Baby Has A Cold - RETURN

[ResonantTone]

Hey Tom!

Trap isn't really much in my wheelhouse, but I'll chime in since it doesn't look like anyone else has as of yet. Sorry that I didn't get to it till after the deadline though!

I think you are definitely on the right track, but there are still some issues with how it is produced and mixed. Some quick things that I heard as I listened:

1) The synth bass sound doesn't quite sound like what you'd hear on a lot of current trap/modern hip hop tracks at the moment. There is a pretty distinctive sub-bass sound in trap that's used a lot. Here's an example: https://youtu.be/aN5qwL_G-S4?t=24
2) The kick kind of disappeared a bit when your bass synth was going. If you listen close, you can hear a major difference in your kick when the synth is and isn't active. EQ can help this, as well as some sidechain compression.
3) The hihats needs more variation to feel like trap. If you listen to any current trap inspired stuff, you'll hear quite a bit of rhythmic variation with a lot of triplets, double time hits, etc

Hope that helps a bit!

Andrew

[TuKatz]

Hello Tom:

I will tell you what I think, but please understand that I am still trying to figure out the style myself (but I have gotten some great tips from some of the heavyweights in this style here on the forums). So here goes...

I think you have a good start, but what I notice is that I don't think the bass is quite working with this. The bass is sometimes just the 808 kick drum with the envelope decay set quite long and pitched to the key of the song, but with still plenty of attack to get that "thump" in the sound (and add a little eq somewhere around 2k-4k for the punch). In my mixes, I really overbalance the bass/bass drum combo so that the subs really move. I do not know for sure, but it would not surprise me if you could never have too much bass.

Also, your hats sound like a shaker to me. They need to have a fast attack and need to be pitched quite high and tight. Actually, the trap producers change the pitches of the hats quite often so they do not sound the same all the time (They also do this with the snare drums). Actually, this dose seem to work for the snare as well.

Your instrument choices may be fine, but maybe add a pad somewhere in there to fill the background in a little more. You might look at adding some bells also playing some kind of ostinato pattern.

I do think that you have a good start though. I think people think that this is a simple style to create, but the more I dive into it, the more I have begun to realize that there is much more to it than just creating a 4 bar pattern and letting it go ad naseum throughout. I am really starting to appreciate the artistry that goes into creating this music.

Keep at it and keep learning. When you get the critique (good or bad), learn from it and try something the next time and keep learning.

If you want an idea of what I have been doing with this style, go to my TAXI page ( www.taxi.com/tukatz ) and check out either "Methane Streets" or "Massive Trap". Both still have some work to be done, but maybe it can inspire you a little.

Thanks for letting us listen. Good luck with the listing.

[TuKatz]

Hello Tom:

Great points TuKatz, and thanks for listening! I made the hihats a little tighter and brighter (I had noticed the differences as well, but never acted on it ), also brought some tone variation into them (possibly hardly audible in the triplets and some of the double times). Maybe later today, I will be able to look into the subbass issue. Regarding more pads or arpeggios, I did try to keep it pretty minimalist (dialogue etc.), but I'll give it some thought.

Like you, I have grown to like the artistry in trap - however, as a state officer, I cannot/shall not connect with any of the lyrical contents most of the times...

Below is the version with the new hihats. Tom

Hey Tom:

Yes, I like the hats better, they don't sound like a shaker now, much better. I also like some of the subtle pitch variations in the Kick during the solo.

I hear you about the lyric content of some of these songs, sometimes I struggle to just listen to the samples (half the time I am not even sure what they are saying). But it is a fun style to create and learn.

Let us know what happens with this song. I wish you the best.

[ttully]

Hi Tom,

I think the problem is ….the bass is not shaking the floor..
I almost always use the Waves F6 EQ so I can SEE the sub bass..
I usually really boost it below 50Hz down to about 20Hz.

I think you may not have toe right sound for the bass.... or maybe not in the right octave.
I usually find with these type of tracks.... you have got to find the right key so the sub bass sounds good.... too high and it sounds bad.... too low and you don't hear it.
There is usually a sweet spot of a few notes that really shake the floor and you can still hear.


My sub 2 cents worth,
Tim

[VanderBoegh]

Hey Tom, regarding your bass.... it sounds like a 1980's horror movie synth.

Once you step into the DAW world, you can find great 808 instruments for about $30. Then you'll be cooking. Until then, you're gonna run the risk of this sounding like "trap-meets-Freddy Krueger".

~~Matt