Flow (ElectroProg - Seismic Zoning)

[ariston]

Aptly titled, a very nice sense of going from here to there. Loved the percussive parts!

[seismic1]

Hey seismic1

Nice work. Lots good about this...but i'm gonna make a single comment critique.
I feel you could have made a better 'sounding' production if it were less 'hot'.
I felt there was harshness in most all the sounds. Maybe your tracks are a bit too 'slam'in', or it was mastered hot. At any rate, I thought the style of this rhythmic electronic piece might have sounded better with a softer mix.

Thanks very much for listening and commenting, annode. Glad you liked it

You're probably right about the "hotness". I'm still trying to define a hard and fast set of parameters for my mix levels. I seem to get 2 or 3 consecutive tracks about right and then maybe the fourth comes out a little hot. I noticed the limiter flash a couple of times during the mastering, but thought that this track could stand the "liveliness". I certainly wouldn't want this sort of sound on a soft ambient track. I need to pay more attention to setting the levels on the VSTis correctly pre-mix. It's something that I don't take enough care with. The next track should be a good test. Variable volume levels, layering, percussion. Just a few logistical problems to sort out with the instruments on that one before I start mixing.

Listening again I think I was a little harsh about it's harshness.
I'm now focused mostly on the pads being overdone. When you mentioned 'limitor; i'm not really feeling that this piece needed a limitor. Maybe riding/automating the limitor's input parameter... lowering it during the pad parts for example.(thinking out loud)
The tune is strong and I like it...good work. (...and yeah, American Beauty...Thomas Newman is GREAT! - checkout his theme for "The Newsroom".)
Although overall, maybe it does 'sound' like it's been limited...which is really a hard-knee compressor... and maybe this tune could have benefit from warmth and softness above what sound is sharp and clinical.

Sound texture, color and luminance, soft or sharp, like paint on a canvas are as equally important as the composition, musically and technically . Never forget to work with the heart as we listen with the ears. I can hear that you know that already.
We wear so many hats at the controls, it's easy to forget about why we are really doing it.

I hope to be around the cafe to hear your next work seismic1.
- didn't really set out to preach...it just sorta happened. Thanks for being a good sport.

Well, I listened to the unmastered vs. mastered wav files about 3 times, and I think I can hear what you are referring to on the pads. I thought it was subtle but just noticeable. I might have a play with this in a few weeks. I'm fairly sure that the root cause is due to high levels pre-master. I think I was averaging -10dB on the individual instruments. I perform the mastering outside the DAW, so I don't have an automation option, but I think if I got the levels right I wouldn't need one. I tend to use the limiter as a QC indicator anyway. I'm going to try -11dB pre-master next time. Hopefully I can get a more natural sound with that. If I can get comfortable with a maximum pre-master level in my DAW, I should be able to lose the limiter. I sometimes find it difficult to resist the "volume urge"

I've got so many hats, I lost my head

Talk to you later

[any1particular]

+ 10 Tim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All that time and work paid off! It's true! Work hard and purposeful and it will ALWAYS pay off!

Love love love the Polyrhythms you got going on! And the layers of ear candy sweeten the alchemy in the pot.

NICE!

[seismic1]

Aptly titled, a very nice sense of going from here to there. Loved the percussive parts!

Thanks for checking this out and commenting, ariston. Glad you liked it

I was wondering what sort of job Permut8 would have done with that percussion. I might just have to find out for myself.

[seismic1]

+ 10 Tim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All that time and work paid off! It's true! Work hard and purposeful and it will ALWAYS pay off!

Love love love the Polyrhythms you got going on! And the layers of ear candy sweeten the alchemy in the pot.

NICE!

Thanks very much for listening and for the great comments, Chuck. Glad you liked this

This track came together fairly easily.

It's nice when you have a workflow that can be relied upon to get the job done, but you need to have the confidence to break out of it once in a while in order to keep things fresh and learn new tricks.

What I really like about the sounds on here is that most of them came from "free" VSTis. So much potential in these synths.

[2NDMOUSE]

Hey seismic........i like the fundamentals but to be honest , um..how do i say this without sounding offensive ? ..... its maybe too......verbose , melodically. If the melody were tightened up so it were more , economical , i think the less is more approach would give it more impact ? Sometimes too many notes can obscure the real melody , in a similar way to how too many words can obscure the real message. Its a good track , but to make it a stunning track , id suggest stripping it back in places.
I like the sound palette.....plenty of variety and interest throughout , right to the end.

[Allomerus]

Sounds good well done. It certainly has a nice flow to it.

[seismic1]

Hey seismic........i like the fundamentals but to be honest , um..how do i say this without sounding offensive ? ..... its maybe too......verbose , melodically. If the melody were tightened up so it were more , economical , i think the less is more approach would give it more impact ? Sometimes too many notes can obscure the real melody , in a similar way to how too many words can obscure the real message. Its a good track , but to make it a stunning track , id suggest stripping it back in places.
I like the sound palette.....plenty of variety and interest throughout , right to the end.

Don't worry. No offense taken here, 2ndMouse

I'm not entirely sure that I understand you. Do you mean that the individual melodies are over complicated, or are you referring to the number of different melodic elements throughout the track? If it is the latter, I can understand that. I grew up listening to Prog. This track, and many of my others, are just my ham-fisted attempts to fuse Prog ideas with more modern sounds and styles.

Every time I "finish" a track, I wonder whether it's too busy, or whether it needs more candy. In fact, it's happening right now with a remix I'm doing for somebody else. I guess there is no hard-and-fast rule. It's just something that comes with experience.

Thanks very much for listening and for the comments. Glad you liked (most of) it

[2NDMOUSE]

Yes , that puts it more succinctly than i managed to do . Too "busy" would be what i was trying to say in my ham-fisted way sometimes melody is also about restraint , and holding back.......about the space between the notes.....timing , too. If there are too many notes , the main melody loses its impact. Glad you're not offended man =)

[seismic1]

Sounds good well done. It certainly has a nice flow to it.

Thanks for listening and commenting, Allomerus. Glad you liked it

[seismic1]

This has just been remixed by Loz at Crimson Sun Audio.

It hasn't been mastered yet. I'm trying to figure out a new chain for this. I think it's got quite a punchy sound.

http://soundcloud.com/whatsisname/flow- ... -sun-audio

[DaveL60]

Having gotten very "where can I go with this?" on a current project it was time to listen to some music. This was at the top of the Music Cafe and I'm very glad I clicked in. I've listened to both mixes and can't say I specifically prefer one over the other. Fantastic sense of space and energy. Leaves me in an energized yet nicely relaxed headspace. You've got a great touch with shimmery synth sounds. Great stuff.

DaveL

[Frantz]

The original version was already very well mixed. I slightly prefer Loz's new mix especially in the final minute when everything is happening at once. In the new mix, all the parts are clear and well balanced.

Good work gentlemen.

[seismic1]

Having gotten very "where can I go with this?" on a current project it was time to listen to some music. This was at the top of the Music Cafe and I'm very glad I clicked in. I've listened to both mixes and can't say I specifically prefer one over the other. Fantastic sense of space and energy. Leaves me in an energized yet nicely relaxed headspace. You've got a great touch with shimmery synth sounds. Great stuff.

DaveL

Thanks very much for listening to these and commenting, Dave. I'm glad you enjoyed them

I think each mix has plusses, but the new one isn't mastered yet. I'm going to play around with this in T-Racks next month and see what I can come up with.

My next track is currently at the stage you reached on your project. When that happens to me, I find that the only way through is to lock myself away for 8 hours and just get on with it. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time recently with household matters taking priority. Hopefully next week.

I hope that you have been able to progress with your project.

[DaveL60]

My next track is currently at the stage you reached on your project. When that happens to me, I find that the only way through is to lock myself away for 8 hours and just get on with it. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time recently with household matters taking priority. Hopefully next week.

I hope that you have been able to progress with your project.

I'm lucky to snag an hour here and there to work on things, so progress is glacial. Plus I distracted myself with "maybe I should try playing with a new host", so things got even more bogged down (but that's a self-inflicted wound). For now I'll have to be satisfied with slow progress and someday it'll get better.

Will look for more of your stuff to listen to.

DaveL