screener said that the bass line was too close to the references and the drum sound should have been more "live" sounding. And I understand both of those points. But they also said that the song needs to be more contemporary and some of the instruments are dated. Any pointers on how I could make this song more contemporary?

The only thing I could think of was that the bass doesn't sound nearly as awesome as the references, and I just don't know how to get it there.

Thank you so much!

Matt

[cosmicdolphin]

More fur on the bass..sounds double tracked, one is lower..like an octave apart..might not be real even , you could get that sound in Kontakt quite easily I think ?

Different sort of tune but this is Scarbee https://soundcloud.com/user-45178330/sl ... umF3kcl7jS

Also your bassline feels a bit stiff compared to the ref track, the groove is missing.

Kick drum on yours just sounds electronic whereas theirs sounds like a live kick sample layered with the electronic. Again..more vibe

18 - 32s...guitar licks sound very under produced, the tone is pretty weak..theirs jumps out the speakers....yours crawls.

When the main thing kicks in , the keys are a bit cheesy sounding which is giving it that dated feel. also the kick drum kinda goes MIA.

Guitar part plays throughout yours, whereas the ref just comes in now and then so it has more impact. You concentrate on the groove and then it catches you by surprise.

Hope that helps

Mark

[Ted]

Mark, the bass on that sounds good-- which Scarbee bass is that? Is it the Rickenbacker by chance? I'm a guitarist primarily but I love playing bass--I've got a few Jazz basses including a fretless and I like laying down basslines and consider myself a better than average bassist for it not being my main instrument, but I recently got Komplete 12 Ultimate and I'm pretty impressed with those Scarbee basses-- to the point where I'm thinking of using them at times instead of using a live bass guitar. I gotta work with the keyswitches a bit, but they sound great-- especially the Rick, to my taste.

[cosmicdolphin]

Mark, the bass on that sounds good-- which Scarbee bass is that? Is it the Rickenbacker by chance?

Yes it's the Rickenbacker. I don't recall which patch now but it always seems to sound good when I use it.

There's been a lot of times when I've triggered it from a live part as well, using Melodyne to convert the bass players performance to midi and then drive Rickenbacker with the midi track. It doesn't take long with simple bass parts to try it but it can often be quicker than trying to get the sound you want from the recording although I probably wouldn't bother if it was a more intricate bass part with lots of different articulations.

[Mmichaelis]

More fur on the bass..sounds double tracked, one is lower..like an octave apart..might not be real even , you could get that sound in Kontakt quite easily I think ?

Different sort of tune but this is Scarbee https://soundcloud.com/user-45178330/sl ... umF3kcl7jS
18 - 32s...guitar licks sound very under produced, the tone is pretty weak..theirs jumps out the speakers....yours crawls.

Thank you as always for diving in and sharing your perspective! Always means a lot! Yeah as far as sounds I'm just not sure where to start in terms of finding samples. Apart from Superior Drummer I've just been using stock virtual instruments in Logic. So referencing Kontakt and Scarbee helps. Any others you'd recommend for contemporary sounds? Your track sounds freaking amazing, had to wipe the drool off my keyboard.

Any pointers on getting the guitar licks sounding up to par? I typically have a 5-mic setup on my amp (capturing all the frequencies), so I'm guessing what I need to do is more on the DAW side? Maybe preamp emulation or better EQ?

[cosmicdolphin]

Any others you'd recommend for contemporary sounds?

Any pointers on getting the guitar licks sounding up to par? I typically have a 5-mic setup on my amp (capturing all the frequencies), so I'm guessing what I need to do is more on the DAW side? Maybe preamp emulation or better EQ?

Contemporary sounds ...it's a tough one. Aside from all the obvious answers like Kontakt and I hear great things about Superior Drummer too ...it's not JUST the instruments , it's kinda how you use 'em. Most things can be made to sound good / modern or not depending what you do with them.

Part of it just listening to the referenced material so much it just seeps into your brain, put them on a playlist for a week before you even make a start. Current music has different rhythmic patterns to more dated sounding music so getting that into your brain is half the battle IMHO.

The other half is knowing how to produce stuff so it sounds fresh. So it's part listening and part learning the modern tricks. Youtube tutorials etc will help.

I'm not really a guitarist although I do play a little I rarely can be bothered to plug in my electric let alone record it. But having recorded a decent amount of live guitars over the years 5 mics sounds completely OTT

I don't think I've ever used more than two ( like one close and one further out ) , otherwise it can get really tricky with phase issues but my friends who are mainly guitar players seem to just DI and use amp sims nowadays.

[Kolstad]

Contemporary is what is on Billboard now. Just listen.

Minimalist arrangements, rhythm (and syncopation) in melody (all sections), reverb is back, short introductions and transitions ect.

Can vary with genres, though.

Check out Robin Frederick’s books too, a TON of hands-on tips.

[Robertj64]

Contemporary is what is on Billboard now. Just listen.

Minimalist arrangements, rhythm (and syncopation) in melody (all sections), reverb is back, short introductions and transitions ect.

Can vary with genres, though.

Check out Robin Frederick’s books too, a TON of hands-on tips.

I am no expert with the instrumental by any stretch but if you go by Portugal the Man's example, I would not leave the bass on its own at the beginning. In very few exceptions like "For The Love Of Money" by the O'Jays, the bass has a minimal percussive accompaniment if it is starting the track. I agree with Mark that it could probably use something extra on it. I like how "For The Love Of Money" started with the bass and echo. The second time - no echo- which brought an element of surprise before going back to the echo. Your bass sort of sounds a bit lifeless being just dry at the beginning. The hook is good so I would pursue it and experiment to see if you could get better results. Just my two cents!