Hip Hop Dramedy Return

[mteezykeys]

I really thought I nailed this one. Do you guys agree with the screener feedback?

Screener Feedback:
What I like most about this song
Fun Dramedy / Comedy cue. I like the quirky / playful energy. Nice movement and developmental arc.
I think you could improve this song by
Solid potential. However, some of the virtual sounds could be more organic sounding. Specifically the top line melodic instrument and some of the orchestral elements.
I returned or forwarded this song because
The virtual sounds could be more organic sounding. Too demo sounding as is.

My Track

Reference 1

Reference 2

Reference 3

[macomposer]

Wanted to give it a listen, but got the dreaded 404 Error page.. Is your profile public?

- Mark

[AlanHall]

the path substring 'my/artist' causes the link to fail. There's a way to copy a globally-accessible link from your track, on the main user page, under "share with collaborators" click the copy link icon and use that.

and then, yes, the user page and the track both need to be made public.

[VanderBoegh]

This genre is my bread & butter. I'd be happy to listen once you get the link fixed!

~~Matt

[mteezykeys]

My Track Updated Link

This genre is my bread & butter. I'd be happy to listen once you get the link fixed!

~~Matt

the path substring 'my/artist' causes the link to fail. There's a way to copy a globally-accessible link from your track, on the main user page, under "share with collaborators" click the copy link icon and use that.

and then, yes, the user page and the track both need to be made public.

Wanted to give it a listen, but got the dreaded 404 Error page.. Is your profile public?

- Mark

Thanks for all who listen

[macomposer]

Hi Michael,

Yep - have to agree with the screener on this.

The music part of it (composition and arrangement) are excellent!!! I really dig it.

The production is the issue. The mix is okay (there's a bit of ugga-ugga mud in the lower mids [ that's the preset that you see on Soothe2 - ugga-ugga ]) but the sounds are where the real problems are.

If you upgrade the sounds and fix the mix, you'd be golden on this. I would maybe swap out everything but the drums and bass. The drums sound like an 808 (like the Roland original version), so maybe layer those up with a more recent or beefed up version for more impact and depth. The bass seems fine to me with the exception of the lower mid mud... and the ear candy percussion is okay I think. It's really the orchestral elements and the top line that just need swapping out. And since most of what the orchestra is doing are short staccato type stuff, you should be able to find the closest sound and just swap. You'll still have to do some tweaking with get the sounds exactly right, but you should not have to get too much into the automation since the lines are so short.

This is a really good piece man - just fix it and get it out there.

- Mark

[VanderBoegh]

Yep, as Mark above me said, this return isn't a matter of composition or arrangement (which are both spot-on for this style). The issue is the sound samples / virtual instruments you're using. Everything sounds so fake. And in a "dramedy" track, you really need virtual instruments that sound like the real deal. The good news is that many stock plug-in's and VI's contain great pizzicato strings which you'll need to use judiciously in this style. Also, look for good mallets (marimba is a staple of this style, but sprinkle in some accents with glockenspiel or another "metallic" mallet instrument).

If you need to upgrade by buying more VI's, it shouldn't cost you too much. You don't need the best orchestra libraries in the world, as this style of music won't have need of ultra-realistic expressive legato passages. You just need something with a good pluck (pizzicato). You could probably find something that fits the bill for $150-$250, so no need to break the bank. There may even be some cheaper - or free - VI's out there if you look hard enough. I use stock Kontakt pizzicato for a lot of my dramedy stuff.

~~Matt

[cosmicdolphin]

Not read the other reviews yet but I get a really synthetic vibe from this track , it sounds like how I would imagaine a Hip Hop Dramedy preset on one of those home keyboards with the built in speakers would sound.

I also thought the parts were somewhat stiff.

Mark

[mteezykeys]

Thanks to every one who listened and provided feedback!

[mteezykeys]

I use stock Kontakt pizzicato for a lot of my dramedy stuff.

~~Matt

I used the NI Session Strings for the pizz here. I wonder if I'm overlooking some eq frequencies to where my strings sound fake.