Xioch Approaches - need some feedback

[hummingbird]

Hi. This is an ambient electronica piece I've been working on. I got some feedback (Taxi critique) a couple of weeks ago and have majorly revamped. Consider it background music film/tv (prominent melody not required).Questions:- does it set a mood- is it sonically interesting- Would you consider it to be a 'great sounding home demo'... any production tips? I'm still learning.- assuming it is good enough quality, what kind of listing should I be targetting?Xioch Approacheshttp://www.mixposure.com/song.php?songid=31963Thanks very much for your help!

[dada]

Well Vickie,The link went nowhere fast... page came up, hit play, and error message stating "playlist not found"... I heard this a while back in an earlier post and was curious about your revamping... Guess I'll just be curious...Later,DaveThe Davewavehttp://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=189280

[hummingbird]

Hey Dave! Thanks for trying!!!! I got some feedback that bascially said the bass was great and production good (yeah!) but not enough was happening in the piece (oh). I've updated the link if you have any thoughts.cheersVikki

[aubreyz]

Questions:- does it set a moodYes. It's a more like a tone than a mood though. IMHO. It doesn't really evoke a strong emotion (which is not necessarily a bad thing). What I do get is a sci-fi futuristic -- we blew up the earth and this is what's left -- kind of feel. Even though the synths are somewhat old school analog, I get that kind of Dune landscape sense.- is it sonically interestingGet's more interesting further in. The main sweep synth gets kind of old. Might try mixing it with a more granular arpeggio sound, just to keep it interesting. I'd like to hear some more breaks as well -- like it breaks near the end where things begin to fall away. Lose the bass for a few measures here and there and maybe add or mix the percussion or piano hotter -- just some thoughts. For grins -- listen without the sweep synth at all, add some punch and reverb to the percussion and let the bass be the bass. It's the hook.- Would you consider it to be a 'great sounding home demo'... any production tips? I'm still learning.Overall pretty dang good for a home demo. Sounds well balanced though I'm missing a lush reverb environment overall. Some of the sounds seem to stick out and not be a part of the whole. And I could stand some bite in the percussion sounds.- assuming it is good enough quality, what kind of listing should I be targetting?I’ve heard some stuff in music libraries that wasn’t this good. Keep after those ambient listings. I don’t remember if I heard the first version or not, so I’m not sure what you added, but I’d love to hear this as I mentioned before without the sweep synth. There’s enough other interesting stuff going on.That's my two cents... and may be about what it's worth

[hummingbird]

Aub - thank you SO much for this! I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and write such detailed feedback. You've given me some very specific ideas on what could be improved.cheersVikki

[aubreyz]

I'm just trying to get to 100 posts so I won't be a junior anymore --- seriously. Glad you found it helpful. I've found that the more I analyze other's material, the better I get at picking my own stuff apart. And I'm pretty brutal on my own stuff. In fact, I was trying to think of a mix/song I was really happy with... hmmm... I really can't think of anything...

[gitarrero]

Hi,I would suggest to layer more synths - the sweep sound stands in quite an empty environment, fill it up with 2 or 3 synth-pads.I think I also would add some far-behind background sounds - you know, not really a melody - just some notes that are faaaar behind (put delay & reverb with cuted hights on it).For me it's to empty as it is now.Hope that helps!Martin

[hummingbird]

Thanks Martin! I appreciate the help!cheersVikki

[horacejesse]

Judging the value of a piece of incidental music out of context may be as difficult as judging lyrics that have no song yet.I listened to this piece about a week ago. Hopefully, I will not mis-remember any details.The main synth sweep (I heard someone else call it that) becomes a bit monotonous after a while. I think you might want to vary its volume and/or pitch.The overall mood to me is one of ominousness. Some hard drum thwacks at the right places could tend to contribute nicely to this and break the piece up a little, acting as natural demarcations of further development. Although I do not think a piece like this needs to be developed and developed and then developed some more. I believe you have the main elements already under control.I imagined the cruel army approaching when I listened to this one, not charging, but still on their march. I might want to hear some sharp stabs or something as a result, anything that further suggests the coming cruelty. Of course the movie just about has to be futuristic, which is probably what you had in mind anyway.I think it is a good piece and might sell. But I am well into proving I don't know a thing about what sells and what doesn't.Keep'em coming, that is what we all have to do.

[gschmitt]

it sounds like a good home demo to me. i'm totally organic, though. i don't use synths or anything, so maybe i'm not the best guy to review. one thing that kept sticking out in my mind was where this could go as far as being used in TV/film. what would be the appropriate visual scene for this to underscore, you know? i'm having a hard time imagining. it's almost 'too soundy' and sci-fi for the majority of the stuff i see in commercials and film. there's a real airiness to it, though. thought-provoking....and, obviously, i just contradicted what i just said. if i had it in my control, i would add one acoustic/organic sounding instrument into the mix somewhere. it needn't be prominent or super-present, but something to ground it a bit, in my opinion, would be a real beneficial addition. overall, good work! way better than me, anyway!