Feedback for a Comtemp Alt Rock needed....

[Piewackit1]

Need to know if this is in the ball park for the listing below. Add anything?

https://soundcloud.com/piewackit-1/mood-ring


CONTEMPORARY ALT ROCK INSTRUMENTALS in the general stylistic range of Coldplay, Snow Patrol, OneRepublic, etc., are needed by a the Owner of a very busy NY-based Music Library for corporate videos, ad campaigns, and commercials. This is their first listing with TAXI in 5 years and we're glad to see them back! Chances are, you probably don't have any material in this library yet! They're looking for positive and optimistic instrumentals that have a safe, corporate-friendly Rock sound. Please don't submit anything too intense or aggressive sounding. Your Instrumental track must be at least 2 minutes in length. Broadcast Quality is needed (great home recordings are fine). This company offers both an exclusive AND non-exclusive deal. If you choose to enter into an exclusive deal, they split any licensing fee 50/50 and keep 100% of publishing. You'll retain your writer's share. If you chose a non-exclusive deal, they'll collect 60% of any licensing fee, while you keep 40%. They'll keep publishing, and you'll retain your full writer's share. Please submit one to three instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Monday, September 23, 2013. TAXI #S130923RI

[beesea]

Yeah, you're definitely in the ballpark with the listed a-la's - at least Coldplay and Snow Patrol. Not sure if the big dynamic changes are what they are after for this listing, but they sound good to me! That "safe, corporate friendly rock sound" part of the listing is the part I'm not quite so sure how to interpret (I'm working on a couple ideas for this listing too). The chord progressions, instrumentation, melodies, etc. all fit the style well though.
I gotta say, I'm not digging the electric guitar tone that comes in on the louder parts. Also, I wouldn't pan that part so close to the center. I know, SOMETHING has to be in the middle, but I would re-do that part with a little warmer tone and move it to one side. I know this isn't a final mix; just thinking out loud on where I would go from here if this were mine. I think the tune should work well for the listing though - best of luck!

[Piewackit1]

I'm not digging the electric guitar either. Glad you said it! It's a Gibson Les Paul and a SansAmp combo...nothing warmer than a Les Paul but I think I need a different tone altogether.

Thanks for listening. I'm not sure what they are looking for in regards to dynamics and my song has some steep contrasts...But I think I will change the guitar tone and submit and see what happens.

[AlpacaRoom]

I think you've definitely got the right feel here, but I do agree that the dynamic contrasts might be a bit too big. I think you've got some mix issues, too--the strings/synth pads are way too loud and abrupt. I'd pull those down and set them back in the mix with some reverb. The transition back into the piano after the loud bit--I'm thinking mostly of 0:45 here--is pretty abrupt, too. The piano is super-loud and pretty dry, and you're coming back after this huge section and it comes off as a bit awkward to me.

Also, I almost never say this, but I think overall the mix is a little too dry. This kind of music, to me, has more space around it. I'm not sure that you want more reverb on absolutely everything, but it wouldn't hurt to set up a big reverb with a little pre-delay on a send and see how it feels as you turn it up on each track.

Anyway, I think it's the right piece, but a few tweaks would make it work a lot better.


-Nick

[Piewackit1]

'I think you've got some mix issues, too--the strings/synth pads are way too loud and abrupt. I'd pull those down and set them back in the mix with some reverb. The transition back into the piano after the loud bit--I'm thinking mostly of 0:45 here--is pretty abrupt, too. The piano is super-loud and pretty dry, and you're coming back after this huge section and it comes off as a bit awkward to me.'

I just noticed the synth being too loud. Not sure what I can do about the transitions between sections...

Thanks for the input...

[feaker66]

Hi Pie

I don't know much about instrumentals, but I love the cool chord changes starting at 30 seconds.

Cool stuff

Paul

[playagibson]

I just had a listen and I have to agree on the mix. It's too dry for the ala's.
The transitions need to be more fluid.
The melody and ideas are there.
Softer tones will go a long way ( electric guitar ) and you have some instruments set way back like the drums and then you have
acoustics and synths set way to the front.
You need that happy balance so the transitions aren't so abrupt.
Light compression on the instruments will go a long way and a tasteful amount of reverb to give the mix the sense of space it deserves.
Whenever I hear Coldplay on the radio you can hear that reverb space everywhere and the instruments balance evenly.

Rich.

[cassmcentee]

Really Nice Pie!
Above comments are all good notes!
+ I'm thinking a touch of long delay on the synth so that it sustains a hair over what feels like full stops during the choruses.
Great Work!
Cass

[Piewackit1]

Thanks for all the help guys.

I have to think how I can make those transitions a bit more smooth...I like the reverb suggestions for both Cass and Rich but am always afraid of the 'wash out' reverb can bring...I would prefer to put the reverb on the master bus rather than each track. Now that i listen a little more to the a la's there is way more reverb and space needed on my tune.

Guitar will be changed and the synth will be pulled back.

Thanks again everyone!!

[andygabrys]

my 2 cents

part of your issues are caused by mix balance, and part by arrangement.

I would start the 8th note feel piano right at the beginning, over the sustained chords. make it a motif that builds. Bring in percussion bit by bit. kick drum 4 on the floor. hi-hat foot pedal on 2 and 4. build it. so that when it hits with the chorus it feels like the same song. each breakdown can come down to just he piano, but keep it moving. the 8th note motif over the sustain chords.

mix wise- pan the guitar out more. Make the piano bigger with verb. use a little more organic piano, or roll back the compression and the eq that makes it thin. Drop the level of the synth pad / string pad - make the performance of the synth pad more legato - the spaces between the notes makes it sound choppy to me. use volume changes to bring the synth in as a swell into the choruses, and perhaps out as well, leave a delay trail to let it die out naturally.

re: reverb

danger!

don't put the verb on the main buss. yeah, if you are mastering a jazz or classical album and its too dry, fine.

but for this you need to get the sounds on each instrument that work.

use a send from each instrument to a common reverb. add little bits to make it big and nit it together. if you have the individual control, you can make the drums just a trifle drier, so when its squished and limited they don't end up sounding like an airplane hanger space.

you don't need a big verb by the way. a reverb that I find works great for making space and making size without washout is similar to these dimensions:

its a plate. 0.5 second decay. the high end above 800 hz is eq'd up a little, a db or 2. The low end below 270 hz is totally rolled off with an 18 db high pass filter. the area between 270 and 450 hz is down a db or 2. there is a slight bit of predelay (0.8 ms) but you could time the predelay to the track.

then sending a little of each track to this can help to make the space without washout. if you typically use reverbs with longer tails like 2.0 or 2.6 sec, that is part of the problem.