EDM with a bit of a 90's vibe

[squelch99]

Kamina - Suncentral.

Would love some feedback and thanks for listening.

http://soundcloud.com/suncentral-1/kamina

[Mat-tvank]

Well done! Good Mix and Selection of Sounds!
Had a little bit of a ,,Vocal Selection Soundset´´. If the Arrangement could become more ,,Track´´ than ,,Demo´´ it would be sound more Songlike...

[squelch99]

Thanks very much for the feedback Mat, could you elaborate on what you mean by "Vocal selection soundest" in the arrangement.

I tried to go for a more pop styled arrangement, a hint of the melody hook at the intro then trying to build/reveal the track from there, my hope was to create a bit of a journey but have a catchy chorus too. Engaging arrangements are always the hardest part!

Taking some inspiration from Nalin & Kane's "Beachball" - it's pretty old now but love the picture and atmosphere that track creates.

All the Best
Dave

[wagtunes]

Excellent mix. But I agree that it sounds like a demo for a vocal soundset. Part of the problem is the inherent nature of these vocal sounds. The words have no meaning so there is no "story" being told. They more or less just become another instrument. The arrangement is fairly static throughout, which also doesn't help relieve that "demo" sound.

Having said that, I enjoyed it for what it is. I don't really think there's a way to change it to make it sound any less demo like.

[NystagmusE]

I really like the tune alot.

I do NOT have any complaints about it; I find the tune to be cheerful, dancey, nice and minimal, and the vocals are not overdone; they are kinda laid back and allow the music to be enjoyed without arbitrarily being emphasized; great work! I also like how it has a nice cultural feel to it.

[squelch99]

Thanks Wag & Nystagmus for the feedback

Wag, I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the arrangement, do you find it static structurally or more so in the mix? There is some automation going on but when I look back, the lead line is fairly uniform throughout, i.e. no filtering etc.

In terms of the arrangement I went for a pseudo pop structure with the 2 vocal chorus sections, I did have some extra percussion and stab sounds in there but ended up paring it back and removed them. Wanted the repetition but perhaps it's too much.

In my mind, the "vocal" is more to create an emotional response and paint a picture in the listeners mind (I tried to picture how it would sound at a festival or at 2am in a club and hearing it for the first time)...

It's hard to put your finger on but the way some pieces of music just take you somewhere else for a few moments. I guess thats what we are all aiming for.

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to listen and comment.

All the best.
Dave

[wagtunes]

Thanks Wag & Nystagmus for the feedback

Wag, I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the arrangement, do you find it static structurally or more so in the mix? There is some automation going on but when I look back, the lead line is fairly uniform throughout, i.e. no filtering etc.

In terms of the arrangement I went for a pseudo pop structure with the 2 vocal chorus sections, I did have some extra percussion and stab sounds in there but ended up paring it back and removed them. Wanted the repetition but perhaps it's too much.

In my mind, the "vocal" is more to create an emotional response and paint a picture in the listeners mind (I tried to picture how it would sound at a festival or at 2am in a club and hearing it for the first time)...

It's hard to put your finger on but the way some pieces of music just take you somewhere else for a few moments. I guess thats what we are all aiming for.

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to listen and comment.

All the best.
Dave

I just gave it another listen. Best way I can describe it is a trip in a car on a highway. Along the way there are a few differences such as a building here and there, maybe a rest stop and so on. Various things coming and going. But it's the same highway. There are no side street turns. It's basically the same 2 white lines down this long stretch of road.

You have instruments come and go, at times the drums even drop out. Voices come and go. But it all seems so random while the basic theme really hasn't changed. There is no compositional deviation outside of the change in arrangement (things coming and going). There's no bridge. Outside of that arp that is playing the same thing over and over, there's really no melody either. It's like you opened up the piano roll and randomly dropped stuff into it over a basic pattern.

Again, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it for what it is. But the lack of a coherent melody and/or lyric makes it sound like it just kind of meanders around. And there's nothing wrong with that. The biggest problem is the vocals. They sound thrown in. They don't really fit. Not in the way vocals traditionally fit. They might as well have been flutes and trumpets.

I have no idea if anything I've said is clear. And there's a good chance that the way I hear this piece isn't even close to the way you hear the piece. And that's the problem with any piece of music. Trying to get someone to hear it the way you did and then trying to explain what you're hearing, forget it. It's futile.

I liked it. I probably would have liked it more with vocals that actually made sense but that's just me.

[squelch99]

Thanks Wag, that's actually incredibly helpful and insightful.

I don't come from a trained musical background so "It's like you opened up the piano roll and randomly dropped stuff into it over a basic pattern." isn't a million miles away from the truth

I really like your driving analogy, I going to work on making the journey more interesting on the next one.

All the best
Dave