Hey guys,

This is my first original track. Since i dont have any producer friends and i am new to producing, i want some advice from you!

Any sound and mixing tip you want to give me i would really appreciate.

https://soundcloud.com/joekinni/first-grade/s-FEcyy

Sorry for bad english..

 

Ohh my god...the compression abuse. Listen to the 1st 20secs. When the drums hit, the other tracks drop waaaay back. It's called "pumping". Usually, except for certain special effects, not very good thing to let happen. I hear distortion that I'm pretty sure you don't want. 30 secs. was all I could handle. Sorry. But if you want to learn, people with state of the art knowledge are here, and links and threads for about anything audio related, and a lot of off topic warpedness, too. Hope you don't take criticism badly. Welcome, Weedhopper.

 

I think you did a pretty decent job of mixing. I think my main issue with the song is the sound design. The lead sound needs some more grit. It gets a little better when you layer it with the higher octave synth. Try some amp distortion on the lead sounds to bring them out a bit more and give the song more energy. The kick is powerful and plays well with the bass.

I don't that much of an issue with the limiting and compression here because this genre calls for things to be as loud as possible. Yes, there is some distortion but again that's what listeners of this genre and record labels are used to and even sometimes that's what they want.

Add more reverb to the lead sounds too. Make sure the pre-delay is pretty long so that when it stops playing the reverb follows nicely and gives a huge effect to the sound. I like the kick drum it's powerful and cuts through very well and gives lots of energy.

I think overall the track lacks detail. Things like risers,impacts breakdowns, delay effects etc...So it sounds a bit empty at the moment. But, it's on its way to being a good club song

 

Track is unavailable.

 

I figure that this will likely be a good place to visit while you're here and I'm constantly adding to it:

AudioSex Academy (Table Of Contents)

 

@ Rickbaratt,

Yes it is... but you must to 'click' on 'Listen on SoundCloud' instead (bottom right corner of the Article's Window).
That Link will redirect you to be able to listen to the Track. *yes*

____________________________________________________________​

What is really interesting in the respective Comments and Advices of 'Algae' and 'Fuad' for 'newbies' or 'newcomers', it's that we are here in presence of the (always !) main question of : is it too much compressed, or a contrario, not !

Always these two 'Schools of Thought' that will compete forever... *yes*
One (the 'Older' way ! ) that want to (absolutely) preserve the 'Dynamics' of a particular Track (leading to more 'Headroom'), and the other one (the 'Modern' way ! ) that's always trying to get the more Loudness, Compression,... at any cost !

In any case I want to denigrate one or the other method... because most of us will always be with "the Ass between 2 Chairs" !!!

Nevertheless, the Comments of 'Fuad' can (maybe !) be more objective mainly due to the specific Genre and 'modernity' of that Track.

I don't want in any way to blame you 'Algae' ... because I'm from the 'Old School' too !!!

 

I don't care how you change the design or arrangement Faud, digital clip distortion is what I hear, not desired distortion. And that pumping compression just sounds annoying....Just not musical in what I hear. Club music and techno may not be my thing, but I know when a mix is working, or when I can hear the machinery doing things in ways that are just distracting, instead of enhancing. Of course, it's just another opinion.

 

@ Algae,

I'm totally agree with you (and mainly during the passages you've rightly noticed in your first Comment). *yes*

For the anecdote :
At the end of the 70's, an English Musical Movement well known as 'Punk' clearly stated : "If that Music is too loud... it's that you're too old !!!"

 

Yup, I hear it too. But like I said, these days that's the standard for this genre. So yes if it was me I would focus much more on reducing or getting rid of that clipping. There are so many commercially released tracks where you can clearly hear the digital clipping. I'm not for that sound at all, but it happens and is regularly accepted.


Found this the other day relating to this topic and laughed my ass off.

http://soundcloud.com/fuckmylife/dat-kick-doe

LOOL

 

1 - Never put anything on the Master.

2 - Put your Master Channel at -6dB if you're using FL Put the Master Volume at -6dB ( at the top, beside the Master Pitch )

3 - you're over compressing the drums! (Same as "Algae" said )

4 - Same as "fuad" said, The sound design is so bad, first few seconds from the track it sounds like some old movie's tracks.

5 - i can tell the main melo or idea is inspired or let me be clair, copied from another's track's midi, you just changed few notes. just don't do that!


what i suggest, it is good to learn from analyzing other tracks, but don't copy them, try to produce your own stuff, and as i said master at -6dB nothing on the master (not talking about filter or reverb that you're gonna automate later, i'am talking about comrpession EQ or what ever that you think is gonna make your track sounds better, it doesn't work like that, there is 3 phases, 1 Production 2 Mixing the track and then Mastering! that's how you get a good sounding track!)

Listen to allot of track to understand how it works, build up, what's the elements of the track, and the best thing is to experience with sounds, when you're opening your daw, it is not to make a track, but to make music in general, that will helps you improve. and just learn how to play piano, it will opens many doors for you!

Good luck tho!

 

Just click '' open is soundcloud''i dont know why but i doesnt open here..

 

I won't even listen to a track (regardless of it's Soundcloud "popularity") when a waveform has little-to-no dynamics. You can look at the visual waveform and see the track either clipping or just riding the top of the dynamic range. This means the track has nowhere to go. It's akin to standing next to a roaring jet engine and expecting something musical to happen! It just won't. I also realize that the last 2 generations of music producers/DJ's have an affinity for having a track pump from the word "go!". Unfortunately, it is these same people that have destroyed the dynamic range of "popular music"... whatever the fuck that is anymore.

I won't (or can't listen to that type of "mix" for too long before ear-fatigue sets in (and I have a high tolerance due to ear damage). "Kids" (that's probably all of you!!!) today don't know what ear-fatigue even is because that's all they've ever exposed themselves to... but, when they hear the music in a movie theatre of a well-produced and mixed soundtrack... THEY NOTICE. At least that's how I get my students to realize the importance of dynamics...

That's where you need to start... (at the very beginning)...

 

Advice is always good when someone really wants to learn something... For the bad or for the good...
For the headroom:
One thing that we can always do to achieve a boldrié sound is to use the wonderfull distortions tha have today and less compressors or limiters.
Paralelo dynamics also help with more define sound...

 

HUGE LOL. there is some kind of lead or bass behind the 4000% of distortion-clipping.

i wonder what new materials manufacturers of big speakers and subs for sound system that will end up in clubs, do use, now. 10-15 years ago, there was only a big kick and bass(except: styles like hardcore, gabber, etc), i think any big speaker with a limiter behind could handle no matter which sounds were played.

today, it's all about huge sub basses at -30Hz, and kilo-tons of huge distortion. materials used on those speakers must be really really hard, to be able to handle millions of boum boum boum, huge sub basses, insane distortions, etc.

 

This topic is really fun to follow
And a good example how insanely different musicians' and listeners/consumers' attitutes can ever be.

I was one of the strong opponents against that silly pumping compression, but young consumers have proven me otherwise.
Maybe it's the feeling of animosity they got addicted to?

Whatever, the only thing I'm sure of is that different target audiences want not only different music, but different mixes as well. For some it well even suffice if your song sounds just as bad and too similar to the last "hit" song they heard.

 

It doesn't have to be an either or kind of thing. Sometimes you an abuse a compressor, sometimes you ease up on crushing dynamics. Depends on the material you're working with, what you want to accomplish, etc.

 

Personally I'd be more inclined to find some better sound sources rather than worry too much about the mix in it's current state.

I think the old cliche "if it sounds good then it is good" shouldn't be forgotten here. Sure there are some basic rules of traditional mixing which tried and tested methods have proven to suit our (poor) human hearing tastes but I've never really been a fan of lists of right or wrong ways to mix.

I played a guitarist friend of mine an early Aphex Twin track years ago and he was appalled by the 'production values'

 

Hello mate i've listened two tracks of you.
But unfortunately the kicks seemed to be low. And it's too repetitive, basic.
Looks like you are starter so they are not that bad.
Maybe before you making your own sounds you should start from some sample packs and presets to get the feeling how they should be.
And i recommend you to use some iZotope Ozone 6 mastering presets as your music sounds unbalanced.
BUT, they have the potential gj

 

The OP stated that it's his first original track. So it doesn't only sound like he's a starter.
Having that in mind, mastering is nothing he should tackle right now. It's the last thing you do with a song, and it's the last thing to learn.