May I please have your critique on my Biker Rock?

[Steverino]

A few months ago, I submitted my instrumental piece 'Wild Stallion' (link below) for a listing that was requesting Biker Rock. My submission was returned.

The screener stated "the B3 could use some tightening" and " the mix could be better." The screener also said that my piece was ultimately returned because "it could be executed better."

I'd like to redo 'Wild Stallion" and resubmit to other listings. Will you please take a listen and let me know how I can tighten the B3 and improve the mix? And also, how I can execute this piece better? I appreciate all critiques...please do not hold back, and be brutally honest. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and time.

Sincerely,
Steve


https://soundcloud.com/daytona80/wild-stallion-10

[cosmicdolphin]

Honestly I thought it was pretty good but .... I would say

1. Don't hard pan the lead guitar , bring it center

2. Same on the B3 as it's a lead part ( except when you have the opposite panned guitar double )

3. If you can tighten the B3 a little more , I think it has a slow attack so pulling forward a little might make it feel more in the pocket

4. Then I'd probably do something a little different in the mastering, I feel like it could be a touch brighter and maybe a bit more compressed ( in a good way ) ...I don't know what you use for mastering , but I would suggest trying one of those " Free " intelligent online mastering services like LANDR ...you can get an MP3 version for nothing so it's like an instant 2nd opinion on your master. See what it does to it in terms of loudness and overall Eq and A/B it with your own. If you think that's better then adjust your settings to sound similar.

Mark

[Ted]

i also thought it was a pretty solid track.. As far as the mix goes, I'd like a little more "air" on the high end.

The playing of the B3 was a tad sloppy in some parts-- not horrible but just enough to be noticeable. The timing of the notes, when you're doing those sliding note phrases on the keys is a bit off the grid. And in other parts, the phrasing is not quite in the pocket. I don't know if you did it with MIDI and if so you can go back and edit or quantize the part. Maybe the B-3 parts would sound better in a different octave and maybe turn down the B-3 in the mix-- but that's just something I would try.

The guitars sound really good.

[feaker66]

Hi I really liked the backing tracks, but found the lead parts as not a good match. I can't be specific, but i some spots there were awkward parts. I also think you could be a little more unique in your melody notes. I didn't read the other comments, so I might be way off here. You have some good sounds, so polish and repeat. I am not a pro some take with some salt.

[Zaychi]

Please don't ask me to quantize what I'm going to say, because I can't... but...

The track sounds "flat" somehow. As if it is playing from a box, like a transistor, with a very limited frequency range. There's little dynamics, as if it is all at the same volume, and it makes it sound dull and devoid of life.

Now again, PLEASE don't shoot me for this, because I really have no idea how to fix it, or even what EXACTLY it is I'm hearing... I can hear that the "root" is very OK, but it feels like a wild animal forced to live in a zoo...

[Pipewrench67]

I have a personal preference for overdriven organ so I would throw some dirt on it. To me, it's sitting on the mix, not in the mix, right now. Also, when the organ comes in @ around 1 minute it feels way to forward, I would maybe start much quieter and raise the volume until the part where the guitar and organ are doubling. Just my 2 cents.

[AlanHall]

Hi Steve, I just dropped by. I hope you don't mind some late feedback

Great tune! Hits me right in the 'Deep Purple meets ZZ Top' part of my brain; both of those were absolutely killer 'biker rock' acts. So the composition is spot on IMHO.
I hear the B3 as too forward; so back off and put some ambience on it as mentioned by others. And the slides on the keys that seemed a little 'off' were right at the end when all the instruments are playing unison. Backing off will help that too, but there are other options to get the licks to gel.
Auditioning on computer speakers - not the best monitoring - I was not convinced that I was hearing an ensemble playing together in the same space. Making sure the B3 is sitting in the band will help; some critical listening with 'mix ears' should complete the effect.

[andygabrys]

The screener stated "the B3 could use some tightening" and " the mix could be better." The screener also said that my piece was ultimately returned because "it could be executed better."

Cool Good groove - but there are two things that the screener pointed out are evident:

First the drums and bass, and the rhythm guitar (what I can hear of that) sound like they are in a good pocket.

The Lead guitar and B3 are not agreeing with each other, nor with the rest of the band - evident around 1:34. So they need to be fixed in the mix (if you are that sort of producer) or replayed until they work.

the second issue is the mix:

The drums and bass agree roughly with each other. Check.

The lead guitar and lead organ are WAY out front. That needs fixing.

The rhythm guitar is also pretty far back. Mark also pointed that that panning the leads to the sides isn't the best approach and you should try to stick them in the middle.

You ever listen to a stereo mix in mono? Its pretty telling. Ever listen at really low volume (where you can hear yourself breath over the volume coming out of the monitors?) that's also a great way to get things in the same plane.

there are lots of threads on mixing ideas on this forum.

Good luck.

[ksutton1207]

Hey Steve. Let me start by saying you've got a great idea here. Catchy riffs, strong arrangement, solid groove. The guitars feel authentic and have that "La Grange" grit to them.

A couple observations:

• The organ is significantly louder than everything else. Take that sucker down and blend it in more naturally. The riffs seem a little stagnant to me too... try varying it up and throw some more notey lines in there. Consider adding some grit to the sound and playing with the rotary too.

• Panning sounds off to me. Drums sound like they're panned mostly right, lead guitar to the left. Try to beef up the mix a bit and have the drums and bass right in the center to anchor everything. Lead guitar could also stay centered.

• Timing feels off, particularly with the drums. The drum fill at 0:11 struck me as a little sloppy and that kind of sets the pace for the whole track. While everything doesn't need to be totally quantized to the grid (nor should it be), everything should gel pretty well together.

Best of luck with this! With a few tweaks, I'm sure you'll get a forward next time around.