Well, that’s different. In case the drums are single shots all the way your drumwork is pretty impressive. The instrumentation is really good, too. I dig the composition, but I think the composition would benefit from an improved mix. At some points it’s a little bit muddy when many instruments are playing at the same time, especially all those long sounds just like the strings and pads. That makes the voice almost inaudible, too. Anyway, well done. Is this a Renoise song?
It’s not really wrongly categorized, it’s flat. Just make it punch.
Why was it frustrating to make this song? I’ll be honest, I really don’t like Breakcore. But imho this is the best Breakcore song of the recent years. And I think you improved your mixing a lot. Your sound sounds much less harsh than in the past. My favorite section of course is from 0:22 to 0:44. You need more bass to complement the high ends and all the drums and percussions, you know?!
I’m glad that you discovered the pattern matrix for the buildup and arrangement.
Hm, I don’t think so. The mix is much better than the last one. Just drop the delay of the “bongo” at the beginning (or decrease the echo’s volume at least) and increase the volume of the hihat and the high short synth (at 2:58) slightly by maybe 10%. It’s also nice that you’re using this high short synth as the second instrument next to the synth bass at 1:52, but it would have been nicer if you would have used a different instrument which complements the high short synth later on at 2:58. That would result in more variation and more compositional options. Anyway, if you think there are competing frequencies you could try to use panning and/or sidechain instead of thinking about exchanging the instruments. For example, if there are 2 very similar pads playing at the same time, just pan one slightly to the left and the other slightly to the right. Mostly it helps to get back control. If it’s not enough you can also sidechain one of them and/or use some filters to vary the frequencies. But if nothing helps of course just change the fucking instrument.
True. Sometimes it’s better to ignore the finished song for at least a few weeks or even a month and redo the mix. But I think it’s a mistakie to finish a song first before you even start to mix. If you mix the basics properly before you continue composing, it’s way easier to get a good result. Imagine your song having 30 tracks and more and you have to mix it afterwards “from scratch”. That’s not advantageous.
Would you be able to say more about this? I think I understand, but I’ve never thought of this as an arranging technique.
Is the basic idea that, when you’re “adding” a new instrument at some point in the arrangement, that adding 2 at a time (perhaps a “primary” and “secondary”) gives the listener more of a sense that somethings changed?
So many sections just did not work,the breaks are all amiga sampled,i had a problem where i sampled pitched down at 12khz and when i pitched them back up,there was a sneaky unwanted type of aliasing slightly hidden in all the kits,i had to individually go in with super tight q notch filters and carve them out,there is a LOT of kits,this left the track with huge deficits in the upper frequency range that i had to compensate for with hits from different kits,they had to be sequenced in and not layered so i could have full control of when and when not i could choose to use them.
The track has a lot of bass in it,this causes problems when the track is as loud as it is,the track needs to be loud other wise it just will not work,it will become something else entirely,i had to really work hard to maintain loudness and not have the subs crush the breaks.Some of the bass has stereo width on it, this caused sideband frequency distortions with cymbals and hits that where placed in the wider stereo field.
Writing in 10/4 at fast bpms can be extremely difficult when you are not trying to kit switch and just spam kit switched snare rolls and fx all over the shop.I was trying to maintain a jungle feel (loosely)Constantly switching kits and spamming fx would have ruined this.This made the transitions from one section to another difficult as well.
I had problems with phrased instruments suddenly cutting out at their last hit if followed by another phrased kit,i had to go back and sequence them so that when one phrased kit switches out for another they would play on separate tracks.
There’s about 10 - 15 minutes of sequenced stuff that just didn’t fit,it was all scrapped.Some of the sections that i cut i reintroduced.This caused problems because when i scanned forward in the patterns they were no longer in the order in which they had been cut,i don’t know why this is,its possible that duplicating patterns and making selections unique knocks them out of order.It was just a frustrating mess.Thanks for the kind words though.
@ToybOx
Wow, sounds like a lot of work. Thanks for the detailed insight. Pretty cool that you’re still using an Amiga to create samples. Do you also use Techno Sound Turbo?
Exactly. But those instruments are “equal”.
More variation, more options in terms of the arrangement (easier transitions etc.), more fun.
What i said before applies to the ones that haven’t managed to complete a song arrangement before.It is frustrating learning both arrangement and mixing at the same time,and many give up because of that,they think that they must mix and arrange at the same time but to beginners that is not the way to go.Laying the track down exactly how you like it should be the priority,master that first then worry about mixing .Mixing is an art also and not all of us are capable of doing it.
gut
I gave birth to an alien race then I gave birth to you
A new Earth with an alien airspace lost in Mogadishu
Four days full of rabid bites so I set the rabies loose
Cut down and drowned in moonlight
It comes round and comes back to you
It comes back to the truth
It comes down now
Get back, get down, get on the ground, come see the sights
High tide, my time is on your side and I timed it right
I gave birth to a Belgian hare, I survived, but the rabbit died
I made a burrow and I crawled inside
And I waited for a sign to find my way back to you
To get back to you
To get back to the truth
Gotta find a way to survive
Gotta make an arms deal
Make a break and get out alive
Come back and disappear
You gave in, gave up, you lost then I hit the floor
You hit the bricks, fucked a crucifix and then I gave birth once more
Five nights full of dynamite well that ought to start a civil war
New heights and a new Apartheid
It digs down, gets right down to the core
You saw it all
You came back for more
You saw it all
And came back for more
Gotta find a way to survive
Gotta make an arms deal
Make a break and get out alive
Come back and disappear
Just some tracking + effects foolery, more of a sustained groove than a song – shouts to @TheBellows for the glitchbox doofer preset! I love using it and swapping out components to make variations.
Now I can hear someone’s knocking on my door.
The pad you’re using in this track is pretty cool and responsible for the atmosphere you’re creating here. The beat sounds kinda “chopped”, but I like it. The instrumentation is pretty nice. Nice one.
Wohoo! No intro, no buildup, straight pushing. And thanks for sharing this real story.
Yeah, this rocks, dude! I really like it! Head nod! Nice one. Not sure if it’s your best, but surely it’s one of your best. And it reminds me that I need to learn how to use Ample Sound Vintage Cherry, and that’s a horrific imagination. Some music theory and some knowledge about guitar playing is required, but most importantly it takes time. And probably it’s not a perfect match with Renoise. Damn!
Some sort of translucent super-fluid that you inject into your spine,your head will swell up like a fuckin balloon but you can then sample with your ears.
Thanks for listening and for the kind feedback! Not heard Cinderella to be honest but judging by a google image search I’m gonna hate them haha. Will be sure to check em out though nice one.
Thanks man I really appreciate you listening and providing some feedback. I dare you to snag that Ample Sound plug and produce a hair metal anthem with it
I don’t completely agree on that personally. Sometimes, when I produce music, I try to let go the mixing part completely to focus on the creative process part of it. While it helps me re-gain inspiration, I find that I always struggle finishing those tracks, even if I like them a lot and their direction: after hours listening to it, my ear gets used to it in that shape, and altering it (mixing counts), I can never find back what I used to like in those: it’s a constant war between having it “alive”, raw and unfinished, or finish it and kill the mood.
Guess it depends on the person behind the computer.
Not saying I don’t do it at all or it’s a bad thing, just that it brings different things to me, but I almost never can finish tracks I went too far with, without mixing them.
So a note for beginners: stop trying to follow what people tell you to do, get as much information as possible, try them out, but in the end, find the flow you like and that makes you have fun!
