Shit. I haven't been here for a LONG time. Anyway. I agree with everything you said there. Please DON'T make the music a first and most important thing in your life. It WILL backfire.

Shiiiittttt, that's awesome!!! The drop is dope AF! Awesome rythm, sounddesign, variations, little pauses. Damn. I have nothing to say. Nothing. May be the synthstrings behind the vocals could be less bright from time ot time and some little melody to acompany the vocal might be cool ... but ... no ... I'll be quiet. It's awesome anyway.

Some of these sounds in chill parts are a bit harsh for my taste. I'd play with filters a bit more. Also I'd make more dramatic changes between the sections. Also some transitions might use a much more of a buildup. You don't have to use a cliché noise sweep if that's not your thing, but something should indicate the incomming transitions. A sample, rythm change, rase of the melody. So far some transitions still feel kinda abrupt. Also I'd do more atmosphere. It has almost kinda this twisted horror-movie-ish feel that (out of some very imited experience) is really cool with some reverb.

The arp synth sounds a bit plain for 2017 I guess. I'd make it switch places with something else, just for fun. But may be you went for the oldschool vibe. I LOVE the track after the little drop, though. The parts with the piano and occasional gated vocal thing are awesome. Also you've really nailed the stabs and the way bass pays alongside them. (I kill for synth preset of these. ) You are going for the proggy feel a lot and it works out quite well so far.

Nice track, loving the melodies. I'd do a tiny little cut in her voice around 1k. Also something sounds odd about the reverb, isn't that a plate reverb? Or may be there's just too much of it on her voice. Dunno. Also feels to me like the highend is bit too strong, the hihats hurt a little on my speakers.

But that's just details. Definitely a great job from both of ya!

I think that atmospheric stab over the bassline needs work. I believe I can hear some phase issue on it, probably caused by a stereo widening or unlucky use of phaser/flanger. Also I think reverb would suit that sound a lot ... to make it a bit spacious so the bassline can feel bigger by being kinda "solitary" in the middle.

Damn. Hope he's ok! Whole ghostproducer story aside, it's always hard to see somebody's creative spark to dissappear like that. Does anybody have any contact to him other than on the forum? I know this kind of state very well, I'd love to contact him with some positive words.

Or may be like this:

Ion, if you're reading this, it's definitelly ok for you to change your life direction if you feel like it. But please just don't leave this one with the "I wasn't good enough" conclusion. I've been through my share of this thought during my whole life so far and I've learned one thing: It's presence has literally no correlation with your abilities in that particular field. I mean that.

Lil story: When I get really down, I do quite wierd things and one of them is just flattering people I think that deserve it. It just makes me feel better, dunno. On one day like that I sent a positive message to my old time favorite producer. (Will leave out his name, but he's huge.) ...and he actually replied. So we exchanged a message or two, before I got too spammy. In one of them I mentioned that fucking self doubt and how it doesn't get better with time. And he replied: "...honestly there will always be self doubt but if you just do what you love it will attract the right people who will truly appreciate it. " ...I mean. Legend I adore for YEARS. Whatever he releases is all around the Youtube the very next day. ...and he write this. That's when I understood it's a really just an extremely convincing internal illusion. You need it to have some drive to get better, but please don't get it hammer you down. Be ready to face it anywhere else in any other endeavour. You never know where it's gonna show up. And when it does, please don't listen to it too much. That's a mistake I'm doing all the time.

...because chances are, when you get old, someone brings your productions up in a conversation with your kids around. And sentence "I wasn't good enough" will not make a cool piece of nostalgic conversation, will it? Memories of discovering all the stuff, memories of your friends admiring you for trying something new, memories of that indestructile feel of knowing likeminded people, memories of your family seeing the inevitable Mozart in you. Just the little things. That's what will make it a great story.

...and you never know. You might as well realize few years down the road that you actually miss it. I have some friends like that. Returning to it when they get bored once in a while. No shame in that either.

Well. Good luck anyway, man. Pleasure to e-meet you.

I'm probably just a nostalgic prick, but this kid speaks from my heart for a few years already:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFNsKNCf_H8

...I'm dreaming about vocal collab with such a meaningful text one day. Imho lyrics with stories are the best kind.