I really like the choice of instruments for this, fits well with the art. I enjoy that you're kind of on the edge of something gloomy and something wistful, hard balance to strike!
I do think the mix could be a bit tighter. The lofi drums are great, but don't quite go with the really crystal clear high synth and ping sounds. The low synth matches the feel better.
My goal with the synth and pad sitting differently in the mix was to sort of create a space in where they feel like two different things bought together relucently, like how the image sort of invokes this feeling of remembering or returning to a place you might not have wanted to remember or return to. I feel like when creating music that invokves an asthetic or specific feeling it's equally as important to create a mix that resonates with that feeling, as opposed to mixing something like I would a comission or a commercial piece.
I'm very glad you enjoyed the track! If there's one thing I would change though, it would be the drums. I didn't originally want to include them but felt like when I do include drums in tracks like this the average NewGrounds listener enjoys the track a bit more.
Ahhhh this has that good early digital crunch, love it. Nice movement in the chords, great sound design, tasteful sample approach. Great job with this.
Dude you gotta put the lyrics up with bit crushing like that lmao, though it's a great effect (duke nukem with a rap career)
Great beat, if that's you rapping then you sound good and should hide it less!
The rapping is from a collab I did a year ago or so. By Massbleak. If I ever end up transcribing the lyrics I'll post em up
Highlight for me is the drum composition. I like how easily you delineate the sections with related, characterful grooves that really accent the overall shape of the piece!
I think the mixing/production does let you down here a bit (mostly because you could make those drums cut through!). It's always the hardest bit of the process for me as well so I know it's not an idle ask: it just comes with practice and using multiple headphones to test your sound on different devices.
Overall, I like the hints at experimentation here and hope you continue this glitchy, dreamy journey!
TYSM for the kind comments. :) And yeah, this is like my second song arranging and mixing/post-producing in Reaper. I'm still having to rely on YT videos to help me in balancing across instruments and synths, but I am slowly getting better at it and used to the decision-making behind certain sounds and where to cut, filter, and/or enhance at certain hertz brackets and whatnot. Like you said, it just takes time... I've made a few synthwave songs before, but this was my first time digging deep to give it that vintage, kinda scuffed, warm, 80s stereo sound. So yeah, practice makes perfect I suppose. :)
But again, TY for the input! Means a lot to hear. <3 :3
Not what I was expecting at all looking at the art, but it's got great atmosphere. Love the drums and the fact that the bassline kinda reminds me of a low rpm motorbike engine. I think it could do with more structure/evolution across the piece, maybe some sort of synth drone to add a bit of flavour? Unique though, nice job!
This is weird (that's not a bad thing). I like the chords, they fit but they're unusual and not overly cheesy. Not sure I'm sold on the bassline, I think I can hear some popping/artifacting which could be very cool if you leaned into it/chose a stronger bass sound. In general the mixing sounds like it could be improved, though I can pick out your individual instrument sounds pretty well.
Despite that I can definitely pick up on the vibe of your inspiration here. You've got a good understanding of the mood, and in a slightly Animal Crossing style you've shown that off. I hope you keep using that talent, and I'm sure you'll only get better with time. Keep at it!
I can tell you've put a great deal of thought into the sound design here, fantastic soundscape. Really captured the overall mood of the art!
I enjoyed this a great deal! Your instrumentation is great, the composition evolves and has a really motif. It's a bit of a shame that sometimes the mix gets a bit muddy when you've got a lot of elements going at once, and I'd recommend that you stereo out/pan some of the instruments just a bit to give them some separation.
One other tip I might suggest would be to round out the frequency spectrum of some of the instruments by a *tiny* bit. A little less low end and more stick action on the snare, a bit more bass in your voice, things like that could really help the mix pop a bit.
Other than that excellent job! Liked the lyrics as well. Can't wait to see what else you do :)
Is this downtempo? I'm not sure I'd necessarily agree with that tag but it doesn't detract from the piece itself so it doesn't really affect my score.
I like the different sections of the piece, and that they maintain distinct motifs' without being incoherent. I do wish you had changed up the string melodies a bit, taking advantage of the beautiful sounds you can get from slow high strings as well as the slow low ones. However, that being said, the run you did make is very nice and catchy.
I'm not sure whether the kick is a bit too "hardstyle", maybe it could have been differently EQ'd to blend a bit better into the mix. Indeed, in the kick sections, the mix does become too bass heavy, and probably requires a different set of levels on the instruments than in the orchestral section. Only a subtle difference is required, but it will help your melodies sound less drowned out. You could considering a more subtle sidechaining with the kick to help it blend a bit more.
Overall, nice piece, could have used a bit more work though in regards to development and mixing.
Thank you very much for your review! Would have to completely agree with you. The exact definition of the word Downtempo is "music having a relatively slower beat" so that's really why I use it. I don't know what genre this is.
Will keep that in mind, thanks! I generally like melody changes during a song but some reason they feel misplaced when I use them in my own tracks. I'm going to research that now because you've brought it to my attention. Maybe even why many people think I'm too repetitive. :)
The kick and bass are probably too hard. I make Big Room and other hard genres of EDM so a good driving bass is usually what I go for in the climax of a track, but it does feel misplaced now that you mention it. I like Alan Walker so I'll look out for that next time when working on another piece like this one.
Thank you for your time, compliments and 3.5/5 rating. Really appreciate it. Have a nice day. :)
Makes sounds.
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