LostLegend
Member
Some nice ideas there. I'd definitely try adding some groove/swing to the percussion. Really give the track a bit of funk!
My first song that actually sounds trancelike
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Thank you. I added some swing, but I have to admit swing is something I can't get the hang of. Too little and I don't even notice it, too much and its a big mess. I also added some background noise.
I decided to make a demo . Atm I don't feel confident enough to produce without referencing a song, but wanted to see where I can go if I try something completely original. Keep in mind this is barebone and no automation or effects, but there is something in this demo I like very much. I also made it private and will only share it here.
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/eSknt
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Apex Sound
New Member
Hi mate, hope you can appreciate som feedback.
The progressive house/trance of today leans a lot on the bass and percussion grooves as these elements bring a lot more movement to the arrangement. There is still a lot more to work on, but focussing on these things may yield the fastest results for you.
Perhaps these video's might be of help:
- -
As your arrangement(s) seems to be a bit stale. Try to bring a bit more variety to the track, mix things up a little by deviating a bit more from the default on-beat kick/hihat/clap pattern.
A little trick that might help is by progressively expanding around a existing loop. For instance:
- Start with your basic 4 beat loop (kick, HiHat, bass)
- Add an 8 beat loop (More hats/shakers, claps, another bass)
- Add another 16 beat percussion loop and/or arp loop
- Make a 32 beat FX , chord, melody loop
- 64 beat FX/riser loop
etc.
By doing this, and adding all the loops, you automatically force yourself to think outside your default short loop patterns. Key to this is to push yourself towards adding little variations in each loop sections.
Extra video (with regards to percussion) that might help:
Hope this helps
The progressive house/trance of today leans a lot on the bass and percussion grooves as these elements bring a lot more movement to the arrangement. There is still a lot more to work on, but focussing on these things may yield the fastest results for you.
Perhaps these video's might be of help:
- -
As your arrangement(s) seems to be a bit stale. Try to bring a bit more variety to the track, mix things up a little by deviating a bit more from the default on-beat kick/hihat/clap pattern.
A little trick that might help is by progressively expanding around a existing loop. For instance:
- Start with your basic 4 beat loop (kick, HiHat, bass)
- Add an 8 beat loop (More hats/shakers, claps, another bass)
- Add another 16 beat percussion loop and/or arp loop
- Make a 32 beat FX , chord, melody loop
- 64 beat FX/riser loop
etc.
By doing this, and adding all the loops, you automatically force yourself to think outside your default short loop patterns. Key to this is to push yourself towards adding little variations in each loop sections.
Extra video (with regards to percussion) that might help:
Hope this helps
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Thank you this helps a lot. Because I always find myself stuck on 8 bar loops and having trouble with coming up with long progressions and melodies. Sometimes I manage to break free when I jam on my volca synths, I should start recording them, because sometimes I find some good ideas there. I think mostly because I don't have proper music theory knowledge which I will have to learn sooner or later.Hi mate, hope you can appreciate som feedback.
The progressive house/trance of today leans a lot on the bass and percussion grooves as these elements bring a lot more movement to the arrangement. There is still a lot more to work on, but focussing on these things may yield the fastest results for you.
Perhaps these video's might be of help:
- -
As your arrangement(s) seems to be a bit stale. Try to bring a bit more variety to the track, mix things up a little by deviating a bit more from the default on-beat kick/hihat/clap pattern.
A little trick that might help is by progressively expanding around a existing loop. For instance:
- Start with your basic 4 beat loop (kick, HiHat, bass)
- Add an 8 beat loop (More hats/shakers, claps, another bass)
- Add another 16 beat percussion loop and/or arp loop
- Make a 32 beat FX , chord, melody loop
- 64 beat FX/riser loop
etc.
By doing this, and adding all the loops, you automatically force yourself to think outside your default short loop patterns. Key to this is to push yourself towards adding little variations in each loop sections.
Extra video (with regards to percussion) that might help:
Hope this helps
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I am coming up on 50th episode of my Recharge Sessions my first show I started recording, if not counting 4 mixes I recorded in 2018 which stupidly I deleted for thinking they are not good enough. Sadly I managed to recover just one of those mixes from my old laptop.
I actually went and dug the first songs I ever made somewhere around the beginning/mid 2018.
Unlike a lot of producers I still love them very much. Back then I did not have any clue what I was doing and what I've done is a small miracle. This are still 2 of my favourite songs. So reflecting upon getting into my 4th year of djing and technically still in my first for producing I decided to share them.
First one:
Second one:
A small remix/edit I did last night
I actually went and dug the first songs I ever made somewhere around the beginning/mid 2018.
Unlike a lot of producers I still love them very much. Back then I did not have any clue what I was doing and what I've done is a small miracle. This are still 2 of my favourite songs. So reflecting upon getting into my 4th year of djing and technically still in my first for producing I decided to share them.
First one:
Second one:
A small remix/edit I did last night
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LostLegend
Member
Massive strides since the first track of yours I heard on here.
Love the vibe and groove this track has. Good work!
Magdelayna
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I still have a lot of issues on the final part when I finish a song. I definitely need to work more on the mastering side, I have Ozone but a lot of people say that barely scratches the surface on the mixing and mastering part.
LostLegend
Member
To be honest, I would focus more on getting your mixdown sounding good instead of relying on mastering.
For the most part I tend to just stick a basic EQ and Limiter on my master chain.
I'm not a mastering engineer and I don't possess anywhere near that level of skill, so sometimes simple is better.
I tend to do most of the mixing as I go with a final tweak session near the end. So I always aim to keep the master volume pretty low.
Drop your main kickdrum down to at least -8db or lower. (I often drop it between -10-15db) and mix the rest of the track around it. that way you'll find you have plenty of room to maneuver.
It's far easier to boost your master volume at the end then to go back and have to start re-mixing the whole track.
Also one of the best bits of advice I was told when it comes to mixing your track is to use a reference track.
Find a track that sounds similar in style to what you are trying to produce and load it into your project file, then A/B it against your track to see how it sounds and compare the levels and eq'ing on different parts.
Obviously you don't need to copy it directly as there are going to be differences creatively, but it's a good starting point and can help when your ears get too used to how your own track sounds.
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Btw as a reference track for the structure of the song I used a colab between two of my favourite producers lately Yotto x Lane 8 ~ Buggy but deviated a bit. I think even for a simple song like this a managed to progress it from start to finish something I've never managed before stuck in loop world.
I think I need to go back, and open the high a bit too I think I focused on the low and mids too much and cut too many high frequencies too. I think I am the same I mostly stick to eq and panning some things slightly to the left/reft. I might try in the future leaving some elements in mono. I am still far from the point where I know exactly what I am doing. Mostly trial and error.
BTW clave is my new favourite drum element I used it my last 3/4 songs, but here it shines because it underlines one of the melodies in the background. Something I wanted to do for a long time too. Also I toned it down since I noticed on some of my other songs its stick too much on top. OMG I am stupid it was rimshot that I used here not clave.
Also I need to work on the hats, I love the way Yotto and Lane 8 made them. Kind of like Camelphat and Tale of Us. Also in my last mix I used an amazing tech remake of Children by George Acosta same hi hats doing the ts ts ts ts ts thing perfect.
There is hope for me, atm I having hard time deciding if I should concentrate on djing or producing more. Mostly because I want to push into playing some live sets this year.
I actually drop all my things from -4 to even -12db. Kicks are a bit hard I normally used them at full because I find it very hard to boost them later. But yeah I watch some videos where producers say at least to -6. for kicks.
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Lately I surprise even myself. I know some people will say it needs more variation, but believe me there are very subtle changes over in every 16 bars. Anyways I like a bit of repetitiveness. That's actually the main reason I love trance. Anyways:
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Funny thing around the making of Surreal I felt really stuck and 10 songs after in less than 2 months I feel like I've been reborn. I think I am getting closer and closer to finding my sound
This is a mixture of many styles, from my new found love to melodic progressive, progressive breaks and melodic house & techno. Its also the culmination of my sound explorations using everything I learned from my melodic progressive tracks and my recent explorations of progressive breaks and ethnically inspired songs.
This is a mixture of many styles, from my new found love to melodic progressive, progressive breaks and melodic house & techno. Its also the culmination of my sound explorations using everything I learned from my melodic progressive tracks and my recent explorations of progressive breaks and ethnically inspired songs.