General Feedback Please! I'm learning the ropes.

[MichelleLane]

Hey everyone!

I'm new to Taxi and would love any and all feedback on this piece I just finished. I didn't write it for a specific listing, this was for my own learning purposes. I was trying to hit the genre "Indie Rock," but I think it morphed into another style of rock. I'm not sure.

Can you guys give me general feedback on things like:
What genre/sub-genre you think it is
What mood it evokes
Whether this is a viable piece for use in TV/Film/Ads, etc.
Production quality
Or whatever the heck you see/hear/wanna say!

Literally, anything that strikes you. I'm all ears. Don't mince words, I'm a big girl and I will only cry a little bit if you tell me it sucks. Haha! Seriously, I'm very used to critique and am completely able to set my ego aside. I'm here to learn! Hopefully the SoundCloud link below will work. Thanks in advance for your time and comments.

- Michelle

https://soundcloud.com/michellelanemusic/rough-tumble

[MichelleLane]

https://soundcloud.com/michellelanemusic/rough-tumble

Hey Michelle

Totally not my genre, so I hope someone better suited will help you out, but here is what I think listen once. Mix sounds good to me, it feels pretty organic. Edit points could possibly be a little more distinct. There are sections that feel a little repetitive. As I said, no expert at all, but to me it sounds good already and if its not there yet, I feel it should not be too much work to get it over the bar.

And: Welcome to the forum!

Tom

Hi Tom! Thanks for the feedback! Note taken about distinct edit points and repetition. I was keeping it simple for this time around, but could definitely add a little to keep it fresh as it plays out.

[MichelleLane]

Hi again

Listening now to "Is It True?". The same comments apply as earlier, but I do think that this track altogether has better harmonies. The track is very long, but it is a good idea to have the rap at the end and give it a new feel - almost like a mini track inside the song. However, I am not entirely sure about the rap performance. It sounds too nice and possibly needs to be more sassy and have more swagger. Take Doja Cat as an example. Her voice (unlike Minaj or CardiB) feels not that far from yours, but it is all about the shown "attitude".

Again, very nice effort and keep working on it and you will get there!
Tom

"Is It True" is not one of my tracks. Was this meant for another member? I am most definitely not a rapper. LOL!

[JuanMacias]

Hi Michelle
I think you have a great track. sounds polished and well produced with a super catchy guitar riff, and great attitude.
in my opinion this is kind of a swamp rock Instrumental. I'm curious; are the keys midi?

Juan

[DBarnett]

Hi Michelle!
Welcome to the forum, lots of good advice here, it's helped me a lot
The second half is pretty much the same as the first half, that makes it repetitive
I would suggest that around 1:13 if you could "break it down" and then build it back up and out
It's kind of an 80's Pop Rock IMO
The recording and mix sounds good to me, balanced and clean I like it!
Good job!

[MichelleLane]

Hi Michelle
I think you have a great track. sounds polished and well produced with a super catchy guitar riff, and great attitude.
in my opinion this is kind of a swamp rock Instrumental. I'm curious; are the keys midi?

Juan

Hi Juan!
Thanks for the feedback! Seems like most of the stuff I am initially writing is coming out all 80s or swamp rock. I keep trying to hit the Indie Rock mark and haven't quite cracked the code yet. I'm going to keep trying. Though I have heard a ton of Swamp Rock on reality shows that take place in the South.

The keys are indeed midi. These came from the EastWest Composer Cloud group of libraries.

Thanks again, I really appreciate your comments!

[MichelleLane]

Hi Michelle!
Welcome to the forum, lots of good advice here, it's helped me a lot
The second half is pretty much the same as the first half, that makes it repetitive
I would suggest that around 1:13 if you could "break it down" and then build it back up and out
It's kind of an 80's Pop Rock IMO
The recording and mix sounds good to me, balanced and clean I like it!
Good job!

Hi and thanks for the input! You are totally right about the second half. I can defiinitely add a break-down where you suggest. I actually thought about it before, but wasn't sure if I should put it before or after the second verse. Thanks for the suggestion. I've been working on keeping my mix simple cause I'm one of those composers that likes to keep adding and adding till it's a big fat mess. But I think I let the pendulum swing a little too far for this one. Learning, learning...

Take care!

[DBarnett]

Hi Michelle!
Welcome to the forum, lots of good advice here, it's helped me a lot
The second half is pretty much the same as the first half, that makes it repetitive
I would suggest that around 1:13 if you could "break it down" and then build it back up and out
It's kind of an 80's Pop Rock IMO
The recording and mix sounds good to me, balanced and clean I like it!
Good job!

Hi and thanks for the input! You are totally right about the second half. I can defiinitely add a break-down where you suggest. I actually thought about it before, but wasn't sure if I should put it before or after the second verse. Thanks for the suggestion. I've been working on keeping my mix simple cause I'm one of those composers that likes to keep adding and adding till it's a big fat mess. But I think I let the pendulum swing a little too far for this one. Learning, learning...

Take care!

Yes, it sounds like you got it going on
Keeping it sparse but interesting is key for instrumentals

[Telefunkin]

Hi Michelle, I think Dave's right that your track would benefit from some tricks to keep it moving forward without just piling on too much new stuff. You might find this current thread helpful for a few general ideas, and even if not all of them can be applied you might get some new ideas on how to keep the arrangement developing.
avoiding-repetitiveness-t146048.html

[MichelleLane]

Hi Michelle, I think Dave's right that your track would benefit from some tricks to keep it moving forward without just piling on too much new stuff. You might find this current thread helpful for a few general ideas, and even if not all of them can be applied you might get some new ideas on how to keep the arrangement developing.
avoiding-repetitiveness-t146048.html

Yes! I'm getting lots of great tips that I can apply in general just by reading different threads. Great community! Thanks!