tldr: Let’s use this thread as a place for new producers to get feedback to improve their music and build a community where we support and follow each other.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the challenge for new producers to just get people (and even more so, knowledgeable people) to listen to their music and provide constructive feedback. There’s so much music out there, posting a Soundcloud link is just a drop in the ocean. Everyone’s time is at a premium, so it’s understandable that listening to/critiquing/following all of the music, just on this board alone, is impossible.
Here’s the idea: post your songs to this thread with the purpose of gaining feedback and followers. For every song you post, provide critical feedback to three other people. If you like someone’s music, let them know, give them some ideas for improvement, and follow them on Soundcloud (or wherever).
I think this is a great way to solve a practical problem, while discovering lots of great music and building a positive community. Elektronauts has a ton of knowledgeable, helpful people, so I thought this would be a great place to start. And please share your ideas if you have a way to make this work better.
I’ll have some new stuff to share, but I don’t want this to just be a self-promotion tool for myself, so I’ll let others get it going and see if the interest is there. Share your tunes, let’s get this rolling!
Good idea. I’ll get things rolling with a tune I finished Sunday after rooting through a folder of unfinished stuff.
Not sure where the drums are from, but the Acid line’s from a Tb-3 fed through Analog Heat and OTO Bam.
@Bop absolutely love the break at 3:21 and the darker acid line that follows. Could be personal preference, but I kinda felt like there was maybe one two too many breaks beforehand. An easy one to cut in my mind would be the one right before the 3:21 mark. Solid track, really liked it!
Here’s a track I made yesterday. I’m still very new to all of this so feedback very much appreciated. I made this with a Digitone + Octatrack + Mixer recorded live. I have an extended version, but kinda liked the idea of cutting it short. Is it cheesy/interesting?
i like the acid line and the last minute and a half or so is my favorite part of the track. i feel like it needs more variation – added percussion, drum fills, automation, etc. – to keep it interesting all the way through. e.g. the change on the reverb on the acid line at 1:15 is good, just more of that. i think the kick needs a little more presence in the mix too, but that might be just a preference thing.
i think it’s got potential and i like it, just needs to evolve a little more over time if that makes sense.
it’s funny, i listened to it before reading your post … when it ended i was thinking it needed another 3-4 minutes haha.
the mix stood out as being really good to me. the sounds complemented each other and had space; they evolved nicely. it’s a track that would make a great start to a mix. i quite liked it, please share the extended version when you have it done.
Nice and pumping track, but I agree with milkclerk that it could use some more variation or cuts in length. I particularly like the swelling sound that comes in once in a while. Also the name of the track is hilarious
Very nice idea for a thread!
This is really dope and hypnotic. I love the little delays on the bongo-esque percussive synths. It’s very repetitive, but I think it doesn’t get stale so I’d like the hear the full version. Were all sounds generated on the DN?
Sorry for the triple post, but I did not now how to reply to specific posts on my phone.
Here is a track I did on the op-z with vocals processed through the Roland vt-4. I feel the mix is a little too cluttered at points so I’d like to have feedback on what might be removed.
Not cheesy at all, just don’t stop it!
I like that swelling thing, would like to hear a breakdown with that so no drums and the swelling getting more intense somehow, adding fx maybe then dropping it all out and coming back in with the drums but with more percussion to get the track going again. I’m not sure about that sound that comes in about 1 minute in though, it’s a bit jarring, maybe set it back a bit in the mix with some reverb?
Like @303abuser said would make a great set opener or early doors tune to get people on the floor.
Nice work
That intro makes me think of some track from the 80’s I can’t put my finger on!
Yeah, definitely a bit cluttered but It’s decent and there’s some good ideas in there that just need a bit of breathing space.
There’s lots of stuff competing for frequencies so just making sure everything’s not playing at the same time and seeing what does work together will help loads imo.
For example, the bass and vocals will work together better if there’s filter on the bass to take the top end out. Could open up the filter once the vocal stops for little builds or in a breakdown, which is also where I’d bring in the melody bits, again seeing where you take other stuff out to allow room.
I reckon having the vocal on its own in a break would work too, especially when it first comes in after the intro and slowly bring the bass up and other elements.
Good stuff👍
The drums need a bit more bite imo and need to kick harder. They sound a bit boxey from where I’m listening and that bass could do with having a bit more presence.
Giving the elements their own space will also help as sometimes it gets a bit busy and bringing things in and out or even automating a filter on parts that have the same frequencies will allow other parts to shine and keep things moving.
I like how the track progresses though and musically it keeps me interested, just need to work on the sonics a bit to get me dancing to it
The intro is really strong - I like it! I wonder what it would sound like if you brought the buzzy synth down a bit and brought up the bass. You might get a slightly cleaner sound across the track. 0:51-1:00 is the least interesting part of the song for me. I wonder what would happen if you strip it back there or change up the way the vocals are delivered.
Great idea for a thread.
This track has digitone all over it - bass, pad, lead, arp.
But i feel there’s something wrong in the mix that I really can’t put my finger on.
Sounds bang on to me, although I am listening on AirPods so can’t really comment on the mix too much. I’ve been listening to a lot of techno this morning though and it more than stands up against fully released stuff.
Shit hot tune either way, would go down a storm in a club
that’s a cool idea, definitely could be turned into something really good. i think the mix is lacking at the high end of the spectrum (it needs maybe hats or just a high pad or air) and there’s not enough space for the vocals.
sometimes when i have too many elements, i just strip the arrangement right back to see what is really necessary and how removing certain sounds changes the feel of the track. maybe try that and just weave competing sounds in and out so they don’t overlap quite so much. it may even benefit from a little panning too.
it seems like the pieces are there, it’s just fitting them together that’s the challenge.
i really like this track, but the mix needs work. as bob mentioned, the drums don’t stand out (maybe too much reverb) and overlap with the pad in the background. making them dryer, maybe changing the notes or samples would help them punch through.
the progression is good, it’s interesting, and i really like the way the energy peaks around 5:30. good effort.
