Hello everyone … I know this is typically the “help with the website” forum, but Tomas Phusion and I need some help on our track for Project1.

Here’s the latest version of the file: why me draft 4

We need help with this in a couple areas:

A) mastering.
I think as far as balancing the EQs goes, I think it’s alright, but there is a problem of volume. Namely, if I crank the master volume in my DAW (garageband … lol I know “DAW”, but it’s what I’ve got) … anyhow, if I crank up the master volume there, I get a clipping extravaganza, the only way I can get this worked out so far is to boost volume way high on the computer speakers. I can provide multitrack aifs if any mixmasters out there want to help … or better yet, just school me.

B) arrangement.
The arrangement could use tweaking, suggestions welcome. Also, the breakdown section needs some effects. This is the first like real pop/electro kind of track I’ve ever tried, so I don’t know if I just don’t have the right plugins or it’s just too new of a style for me, but anyhow, it needs something around 1:27 that I don’t have.

C) Bassline
I’ve got like a sinewave-y sub bass thing going on, but it feels like it needs something a little I don’t know brighter, or noticeable, or something in the bass section. Tomas and I have been pulling our our hair, we can’t find any kind of bass to put on this.

We’re out of ideas, I guess. If anyone’s interested, we’d be happy to add you to the project.

Everyone … I packaged up the individual tracks in AIF format. It’s a really big package, so I’ve uploaded it to Pando.

Here’s a link to the pando package:

why_me_files.tar.gz

for what it’s worth, my feeling is that it’s working really well and doesn’t want too much, but if you want something ‘pad’-like and unusual in the breakdown section you could try playing around with one of Gurdonark’s drones? You could maybe even make a kind of bassline out of them…

Hello!
I’m in a bit of hurry now, so I don’t have time to get deep into things at the moment..

On A) it’s quite hard, without the original tracks, to say what makes it clip. ..But then again… I’d try to mute the sub-bass and crank it up and see if it’s still clipping.. If it’s not, then it’s probably the sub-freqs in the bass that makes it clip. Then try with a hi-pass filter and cut around 200Hz. Then change the freq up and down until it sounds good without clipping.. :)

Maybe you can solve A) and B) just by doing one thing.. :) If you find a brighter bass-synth that you like, that bass maybe can be introduced around 1:27? Cuz I think that the the sub-bass is good too. It’s just that the song maybe need some fresh injections here and there to make it more interesing in the longrun.

If you want I can try some bass-synths and bass-lines.. :)

Gottago now though..
Cya

bass normally i heavy and low pitched, the song will have more of a “real song” esscence with the bass being like thumpy or however you would like to put it. I aint no expert, but i can crank things upper a notch when it comes to garageband.

contact me for any suggestions or whatsoever!!!
:-)

ABZ!!!

Like the song. In my opinion, the drums and vocals are too hot and need to be turned down a few notches. Try using a peak limiter to keep your mix from going into the red zone.

Hoi Plurgid,

This is a great piece of work overall. Has a nice vibe, structure is ok, feels pop, but to me, it remains a dub version.

Its only my opinion, but it needs some female vocals. This would add some higher frequencies. There seems to be a gap in the spectrum. But I will come back to this.

Looking at mastering, overall very good. That kick and bass is very heavy, it kinda jumps out at you. Do you have a limiter which can split the frequencies. This way you can suppress some of the low end, without killing off the eq.

The male vox is great, but its very ruff kinda gravel in its own way. These could do with bring up in the mix. There are some nice high pitched keys in there which sit in the background. These need bringing up a touch. But there is a distinct frequency gap between the male vox and the high end. I would guess 7k to 10k. This can be filled with some female vocals / samples. It will add something too.

Arrangement is fine. Nice flow to it, you don’t get locked in at all.
It has a lack of real popness because there is too much reliance upon those male vox. It also needs clear vocals to sing a verse and then to emphasize the vox.

Bassline is very garage. It does have a slight lack at the 20 to 30hz level. Sounds fine with this track. Maybe a deeper sub layered over it would give it more presence.

But hey guy, you done real good with this one.

It has the makings of a real big happy chart track.

But like I say, it is only a dub level for me at the mo.

EZ m8

Morr

I like your track. It really seems to be coming along nicely.

I suggest you add some atmospheric padding in the lower end, to give it a density of sound that would be a little less “clean” than the current version. I don’t know if you are familiar with the freeware synth Chimera, but it is tailor-made for this kind of melodic fog.

As for fx, I’d love to hear some echo/reverb keyboard notes at the end of lines.

I wonder, too, if going with a booming drum as a variant once in a while might work to leaven it out.

But these are all just ideas. The track is actually coming along very nicely.

Hey Guys! I love this track very cool dance groove. Adding my 2 cents, the drums are a bit hot..But I love my kicks up from, just pull them back a bit. I like the ideal of a female for higher frequencies. I would just have her follow his vocals. I think the track is heading in the right direction you don’t want to over do. I wish i could help you with mastering but i’m a bit lost when it comes to that. Good luck and do what feels good.

For you’re problem with volume:

I get the same problem too when I’m done. What I usually do is ‘Hard Limit’ the whole track in Adobe, and then ‘Normalize’ to -0.1db. That usually takes care of it, if it doesn’t then I undo the ‘Normalize’, ‘Hard Limit’ and put some Dynamic Processing on the track. Usually ‘Limit Soft -12db w/boost’, and then just redo ‘Hard Limit’ and ‘Normalize’.

It’s always worked for me.
So Many Stars - Just ‘Hard Limiting’ and ‘Normalize’.

Sad Sects - ‘Dynamic Processing’, ‘Hard Limiting’, ‘Normalize’.

The track is sounding awesome by the way!