[Drum'n'Bass] Afraid of the Light [WIP]

[Ætheros]

So, I've decided to try to start branching out into different genres.
So here's my first ever DnB track. This is still a work in progress (That I haven't touched in ages :P) so I expect some constructive criticism

first of all, I realize the drums could use work. The kick is too loud and it's clipping the rest of the mix, and the climactic drum line does seem a bit... off. Gah, way too many kicks in there. That I'll work on after I get more CC.

well here we are:
DivShare File - Afraid of the Light.mp3

[WEABOO]

Im digging the piano+kick line you got going in the middle. The flanged hi hat pattern really adds a lot too. The rest of it though is pretty underwhelming...not sure what you were aiming for.

Also this definitely has no drum and bass to it except in the sine. Drum and bass would have much more defined percussions. This is "IDM" if anything, but I hate using that genre so...


all my opinion of course

[helix eternal]

I don't think this could really be described as one genre. Typical drum n bass does not have a strong kick whatsoever because it favors the bass instrument and focuses more on fast breaks concerning the hihats and snare.

The song is pretty cool though, just needs a more pronounced snare and hihats and not so heavy of a kick, and definitely heavier bass

[DJ SymBiotiX]

Originally Posted by The Chemist

flanged hi hat

.......WARBLE THE SNARE!!!... Sorry, I just had to.

I'll listen to this at lunch or something yo. Interested in hearing it.

[stuartwood89]

What program did you use?

I'm listening to it right now and I'm liking it well. General opinion I'd have to agree with: needs heavier bass which sustains a little longer.

I love the drum pattern and melody.

Keep up the good work.

[KgZ]

You need to change the kick, it's too punchy.

Also, (this is from a pianist's POV though), add a bit more to the piano, you could do so much with what you have so far.

[babbagamp shramp camp]

Originally Posted by DJ SymBiotiX

.......WARBLE THE SNARE!!!...

no (please don't kill that joke, it's actually still really funny)

aetheros:
'k, dude, you're pretty on point with this. as I listen:

• the kick is fine, if a little loud. it kinda towers over the rest of your drums and the rest of the track, try lowering the volume a little bit. i think you'll find it will keep the punch but fit in a little better.
  
  
• the rest of your percussion is too quiet and muddy. the snare is lacking highs which makes it get lost in the track. compress it a bit, maybe, and turn the mids down just a bit.
  
  
• the bass definitely needs to be more powerful. turn it up a bit, and I'd suggest changing the waveforms you're using in the synth to pulse waves with the pulse width set just a touch above and below a square. distort a bit and boost the lows.
  
  
• add more to the piano. there's a lot of potential there that you're not realizing with that simple line you've got.
  
  
• make your synths in general a bit punchier. try a plucky envelope on the filter.

in general, the track has some good musical ideas, but it's a little bit muddy on the mixdown. try putting a really harsh EQ on all of your channels (all of them) and make sure that those sounds are confined to where you want them. for instance, if you want a synth to be mostly in the midrange, cut the lows from it. likewise with drums (toning down mids on percussion can really open a track up sometimes). most of all, be creative with it. mixdown can be a bitch, and, indeed, it's pretty common to hear tracks that would be so perfect if the mixing was just a little better.

all in all, I like where this is going.
keep it up :3

[patrickphan2]

Cool your getting good man! The piano is cool, the kick is a bit punchy. The bass almost sounds like DMAshura's Nautilus and so does the drum work.

[Ætheros]

Originally Posted by stuartwood89

What program did you use?

Reason 3.0 (hopefully I will get 4.0 soon, but I'm kinda broke so... meh)
I'm probably one of the only people that refuses to use flstudio. It's just, too overrated. :P. Well I can't get good results from it, but some people can. I personally like reason better. :P

Originally Posted by visinin

WALL OF TEXT

hahaha. Thanks. a lot to chew on there. I like it though, it gives me a lot to do when I go to fix it up.

[DJ SymBiotiX]

Originally Posted by Ætheros;38021[SIZE=2

4][/size]REASON

me too... me too lol.

Though once I get my new computer im gonna start rewiring reason in to ableton so I can finally start using freaking vst's lol. (but first I have to learn ableton lol)

[Ætheros]

haha, I DL'd the live 7.0 Demo (which is a full version, minus saving and exporting as usual) and I really like it actually. It has two things I love that I can't do with reason. VST's, and live performance. I'll have to do that eventually, and learn how to properly rewire them together.

[helix eternal]

it'd probably be better to just make loops in reason and export as wavs to load into ableton rather than rewiring, it'd save a lot of system resources
unless you just really like reason's mastering tools

[Ætheros]

Well it depends, does Live have good mastering tools? Are there good free plug ins? I really am not too sharp on this because
A) I've never had to use any third party software or VSTs, and
B) I'm not too good at mastering.
If I can do better mastering with Live, then that's not a bad idea.

though I suppose that comment was more directed at Dj SymbBiotiX than myself, but I'll go ahead and answer anyway ;P

[WEABOO]

Originally Posted by Ætheros

I'm probably one of the only people that refuses to use flstudio. It's just, too overrated. :P..

Fruity Loops first is underrated now its overrated?

Lmfao

[helix eternal]

FL Studio is the most underrated overrated complete home production studio that any noob or pro can use efficiently or inefficiently.