Having a go at a disco instrumental

[MJLeeman]

I wrote the following piece in response to the listing below. I would be grateful for any feedback before I submit the music.

Cheers
Michael


Here is the track:-

https://www.taxi.com/members/nwRU7pygQr ... disco-very


And here is the listing:-

DISCO INSTRUMENTALS are needed by an extremely busy Music Library with a tremendously long list of killer placements in Hit TV Shows!

They're looking for Mid-to-Up-Tempo Instrumentals with the general style and vibe of the references:

"Can't Get Enough" by Birdee & Andre Espeut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFX9LWfbK5g

"Human Contact (French Horn Rebellion Remix)" by Catey Shaw

https://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KY3U3 ... 1wrkchXWmw

"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead

https://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KY3U3 ... ROr4ktm8AQ

"Le Freak" by Chic

https://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=KY3U3 ... Bye1CNPjlg

Although the references have full melodic/lyrical top-lines and vocals, please submit Instrumentals for this request. Some effected, non-lyrical vocal elements or minimal, short phrases/single words sung with a vocoder (like "yeahs," "don't stop," etc.) could work for this request, but please do not submit Songs with full vocal top-lines.

Please submit well-produced Disco Instrumentals with catchy motifs, grooving beats, excellent arrangements, and plenty of great energy! Your submissions can range from traditional Disco ideas that sound like they came straight out of 1979 to more modern tracks with current-sounding elements and ideas. Traditional Disco instrumentation will work nicely for this request, but incorporating elements like Vocoder, contemporary drums, and modern ear candy are welcome, as well! Whichever approach you choose, please be sure your production is polished and any virtual instruments or samples you use are high-quality.

All submissions should be about 90 seconds to 2 minutes long, give or take. Non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings are strongly recommended. Do NOT copy the referenced track in any way, shape, or form. Use it only as a general guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

IMPORTANT: This Library really wants to find top-notch Composers – not just people who combine different samples or loops without altering them at all. Cleared sample libraries are okay to use, but any samples or loops you include in your pieces should be altered enough that they're distinguishable from the originals. Basically, if you Shazamed one of your tracks and another artist's song comes up, your music would definitely be disqualified by this Company.

ALSO IMPORTANT: Your Submissions can NOT be commercially released on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. OR be encumbered by ANY other publishing, licensing, administration, and/or exploitation deals (whether non-exclusive or exclusive) including publishing/licensing agreements with CD Baby, TuneCore, etc.

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal. You’ll split all upfront sync fees 50/50. You’ll keep 100% of the Writer’s share and the Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher’s share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright. Since this is an EXCLUSIVE deal, please be sure the material you submit for this pitch is not already signed with other Libraries or Catalogs. Please submit as many Instrumentals as you’d like, online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Saturday, April 2nd, 2022. TAXI Dispatch # D220402MD

[crashgates]

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[MJLeeman]

Hi Michael

very cool track however get the impression what you've done is more towards funky then a disco mix even though they can be closely related

listening to the ref tracks, just feel it needs more beat and more bass or IOW more lower end chakra energy for dancing

Thanks Crashgates

Your comments caused me to ponder three issues:
1. The groove of funk versus disco styles - I'm thinking that bass lines and/or guitar riffs might tend towards dotted-note rhythms in the former style, whereas at least one of the disco references seems to rely on mainly straight quarter and eighth note patterns, so I re-worked the riffs in my track to be more in keeping with this;
2. The need for the bass / lower end to dominate more in my track. So I got hold of a Scarbee MM bass plugin and applied this to the new bassline/riff, then layered a bit of a slap bass patch and a sub-bass sound to see whether this helped to point the lower end in the right direction.
3. I also put some work in on the drums and percussion tracks.

Thanks for your instructive input.

Here's the new version:-

https://www.taxi.com/members/nwRU7pygQr ... disco-very

Cheers
Michael

[cassmcentee]

Hey Michael,
I listened to a few seconds of your mix and then a few seconds of the first reference track.
I think you need to also compare them: your mix sounds muddy, like there is a towel over your speakers
The Ref track is bright and clear right from the start
Good Luck!
Cass

[crashgates]

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[MJLeeman]

Thanks Cass and Crashgates

I listened to your suggestions and came up with the following version, though it is not quite there yet. I started with the stereo master of the previous version and, with a mate, had a go today at boosting the high end and tried to de-clutter some of the rest, a bit like unscrambling an egg, and subsequently layering some tracks back in over the treated stereo track to give some boost to the high end, particularly in the percussion. I might go with this approach for this one to see how it goes, but hopefully I'll be better prepared at the tracking stage next time.

In particular, I noticed that the style as per the reference tracks and other examples, generally start and continue with very bright hats/cymbals etc., and in the rework, I have tried to address this throughout my track.

https://www.taxi.com/members/nwRU7pygQr ... disco-very

Cheers
Michael

[crashgates]

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[MJLeeman]

yeah Michael getting there, the more I listen to it, the harder it becomes to be un-subjective.

so these are only my subjective suggestions. Sorry I'm not keen on that HH/Tamb sample/patch at .09 sec mark, sounds washy/woshi. Also goes on for too long without variation. Would prefer a more solid HH/Tambourine sample/patch. Also there is something about .39 sec mark that seems to skip or hick up and not work for me either.

Having said that your funky guitar would still make Nile Rodgers proud

https://youtu.be/w-nC_HsH_4Y

Thanks for the encouragement, Crashgates

After reading your post, and considering Cass's earlier comment in a little more detail, I realised that the high end which I brought into the track compared to the previous version to brighten it up, merely made obvious the maybe inappropriate treble kit/percussion sounds which had previously been buried in the mix.

Anyway, long story short, and speaking metaphorically, I threw away the semi-unscrambled omelette and returned to the kitchen, and came up with thus, which might have to do for me at this stage.

https://www.taxi.com/members/nwRU7pygQr ... -mj-leeman

Cheers
Michael

[MJLeeman]

I think I gave the wrong link above, sorry. Here is the correct one:

https://www.taxi.com/members/nwRU7pygQr ... disco-very

[cosmicdolphin]

Just had a listen , gotta say to be honest this isn't really cutting it for me.

The vibe of the music is somewhere in the ballpark but main issue is most of the tracks ( apart form the guitar ) sounds like a cheap midi instruments. The drums in particular sound like very low quality samples.

Compare the sound & production of the reference tracks to yours by pulling in an MP3 of one or two of them, then A/B them closely. Do you hear the difference ?

I'm not sure where you are getting those sounds from but they are not strong enough for a production music library.

Mark