HELP ... Looking for education on CURRENT production

[piwacquet]

I guess I'm just too old school to understand CURRENT anything.

My last submission was returned because it needed more current/fresh production. Can someone help me get educated on how to be more current/fresh in my production style?

This is the track : https://soundcloud.com/g-michael-thomas/on-eagles-wings

For this listing :

UPLIFTING, ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTALS with some ROCK influence are needed by a very successful Music Library that gets tons of placements in Film, Television Shows, and TV Commercials. They’re looking for Mid-to-Up-Tempo Songs that are in the broad stylistic range of the references below: “A Sky Full Of Stars” by Coldplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp7NtW_hKJI “Poppiholla” by Chicane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaPNnVTRgE8 “Feel So Close” by Calvin Harris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGghkjpNCQ8 Although the references have vocals, please submit only Instrumentals for this pitch. Your submission should have a contemporary Electronic sound with some Rock elements blended in. Make sure your Instrumental has great melodies, captivating drumbeats, and an overall polished sound. Your instrumental should lead into some type of uplifting, triumphant build in the hook at some point in your Instrumental. Be sure your mood stays up beat and uplifting throughout! All submissions should be at between 3:00 and 5:00 minutes long, give or take. Non-Faded/Buttoned endings with a natural ring out will work best.


Any help will be welcomed and appreciated. If there are any courses available to point me to, I'll try that too.


Thank in advance
Mike

[annayarbrough]

Hey Mike! Nice upbeat vibe. I may be wrong, but I think the screeners comments may have something to do with 1) the sounds used, and possibly also 2) the style of the parts. I think you could potentially find more current versions of the instruments you used, and the parts are maybe written in a style more reminiscent of 80s/90s disco. Not sure if that helps... just my two cents!

[cassmcentee]

Hey Mike!
Nice Feeling for what you were trying to acheive!
Anna is spot on...
The first thing I noticed was how thin the piano sounded, I think a screeners ear would be put off within the opening seconds.
The first kick sample you used was alright but the other one that comes in later is an old thin sounding kick
You used two different kicks If I heard that correctly...
I also seemed to hear two or three places where the timing was off...
Need to run through the timing with a Fine Tooth Comb

[mojobone]

Yeah, my opinion, it's partly the parts; the drum and piano bits were plenty modern but the sounds of the synths and the parts they were playing took it out of what I'd consider 'modern', which can differ by genre. Not sure what genre this is, but it doesn't sound 'modern' to my ear, regardless. [har, I'm a Hoosier, and I just said, "irregardless", LOL]













* "irregardless" is a Hoosier word; we own that. Just like we own that "hoosier" means 'ignorant hick still wearing hose, whilst the whole civilized world has switched to pantaloons'.

[waveheavy]

These guys helped me a lot:

https://mixcoach.com/

https://www.puremix.net/tutorials/full-mixes.html

https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers ... th+edition

[Strummerpdx]

I found a lot of help on Youtube. "EDM mixing tricks or tips" or something to that affect should produce results. Automating filters, using distortion/saturation plugins to create trashy sounds, excessive verbs, and white noise sweeps are just a few elements I use to make mixes sound more modern.

[Kolstad]

Not sure if I can educate you, but I can tell you some things I hear and believe.

Ab'd to the references, I think your track lacks some "umph" in the 4 on the floor beat, that is so characteristic for EDM. You get to it at about 1.10, but it takes way too long, so I'd suggest more of a get-to-the-chorus kind of approach. In the references you hear what it is after 2sec.

I also noted that the harmony you use is way more traditional, with complex changes with the root in the bass. What I hear in the references is much longer sequences with the same chords, a little pedal point movement, but the tracks are more driving from the beat and melody, not so much harmony driven (like rock), so your track feels more like a hybrid that put itself in between, not really appealing to either genre, imo.

I think it's been stated many times that "contemporary" just means what is on the charts right now, and is very much covered in the listing a la's here, so following Dean Krippaehne, you could reverse-engineer those tracks, and re-use their arrangement and production techniques.

One of the things I noticed production wise, as a difference, was that the references uses way more reverb and compression. So you could try compress the drums to get that umph for a start, and mix from that, so you measure everything with the drums as that is the most central component in the genre.

In terms of reverb, you could try putting it on a mixbus, EQ the bottom end out of it (so it doesnt blur the umph of the low end), and compress the reverb before you mix in in with the tracks. That should give it that "airy" sound they have in the Colplay and Calvin Harris references. Also you could work with the ducking trick, so the reverb sounds in between notes, but ducks when the notes are played. That way you get both note definition and that washing sound in the mix. See https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RwrDsJZPQkg

Just2c

[piwacquet]

Thank you all for the input. You have given me some great advice to follow, and I am truly grateful. I have always been a hands on 'show me' kind of person when it comes to learning anything. The more details the better, ya know? And actually sitting down with a tutor is what helps me more than anything. So these details you all have responded with will be very helpful in getting me closer to where I need to be in creating successful tracks. It sounds like all of you are miles ahead of me, but I am striving to catch up.


Thanks again Anna, Cass, Mojo, Dave, Don and Kolstad

Mike