Fragile Gods - "Synapse 2 Synapse"

[layzer]

What a relief! Some people worry about the economy. Others worry about North Korea. I was mostly worried that you might say there is too much sibilance in the vox or not enough high frequencies. Now that the mix got a thumbs up from layzer, my worries are over and I am going to sleep like a baby tonight.

bah hahahahaha...
my opinions about how a track should sound
is simply a measure of the enjoyment i get
while listening to it. if something nags
me, i will not hesitate to point it out.
i grew up listening to 80's rock, techno,
newwave, and synthpop so my opinions will
be greatly influenced by the sound/mastering
of those genres. when i think about a well
mastered album, i think of albums by New Order,
OMD, kraftwerk, naked eyes, the fixx...

then theres singles like "19" by paul hardcastle
and the infamous "axel F" by faltmyer.

glad i didn't keep you awake for too many days

[Frantz]

Cool piece Frantz! Good synth sound palette and I think you hit the right level of processing on the vocal.

Thanks! I am glad the vocals worked better for you this time.

I'd agree with mrblitz that the snare could be beefier, but all the way!

Yes, perhaps the snare is too quiet.

p.s. I like the way you squeezed scaffolding in there.

You were listening carefully! Since this song has 3 verses, I decided the 3rd verse after the arp break should return to the story from an odd angle to keep things interesting.

[Frantz]

Very cool! Brings back memories from the early 90's. I loved all the great sounds of ministry, revolting cocks, frontline assembly, 1000 homo Dj's...great decade of music. ...even tho it was really late 80's, just had to find it's way to my ears.

Cheers for this and great production and sounds too!

Thanks for your great comments. Yes, I am also very fond of that era and all the bands you mentioned. But I think I need to get up-to-date and start listening to some of that flubstep Skrillmaus makes.

[markkuja]

well done track.. nice song and arrangement.. sounds good

[nofrets]

Nice track! Mix sounded very good on my KRKs, and a good bit of cleverness in there as well (both musically and lyrically). Only critique I'd offer is that the drums and bass feel like they're pulling in different directions. The bassline feels like it's propelling the track forward, but the drums seem a hair laid-back to my ears - not quite as propulsive as they might could be. I don't think it's the sounds - perhaps the timing could be nudged forward a hair? But, again, really nice track overall - this is an era of music that I both love and am pretty picky about, so well done!

[Frantz]

excellent tune, really enjoyable. i loved the synth sounds and the production is spot on. wicked.

neil.

Thanks Neil! I appreciate the feedback.

[2NDMOUSE]

I like the music Frantz , and i like the production. Very reminiscent of the whole "new beat" genre , and nitzer ebb / front 242 kinda territory. I cant fault it in regards to that. It has melody.....it has a definite identity.....it doesnt get lost along the way......its clear , concise , distinct.
The only thing i dont care for is the vocal , but its not that the vocal is bad , because i know the angle you're trying to approach iut from....its just that personally , its ....well......maybe similar to the terry pratchett discworld novels in that its kinda obscure or something.
I was the same about nitzer ebb , front 242 , and even kraftwerk to an extent ( with the exception of the model , which , to me , is maybe the best track ever ) and i loved all the musical content those guys did , but didnt like the vocal because the accent is a bit too strong

[Frantz]

nice one! I liked the sound of the bassdrum in the beginning, the ethno theme popping up the first time @1:17 and the rhythm change @ 2:43.

Yes, I think you identified all the good bits!

nevertheless I was not quite sure about the vocals

That makes two of us.

I found them quite prominent in the mix.

I realize I sound like a croaking frog so I tried to mix the vocals fairly low but still loud enough for the lyrics to be heard. Perhaps I should have mixed them even lower.

Thanks Wolf. I appreciate the feedback and the listen.

[Frantz]

if something nags me, i will not hesitate to point it out.
i grew up listening to 80's rock, techno,
newwave, and synthpop so my opinions will
be greatly influenced by the sound/mastering
of those genres. when i think about a well
mastered album, i think of albums by New Order,
OMD, kraftwerk, naked eyes, the fixx...

then theres singles like "19" by paul hardcastle
and the infamous "axel F" by faltmyer.

glad i didn't keep you awake for too many days

I didn't actually lose sleep over this. However, I did keep the feedback I received on my first two tracks in mind to try to make this track better. For example, I tried to minimize sibilance on the vox because of your feedback. And I was pleased to get your thumbs up on this mix. Thanks again.

[polyslax]

You were listening carefully! Since this song has 3 verses, I decided the 3rd verse after the arp break should return to the story from an odd angle to keep things interesting.

Good job!

[Frantz]

well done track.. nice song and arrangement.. sounds good

Thanks markkuja for the listen and the feedback!

[Frantz]

Nice track! Mix sounded very good on my KRKs, and a good bit of cleverness in there as well (both musically and lyrically). Only critique I'd offer is that the drums and bass feel like they're pulling in different directions. The bassline feels like it's propelling the track forward, but the drums seem a hair laid-back to my ears - not quite as propulsive as they might could be. I don't think it's the sounds - perhaps the timing could be nudged forward a hair? But, again, really nice track overall - this is an era of music that I both love and am pretty picky about, so well done!

I appreciate the detailed, thoughtful feedback. I'm pleased the mix sounds good on your system.

Your comments with respect to the drums and bass are quite perceptive. The original version from 1999 had big kick drums which were homemade samples that had a lot of bass frequencies. It also had a very minimal bassline. Despite layering two different drum synths, I couldn't match the oomph of the original drums in the remake. So I sent the original bassline through an arpeggiator to fill out the bass end. I like the result but the drums and bass don't really groove in this version.

I could probably adjust the timing as you suggest but I am pretty happy with it as it stands and am already working on a new track. If at some point I do revisit this track, I will keep your suggestion in mind.

[ZenPunkHippy]

This is a really nice track. Great 70's vibe going on. The vocals are a little Bowie-esque for my tastes (I don't like Bowie ) but it sounds great nonetheless! Thanks for sharing

Peace,
Andy.

[hotmitts]

This is good.

[Frantz]

I like the music Frantz , and i like the production. Very reminiscent of the whole "new beat" genre , and nitzer ebb / front 242 kinda territory. I cant fault it in regards to that. It has melody.....it has a definite identity.....it doesnt get lost along the way......its clear , concise , distinct.

Thanks 2M for the great feedback! That sums up everything I was aiming for: melody, clear, concise, distinct with a definite identity. If I have achieved it, I am thrilled.

The only thing i dont care for is the vocal , but its not that the vocal is bad , because i know the angle you're trying to approach iut from....its just that personally , its ....well......maybe similar to the terry pratchett discworld novels in that its kinda obscure or something.
I was the same about nitzer ebb , front 242 , and even kraftwerk to an extent ( with the exception of the model , which , to me , is maybe the best track ever ) and i loved all the musical content those guys did , but didnt like the vocal because the accent is a bit too strong

I plead guilty as charged. Obscure lyrics sounding like Nitzer Ebb or Front 242 -- only worse. If you don't like their vocals, it makes sense that you wouldn't like mine either. Still I am taking your feedback as a net positive based on the first part of it. Thanks.