What do you guys think?
There is much that is good about this track…Very nice bass sounds, also good choices for the kick and the snare. Snare is tuned to the key of the song. Also, I like what was done with the drums right before the first drop. My complaints (constructive criticism) would be: (1) In my opinion, the first drop needs some type of change to give it extra energy in its second half (i.e., bars 9 through 16 if you are counting with the tempo seen as 70 bpm). (2) Also, I think the intro is a bit uninteresting compared to the rest of the track. It needs to “grab” the listener right from the beginning. Maybe change the sound used for single-note line that is doing the same melody as the sub bass…or even just put some type of modulation on it. Hope this helps…just my opinions. Overall, very nice work.
1 BigUp
Thanks for constructive criticism man!
wut?
URW
His track is composed in and around the key of Bb minor. If you listen closely, the snare drum in the “drop” sections contains a very strong Bb tone. This is achieved by creating the snare out of layers of different sounds, one of which will be a pure wave form (like a sine wave) that contains the desired note. This is usually the root of the song’s key, or perhaps another related note (e.g., another note in the key/scale, or a significant chord tone like the minor third). I realize I am assuming some music theory knowledge here…
okay then…
1 BigUp
He’s right. The snare is tuned to the key of the song. I choose a key depending on the snare that I use.
That’s a good way to go about it - I had never really thought of doing it that way. It makes sense, since it can be so hard to find a snare with the right sound for your track that also happens to have the right note.
Yeah…
You really don’t need to be doing that.
I’m pretty sure anyone writing good music doesn’t do that.
Toms or percussion you are using melodically, yeah sure. Snares…no
I wouldn’t even worry too much about keys and music theory tbh - it’s possibly the least important thing when it comes to writing good music.
1 BigUp
I honestly can’t tell if you trolling or not. I haven’t read so much false information in a reply before. lol
It’s something a lot of beginners get caught up in and it’s really not the best way to go about it.
Music theory is great and interesting and something you should learn slowly, but if you focus on it it’s unlikely you will be making the most interesting music. Think of the innovators in dubstep, and generally in electronic music - very few of them are overly focused on music theory.
Vangelis openly is not that knowledgeable in music theory and is likely one of the most influential people on modern electronic music. He cant read music but wrote arguably the best film score of all time, and was a pioneer in synth music generally.
Burial knows very little, doesn’t even have much technical knowledge.
Mala openly admitted he knows little.
These aren’t exceptions
Classically trained musicians can leverage their knowledge in certain styles (Phaeleh etc) but it’s not as much of an advantage as you think, in an overly saturated place like music it’s the people who do thing’s in their own way that cut through.
If you start caring about your snare being in key with your track, then you likely are focusing on the wrong things. Even focusing too much on sound design can result if you losing the emotional connection to your music. Pick your snares and how you process them based on how they sound, the effect they have on you with the rest of the track.
Use music theory, sound design etc as tools to help not as a focus, and bend the rules/experiment as you wish. Trust your ears not the theory.
Take my advice or ignore it… I wasted a lot of time focusing on making music that was “right” rather than music that was good. Above all, don’t make cookie cutter music…
2 Likes
i think what lye_form wants to say is that, even if the snare is tuned to the key (wut?) it all sounds very boring, uninspired, horrible drum programming and overall it’s just a ripoff of some milder brostep.
sorry if i misinterpreted you, lye_form.
1 BigUp
I was trying not to get negative aboit the tune. We all start somewhere.
The melodic tuning of a snare is not exactially what the op needs to improve.
Start simple and work on drum programming and sample selection and use of sounds to work with rather than against your percusssion. A simple good track is still a good track. Learn about space and focus on composition (particularly “push-pull” with sounds).
Work up to melodies and more “complex” sound design etc. You may find your best music is the most simple even after 10 years of production.
My first bbc radio1 play ever was a track i made using nothing but a bass note sample and some breaks cut up. First vinyl release had no melodies…
2 Likes
Just keep on doing what you’re doing, man - you are off to a great start. I acknowledge Lye_Form makes some good points about making sure one doesn’t become overly technical at the expense of other essential thought processes and emotional-level responses involved in writing good music. With that said, and with all due respect (of course one can’t be quick to argue with someone who is having his tracks placed on various media channels) I would contend that the snare tuning you hear in many of the most successful electronic compositions is not merely accidental.
At any rate, if I were to add anything, I would just say that I believe “ABing” is very useful for learning concepts that can be used to make your music the most effective. I am a firm believer that closely comparing (in a side-by-side manner) your near-finished tracks to others that have already been commercially successful helps you come to understand the sonic information and “accepted practices” needed to make your works as compelling as possible. This is not to be mistaken for “copy-catting” - it is a matter of developing your hearing and gaining a deeper understanding of what goes into good mixing and composition. I also think that, in coming to recognize the details of how other creators have combined sounds in order to achieve the effect they were looking for, you begin to approach the whole writing process differently - designing your track, and planning and implementing certain techniques right from the beginning.
1 BigUp
don’t like them type of drums - reminds me of the preset fl studio drums.
Sounds very good example of a certain style, what do you produce with >?