Whilst I don't agree that the current trance scene is a total joke as some people think, I do find it weird the way 99% of the 'uplifting' tracks sound. Take for instance the track below, which was posted on this forum a few days ago. The build up is nothing spectacular but not too bad either, then the break starts off with a nice melody too. It's only when the main synth comes in that you realise the producer has made a mess of things.
The lead synth sounds so thin, is full of white noise and it actually becomes difficult to distinguish the main melody from the rest of the noise. It could have been a decent melodic track had the producer used a different technique for the synth and made it stand out properly above the white noise, like the one used in producing In My Fantasy. And it was Talla 2XLC who remixed this, an experienced producer whom probably did not sound like this back in the old days.
So, the question is, has he lost his mind or lost his hearing, is he being lazy and not bothering or does he think that people actually prefer this kind of sound. Maybe someone who is new to trance thinks this is pretty cool and so will buy the record anyway, and Talla gets his money without making much effort. It could also be the combination of all of the above!
I see what you're saying.
What I do find from being in Trance production groups is that there is a lot of drive from producers pushing tutorials and Soundbanks for virtual synths, this resulting in many of the same.
People buying them and make tracks that sound like the producer who sold them.
It's a great way to learn, but given that the access to producing music can now be no more than a laptop and free software compared to 20 years ago, the volume of producers is probably 100 times more (if not more).
Another contributor is tha lack of sound design.
This is just some of the factors. There are some truely incredible producers out there, some well known, some not so much, but there's a HUGE volume of casual producers who have no idea about sound design just throwing samples in from the popular Trance sample pack, using the popular preset bank for a popular synth and they make a track flooded with atmospheres.
And I've not even mentioned the guys who sell a template of their released track and someone makes a track sounding the same as the original producer.
Again this isn't all of it, just a portion of the cause.
There are countless releases each week that alot of them sound the same, has nothing unique about it, and they also over shadow some of the exceptional ones too.
None of that is complete gospel and just my own view. I firmly believe a good track is good regardless if it's made on hardware, software or with a kids fisher price keyboard.
I've always said the limitations of a musician is the person creating the music, not the instrument. An instrument can be whatever you want it.
By no means am I an exceptional producer. There's a lot Id love to be able to do, but what's probably stood out with this track of mine is maybe the fact it doesn't sound like the modern trance we know today. Doesn't mean it's exceptional, some will like it, some won't, but that's the beauty of music I suppose.
There will be some who absolutely love the modern trance too.
I'm kind of glad that the reaction to my track has been what it is as it shows there is still an appetite for that sound.