Bobby Summa - Entrance To Nirvana

Bobby Summa

Senior Member
Sep 7, 2022
907 Posts
682 Thanked
Age
47
Brighton UK
Website
soundcloud.app.goo.gl
This track is awaiting more melodies for the emptier parts and a few tweaks to certain sounds. In particular, how does the arrangement feel at this stage? ( perhaps you can imagine if with more melodies too)

 

Bobby Summa

Senior Member
Sep 7, 2022
907 Posts
682 Thanked
Age
47
Brighton UK
Website
soundcloud.app.goo.gl
Made a new bass line to add for bottom end presence and also doing a remixed version of the track. One faster one more chilled. Changing thread name to new name for track. Will post track updates soon
 

Bobby Summa

Senior Member
Sep 7, 2022
907 Posts
682 Thanked
Age
47
Brighton UK
Website
soundcloud.app.goo.gl
Practically finished or certainly near i think. 8 minutes long. 132 bpm
Mixing etc to be done plus inspection of one busy part.
 
Last edited:
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Reactions: Jetflag

Daysleeper

Lost in Trancelation
Jul 13, 2020
2,495 Posts
1,713 Thanked
Sweden
Hmmm..im not sure if i even like the track (my personal taste) or if there's so many inconsistencies thats making me not liking it too much?

I might go into full analysis another time (later).
 

Archon

Gagi
TranceFix Crew
Jun 27, 2020
3,913 Posts
2,809 Thanked
Ultimately it doesn't build to anything, it just passes by. It also doesn't sound very cohesive. The elements and ideas feel like they were added without much thought, only because you liked them. Furthermore, the bassline is a bit subdued, there is no groove. Drums/percussion could use some work, they are basic.

Focus more on the big picture, use existing tracks you love as inspiration, study how (and why!) the elements are placed together, how the tracks flow. Identify sections and how each of them sound like and interact with each other. Try to think of the direction you want your tracks to have. If you can DJ, try to mix tracks you were inspired by (or tracks that sound similar to this one) with this track, and see if it fits. A different style will stand out a bit and that's ok, but you should be able to feel if the production itself stands out.

The goal is to make a piece of music, rather than a collection of elements. Focus your efforts on that. So for the next iteration, I would prefer to see less tweaks, and more of a rethink of the entire arrangement. Could be useful to build it from scratch, bearing all above in mind.
 

Jetflag

Elite Member
Jul 17, 2020
2,702 Posts
2,169 Thanked
I'm loving it...Lovely sounds, lovely textures, lovely little snippets, nice vocals/theme. I enjoyed listening. Very dreamy, very atmospheric.


However: I just wouldn't call this a trance track...

It’s a very busy (but ultimately beautiful) ambient piece with a 4*4 kick drum here and there.
very 90's sounding an in a way reminds me a bit of the stuff System 7 used to make back then.


so, if your goal was to produce something like, say, this:


Then yeah! aside from minor things like the fact that drums/bass etc. lack emphasis/their own place in the mix a bit.... well done


however: if your goal was to make a trance-track or even a progressive trance track, Then I would recommend what i've recommended earlier, Pick a couple of (genuine) trance tracks. And rebuild them to the letter. try to make literal carbon copies of them, from scratch, and don't "do your own thing" half way down the process... If you wish to master this particular skill (which is hard, can relate) you have to kill your darling. Or as previous sensei of trance Armin van Buuren once put it: "don't get caught up in the bullshit of your own creativity"

When you've done that a couple of times and have a feel of arranging said tracks. i'd recommend making a trance- remix of this, based on the structures you've practiced on.

my two cents 🙏 (again, I enjoyed listening to this and probably will do more often)
 
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Bobby Summa

Senior Member
Sep 7, 2022
907 Posts
682 Thanked
Age
47
Brighton UK
Website
soundcloud.app.goo.gl
Meaning. I agree( but ive gone from, im giving up music, to ahhh i get it, ( hopefully) in 2 hours. Thats a record for me. Last time because of technology messing up, it was half a day.
Before that . 22 actual years

Fundamental point is. Its not the ‘genre’ Trance.

Gagi . I mean it when i say thank you. But if you weren’t expecting a trance track . Would you have liked it?

Daysleeper - yeah err. Still not sure what to say other than. (and i do mean it) Thanks.

Jetflag. - Thank GOD for the Dutch.
Im bias, im half dutch 😆
 
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Archon

Gagi
TranceFix Crew
Jun 27, 2020
3,913 Posts
2,809 Thanked
But if you weren’t expecting a trance track . Would you have liked it?
I really don't care about the genre at all; to me it sounded like a semi-trance/prog track. It has a 4x4 beat throughout the entire track and all the other elements for it. Definitely nowhere near ambient for me. It's a slightly more atmospheric trance/prog track, but that's not important. If you want to make it an ambient track, sure I can provide feedback for that too.

By the way, forgot to tell you as I was busy working and chatting with my colleagues, that I liked some of the elements (especially all the little sounds, swells and so on along the way), and the style in general. There's a good track in there somewhere, definitely.
 
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Bobby Summa

Senior Member
Sep 7, 2022
907 Posts
682 Thanked
Age
47
Brighton UK
Website
soundcloud.app.goo.gl
I really don't care about the genre at all; to me it sounded like a semi-trance/prog track. It has a 4x4 beat throughout the entire track and all the other elements for it. Definitely nowhere near ambient for me. It's a slightly more atmospheric trance/prog track, but that's not important. If you want to make it an ambient track, sure I can provide feedback for that too.

By the way, forgot to tell you as I was busy working and chatting with my colleagues, that I liked some of the elements (especially all the little sounds, swells and so on along the way), and the style in general. There's a good track in there somewhere, definitely.
Nice one👍