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Messages - Bertie South

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226
I meant for example something that's so low in the mix that you can barely make it out, or that you can't hear constantly but which is definitely there

227
WIPs / Re: Having emotion in my trance breakdown~~ Feedback please (:
« on: January 15, 2016, 07:14:44 pm »

I honestly have no idea, I love the chord progression I have, but using that as the chorus would be too expected you know?
I don't think there's any harm in it. I used to think that every part of my tracks had to be somehow 'original', but I don't think that has to be true with chord progressions. In the end it's up to you though, you could make a good track with the same chords or different ones.

228
How important is this? Obviously if one element completely drowns out another you're doing something wrong. On the other hand, if for example, a sweep or build-up effect (or several) partly obscure another part of your track, but you can still hear the fundamentals as long as you consciously listen for it, is this a problem or no? I always assumed yes, but I'm not sure.

The example that comes to mind is Andrew Bayer's Counting The Points (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP47nuuOU_I). The synths are very intense in the middle section and you can't perfectly follow all the notes or hits of some of the subtler elements. But I'd hardly accuse Andrew Bayer of shoddy mixing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

229
..unless it was you that put them there. Is this a technique that gives your tracks depth and interest, or does it just make for a mix that lacks clarity? Discuss..

230
WIPs / Re: Having emotion in my trance breakdown~~ Feedback please (:
« on: January 15, 2016, 06:52:39 pm »

I just wouldn't want it to feel like I just copied the melody and put a kick on it. Idk, how would you make the drop?

I couldn't tell you tbh, that's entirely up to you! You could take it in a bunch of directions - one chord one note banger, or something like A&B's Hello, or something where the main section is quite proggy and sparse and minimal. Depends entirely on the track you want to make.

Are you into Sasha's stuff at all? If it was my track I'd probably take my inspiration from something like Belfunk (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koFt_nDnIS0), but I doubt I have the production chops to pull that off. Just a thought though. I love that Sasha tune.

231
Composition/Arrangement/Theory / Re: Repetition: How Much is Too Much?
« on: January 15, 2016, 06:40:34 pm »
Interesting question about repetition. I like techno and minimal, genres that are all about repetition but... the repetition isn't static.

Although a groove, a certain pattern is repeated, you sould add variation with filters, envelopes, adding white noise,...

Someone refers to Richie Hawtin (I love his music) and yes, it's all about repetition but don't be deceived, the movement in his music is always dare. Repetition without movement is boring, no matter which great artist created it. The art is creating something that 'feels' repetitive but in fact it isn't.

Th devil is in the details; automation of the cutoff point of a hihat sample will not be noticed by many listeners but it's stuff like that, that aks you go 'It's repetitive but not boring, how come my music isn't as interesting as that?'

Best advice I can give; create a groove and take a good look at the knobs of your synth, imagine which functions you could automate. Basically if you are creating minimal music and there isn't any automation going on, that's not a good sign. People always expect variation. Some kind of predictable change.

Richie Hawtin's music isn't about surprise but movement is there, always.

+1, well put. Some of my favourite tunes (particularly old proggy stuff) are deceptively un-repetitive. I think modulation and automation are the keys to this, as much as if not more than, adding elements or taking them away. Changing what's already there instead of adding new bits.

The other thing I would say is to make sure your sounds are on point and high quality in the first place - sometimes it's not repetition that's the problem but what you're repeating.

A couple of my favourite tunes that don't really seem to do much:

Dirty Mongrel - Cream (Wiretappeur Remix) - Bedrock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC-RwN06hhc

DAVI - Black Rock City (Robert Babicz Spaced Out Cosmic Remix) - Subtract Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIwnDu0R1Tw

232
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Don't trust your ears!
« on: January 15, 2016, 06:16:15 pm »

I'm saving the obvious shit that I assume you know already because I'm taking you seriously (how to EQ, use compressors, meticulous sound selection etc)

This maybe isn't as obvious as it seems. When you don't know a lot about production, but you do know that there are stages to making music, you can easily fall into the trap of settling for something that sucks because you assume it will suck less once you're done layering, EQing, compressing and mixing it. There's also a temptation when you're new that inclines you to move onto another part of the track before you should, because that way you feel like you're making progress. I guess I'm projecting from personal experience here, but I expect other people have come up against the same thing.

I almost feel like the root sounds you start with are more important than any process or technique that follows. And yeah, it may seem obvious once you state it like that, but doing it otherwise isn't always a conscious decision.

The other thing I was going to say is, awesome tips. Props. Number 3 particularly is interesting, kinda confirms a hunch I had about auxiliary stuff in a mix..

233
Composition/Arrangement/Theory / Re: Method to finding key a song is in
« on: January 15, 2016, 05:55:26 pm »
soundcloud track check is a chrome extension that tells you the key and bpm of a track (100% accurate)
I'm intrigued.. I thought key detection software was still pretty imperfect. Whatever Beatport uses seems to get it wrong at least a third of the time.

234
WIPs / Re: Having emotion in my trance breakdown~~ Feedback please (:
« on: January 15, 2016, 01:44:41 pm »
Mate you've nailed the feels on this one.

Is this gonna be the breakdown to a longer track? If so I'd skip the section around 1:00 to 1:30. I was expecting the track to keep building around the 1:00 mark but then it dropped out again. I'm not a fan of massively long breakdowns though, so just my opinion.

235
WIPs / Re: Some dirty/funky electro house diddy
« on: January 15, 2016, 01:39:05 pm »
Agree with both those comments ^ this has potential

236
WIPs / Re: Cotton Candy v2 | Future Bass, Happy Trap
« on: January 15, 2016, 01:34:31 pm »
Linkus no workus

237
WIPs / Re: 3 WIPs by a friend and I
« on: January 15, 2016, 01:33:09 pm »
Black Lighter definitely has the makings of a wicked track. Keep it up

238
WIPs / Re: Mellifluous | Going for a more mellow vibe.
« on: January 15, 2016, 01:20:40 pm »
Yo,

What were you thinking of changing about the percussion? Beats are one of the things I'm pickiest about in a tune but I like this as it is.

That vocal sample doesn't quite sit right. The first few syllables sound in time but the last couple don't. I would try and find a way to use just the first part of it minus that last bit. Otherwise, everything that's in this at the minute is solid imo. It could maybe use some little atmospheric things or some subtle elements that contrast with the generally smooth sounds you've used. But I like it on the whole.

In the last 30 seconds that major chord comes in - is the tune going anywhere from there? If you used a chord progression using some combination of that major chord and the minor chord of the same key it could make a really good bridge to another drop.

239
This is quality, I really like the beats. I was actually a bit disappointed when they cut out at the drop at 2:33 :D

Nothing sounds really wrong with the mix to me (in headphones that is).

I always make a note when I think of good/weird/stupid titles for things, but nothing I've got fits this. Given how prominent that sample is it might be a bit odd to give the track a name that's completely unrelated.. I guess you could abbreviate it to Y2W if you like fun cryptic titles ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

240
WIPs / Re: So Sexy (Electro/Trap)
« on: January 14, 2016, 12:39:04 pm »
Ha. Nice

I think that snare could use a little more compression to give it more punch, and maybe something to give it a bit more snap on the top end. The stabs in the first half sound a bit high in the mix.

I like the bass riff that starts at 1:30ish

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