Thanks to both Vurt (we have exchanged ideas previously)and Jaybird; I am very pleased that these efforts did find a ear or two.
Jaybird: I'd like to work with someone doing rap. If forced to name a genre for this stuff, as it's mostly around 96 - 120 bpm, I might try to call it trip-hop.
Cheers,
e.
3 staggeringly interesting tunes I have slaved over
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 187 posts since 23 Mar, 2002 from Victoria BC
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- KVRist
- 159 posts since 9 Apr, 2004
Alright, here comes Mr. Mean Internet Guy to come ruin your day. 
I'm not gonna be mean for the sake of having a small penis, no beemer, no money, no women, ugly face, or other things people are mean for. I just don't want you to make the same mistakes that you're making here. So here's what I think:
Dust: Kind of a cool little vocal snippet you're got going. But I don't think the synth part or the beat is working at all. It seems sloppy. And that horn sample, while it's a great sample, just doesn't fit. Hmm...
This track really just meanders without anything really happening. Everything seems offkey, too.
Then you bring in that sitar sample and I don't think it works at all there. Then you abruplty switch it to that bassline on multiple occasissions. Later on near the end of the song with the percussion hits and the sitar and the beat, that's working pretty well, then the track ends with no real outro.
And where was that little vocal bassline in the second half? There is no cohesion. Nothing to bring anything together, it feels like you made a bunch of separate 8 bar loops in different projects then decided to toss them into one big project.
There's no direction, no destination, no real cohesion, no arrangment.
Sorry man, I don't like to be mean but I'm not telling you you're getting things right and you continue to do the same. I want you to correct what you have problems with.
Whew, and that's only the first track! Hope your stomach can handle it
Brillig:
But I do have good news. This thing kicks off really cool, and I'm not saying something nice to balance all the negative things I said. It's really f**king cool. The beat, the stabs, those little e-piano thingy fill ins, that's really good sampling right there. What really helps with that abrupt e-piano fill, is that little reverse cymbal that leads back into the beat. A small touch, but it's things like those that bring a track to life.
Then... you have an abrupt change-up... didn't like this at all. This new loop section was not as interesting as the intro. That strumming guitar sample is really good... but it's at the wrong place. And it only sounds good when the sample is played out in its entirety.
Then it seems like you're building up a big section when you take the drums out after you finally let the strumming sample play itself out. It feels like everything is going to ramp up in energy, right?
No, the track just changes completely. Then it begins to meander into it's own little world with little direction. And again, no confirmation on the existence of previous samples. It feels like two seperate tracks. Siamese twins that were never surgically disconnected.
This is all just my opinion, so who knows? I could be completely wrong. I'm not an accomplished professional. This is just what one mind thinks.
It feels like you're trying to go for that spastic breakbeat type music like QBert and what-not... and I'm not too familiar with that kind of music. So it's possible that those tracks are just samples+beats thrown together with no arrangement/cohesion... but I doubt that. I'm also sure that if they ARE like that, every new element introduced is just as interesting as the last which I can't say the same for what you are doing.
You need to practice, practice, practice. Everything needs lots of work. Arrangement is your #1 problem right now. Listen to other people. Learn. Another problem... a proper groove. You need to make proper grooves. It was there in the beginning of Brillig.
Damn, that's a lot of words. I'm not proof-reading, hope I didn't make any typo that's going to cofuse you. And um... I uh... I love you. No hard feelings, kay? 
I'm not gonna be mean for the sake of having a small penis, no beemer, no money, no women, ugly face, or other things people are mean for. I just don't want you to make the same mistakes that you're making here. So here's what I think:
Dust: Kind of a cool little vocal snippet you're got going. But I don't think the synth part or the beat is working at all. It seems sloppy. And that horn sample, while it's a great sample, just doesn't fit. Hmm...
This track really just meanders without anything really happening. Everything seems offkey, too.
Then you bring in that sitar sample and I don't think it works at all there. Then you abruplty switch it to that bassline on multiple occasissions. Later on near the end of the song with the percussion hits and the sitar and the beat, that's working pretty well, then the track ends with no real outro.
And where was that little vocal bassline in the second half? There is no cohesion. Nothing to bring anything together, it feels like you made a bunch of separate 8 bar loops in different projects then decided to toss them into one big project.
There's no direction, no destination, no real cohesion, no arrangment.
Sorry man, I don't like to be mean but I'm not telling you you're getting things right and you continue to do the same. I want you to correct what you have problems with.
Whew, and that's only the first track! Hope your stomach can handle it
Brillig:
But I do have good news. This thing kicks off really cool, and I'm not saying something nice to balance all the negative things I said. It's really f**king cool. The beat, the stabs, those little e-piano thingy fill ins, that's really good sampling right there. What really helps with that abrupt e-piano fill, is that little reverse cymbal that leads back into the beat. A small touch, but it's things like those that bring a track to life.
Then... you have an abrupt change-up... didn't like this at all. This new loop section was not as interesting as the intro. That strumming guitar sample is really good... but it's at the wrong place. And it only sounds good when the sample is played out in its entirety.
Then it seems like you're building up a big section when you take the drums out after you finally let the strumming sample play itself out. It feels like everything is going to ramp up in energy, right?
No, the track just changes completely. Then it begins to meander into it's own little world with little direction. And again, no confirmation on the existence of previous samples. It feels like two seperate tracks. Siamese twins that were never surgically disconnected.
This is all just my opinion, so who knows? I could be completely wrong. I'm not an accomplished professional. This is just what one mind thinks.
It feels like you're trying to go for that spastic breakbeat type music like QBert and what-not... and I'm not too familiar with that kind of music. So it's possible that those tracks are just samples+beats thrown together with no arrangement/cohesion... but I doubt that. I'm also sure that if they ARE like that, every new element introduced is just as interesting as the last which I can't say the same for what you are doing.
You need to practice, practice, practice. Everything needs lots of work. Arrangement is your #1 problem right now. Listen to other people. Learn. Another problem... a proper groove. You need to make proper grooves. It was there in the beginning of Brillig.
Damn, that's a lot of words. I'm not proof-reading, hope I didn't make any typo that's going to cofuse you.
And um... I uh... I love you. No hard feelings, kay? hi
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 187 posts since 23 Mar, 2002 from Victoria BC
Nibbzious:
Sorry I didn't respond earlier.
I really appreciate your comments, and find them entirely positive. And accurate, as it happens!
> it feels like you made a bunch of separate 8 bar loops in different projects then decided to toss them into one big project.
That's because I did exactly that, quite consciously, actually. I had some projects made in Orion which were more structured, but not very good (IMO), and I bought Live and started mixing the earlier projects in with some other stuff.
I was aiming at 'ambient' mostly so that the lack of destination could be excused. My hope was to play DJ type sets, (or have stuff played), and generally tunes seem to never end in that environment. I was not too interested working out what would have been mediocre, standard, INTRO/A/B/A/C EXTRO arrangements when there are so many people doing this better than I.
Still, I'll keep your comments in mind when re-working these. I wanted some help with the arrangements, and you have given me just that.
Thanks for mentioning what worked for you as well. Some elements I might stick with (the Spanish guitar sample, and yes, the Sitar), but I can re-arrange . I can let go of the horn sample, for example.
Cheers. Not mean at all - just the opposite. Thanks for the writing effort - you're pretty lucid.
I love you too,
e.
Sorry I didn't respond earlier.
I really appreciate your comments, and find them entirely positive. And accurate, as it happens!
> it feels like you made a bunch of separate 8 bar loops in different projects then decided to toss them into one big project.
That's because I did exactly that, quite consciously, actually. I had some projects made in Orion which were more structured, but not very good (IMO), and I bought Live and started mixing the earlier projects in with some other stuff.
I was aiming at 'ambient' mostly so that the lack of destination could be excused. My hope was to play DJ type sets, (or have stuff played), and generally tunes seem to never end in that environment. I was not too interested working out what would have been mediocre, standard, INTRO/A/B/A/C EXTRO arrangements when there are so many people doing this better than I.
Still, I'll keep your comments in mind when re-working these. I wanted some help with the arrangements, and you have given me just that.
Thanks for mentioning what worked for you as well. Some elements I might stick with (the Spanish guitar sample, and yes, the Sitar), but I can re-arrange . I can let go of the horn sample, for example.
Cheers. Not mean at all - just the opposite. Thanks for the writing effort - you're pretty lucid.
I love you too,
e.
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- KVRAF
- 6496 posts since 26 Nov, 2004 from Frederick, MD
First . . . the overall sound quality of these mixes is really good. Nice FX, and effective. Everything's clear and unmuddied. Good productions.
Dust, as someone said, needs a meatier beat, and is a bit underweight in the substance department. Good start, though.
Brillig (and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe) is the best of the 3, though the ending stretches on too long and you could probably end it a little after the 2:00 mark. Everything else in there is great and I don't agree with comments made to the contrary.
slow_learner . . . well, it's the weakest of the 3. Kind of a strange place that sounds good but doesn't really reach out and grab one's attention. It's worth on listen as a curiosity but I'd never really need to come back to it.
Dust, as someone said, needs a meatier beat, and is a bit underweight in the substance department. Good start, though.
Brillig (and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe) is the best of the 3, though the ending stretches on too long and you could probably end it a little after the 2:00 mark. Everything else in there is great and I don't agree with comments made to the contrary.
slow_learner . . . well, it's the weakest of the 3. Kind of a strange place that sounds good but doesn't really reach out and grab one's attention. It's worth on listen as a curiosity but I'd never really need to come back to it.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 187 posts since 23 Mar, 2002 from Victoria BC
Thanks, emdot. I will probably find something to make Dust a bit heftier. Slow-learner will get some attention as well.
E.
E.
