The drop at 3:45 needs more layers, the synths sound too "stock". Do this, take a couple of different synths with the same notes, maybe pitch some up an octave or down and octave, put them all in one bus and compress them together and give them a little bit of stereo separation.

Thats pretty much exactly what I did for the pad stack. It's actually 3 layers one of which has another channel with a ton of parallel compression on it. Maybe they all stack too well. I can definitely see now that I haven't worked on it for a week that it could be bigger. That is one thing I always struggle with. The synths definitely need more stereo width and I could have added some more unique elements.

The pad at 1:30 doesn't fit in with the bassline.

You're the second person to mention this and I am having trouble seeing why. Could you clarify on what about it doesn't fit?

Do I need to sidechain the sauce to give more room to the steak?

Brilliant

So I have been struggling to get my music heard by a larger audience. So far, this forum has definitely helped with that. I seemed to get a decent amount of traffic on my Soundcloud when I posted my first song on here. However, it does not seem to be the case with my most recent song.

I am just wondering if you guys have any other suggestions in the way of posting music for feedback. I am not the kind of person who is gonna go out there and comment on every person's Soundcloud like "hey listen to my music!"

Any ideas?

Very different than a lot of stuff I have been used to hearing. I could definitely get down to this in a club! I like the kick you've got, it sticks out well in the mix. I also like the design you've got on those pads. They are subtle but defined in the background. Good work

I went through A TON of this earlier on in my music making endeavors. It is the worst feeling in the world. Especially when, as you mentioned, not only do you not want to produce, but the thought of listening to music doesn't inspire you at all either.

The best piece of advice I wish I could give to every new producer in the world like me is read The Artists Way. Reading that book may have been the best thing I ever did for myself. It puts the joys and struggles of creative endeavors into perspective. It helps you understand why these periods of frustration happen and how to get past them.

Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-Julia-Cameron/dp/1585421464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453573847&sr=8-1&keywords=the+artist%27s+way

The important thing is to fill your life with other things! Music is undoubtedly my biggest source of happiness but it can also be my biggest source of frustration. Having plenty of other things to focus my time on really helps.

I definitely agree with this! I honestly think that cooking can help stimulate the creative mind. Anything that involves using your hands can be very effective. Since it isn't an exact science like baking, it is it's own form of creativity. Some of the best ideas I have come up with have been while I was cooking, showering, and driving.

I really enjoy what you've got so far here! Definitely dig the ambiance early on. I enjoyed the use of reverb floating around.

A few pieces of advice: It is pretty muddy. Mind you, this is all just my objective opinion, but there isn't really enough definition to what's going on. What I mean by this is try and aim for a more defined baseline. Cut out some of that muddy low end from the pads to make space for your kick and to add more of a bass line. I think it could go a long way towards adding groove.

Definitely try and get the kick to punch through more.

The only other thing I noticed is that that arpeggiator lead sounds a bit too compressed to me.

Really aiming for constructive feedback here so let me know if you need any clarification. I really like what you've got so far! I just posted my first song a few months back and have improved a lot since. Keep it up for sure!

yeah the key is to take breaks. often.

Download an SPL meter for your phone. It won't be perfect but it will give you a good idea of how loud the music you're listening to really is.