Lend me your ears...

[guest4254]

So I tried beefing up the drums...added the parallel compression as suggested and some eq changes.
also added some extra bits to try a steer away from the sheer repetition, but after working on this for hours on end it now seems to sound somewhat harsh. Of course ear fatigue may have something to do with it...(my tinnitus doesn't help)
The listing is due tomorrow (Thursday 29th) so, there's not a whole lot of time left....

Do you think it has a shot at being forwarded?
Still open to suggestions.

https://www.taxi.com/members/ex2VQWBFTc ... nemy-lines

[AlanHall]

It's the repetition that gets me. If you listen again to the refs, the turnaround at the end of each 4-bar pattern varies. This variation gives the music a bit of a 'sense of unpredictability' that helps drive the motion forward. Maybe there's an alternate ending that can be used periodically to help break up the repetition? Also, as an experiment I would try muting the lead guitar in a few places to let the other instruments speak by themselves; again to help break up the repetition.

You have a couple of breakdowns which help with that, but it's not the same as playing with all the elements as layers - bringing them in and out for variety. hope that helps!

[cosmicdolphin]

So I tried beefing up the drums...added the parallel compression as suggested and some eq changes.
also added some extra bits to try a steer away from the sheer repetition, but after working on this for hours on end it now seems to sound somewhat harsh. Of course ear fatigue may have something to do with it...(my tinnitus doesn't help)
The listing is due tomorrow (Thursday 29th) so, there's not a whole lot of time left....

Do you think it has a shot at being forwarded?
Still open to suggestions.

https://www.taxi.com/members/ex2VQWBFTc ... nemy-lines

Well it certainly sounds beefier , the kick drum is a bit tubby now though so you may need to just tame that a little.

Make sure you are A/B comparing the references so you can dial things in like your kick drum more easily. There are some good A/B plugins that really help with this.

It does still come across a bit repetitive if I am being honest as Alan says and I don't think it's reached the bar yet where I would say I'd think it was a banker for a Forward, but don't despair - it's a journey and as long as you can make a little progress each time you make a new track. I am still learning after 30yrs too.

Mark

[guest4254]

It's the repetition that gets me. If you listen again to the refs, the turnaround at the end of each 4-bar pattern varies. This variation gives the music a bit of a 'sense of unpredictability' that helps drive the motion forward. Maybe there's an alternate ending that can be used periodically to help break up the repetition? Also, as an experiment I would try muting the lead guitar in a few places to let the other instruments speak by themselves; again to help break up the repetition.

You have a couple of breakdowns which help with that, but it's not the same as playing with all the elements as layers - bringing them in and out for variety. hope that helps!

Yeah, that just gave me an idea or 2...
Thanks Alan

[AlanHall]

It's the repetition that gets me. If you listen again to the refs, the turnaround at the end of each 4-bar pattern varies. This variation gives the music a bit of a 'sense of unpredictability' that helps drive the motion forward. Maybe there's an alternate ending that can be used periodically to help break up the repetition? Also, as an experiment I would try muting the lead guitar in a few places to let the other instruments speak by themselves; again to help break up the repetition.

You have a couple of breakdowns which help with that, but it's not the same as playing with all the elements as layers - bringing them in and out for variety. hope that helps!

Yeah, that just gave me an idea or 2...
Thanks Alan

That's what we're here for :thumbs up:

[cowriter]

Hey Harry, if you'd like to listen to my contribution to this briefing, maybe you'll get some inspiration:

https://www.taxi.com/members/D1seQlm9Sw ... ine-ablaze

I layered more often and also included some subtle variations. The sound samples had a very dominant bass, which I also took into account in my mix. Maybe you can make some adjustments, there's still a little time left.

Good luck,

Andy

[Telefunkin]

That's how to do it Andy. Nice track!

[guest4254]

Hey Harry, if you'd like to listen to my contribution to this briefing, maybe you'll get some inspiration:

https://www.taxi.com/members/D1seQlm9Sw ... ine-ablaze

I layered more often and also included some subtle variations. The sound samples had a very dominant bass, which I also took into account in my mix. Maybe you can make some adjustments, there's still a little time left.

Good luck,

Andy

Great sounding track Andy!

Not sure which version of my track you've heard, but I keep tweaking.... I was able to change the tail of every other riff without having to replay parts (thank you melodyne), and now changing some of the guitar tones, but still don't seem to have the clarity of your track, and some of the other pieces I've heard. Mine always sound a bit harsh to me.

Does anyone do any mastering of their tracks? Just curious as to what you use to push the audio levels up in the final mix/master?
I'm using Studio One 6, and they have a nice option for mixdowns that let you choose where you're mixdown will go (Spotify, Youtube, Bandcamp etc) but I still have to bring the mix back to my old Adobe Audition to do some hard limiting to get the levels up there.
Still learning the seemingly millions of options in my DAW, which not only becomes time consuming, but detracts from the time I have to write, record, edit, mix....and by the time I get back to editing and mixing, I've forgotten some of the DAW's features that I had previously used...my brain isn't the "sponge" that it used to be...

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions!
After I finally get this track off to Taxi, I expect to become more of a regular here on the forum!

Harry

[cowriter]

Thanks Harry, two more important tips - if not for this time, then maybe for the next round: Always double the guitars left/right. And if you can, tune it down to D. This was also heard on one of the examples and gives the final product additional depth and punch.

[cosmicdolphin]

Hey Harry, if you'd like to listen to my contribution to this briefing, maybe you'll get some inspiration:

A forward or I will retire from the forum