[rock] "why does the rain never end?"

[enroe]

Imagine it's raining and it doesn't stop! What do you do?
Just listen to our song:

Direct link: http://enroe.bplaced.net/21_mn/23_songs ... er_end.mp3

Website with animation: "why does the rain never end"
Note: This requires clicking the grey "play"-button.

Enjoy!

[Paladin on a Horse]

Note: This requires clicking the grey "play"-button.

I did but nothing happened.

[enroe]

Note: This requires clicking the grey "play"-button.
I did but nothing happened.

Maybe clicking here can work? And yeah, at first you
should hear "rain" for 3 seconds ...

[Paladin on a Horse]

Note: This requires clicking the grey "play"-button.
I did but nothing happened.

Maybe clicking here can work? And yeah, at first you
should hear "rain" for 3 seconds ...

There was quite a gap before the rain clicked in and I probably can't hear rain very well at my age anyway!

Got there, listened, enjoyed it. Catchy little pop / rock song.

[Frantz]

This song does effectively capture the melancholy mood of rainy days. The melody, chords, and arrangement stays within a fairly narrow range for five minutes. I might have appreciated a little more variation although staying in one place does reinforce the idea of endless rain.

My only real criticism is that it is mastered too loud which can cause listener fatigue. If you were to release this to streaming services, the volume would be normalized and turned down by 5 dB. You might want to check your tracks here: https://www.loudnesspenalty.com/

Nice job overall!

[ChameleonMusic]

Enjoyed it - some catchy hooks in there and generally well produced.

Note: I get the repetitive nature fits the lyrics, but I do think a bit more textural variety would be good - especially in those verses.

It's seems overly compressed? - especially when the vocals come in each time? vocals seem 'flat' and 'squashed' slightly?

[aaron aardvark]

enroe,
Thank you for the review! Now your song: hey, your music has distorted guitar also! . If the rain doesn't stop, we need to start building an ark. . Violins (or other orchestral string instruments) with rock music: popularized by the Beatles in the (wait for it) 60's! Rain sound effects have been used in popular music for ages. The Ronettes did it in 1964, probably not a first. OK, I think I'm done giving you a hard time. But that's OK, I like rain sound effects, distorted guitar, and rock music with strings. I like your song and I listened to it a few times. Nice audio quality, melodies and vocals. Good job!

[enroe]

This song does effectively capture the melancholy mood of rainy days. The melody, chords, and arrangement stays within a fairly narrow range for five minutes. I might have appreciated a little more variation although staying in one place does reinforce the idea of endless rain.

Thank you for your accurate and passionate review! I will take
this as an opportunity to think about some changes.

My only real criticism is that it is mastered too loud which can cause listener fatigue.

Ah yeah, I think we've succumbed to the flat sound of cell phones,
smartphones, and tablets. For these, loud is usually better! But
with regard to Hifi, headphones and maybe spotify - we will
weigh that again. Thanks for the hint!

[ChameleonMusic]

For these, loud is usually better

LOUD comes in many different guises and a 'good' loud mix is a VERY difficult thing to achieve!

Suggestions (I've been doing this lately for a client):

COMPRESSION / LIMITING - yes, it needs to be applied liberally if the mix is gonna work on very small speakers, but... layer it on one slice at a time rather than all at once. Don't be afraid to subtly layer more than one compressor on the same track. (this way the mix will also work better on Hi Fi systems etc).

It's not so much about massive loudness as simple controlling the dynamic range reasonably strictly.

MIX FOR MONO COMPATIBILITY - Many phones / tablets etc systems are either mono, or the stereo speakers are so close together that they are basically mono in terms of perception.

This is as important for the sound on small speakers as dynamic taming... checking your mix in mono is critical to getting the mix to translate well.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE - a fundamental limitation of all small speaker systems ( as important as the poor dynamic range... their inability to reproduce the full frequency spectrum.

Most small speaker systems will cover the upper frequency spectrum quite well...often up to 18 kHz.

Big issue comes in the lower frequency range, where a large portion of the fundamental frequencies of most instruments exist.

The response of many cell phone speakers begins to drop off around 800 Hz, tablets extend the range to approximately 400 Hz, and laptops often sit somewhere around 200 Hz.

Adjust your monitoring: Set up an EQ on your master channel and set 3 different high pass filter points (200 Hz, 400 Hz & 800 Hz) at a 6 dB per octave slope. Store this as a preset so you can quickly switch between the settings.

Listen: Listen with the different filter settings and note what happens to each instrument, particularity low frequencies.

Take notes: what happens to the most affected instruments. Do they disappear entirely or just dip in perceived level?

Use commercial references: bring in a well-produced commercial record that relatively matches the production style of the song you are mixing. Test the different filter settings and notice how the commercial release responds.

It's complicated, but helps you achieve mixes that'll work on a wider variety of systems without being too loud and abrasive on the ear!

[thomekk]

Very catchy! And I really like the mix. Everything is so crisp and detailed. Great guitars.
Well done, guys

[Allomerus]

Enjoyed this. It has lots of good qualities to it with each instrument clear and well spread. A couple of times the guitars sounds a lot louder than the rest. Well done!

[ChameleonMusic]

For these, loud is usually better

LOUD comes in many different guises and a 'good' loud mix is a VERY difficult thing to achieve!

Suggestions (I've been doing this lately for a client):

COMPRESSION / LIMITING - yes, it needs to be applied liberally if the mix is gonna work on very small speakers, but... layer it on one slice at a time rather than all at once. Don't be afraid to subtly layer more than one compressor on the same track. (this way the mix will also work better on Hi Fi systems etc).

It's not so much about massive loudness as simple controlling the dynamic range reasonably strictly.

MIX FOR MONO COMPATIBILITY - Many phones / tablets etc systems are either mono, or the stereo speakers are so close together that they are basically mono in terms of perception.

This is as important for the sound on small speakers as dynamic taming... checking your mix in mono is critical to getting the mix to translate well.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE - a fundamental limitation of all small speaker systems ( as important as the poor dynamic range... their inability to reproduce the full frequency spectrum.

Most small speaker systems will cover the upper frequency spectrum quite well...often up to 18 kHz.

Big issue comes in the lower frequency range, where a large portion of the fundamental frequencies of most instruments exist.

The response of many cell phone speakers begins to drop off around 800 Hz, tablets extend the range to approximately 400 Hz, and laptops often sit somewhere around 200 Hz.

Adjust your monitoring: Set up an EQ on your master channel and set 3 different high pass filter points (200 Hz, 400 Hz & 800 Hz) at a 6 dB per octave slope. Store this as a preset so you can quickly switch between the settings.

Listen: Listen with the different filter settings and note what happens to each instrument, particularity low frequencies.

Take notes: what happens to the most affected instruments. Do they disappear entirely or just dip in perceived level?

Use commercial references: bring in a well-produced commercial record that relatively matches the production style of the song you are mixing. Test the different filter settings and notice how the commercial release responds.

It's complicated, but helps you achieve mixes that'll work on a wider variety of systems without being too loud and abrasive on the ear!

SORRY...in hindsight...got carried away in retired Music / Music Tech teacher mode!

[enroe]

SORRY...in hindsight...got carried away in retired Music / Music Tech teacher mode!

No problem. On the contrary, I am pleased that you are so strong here and
that you give so much thought.

And you're right: I or we balance with every mix and master as if on the blade.
You keep asking yourself: is the instrument too loud, too dominant, is the
overall feeling still right? I think every serious musician knows this fight well
enough.

Especially with regard to the volume, there is a constant back and forth -
in this respect your comments and tips are very helpful and will be taken
into account - in whatever form.

[enroe]

Enjoyed it - some catchy hooks in there and generally well produced.

Thank you!

Note: I get the repetitive nature fits the lyrics, but I do think a bit more textural variety would be good - especially in those verses.

Ooops, you really did listen very carefully! Yes, there
are textural iterations, indeed, we'll take care of the lyrics
in more detail.

It's seems overly compressed? - especially when the vocals come in each time? vocals seem 'flat' and 'squashed' slightly?

Ah, mmh, yeah, well we'll have a look at the vocals again.

[enroe]

enroe,
Thank you for the review! Now your song: hey, your music has distorted guitar also! . If the rain doesn't stop, we need to start building an ark. . Violins (or other orchestral string instruments) with rock music: popularized by the Beatles in the (wait for it) 60's! Rain sound effects have been used in popular music for ages. The Ronettes did it in 1964, probably not a first. OK, I think I'm done giving you a hard time. But that's OK, I like rain sound effects, distorted guitar, and rock music with strings. I like your song and I listened to it a few times. Nice audio quality, melodies and vocals. Good job!

Thank you "aaron"!

Yeah, about the rain: We're not actually thinking of other musicians
who have made it a topic at some point. I am thinking of the
rain itself - as a weather event on the one hand - and as a
metaphor for a melancholy phase on the other hand.

The instrument on the left in the Break is a cello, a kind of
"giant violin".

Actually, I don't find the instrumentation itself that important.
For me it is more important to express a certain kind of power,
life and emotion. And I - or we - can do this best with guitars,
piano and some classical instruments, here with a cello.

Thank you for listening and for your thoughts, they're very
appreciated!