MadTracker - Forum - Stay - Is the volumes OK?

Color scheme

Profile

FAQ

Forum

Music talk

Stay - Is the volumes OK?

Reply to topic

Post new topic

Goto page Previous 1, 2

SoulEye
Beta-Tester

Joined: 31 Jan 2004
Location: Helsingborg, Sweden!

Posted: Fri Nov 20 2009 20:09
First of all: Amazing track! Lots of feeling and a real professional sound! The background of childsplay gives it an anime feeling or a schoolyard or maybe. It's a spectator's track. Sometimes melancholicly watching the proceedings. Key change at 5:12 kicks ass. The bass is really cool. Loud and bassy, but still in the background almost magically. It does a lot of work for the song. Electric guitar and choirs enter at the same time, and create a really cool effect. Love the instruments. The flute in the beginning is cool. Keep it. It's a LONG tune. But you keep it interesting with all the instrument changes. Stereo effects at some riff endings are real nice. Onto the negative... I'm still annoyed by the kick. It sounds like you're "doubling" (2 tracks, 1 sample, full volume) at times. Dynamics are not created this way... And at 5:40 it even sounds lofi, I'm sure by design. I'm a fan of lofi samples as you all know, but it doesn't fit here in my opinion. Can't you use another sample? It's like a big mole on a perfect face. The 2nd flute around 3:01 is either at times "flat" (needs vibrato or something in my opinion) and or too loud. Finally, I hear clipping sounds. I noted some timestamps where I hear it, but it's all over the place: 0:17 0:30 1:34 3:18 3:31 3:43 4:27 4:44 6:53 So, in the end, great track! Iron out the small issues to make it perfect.

MagnarTBL
Registered User

Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Location: Ronneby, Sweden

Posted: Sat Nov 21 2009 00:42
Souleye, Thanks for all your kind words and your detailed feedback with suggestions to improvement. Really appresiated! About the kick, I will check the beat sequences with the sample that I am using to make sure I haven't done any mistakes with copy+paste. There are two different drumsets, one is the analogue recording of a "live drumset", which is being used first in the song. The second drumset is a more electronic oriented kit, which I also putted through a bitcruncher effect plug to add a even more "8-bit" feel to it. It's an attempt to make variation in the groove, and I like the concept of having it like that in the mix. But does anyone else find this ackward? The flat flute is also ment to be in the background, and therefore I intentionally took away vibration to make it not stand out. However, the volume might be a bit to high on that instrument. I'll check it when I get back in the studio (at home with the laptop now). The clipping sounds are VERY interesting! I haven't taken notice at all of them, and I wonder why and what it making them. Possible some instrument that are too loud and brought down by the L3 compression mastering plug I am using. I'll have a close listen to the timestamps you posted and try to figure it out. Thanks a lot for noticing this and making me aware of it! Cheers Magnar

MagnarTBL
Registered User

Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Location: Ronneby, Sweden

Posted: Sun Nov 22 2009 10:37
I've listened throughout the track a few more times now and payed really close notice to the timestamps given by Souleye, but I cannot hear any clippings. Is it just me? About the kick, I have now ensured that I'm not triggering the kick sample with two notes at the same time in the beat pattern. This is with an small exception of 06:03-06:41, where I actually have both drumkit beat patterns active at the same time (but I am using EQ to slice out a few colliding frequences). Here is a small sample of how the beat works throughout the song: http://www.harestad.info/music/staybeat.mp3 It would be helpful if it is possible to point out exactly where the doublekick disturbance happens from that sample. Cheers Magnar

SoulEye
Beta-Tester

Joined: 31 Jan 2004
Location: Helsingborg, Sweden!

Posted: Sun Nov 22 2009 10:54
The doubletapping could also be just plain old volume work. Since the same sample is played, at different volumes, it comes across that way to me. A louder drum in reality isn't just louder - it's a different sound altogether. Since the rest of the song is so dynamic I think this is a little shame that the drumkits bassdrum is just one sample. I guess you thought so too because of the implementation of the other more electronic kick. I think the kick is generally too loud at some instances, perhaps because it's reinforced with crashes etc. Here are some timestamps for the places I'm referring to: 28 secs, (also at 35 secs but it's more disguised), 41 secs. 48 secs. The clipping could be just instruments that give a slight scorching sound. Would be nice if someone else commented but this forum is kinda dead. The clipping/scorching is SLIGHT. At the late part of second 16, and a little bit into second 17, it can be heard in the right speaker. Maybe this is a background sample with noise?

MagnarTBL
Registered User

Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Location: Ronneby, Sweden

Posted: Sun Nov 22 2009 15:59

SoulEye wrote:

The doubletapping could also be just plain old volume work. Since the same sample is played, at different volumes, it comes across that way to me. A louder drum in reality isn't just louder - it's a different sound altogether. Since the rest of the song is so dynamic I think this is a little shame that the drumkits bassdrum is just one sample. I guess you thought so too because of the implementation of the other more electronic kick.

I think the kick is generally too loud at some instances, perhaps because it's reinforced with crashes etc. Here are some timestamps for the places I'm referring to: 28 secs, (also at 35 secs but it's more disguised), 41 secs. 48 secs.

The kick sample I am using is actually from a sample package that consists of 24x different kick samples, all sampled from one real accoustic bassdrum with different "volumes/footpedal" taps in a pro-studio. I am not using all these 24x samples in my song, but I am using 6x of them to make dynamic.

The kick sample I think you are refering to are the first kick per beat pattern, which actually isn't the loudest of them. Which made me a bit puzzled, but - The spots you refere to are "silent spots" from other instruments, which I am suspecting the layer 3 maximizer plug on the Master Stereo Output bus might have something to do with pumping up the basskick frequences. As "even out" the lack of other frequences.

As you also said, this is more disguised at some places where there is more action from other instruments etc.

I'll dig into it someday and try to adjust things manually. At least, now I think I understand where and what you are refering to. Smile

SoulEye wrote:

The clipping could be just instruments that give a slight scorching sound. Would be nice if someone else commented but this forum is kinda dead.

The clipping/scorching is SLIGHT. At the late part of second 16, and a little bit into second 17, it can be heard in the right speaker. Maybe this is a background sample with noise

I am guessing this can come from the record I have of the kids playing in the schoolyard. As there are a few spots where they are throwing & kicking the ball or talking a bit louder etc. Since I am visually seeing the mix all the time I might make the excuse "it's part of the lively background feeling I wanted to achieve" - when some of these elements should maybe been removed/volume adjusted.

Anyone else commenting on this would be nice.

Cheers again, great feedback Souleye! Smile

Reply to topic

Post new topic

Page 2 of 2

All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page Previous 1, 2