Started with this...



Following your welcome observations, I made these changes...

* Bassline added
* More work on the breakdown
* Removed some busy hihats that seemed overly loud in the mix
* Changed some of the FX
* Re-balanced levels to incorporate bass
* Removed some melodies that were clashing
* Tweaked the vocal chops



Let me know what else can be improved.

 

Last edited: Feb 13, 2023

Not what you were asking (as I assume you were looking for how to extend the song - which I'm not sure is needed), but just wanted to say I like it so far! It seems to be lacking in bass though - maybe it's just because you haven't gotten there yet. I'm not normally someone who screams "more bass!!", but I think this style of song would go well with a groovy bassline to compliment. That seems to be the one element missing with what you have here so far... to my ears, anyways.

 

Yep, concur on bass. Maybe not all of it but it needs it somewhere. Myself, I wouldn't cram anything more into it, it's cool. I would cut about the last third off, it gets redundant about that point to me.

 

Fretless.

 

I'd mute all the vocal chops and have new room to fill. if you made them, it's one thing. but if I had those in my track, they would be imported samples to worry about where they came from. my goal would be to delete them. I like what you have so far.

 

Last edited: Feb 13, 2023

Whenever I feel that my song is too empty, I go for some distant pads and/or some unobtrusive percussion to flesh out the structure.
Before that tho, I usually go with bass. Where bass?

 

Bassline added. Let me know what you think.

 

I tried to get more variety into the final third on v2, but you might still be right.

 

Fretless bass? I got you!

 

I quite like the vocal chops... removed one section of them and added some sparkle to some of them.

Source of samples doesn't worry me.

 

Bass added. I did have some pads but there seemed to be too much going on even at low level.

 

To my ear, cut a little bit of subs from the kick, boost a litle bit of subs on the bass, and add just a tiniest bit of reverb to the front instruments - and you'll be in the perfect place.

 

Now the Bass exists, it need to be way more Bassy,
meaning more Low and Sub freqs..

Right now is mostly Mids/highs so with the few/short notes it plays, it's hardly doing its job.

I'd go for a Round Bassy tone, maybe a Rickenbacker (Scarbee/Kontakt),
or whatever fitted in Modo Bass, like the first P-Bass or the Stingray etc..


Besides of that I'd say the track sounds Fucking Nice,
simple ideas but everything is nicely/cleverly put, and Forward sounding,
all the sounds/timbres have a great tonal balance/presence, not thin or harsh..

So it comes a little as a surprise, how can you be so on the spot with most instruments, and sound design,
but completely forget about Bass, which is one of the most fundamental parts..
And then how little protagonism you give it once it's there.


Bass is a super powerful instrument in terms of Groove,
so you could try being more generous and place proper root notes that extend in time, Long notes, not just Staccato..

Ofc a proper Groovy idea will mix long/short notes, but you know what I mean,
why walk barefoot on your tips, when you can wear proper rubber boots that stomp?


Granted, placin' a proper Bass line with a proper Bass tone,
will probably mean you have to readjust the rest of the instruments to make a Hole for it,
be it Filtering, EQing or Compressing the rest of the instruments..

But yeah, given the forwardness of the track, and it's light mood,
a proper Groovy and Thick bass line could be very beneficial.

 

Last edited: Feb 13, 2023

I think this is a big step forward, but if it were me, I'd still explore the bass a lot more. Right now it is pretty simple sounding.. which I'm sure you were going for, but I think this song takes a big leap if you give the bass more variety.

You have a nice groove going there, though, which is a great start. That's half the battle. I'd say just add more notes/runs into the bass than just the repeated short bits you have right now. Sorry, my terminology is terrible here, but I guess bass fills are what I'm talking about. Of course stick in scale, but explore more of that scale than just the root note, and the very rare few notes outside of it.

If you struggle to do that, just throw down the basic groove with any notes, and then use something like a MIDI generator, locked into key/scale to give you some ideas for random fills.

I hope what I'm suggesting doesn't sound hypercritical... I wouldn't give advice at all if I didn't think it had potential to be even better than it already is, and also if I didn't think it was quite a cool song. So any advice here is more to help you past the finish line than as a criticism, I hope you realize!

Anyways, that's my advice, take it or leave it! It can be very easy to give advice.. I don't have to put the work in!! haha And in the end, this is your vision.. But theres a funkier bassline waiting to jump out that I hear. Good stuff though.

 

Last edited: Feb 14, 2023