How can I produce better sounding tracks?

[bmoBauhaus]

I submitted three tracks that I felt had the overall vibe that was requested but they all got returned because the production value could be better. Any tips on how to fix this? Can anyone give me a clearer idea of what they mean by that? I'm not an audio engineer so I'm sort of learning as I go but, this is probably the best I can do right now.

Here are the three tracks that got returned:

https://www.taxi.com/members/N5SOUeh_Qe ... -happy-day

https://www.taxi.com/members/N5SOUeh_Qe ... r-celesta-

https://www.taxi.com/members/N5SOUeh_Qe ... or-guitar-

[PaulyB]

HI bmoBauhaus ,

I'm new to TAXI but not new to sync. This is what I hear (IMHO):

1. "For Your Eyes..." the lead melody has an edginess/harshness to it. I think some EQ to take that edge off or a different VI patch.

2. "Goldfinger" Overall, it's very bright. If you haven't already, compare it to the references with an EQ analyzer. Load an EQ Analyzer on your stereo bus. Then play your cue and then a reference (with Celesta) Check out the differences between yours/theirs.

3. "The Happy Day" the instruments are standing out individually versus blending together homogeneously. I think a re-mix fixes that. Also, do a headphone chcek with the mix if you haven't already.

By the way, I like your composing chops. Focusing on making things blend more I think is the answer.

Best of luck and I hope this was helpful.

Paul

[Paulie]

All three tracks are very good compositionally, for sure. Nice work. One thing I notice is that they all seem "dry" to me, as in lacking reverb or the feel of being live or in a room. You can also experiment with panning instruments to give the compositions some more space... place some instruments hard left or hard right to spread out the sound.

There are a ton of great YouTube channels out there, I think Recording Revolution does a great job of explaining things to new engineers.
https://www.youtube.com/user/recordingrevolution

[jefflaplante]

Valhalla Reverb...Get It!!!

[Burnzy]

Engineering is a skill that takes time to develop. I’m also a much better writer and musician than engineer. Sometimes I’ll collaborate with an engineer for potential future writer credit, or if I think the track has a very good chance to make it I’ll pay an engineer to mix and/or master. Meanwhile, definitely working at it.