More dated synths!

[RealPickle]

Seems to be the afternoon for disgruntled Taxi returns, so I'll add mine to the mix.

Like Rick a couple posts down, I too got the "dated synths" comment for my high energy EDM submission. I'm not that upset by that. What's bothering me is, unlike Rick's really fulsome feedback, mine gives zero specifics, so I have no idea which sounds I should change. I'm wondering if anyone cares to listen and tell me which synths they think might be dated. I think they all sound pretty cool personally but no one would confuse me for being on the bleeding edge of modernity...

Anyway, the track:
https://www.taxi.com/members/AtDl-WGNQ2 ... link-twice

The feedback:
https://www.taxi.com/my/submissions/20565976/critique

[macomposer]

Hey Geoff,

Maybe... may be a bit dated... The sounds are certainly familiar sounding, meaning I've heard them in EDM over the years. I wouldn't go as far as saying they sound cliched, but I'm not sure if cliched sounds better than saying dated, but I do kinda get just a bit of that.

I think the track is good! May be just an issue of replacing the top voice synth lines....

Btw, I couldn't see the feedback itself. It wasn't the dreaded 404 page though. It was a new one that said the page you were looking for doesn't exist.

All the best,
Mark

[douglasricketts]

I'm wondering if anyone cares to listen and tell me which synths they think might be dated. I think they all sound pretty cool

I am an old-school synth fanatic. I too think what you used sounds cool!

I can hear the "ploinky" one starting at :40 being old-school to modern ears. The piano-ish one that starts at 1:14 is a bit simple, too. This is an easy fix for next time for someone with your talent, I'm sure of it!

[RealPickle]

Hey Geoff,

Maybe... may be a bit dated... The sounds are certainly familiar sounding, meaning I've heard them in EDM over the years. I wouldn't go as far as saying they sound cliched, but I'm not sure if cliched sounds better than saying dated, but I do kinda get just a bit of that.

I think the track is good! May be just an issue of replacing the top voice synth lines....

Btw, I couldn't see the feedback itself. It wasn't the dreaded 404 page though. It was a new one that said the page you were looking for doesn't exist.

All the best,
Mark

Thanks for listening Mark. I almost wish they had said "cliche" haha.

[RealPickle]

I'm wondering if anyone cares to listen and tell me which synths they think might be dated. I think they all sound pretty cool

I am an old-school synth fanatic. I too think what you used sounds cool!

I can hear the "ploinky" one starting at :40 being old-school to modern ears. The piano-ish one that starts at 1:14 is a bit simple, too. This is an easy fix for next time for someone with your talent, I'm sure of it!

That's kind of you to say, although I think I'm just going to leave this on the shelf and see if an old-head wants it at some point

[cosmicdolphin]

Hard to say without the listing specifics

But yeah it sounds like 90s Fruity Loops to me.

I have quite a lot of EDM / Electronica that has earned decent royalties but it depends what they were asking for - references would help pinpoint where you went wrong.

[RealPickle]

Hard to say without the listing specifics

But yeah it sounds like 90s Fruity Loops to me.

I have quite a lot of EDM / Electronica that has earned decent royalties but it depends what they were asking for - references would help pinpoint where you went wrong.

The listing was for "high energy" EDM in any genre. The references were widely disparate (there were 4). So the specifics of the listing don't matter in this case, especially if the track sounds like 30 year old stock plugins. I'll write Native Instruments and let them know.

[cosmicdolphin]

The listing was for "high energy" EDM in any genre. The references were widely disparate (there were 4). So the specifics of the listing don't matter in this case, especially if the track sounds like 30 year old stock plugins. I'll write Native Instruments and let them know.

I don't think it's fair blame Native Instruments here. It's not the tools, just how you use them.

For some reason I can't access your Screener feedback but this track seems to veer more into electronic tension than HI NRG EDM to me which is normally meant to be uplifting and something you'd want to dance to in a club and adds energy to a scene.

Maybe one of the ref tracks was an outlier and you went more in that direction, hard to say as I've not heard them. I can share this link with you which is my best earning EDM track ( well into 4 figures now ) that I wrote 5yrs ago for a Taxi library. I don't recall what the ref tracks were now..likely one of the big EDM/DJ types was my main inspiration.

https://soundcloud.com/user-45178330/re ... eard-on-tv

I do remember doing lots of reverse engineering for the first few years to understand what was going on in different styles. I also found some good YouTube tutorial channels for different styles..for Pop/EDM stuff I can reccommend watching some of Alex Rome's videos. Although I grew up listening to EDM they still helped me quite a bit.

Mark

[RealPickle]

The listing was for "high energy" EDM in any genre. The references were widely disparate (there were 4). So the specifics of the listing don't matter in this case, especially if the track sounds like 30 year old stock plugins. I'll write Native Instruments and let them know.

I don't think it's fair blame Native Instruments here. It's not the tools, just how you use them.

For some reason I can't access your Screener feedback but this track seems to veer more into electronic tension than HI NRG EDM to me which is normally meant to be uplifting and something you'd want to dance to in a club and adds energy to a scene.

Maybe one of the ref tracks was an outlier and you went more in that direction, hard to say as I've not heard them. I can share this link with you which is my best earning EDM track ( well into 4 figures now ) that I wrote 5yrs ago for a Taxi library. I don't recall what the ref tracks were now..likely one of the big EDM/DJ types was my main inspiration.

https://soundcloud.com/user-45178330/re ... eard-on-tv

I do remember doing lots of reverse engineering for the first few years to understand what was going on in different styles. I also found some good YouTube tutorial channels for different styles..for Pop/EDM stuff I can reccommend watching some of Alex Rome's videos. Although I grew up listening to EDM they still helped me quite a bit.

Mark

This was the feedback. Nothing about style:
What I like most about this song
This track has an energetic vibe! Solid edit points, too.

I think you could improve this song by
The sound selections in this track need revisiting/revamping; some of the synths sound dated and lack the modern sounds of the references. This prevents the track from sounding like it will fit in contemporary productions and playlists alongside other EDM tracks.


This was the listing. Like I said, the request and references were quite varied:
Lots of HIGH-ENERGY EDM INSTRUMENTALS (in a wide range of styles) are needed by a standout Music Licensing Company that's nailed down tons of placements in Film, Advertising, and hit Television shows. They have a decades-long history of landing great placements for TAXI members they met by running searches just like this one!

This Company is on the hunt for a wide range of Instrumentals in the general wheelhouse of the references below:

"MUCUS" by Lizdek

"Golden" by UTAH

"Devices" by Tycho

"DABADABADABADABA" by Excision & Dion Timmer

Although some of the references have vocals, please submit Instrumentals only for this request.

Please submit a wide range of EDM Instrumentals with loads of energy and a sound that could work for a variety of sync opportunities! Lots of approaches and subgenres could potentially work here such as Future Bass, Tropical House, Progressive House, Melodic Dubstep, Tech House, Bass House, Future Funk, Drum and Bass, Synthwave... just to name a few. Your submissions should have unforgettable motifs, infectious melodies, exciting drops, excellent productions, and dynamic arrangements with lots of forward motion and development. Since this listing is open to a wide range of EDM Instrumentals, your instrumentation may vary depending on which direction you choose to go, as long as your piece is competitive with other Instrumentals in your chosen style or sub-genre. Please make sure that any virtual instruments or samples you use are high-quality and not dated-sounding.



I've signed a number of EDM tracks over the last year, and I actually had a track forwarded for this exact listing to this exact library back in January, but it was more tropical house and I wanted to try something different. I found these tempo-synced synths in MASSIVE and figured they'd sound good out of the box, but I guess I got out over my skis a bit on it.

Anyway, my original post was asking which synths specifically sounded dated. But I think I've sussed that part out on my own. Also I'll stick to the EDM sub-genres I know best.

[cosmicdolphin]

Thanks - listened carefully to all the references now, here’s how I’d broadly categorise them:

Lizdek – “Mucus” – Experimental electronica/glitch-hop. Textured, loads of intricate production with glitchy edits, granular details, and evolving ambient layers. A bit left-field but full of cool sounds and ear candy.

Tycho – “Devices” – Chillwave/downtempo synth-based electronica. Dreamy, atmospheric, layered with tasteful guitar and synth interplay. Has a more emotional depth to my ears.

UTAH – “Golden” – Indie electronic/pop with cinematic vibe. There’s a nostalgic tone, but also modern clarity and a clear motif that develops.

Excision & Dion Timmer – “DABADABADABADABA” – Heavy dubstep/hybrid trap. Big dynamic shifts, huge drops, glitchy stuttered vocals, and plenty of movement and energy. Good track but thought this style had gone away to be honest.

Your track sounds like it's aiming toward the Lizdek/Mucus vibe — but there’s a gap between that level of sonic craftsmanship in the ref and what I’m hearing with Blink Twice.

The section from around 17s–49s is what makes it feel a bit dated to me — the sounds and arrangement just don’t hit in a fresh way. The intro is fine, and the drop-out section around 60s sounds cool and much more in line with the brief.

That said, the brief specifically asked for:

“Unforgettable motifs, infectious melodies, exciting drops, excellent productions, and dynamic arrangements with lots of forward motion and development.”

I’m not really hearing that. I couldn’t tell you what the motif or hook was by the end — and without that, it doesn’t stick.

Curious — what sub-genre would you say this falls into?