i was recently posting some music on my site, and some dude told me i needed to add more "feeling" to my tracks, but i have no idea really how.
suggestions?
Adding feeling to a track?
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- KVRer
- 14 posts since 26 Jan, 2005 from CA
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- KVRAF
- 1954 posts since 15 Nov, 2003 from London, UK
That expression "feeling" is very much open to interpretation, you may already think your track has feeling, because it could mean all sorts of things.
Same when people refer to the "warmth" or "punch" of a sound.
Perhaps he feels that the song could be more emotive, like it should be making him happy/sad/bittersweet but it isn't quite getting there.
Anyway like i said it could mean all kinds of things, maybe just ask the guy politely if he could be more specific, and then see if he comes up with any good suggestions for improvement.
Same when people refer to the "warmth" or "punch" of a sound.
Perhaps he feels that the song could be more emotive, like it should be making him happy/sad/bittersweet but it isn't quite getting there.
Anyway like i said it could mean all kinds of things, maybe just ask the guy politely if he could be more specific, and then see if he comes up with any good suggestions for improvement.
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- KVRian
- 1336 posts since 21 Dec, 2004
Hasn't anybody came out with a "feeling" plugin yet?¿?
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- KVRist
- 339 posts since 16 Aug, 2004
pff, i don't like comments like "you need to add more feeling", just doesn't mean anything but "i don't really like it but i just can't say that just like that" no?
Another good one: "not bad, but it's just like it's not going anywhere"
Another good one: "not bad, but it's just like it's not going anywhere"
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- KVRAF
- 2285 posts since 20 Dec, 2002 from The Benighted States of Trumpistan
Howdy. Could be a lot of reasons; here's a small list of things to think about. Some of them are probably very unfair to you, and please don't think I'm applying them to you. (Just trying to be thorough.)
Feeling is expressed in many ways in music -- what notes, how fast, how hard, how colored by tones, etc. All of them count! A organist (especially the traditional church kind) has little to no velocity response, no note choice, and has to rely on timing subtleties. A guitarist (like, say, Jimi or Eric) can play harder or softer, and has a lot of tonal choices available. A singer can do all of these -- and voice is the most expressive of all!
Given your obvious distress, I doubt that you're an unemotional, unfeeling sort.
Some genres of music eschew irregularity, and can seem cold and inhuman -- computery -- to outsiders. I know I felt like that about techno until I heard it in the right context.
Maybe you overcompressed your material: that does suck out the dynamics!
Or perhaps you focussed overmuch on technique, probably with the best of intentions -- trying to get things exactly right. This is really easy to happen! One too many iterative quantizations...
Some people need things exaggerated to notice them. Perhaps your critic is incompetent, or just needs Thorazine -- flattened affect and all that. (Oops, my Psych minor is showing...)
Or hey, maybe he was just messing with you. Said dude could just be an asshole, or is trying to equalize the competition (ooh, slight pun).
Anyway, ask the guy what he meant.
Feeling is expressed in many ways in music -- what notes, how fast, how hard, how colored by tones, etc. All of them count! A organist (especially the traditional church kind) has little to no velocity response, no note choice, and has to rely on timing subtleties. A guitarist (like, say, Jimi or Eric) can play harder or softer, and has a lot of tonal choices available. A singer can do all of these -- and voice is the most expressive of all!
Given your obvious distress, I doubt that you're an unemotional, unfeeling sort.
Some genres of music eschew irregularity, and can seem cold and inhuman -- computery -- to outsiders. I know I felt like that about techno until I heard it in the right context.
Maybe you overcompressed your material: that does suck out the dynamics!
Or perhaps you focussed overmuch on technique, probably with the best of intentions -- trying to get things exactly right. This is really easy to happen! One too many iterative quantizations...
Some people need things exaggerated to notice them. Perhaps your critic is incompetent, or just needs Thorazine -- flattened affect and all that. (Oops, my Psych minor is showing...)
Or hey, maybe he was just messing with you. Said dude could just be an asshole, or is trying to equalize the competition (ooh, slight pun).
Anyway, ask the guy what he meant.
Wait... loot _then_ burn? D'oh!
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- Rad Grandad
- 38041 posts since 6 Sep, 2003 from Downeast Maine
huh? every song I have written has a "feel" to it, if it didn't I would of aborted the song long before. It's the feel that drives my writing. That doesn't mean it has "feeling" to everyone though, and it really doesn't matter. Seeing how I really don't know how anyone else feels and I am the only one who knows how I feel it would seem that I have no other choice....so how do I put feeling in my music...simple, I pick-up my guitar, close my eyes and go to my place, and then play ...just like I've been doing most of my life...
The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose‐larger‐than‐the‐self kind of understanding.
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- KVRAF
- 4143 posts since 7 Sep, 2001 from Melbourne, Australia
I might be able to understand the comment with your music.
Everything seems to be at a very consistent volume throughout.
It's if every instrument is set at velocity 100 all the way through.
Dance music is often bloody repetitive stuff and it can make it hard to give it "feeling".
You have to make the layers of sound you are using work for you in timing when they come in to the track and how you build up to a climax etc...
Have quieter layers and louder layers and bring them in and out of the mix. The lead synth sounds you use are a little overpowering without having alot of interest in them.
Use incidental sounds too, they add interest to a song. You don't have to use the 5 basic loops exclusively throughout the song. Throw in a totally different loop that's only used for a certain part of the song.
Use a big zipping great synth sound here and there to add excitement and variety.
Anyway - these are just silly thoughts spewing from my mind after listening to a couple of mp3s on your site.
I'm not a dance music expert. I just thought I'd add that disclaimer.
Caleb
Everything seems to be at a very consistent volume throughout.
It's if every instrument is set at velocity 100 all the way through.
Dance music is often bloody repetitive stuff and it can make it hard to give it "feeling".
You have to make the layers of sound you are using work for you in timing when they come in to the track and how you build up to a climax etc...
Have quieter layers and louder layers and bring them in and out of the mix. The lead synth sounds you use are a little overpowering without having alot of interest in them.
Use incidental sounds too, they add interest to a song. You don't have to use the 5 basic loops exclusively throughout the song. Throw in a totally different loop that's only used for a certain part of the song.
Use a big zipping great synth sound here and there to add excitement and variety.
Anyway - these are just silly thoughts spewing from my mind after listening to a couple of mp3s on your site.
I'm not a dance music expert. I just thought I'd add that disclaimer.
Caleb
Happiness is the hidden behind the obvious.