Well, I'll start this by saying that first reactions are very important if not the most important, the first 10 seconds count a lot and you should expect that people WILL skip through your track during those 10 seconds. If you are counting on people listening to the entire track once or more to make a decision then you are in for a surprise, most people will just skip about 1/3 of the track to find the part where usually most of the action is happening, if the track is around 3 minutes they are going to aim for that 0:50 - 1:30 range, where the drop/chorus/etc is. Don't expect producers to be much better at it too, most will listen to 20 secs of your intro, then skip to buildup and will listen to the first part of your drop, if they like it then they will continue if not they will just skip to breakdown for around 20 secs again then will skip to 2nd drop if there is one, if they notice that it's just the same thing but repeated they might stop right there or will skip to outro and will listen to it a little depending on their patience. This is what I've noticed the majority of the people do after watching a lot of people reviewing or listening to new tracks CASUALLY, of course in a more "professional" scenario they are going to listen to everything, like if you are making a video for youtube or doing "professional reviews" which requires you to listen to everything. With that said I'll say that my first 10 seconds impression was pretty bad, since the first thing that hit me were the vocals, and nothing else really grabbed my ears, so the first impression that I got is that it was amateur and generic, as you can probably see the pattern from the previous posts, it's the vocals that are killing your tracks entirely. You are saying that you were trying to get an experimental aspect to it but the style of vocals you are doing (the singing style and the effects choice) absolutely does not fit the "experimental aesthetic", at that point I would rather listen to something actually unintelligible (see Posij, Former - Lore). After that first impression I paused the video, read the posts, and listened to other stuff to reset a bit, after reading the rest of the posts in here I came back to it and listened to the 3 tracks entirely. Now I could actually notice the experimental aspect to it and what changed is that now I liked the backing track more and hated the vocals even more, still, there are some weird decisions to the mix, like for TROT near the intro you have that uninteresting loud stick on the left that is just marking the tempo but the synth that is actually interesting you kept way behind. A lot of times you are trying to mix more "pop" elements (like that reggaeton-ish beat and that style of vocals) with experimental elements (like the sound selection and some of the composition) but it's really not working together imo. I would drop that vocal style, change up that reggaeton beat so it sounds fresh, or just try out something entirely different (well, if you want to be experimental you have to experiment anyway), would focus on developing a single good idea and have the rest of the track carry that idea, then I would work on the mixing so you are making decisions that help the track to bring those ideas forward. Hopefully I didn't sound too mild or harsh since reviews should be transparent so you know exactly how your music is perceived by others so you can achieve the reaction that you want from the audience. And it's not like I'm making bangers or I'm a professional anyway, so extract the information that is useful for you.
Listened to it. Interesting. I like the second track the best. You're on to something.The overall feel is wonderful and I like set. The sound quality of the tracks could be a notch up. Good stuff and hope to hear more of you. Thanks for sharing! I voted a 4 because I feel you will do better on your next pursuit. .Seb
@artwerkski I'm profoundly glad you liked it. There's no such satisfaction for a musician! I appreciate your scoring and will definitely work to improve! I'll keep you updated, don't worry. Greetings my friend
I didn't forget about the rest of you guys I didn't reply yet! I'm still finishing some stuff here and there...
By the way, I'm very happy to see my track "VENIA" hitting the 8th spot on Drooble Top Songs Thank you all who dedicated their time for my music. Here: https://drooble.com/l/6vph5 Screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/8fSlhmL
@executioner Thanks for the detailed feedback. There are definitely improvements to be made here and your message refreshed and educated me more in that sense, which I appreciate. I'll work on it and you'll see better results. You talked more in terms of mixing, what about the taste, did you enjoy the composition itself?
@dtmd You're funny, I'll try to extract the best possible of what you said for my benefit. Thank you for the "lesson". Tastes are tastes but you were very detailed about your preferences
count me being against the autotune usage in fact if I ever hear autotune then that is cause for me to turn the channel instantly. as for the sound / tone selection it seems way to distorted and not something I would pair with a rap type song it totally masks the vocals so that you cannot hear them. I would use a less sustained tone to make room for the vocals and pair maybe a piano that hits the same chords but use a different rhythm also use some reverb on the piano and vocals. It will help you achieve a better atmosphere. I would use the same midi chord progression but use a kind of orchestral sound. Possibly use one of the free orchestral software packages by either spitfire, orchestral tools, project sam or vienna. Layer in a bass track using ample bass. If you have a chorus change the main piano section by lowering your left hand part by at least another octave to get some way low tones. Then with your right hand do some arpeggios with the same chords and add in a layer of synth for melody. You have to mix the music up and make it have distinct differences to make it more interesting by shifting things around and taking sections and ask your self how can I make things sound more interesting by raising and lowering notes by an octave and then explore modulating the key tot he 4th and 5th like we reuse parts in the blues. Also it helps to use acoustic drums and play some cymbal build ups in key parts of the song and raise the volume of the strings to add emphasis to the cymbal build up as a simultaneous layer that grows in volume.
@Jay Weed First of all, thank you for taking the time to have a listen and critique constructively. I've gathered the most important notes of your message and they really made sense to me. It was like a mini-guide/walkthrough to my knowledge. The next projects will surely not suffer from the same!
@dtmd I guess I understood your point though lol. I'll shorten on the "medication" (auto-tune) The quality is inherent!
@holdup13 I've taken your comments in a reasonable way and agree to the majority of points you make. The vocals just didn't went well, that's it. Also you guessed right, I've used the auto-tune to improvise and then tried to sing but sounds more like mumbling. I guess that recording the vocals right will be my new challenge from now on!
@Void* Sorry for the late reply. First of all, thank you very much for your truly detailed insight. It was very transparent and objective to me (which is important). There's good things and bad things about it definitely. Now the work is to get the balance upside down for good! I've gathered all the important details you've said. Your feedback was one of the most interesting to hear, by the way. Let's keep ridin'
"VENIA" Still Nº1 on Drooble's Electronic Chart! Thank you *-* https://drooble.com/charts/genres/electronic
I currently have all of the EP tracks (3) on the main electronic top 5 chart! Can't thank you enough for dedicating your time to listen to it Screenshot from Drooble: https://imgur.com/a/CYkDnMu Last edited: Sep 20, 2022
Keep working at it bro, I see you're from Lisbon. your stuff is very glitchy and dark. maybe a bit sad. I like it.
Very glad you enjoyed it buddy! That's exactly where I'm aiming for. Thank you Last edited: Sep 22, 2022
That's alright, I've got that feedback already but thank you for having the time to listen. In the mean time, here is my latest single in collaboration with a singer, very well polished, if you're curious and like R&B, then it's for you:
