Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

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LachlanCross
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Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

Post by LachlanCross » Mon Dec 06, 2021 3:23 am

Hi,

I have been given the same feedback for a couple of submissions now: "instruments sound dated."


Should I upgrade my gear?

Or just keep learning how to use the stock Logic Pro X instruments better?


My submission:
https://www.taxi.com/my/artist/songs/yD ... -get-happy

Listing samples:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4zzco4wr4534 ... AvhNa?dl=0


Your thoughts are like gold to me.

Cheers,
Lachlan Cross
Singer/Songwriter/Composer
Sydney, Australia
www.taxi.com/members/lachlancross
www.moonshifter.com

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melodea
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Re: Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

Post by melodea » Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:04 am

Your link doesn’t work
[glow][/glow]Melodea a.k.a. Chris Moser

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Telefunkin
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Re: Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

Post by Telefunkin » Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:45 am

Hi, this is very common feedback that we've all had, and sometimes quite a lot! As the links to material in your own account don't work for anyone else but you (another common problem) I can't listen to your track and the refs, but here's a few things to consider before you make your next move. Of course, YMMV.

We make our choices of what sounds to use in our productions because we believe them to be appropriate, not because anyone forces us to use them, and not necessarily because they are all we have. After getting the 'dated' comment we think it must be our gear, so we start throwing money at the problem, only to be even more disappointed when we still get the 'd' word back. Then we start asking "How can that happen when I've just spent $XXX on all these new soft synths and drum sounds?", and so we start blaming Taxi screeners :).

In this situation, its good to step back a bit and seriously question whether our tastes are aligned with what are considered to be current sounds, but how can anyone judge what is current and what sounds dated, and who is to to say whether they right or wrong? Well, the best guide is free and all around us - current pop songs.

Therefore, rather than rush to upgrade your soft synths and drum sources, my 'cost-free' suggestion would be to immerse yourself in the latest music by listening exclusively to songs in the current pop charts (and not pop from the last decade or even earlier, the more up-to-date the better). What's ironic is that some of the sounds in those current songs will be retro sounds from old synths and drum machines, but its the way they are used/mixed/effected that keeps them sounding fresh. Its entirely possible that you already have all the sounds you need to achieve a less dated end result but might not yet have tuned your sense of direction to be able to get there. If that is the case then re-calibrating your sonic compass will be a worthwhile exercise, although it won't happen overnight. Making sure you have access to fresh source sounds might also help, but even the latest soft synths usually include a lot of retro sounds that risk sounding dated if used straight. Ultimately, its your ears and tastes that will inform your choices.

After a few weeks of listening to nothing but pap, err sorry, pop from all your new favorite artists ;) when you listen back to your own productions you should start to notice what sounds old and tired versus what still works well. Remember though, that all the latest pop is produced and polished to perfection, so sharpening up your production chops will also help you avoid the dreaded 'dated' comment. Good luck, and have fun with :).
Graham (UK). Still composing a little faster than decomposing, and 100% HI.

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Paulie
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Re: Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

Post by Paulie » Sat Dec 11, 2021 8:26 am

The short answers: Yes, and yes. ;)

However, practice will not improve dated sounds. Since we can't hear the link, I checked out your profile page. The piano tracks sound great, not dated. But, some of the instruments in your lo-fi track does sound dated to me.

Keeping sounds current is a very common struggle for composers. A taxi member told me years ago that one of the hardest parts is keeping his library updated (since he was writing a lot of EDM at the time).

Good musicianship gets killed by tone all of the time. You can have the best musical note choices, but if your tone/patches stink, no one will care about the music itself. :)

So, whether or not to upgrade depends on the genres you are targeting. If mostly electronic (hip hop, pop, edm, lo-fi, etc.) you need to keep current by listening to current hits, while keeping in mind that most new stuff you hear on the radio to day was written a year or so ago, if not longer.

PC
Paul "yo paulie!" Croteau
"Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy." Beethoven
http://www.yopauliemusic.com | https://www.taxi.com/members/paulcroteau | https://youtube.com/@yopauliemusic

LachlanCross
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Re: Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

Post by LachlanCross » Tue Dec 14, 2021 6:45 pm

Telefunkin wrote:
Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:45 am
In this situation, its good to step back a bit and seriously question whether our tastes are aligned with what are considered to be current sounds, but how can anyone judge what is current and what sounds dated, and who is to to say whether they right or wrong? Well, the best guide is free and all around us - current pop songs.
Telefunkin, I think you nailed it.

Thanks for giving such a thorough answer.

I really appreciate the support.

Lachlan.

PS. I'll look into the links situation for my next post.
Lachlan Cross
Singer/Songwriter/Composer
Sydney, Australia
www.taxi.com/members/lachlancross
www.moonshifter.com

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Re: Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

Post by LachlanCross » Tue Dec 14, 2021 6:46 pm

melodea wrote:
Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:04 am
Your link doesn’t work
Sorry about that, I'll fix it for my next post.

Cheers,
Lachlan Cross
Singer/Songwriter/Composer
Sydney, Australia
www.taxi.com/members/lachlancross
www.moonshifter.com

LachlanCross
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Re: Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

Post by LachlanCross » Tue Dec 14, 2021 6:53 pm

Paulie wrote:
Sat Dec 11, 2021 8:26 am
The short answers: Yes, and yes. ;)
Thanks Paulie,

Yes, that makes a lot of sense.

I'll do more listening next time and upgrade as necessary.

I really appreciate you checking out my tracks too.

I'll fix up the link thing next time.

Cheers,
Lachlan.
Lachlan Cross
Singer/Songwriter/Composer
Sydney, Australia
www.taxi.com/members/lachlancross
www.moonshifter.com

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Re: Should I upgrade or just keep practicing?

Post by TonySollazzo » Thu Dec 16, 2021 4:18 am

Hi Lachlan - I'm no expert in anything so feel free to ignore anything I say here but I also sometimes get the dreaded "dated samples" feedback and I've noticed that the times I didn't the song had the final mix eq'd very bright. I listened to some of your profile tracks and they seem to be have a similar "dull" mix which could/might/maybe what the screener was mentioning. Please note that this isn't about spending more money to get "mastering", or about changing the balance of instruments in your mix, just in adding more presence to the final mix. I don't know if this will help your next submission but if it does then could you please let the forum know? Good luck, Tony.
p.s. the link you gave had /my/ in it, which only you can see, you need to use the links from your public profile page.

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