F.73| Official Constructive Criticism Thread | MOD APPROVED

[Alukarj]

Xeethe Ingram

Hello folks, I come with news for all producers who wish to test their luck and skills. Beatport & Zedd Are having a remix contest, the track being remixed is Spectrum. A beautiful piece of Progressive/Complextro that is seriously quite a blast to mess with. I plan on entering the contest, but I am sure more of us would love to give it a shot. With that out of the way, how has everyone been?

I would participate, but I'm already working on a remix. If I were to do this, then I'd probably get distracted.

[The Captain of Crunch]

Alright guys. I have something new. Fresh with sidechaining, less dryness, some minimalism and a bit of rhythm. How is it?

Junkyard - DR.3@MS

[Evolsine]

The Captain of Crunch

Evolsine

The Captain of Crunch

Evolsine

The Captain of Crunch

Hello, everyone. I'm just starting out on production, I've made mostly electro and dubstep, and I could really use some serious critiques.

I use Audio Technica ATH-M50's for listening/producing/monitoring/everything. They're excellent and they're the best I can afford.

My SoundCloud is here!

Looking for comments/reviews/whatever on anything and everything.

(And if you listen to the dubstep mix, ignore the volume cuts. I don't know what the hell I was thinking.)

You can't do mixdowns on headphones. I have the ATH-M30's but thats not an excuse.

Posted comments on SC.

You have way too much mud going on essentially. Everything is either too repetative or too random (like the electro track). THIS IS MAINLY BECAUSE YOUR MIXDOWNS ARE ON HEADPHONES.

Musically you don't have enough going on. Your hats are too filtered, your kicks too low, your tempos sound wrong for the track types you pick, your transitions vary from completly random to unexpected.

I am using good speakers, with woofer, both amped. I am sure this would sound better over headphones but right now its pretty unlistenable garbage.

NOW:
I am not saying I think you have no talent. I am saying you need to keep at it. It might take years to clear up your mixes, create normal transitions, and put in engaging intrumentals: BUT SO BE IT!

Just keep at it.

I am being honest. I am not trolling you.

Thanks to all for all the feedback. The main reason I'm using 'phones is because I'm not actually at my own computer with my own decent speakers, and I won't until sometime towards the end of the summer. I can't afford monitors and I'm afraid to try and mix using the speakers I have now because despite the fact that they are okay speakers, I'm worried my mixes will come out even worse due to the general lack of quality. I really appreciate all the help, and I'm thinking I'm gonna completely change up what I'm doing as far as producing goes. I'll be back soon, hopefully to less disdain.

What speakers do you have now?

Try our guide to producing. Its linked on page one of this thread.

I did read a bit of it and I'm about to go back to it. Right now the speakers I have available are some crappy dell ones with a tiny sub that my dad got with his computer.

The main problem I'm having is getting anything to really go together. I play guitar, bass and drums and (as far as I can tell) I'm half decent at coming up with individual instrument tracks but I'm having a lot of trouble bringing it all together without it sounding like a mess unless it's dubstep. But dubstep is silly easy and I wanna make some other stuff. Obviously I'm having troubles

Not to rain on your parade but your "dubstep" left a lot to be desired. Saying Dubstep is easy is like saying making electronic music is easy...which by your own endeavors has been thoroughly disproved.

+ 1

EX: NOT BROSTEP

[Evolsine]

Xeethe Ingram

Hello folks, I come with news for all producers who wish to test their luck and skills. Beatport & Zedd Are having a remix contest, the track being remixed is Spectrum. A beautiful piece of Progressive/Complextro that is seriously quite a blast to mess with. I plan on entering the contest, but I am sure more of us would love to give it a shot. With that out of the way, how has everyone been?

Complextro hahaha. Anyways. I'm good. I wont be listening or attempting an entry smile

[Evolsine]

The Captain of Crunch

Alright guys. I have something new. Fresh with sidechaining, less dryness, some minimalism and a bit of rhythm. How is it?

Junkyard - DR.3@MS

Again, this was like a clown circus falling through a electronically timed blender. Its not really electro, but it could be called clowncore. I'm sorry, I can't do better than that. That was over my ATH's btw, so it could (READ: COULD) sound better over my speakers but I highly sense its the melodic...rhythmic and harmonic aspects that sound like a chance collision between four childhood friends in a really packed opium den...that is somehow bridging the gap between four pubs in Elizabethan London

[The Captain of Crunch]

Evolsine

The Captain of Crunch

Alright guys. I have something new. Fresh with sidechaining, less dryness, some minimalism and a bit of rhythm. How is it?

Junkyard - DR.3@MS

Again, this was like a clown circus falling through a electronically timed blender. Its not really electro, but it could be called clowncore. I'm sorry, I can't do better than that. That was over my ATH's btw, so it could (READ: COULD) sound better over my speakers but I highly sense its the melodic...rhythmic and harmonic aspects that sound like a chance collision between four childhood friends in a really packed opium den...that is somehow bridging the gap between four pubs in Elizabethan London

Damn. That's pretty harsh, dude. I really appreciate you giving it a listen at least, but damn. I know you can't enjoy holding my hand but clearly I have no idea what I'm doing even after reading the entire beginner's production guide. Some more detailed guidance would be greatly appreciated.

As far as my statement of dubstep being easy, I wasn't saying that mine was the holy grail of bass music wonder. All I was trying to say is that as far as the production aspect goes, to me it's much easier to work with the half-time drum rhythms and build off of them. As I said, I have no idea what I'm doing, though. So I guess whatever I say could be considered moot.

Aside from that I know the difference between dubstep and brostep and judging from the way you worded that last response you considered what I did make to be brostep. While it certainly isn't Jack Sparrow or Cotti-tier dub, it definitely isn't the GRRRRNGWAHWAHWAHSCREEEEEEWEEEWEEEWEEEWEEEEE violent ear-battery of brostep.

I'm not trying to be confrontational, by the way. Just trying to have a discussion.

[Layra-chan]

The Captain of Crunch

Alright guys. I have something new. Fresh with sidechaining, less dryness, some minimalism and a bit of rhythm. How is it?

Junkyard - DR.3@MS

It's really repetitive. It's the same 1-bar bass melody over and over again with occasional cosmetic changes to the drumming, which are also repeated. You need variation in more than just what kind of snare you're using. If you want to keep it minimal, try playing more with the background elements, although the bassline does need to change once in a while since it is the main instrument.
Also, your bass design is kind of dull; no filter enveloping, no texture, no low-end. The melody also is less than inspiring, with the notes dragging into each other. I'd suggest maybe duplicating it an octave lower to give it some low-end, distorting it to give it some body, and lowering the filter decay time to give it an edge; shorten the release to separate the notes and then see what kind of rhythm you have at that point.

[The Captain of Crunch]

Layra-chan

The Captain of Crunch

Alright guys. I have something new. Fresh with sidechaining, less dryness, some minimalism and a bit of rhythm. How is it?

Junkyard - DR.3@MS

It's really repetitive. It's the same 1-bar bass melody over and over again with occasional cosmetic changes to the drumming, which are also repeated. You need variation in more than just what kind of snare you're using. If you want to keep it minimal, try playing more with the background elements, although the bassline does need to change once in a while since it is the main instrument.
Also, your bass design is kind of dull; no filter enveloping, no texture, no low-end. The melody also is less than inspiring, with the notes dragging into each other. I'd suggest maybe duplicating it an octave lower to give it some low-end, distorting it to give it some body, and lowering the filter decay time to give it an edge; shorten the release to separate the notes and then see what kind of rhythm you have at that point.

Thanks again. I've pretty much decided to just keep working at this song until it's as close to perfect as I can make it, because maybe once I've gotten one song right I can get some others right too.

[Evolsine]

The Captain of Crunch

Evolsine

The Captain of Crunch

Alright guys. I have something new. Fresh with sidechaining, less dryness, some minimalism and a bit of rhythm. How is it?

Junkyard - DR.3@MS

Again, this was like a clown circus falling through a electronically timed blender. Its not really electro, but it could be called clowncore. I'm sorry, I can't do better than that. That was over my ATH's btw, so it could (READ: COULD) sound better over my speakers but I highly sense its the melodic...rhythmic and harmonic aspects that sound like a chance collision between four childhood friends in a really packed opium den...that is somehow bridging the gap between four pubs in Elizabethan London

Damn. That's pretty harsh, dude. I really appreciate you giving it a listen at least, but damn. I know you can't enjoy holding my hand but clearly I have no idea what I'm doing even after reading the entire beginner's production guide. Some more detailed guidance would be greatly appreciated.

As far as my statement of dubstep being easy, I wasn't saying that mine was the holy grail of bass music wonder. All I was trying to say is that as far as the production aspect goes, to me it's much easier to work with the half-time drum rhythms and build off of them. As I said, I have no idea what I'm doing, though. So I guess whatever I say could be considered moot.

Aside from that I know the difference between dubstep and brostep and judging from the way you worded that last response you considered what I did make to be brostep. While it certainly isn't Jack Sparrow or Cotti-tier dub, it definitely isn't the GRRRRNGWAHWAHWAHSCREEEEEEWEEEWEEEWEEEWEEEEE violent ear-battery of brostep.

I'm not trying to be confrontational, by the way. Just trying to have a discussion.

You misunderstood. I meant to denote MY YOUTUBE LINK was not brostep. I am not sure what your tracks were/are, but they didn't really feel complete, or engaging, or dubby.

I know I know, Dubstep has nothing to do with reggae but maybe this would help your funk?



(I didn't listen to it, just made the assumption it would be cool)

Follow up on Layra's pointers. Without seeing your projects files I cannot give DIRECT pointers. I am not sure what you're going for, but its not working out SO FAR.

[Evolsine]

The Captain of Crunch

Layra-chan

The Captain of Crunch

Alright guys. I have something new. Fresh with sidechaining, less dryness, some minimalism and a bit of rhythm. How is it?

Junkyard - DR.3@MS

It's really repetitive. It's the same 1-bar bass melody over and over again with occasional cosmetic changes to the drumming, which are also repeated. You need variation in more than just what kind of snare you're using. If you want to keep it minimal, try playing more with the background elements, although the bassline does need to change once in a while since it is the main instrument.
Also, your bass design is kind of dull; no filter enveloping, no texture, no low-end. The melody also is less than inspiring, with the notes dragging into each other. I'd suggest maybe duplicating it an octave lower to give it some low-end, distorting it to give it some body, and lowering the filter decay time to give it an edge; shorten the release to separate the notes and then see what kind of rhythm you have at that point.

Thanks again. I've pretty much decided to just keep working at this song until it's as close to perfect as I can make it, because maybe once I've gotten one song right I can get some others right too.

For the record, this is more like electro:

[The Captain of Crunch]

Evolsine

The Captain of Crunch

Evolsine

The Captain of Crunch

Alright guys. I have something new. Fresh with sidechaining, less dryness, some minimalism and a bit of rhythm. How is it?

Junkyard - DR.3@MS

Again, this was like a clown circus falling through a electronically timed blender. Its not really electro, but it could be called clowncore. I'm sorry, I can't do better than that. That was over my ATH's btw, so it could (READ: COULD) sound better over my speakers but I highly sense its the melodic...rhythmic and harmonic aspects that sound like a chance collision between four childhood friends in a really packed opium den...that is somehow bridging the gap between four pubs in Elizabethan London

Damn. That's pretty harsh, dude. I really appreciate you giving it a listen at least, but damn. I know you can't enjoy holding my hand but clearly I have no idea what I'm doing even after reading the entire beginner's production guide. Some more detailed guidance would be greatly appreciated.

As far as my statement of dubstep being easy, I wasn't saying that mine was the holy grail of bass music wonder. All I was trying to say is that as far as the production aspect goes, to me it's much easier to work with the half-time drum rhythms and build off of them. As I said, I have no idea what I'm doing, though. So I guess whatever I say could be considered moot.

Aside from that I know the difference between dubstep and brostep and judging from the way you worded that last response you considered what I did make to be brostep. While it certainly isn't Jack Sparrow or Cotti-tier dub, it definitely isn't the GRRRRNGWAHWAHWAHSCREEEEEEWEEEWEEEWEEEWEEEEE violent ear-battery of brostep.

I'm not trying to be confrontational, by the way. Just trying to have a discussion.

You misunderstood. I meant to denote MY YOUTUBE LINK was not brostep. I am not sure what your tracks were/are, but they didn't really feel complete, or engaging, or dubby.

I know I know, Dubstep has nothing to do with reggae but maybe this would help your funk?



(I didn't listen to it, just made the assumption it would be cool)

Follow up on Layra's pointers. Without seeing your projects files I cannot give DIRECT pointers. I am not sure what you're going for, but its not working out SO FAR.

Dubstep has plenty to do with reggae in the grand scheme of things, but I won't argue the specificity of genre with you And I did misunderstand, I apologize.

To be perfectly honest I haven't been super sure of what I'm going for, I've just been trying different stuff out and seeing how it all goes. I'm not going to ask for you to cut me any slack, and I really appreciate you guys dealing with me. Most people would just s**t all over everything I do and not even attempt to help. And as of right now, I don't plan on sharing my project files. Not because I'm arrogant, but because I don't feel like having that much of a shitstorm of "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG" thrown at me at the moment :P

[Agoraphobic Necropsy]

Evol brutally critique my s**t!! I need it

Last 2 tracks I made
how to dead mow 5
close close your eyes

[Alukarj]

The Captain of Crunch

To be perfectly honest I haven't been super sure of what I'm going for, I've just been trying different stuff out and seeing how it all goes. I'm not going to ask for you to cut me any slack, and I really appreciate you guys dealing with me. Most people would just s**t all over everything I do and not even attempt to help. And as of right now, I don't plan on sharing my project files. Not because I'm arrogant, but because I don't feel like having that much of a shitstorm of "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG" thrown at me at the moment :P

If you're not sure what you're going for, then stop trying to go for it. From what I've been hearing, your melodies don't sound all that interesting. You've got to ask yourself a number of things.

• Is the melody enjoyable and/or pleasing to the ear?
  
• Is the melody too repetitive? If so, how can I make it less repetitive?
  
• Would anybody else enjoy this?

You have to be real bias towards your work. You can create something and think it sound amazing. The thing is, will anybody else think that? Come up with a motif. Within that motif, create variations. Or make a 16 bar melody, 8 or 16 bar bass, create some variations in the process so it won't sound like it's just looping for the next four to five minutes Have an intro, create a verse, chorus, and a bridge that will fall back upon either/or, and then an ending. Give it form.

Intro
Verse = A
Chorus = B
Verse = A
Bridge = C
Verse = A
Chorus = B
Ending = D

[xxxOHackOxxx]

FL Studio Problem:

My Master Tempo is stuck I can't change it wtf do I do?

I change it to 108 then it goes back to 120

its like, "NO! Make House instead."
emo

[Alukarj]

xxxOHackOxxx

FL Studio Problem:

My Master Tempo is stuck I can't change it wtf do I do?

I change it to 108 then it goes back to 120

its like, "NO! Make House instead."
emo

Quote:

IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH YOUR TEMPO RANDOMLY CHANGING THEN YOU MESSED WITH THE TEMPO WHILE "RECORDING"

To fix:


Go to the browser that is by default attached to the far left hand side:

Current Project>Look at every pattern for something called "Tempo Course"

If you see this then click on it till the piano roll with automation clip type patterns painted in it comes up, then delete everything so its a blank piano roll. Make sure you get all of them on every pattern.

Problem solved biggrin

Is Your Tempo Randomly Changing In FL Studio??