Feedback for STOMP-CLAP ROCK!

[BrentI]

Hey everyone! I'd love to get some feedback on this stomp rock track I plan on submitting soon. I haven't had success with this style in the past so all input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!



Here's the listing:

Lots of STOMP-CLAP ROCK INSTRUMENTALS are needed for SPORTS PROGRAMMING by a very hard-working Music Licensing Company with an incredibly long and impressive list of placements! They're starting a WHOLE NEW DIVISION of their Company that is focused primarily on Sports placements, and this could very well be your opportunity to get in early!

This Company is searching for a range of Instrumentals in the general stylistic ballpark of the following references:

"Watch Me" by The Phantoms - https://youtu.be/ARUsyxX_ueo?si=kShK9ntj89JVyyKO

"White Flag" by Bishop Briggs - https://youtu.be/syhBqULC99I?si=4qkCX4Bkm89PU9mG

"King" by ZAYDE WØLF - https://youtu.be/xsGkXZV0xiM?si=I3h-2KDeaUFdgu0Q

Although the references have vocals, please submit INSTRUMENTALS ONLY for this opportunity.

Please submit original Stomp-Clap Rock Instrumentals loaded with unapologetic swagger, bad-ass energy, and a brazen sound and style that's full of confidence and grit all the way through! This Company is looking for tracks with an exciting, riveting, and empowered tone that could help amplify the energy and anticipation in live sports TV programming. Bold melodies, stomp-clap rhythms, attitude-filled motifs, and powerful arrangements with lots of forward development are all needed for this listing. Instrumentation and production in the general stylistic wheelhouse of the references will work best (gritty guitars, stomp-clap-style drums, etc.). Please make sure that any virtual instruments or samples you use are high-quality and not dated-sounding.

All submissions should be about 1.5 to 3 minutes long, give or take. Non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings are strongly recommended. Do NOT copy the reference tracks in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Do NOT submit any material with unauthorized samples of ANY other artists’ music, sounds, or any other form of media. Broadcast Quality is needed.

[WSAO]

Hi mate,

IMHO, it's a solid start, but it leans more toward chill than the "unapologetic swagger, badass energy, and brazen sound and style" they're asking for.

They're looking for gritty guitars, and yours come off a bit MIDI-like—lacking the raw power and excitement you'd want for sports programming. Also, the main riff repeats throughout the track, even though you added some nice mood variations.

That said, you definitely need to make it sound bigger and angrier overall.

Cheers!
Andre

[BrentI]

Hi mate,

IMHO, it's a solid start, but it leans more toward chill than the "unapologetic swagger, badass energy, and brazen sound and style" they're asking for.

They're looking for gritty guitars, and yours come off a bit MIDI-like—lacking the raw power and excitement you'd want for sports programming. Also, the main riff repeats throughout the track, even though you added some nice mood variations.

That said, you definitely need to make it sound bigger and angrier overall.

Cheers!
Andre

Thanks for that feedback Andre! I appreciate you taking the time to listen.

Any suggestions for how to make it bigger and angrier?

[AlanHall]

Any suggestions for how to make it bigger and angrier?

Just a couple thoughts off the top of my head...
The guitar needs to be louder, more compressed to cut through the mix. Maybe some distortion or saturation ("distression") to make it a bit dirtier? It could benefit from some reverb (sounds very dry to my ears) that places it in an arena or stadium. Those aural cues are important to the 'bigness'.
Everything, not just the guitar, seems dry. Some early reflection reverbs and some tactical EQ may allow the instruments to stand out on the soundstage, making the whole mix 'bigger'.
Is the guitar a VI? I ask because I don't hear the telltale sounds of string squeak or not-quite-perfectly muted strings behind the sound. It's too sterile. Some VIs provide a bank of just that kind of nonsense, allowing the user to add just enough realism to the performance.

Good luck with it!

[douglasricketts]

Any suggestions for how to make it bigger and angrier?
[/quote]

Hey there, I haven't nailed this kind of listing yet but that guitar definitely needs a partner doubling it. A muddier version, think early Aerosmith or maybe even Korn.

[RealPickle]

Hi Brent,

I assume you've heard this kind of track on beer/car/whiskey/whatever commercials a bunch before? I'd definitely find some on youtube and listen side by side. It'll help you see how much bigger/grittier you need to make your guitar.

Other things I heard that might help:
--At the beginning you have an acoustic guitar strumming in the background. I'd lose that. It'll sound much more stomp-clappy without that, and it'll make more space for the guitar.
--The guitar is very on-the-beat. A lot of times, the swagger comes from the guitar being just very slightly behind the beat. That can be hard to get just right but it would add swagger to the track.

But yeah, like the others have said, the biggest thing is getting your guitar sound much bigger and grittier.

[BrentI]

Any suggestions for how to make it bigger and angrier?

Just a couple thoughts off the top of my head...
The guitar needs to be louder, more compressed to cut through the mix. Maybe some distortion or saturation ("distression") to make it a bit dirtier? It could benefit from some reverb (sounds very dry to my ears) that places it in an arena or stadium. Those aural cues are important to the 'bigness'.
Everything, not just the guitar, seems dry. Some early reflection reverbs and some tactical EQ may allow the instruments to stand out on the soundstage, making the whole mix 'bigger'.
Is the guitar a VI? I ask because I don't hear the telltale sounds of string squeak or not-quite-perfectly muted strings behind the sound. It's too sterile. Some VIs provide a bank of just that kind of nonsense, allowing the user to add just enough realism to the performance.

Good luck with it!

Thanks Alan! A lot of good input. The screener pretty much echoed what everyone else said.

It really is me playing the guitar, but I processed it quite a bit and layered a synth lead underneath.

[BrentI]

Any suggestions for how to make it bigger and angrier?

Hey there, I haven't nailed this kind of listing yet but that guitar definitely needs a partner doubling it. A muddier version, think early Aerosmith or maybe even Korn.
[/quote]

Thanks Douglas! This has been a hard style for me. I've listened to a lot of this kind of music, but producing it is another story.

[BrentI]

Hi Brent,

I assume you've heard this kind of track on beer/car/whiskey/whatever commercials a bunch before? I'd definitely find some on youtube and listen side by side. It'll help you see how much bigger/grittier you need to make your guitar.

Other things I heard that might help:
--At the beginning you have an acoustic guitar strumming in the background. I'd lose that. It'll sound much more stomp-clappy without that, and it'll make more space for the guitar.
--The guitar is very on-the-beat. A lot of times, the swagger comes from the guitar being just very slightly behind the beat. That can be hard to get just right but it would add swagger to the track.

But yeah, like the others have said, the biggest thing is getting your guitar sound much bigger and grittier.

Thanks Geoff! That's very helpful. I have a tendency to put my guitars right on the grid. The screener also noted that things felt a little too stiff. Thanks for listening!

[BradleyHagen]

Hey Brent..... You can take this with a massive grain of salt, because I have failed miserably so far with this genre...... But the main things that stand out to me are a lack of stomps and claps, and a lack of realistic big guitars... "THEY" want the stomps and claps to be epic...like large groups stomping and clapping, and I agree with some of the others that everything is too dry...use reverb to exaggerate this effect, and do not be shy about it. As far as the guitars, I hear a VST, and that is fine, but you have to be particular about which one, and how you process and pan them to make them sound BIG.... Sometimes simply panning 2 mono tracks left and right, and using a sample delay set at say 15 ms on one will make them wider....bigger sounding.... And if using a VST, scoot the MIDI a bit off the grid to add realism. MIDI guitars are tough, but if that is what you are working with?? Maximize what you can do with it - Best of luck!