some techno/tech house, whatever you want to call it. mostly a4 with some digitakt percussion samples and ms20 mini sprinkled in.
i’d love some feedback and thanks for listening.
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I like it. It has a nice groove and despite its repeating nature, it’s catchy.
If I’d offer any feedback, then it’s perhaps that it might benefit from a slightly higher tempo, and scale back on some of the stuff that’s going on. Its foundation is strong enough to carry through, so I’d cut back on some of its sounds, to give more space to what’s left.
Perhaps it’s slightly sharp in its tone as well. A bit of a damper on the higher frequencies might add to its suggestive atmosphere.
But these are just ideas on a track I really enjoyed.
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thanks, i appreciate the feedback and i’m glad you liked it.
i’m really working on giving the individual sounds more space to breathe, so i think that’s spot on. my next one i’m going to try to focus on being more minimal in arrangement.
my monitoring situation isn’t great at the moment, so if i get other feedback about the highs, i’ll take it as something i’m missing and adjust accordingly.
thanks again for taking the time to reply.
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Hi @303abuser i will going to say what I have in mind here regarding this one. For a more general insight I reach you directly in PM.
my monitoring situation isn’t great at the moment
You said that, when i listened i thought there’s lot of room to make you track better in the mixing area.
Intro of your track : i quite like the idea but when the 4 to the Floor start i was surprised not in the good way problem is then you need time to re-enter because you getout of the track. Maybe it comes from a Rhythm problem… I see what you try to achieve like a heart pulsation and then it’s start. Maybe the Pulse are not placed well to avoid the electroshock when the first beat comes.
i do keep this weird rhythmical feeling after… on how you use the elements to build your track. i think all your “without energy parts” intro, every break, drop, release, buildup… whatever are great. I think you really understand that part and have all the great ideas to not be in front of a blank page in the arrangement for all that parts.
i do think you need to work a lot more on parts with energy. I have the feeling of a techno track, with gimmick construct like trance track, with a shy conviction to insert a melody… so as it’s not really that trance I’m not fly, as it’s not really dub I’m not dream, as it’s not melodic I’m not fully emotional, as it’s not really techno I’m not dancing, as it’s not really dub I’m not hypnotized.
But I not dislike it neither.
Maybe it’s just (like a lot of tracks) something unfinished, not ready, or something who didn’t match yet my personal taste.
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IF you arrange your track on a DAW … (read next) if you arrange on Gears it’s different PM in this case 
If I were you, I would write on a piece of paper every artists, every track who fit your musical goals what you really want to make in a very close futur (in month). I would listening everything they made (for the artists)… I would pick 20 to 30 tracks. I would open Ableton live, I choose one of those and put it on a track. Then you set midi blocks (empty it’s just placeholder but you name it like Bass, Stab, Percussions, SFX : Sweep…) and analyse every parts of the arrangements. to have a real picture of what going on…
What are the main elements, what are the secondary elements, what tricks he/she use for buildup, drop, break… what tiny elements are used to keep the attention of the listener/clubber… Crash Cymbal, Ride, special FX note that in every genre this elements are not the same So it’s preferable to not use some trance tricks in a techno track. (I mean for SFX sound)
Write everything on a notebook, analyse one track every week. At some point you will see exactly what’s missing in your track and will have to think what you can make for this one.
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After listening all the other tracks on your soundcloud I think you have good taste on the sounds you pick (or create yourself), atmosphere you build… mixing between elements are fine.
(There’s improvements you can make in the mixing area especially on frequencies and dynamics… don’t cut too much there’s a lot of people who goo too far to cut for making room for the other sounds and then the mix sounds weird. it’s really tiny tiny touches here and there nothing drastic)
I think (as I said) you will know to arrange the “without energy parts”
As I said I would analyse your personal music godfathers at this point.
One advise every people gives is : make tracks by thousand at some point you will know and have learnt.
That’s why I said analyse track can be a trick to go faster… or differently… or both…
When you have an idea of a piece that begins to take shape it’s your theme. a major part of your piece.
Think to a shaker now.
When a percussionist start to enter a shaker in a song at some point he must get out … and it’s really not simple to stop a shaker because when you have it in mind it’s groovy it’s pleasant… when the shaker is not there anymore every other things seem to missing it.
Ok that’s the same with your theme. it’s the main part. so if there’s is a main, there’s variation, there’s other idea so the listener forget the main part to a point when it’s coming back he so happy to be able to hear it again… Variations, Finding the other parts is Construction and Arrangements and it’s hard. Finding the Main theme and the atmosphere is the easy part. 
If you only stick to a main theme because you want a repetitive loop and hypnotic track… then you will have to tear your hair to entering in microscopic edition of the track and insert a lot of life fragments (and different each time) or you will have to find modulations idea who make the life inside just fine.
it’s called to be stuck in his loop
you do not get too used to it and quickly find the other parts otherwise from a certain stage we do not see his track any more than what we have already done.
A good way to avoid that is when you find you main part. Try to find variations of your notes, chords… play them differently. Try to find complimentary notes, chords to eventually find a another part. Instantly, don’t wait too much to find the other parts
Record this on a wav file : put the main parts on 1mn insert 1mn blanck (silence) then 1mn your main then 1mn blank… Bounce this audio and put on your phone with headphones (iPod or whatever) and go outside… listening the 1mn main of audio and when silence coming imagine it and how it could be evolving what secondary part the silence could be ??? Then sing and record evolution or variation the main theme, or keep in mind your idea go home now and work that …
Hope it helps 
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Wonderful advice, thank you for putting in the time to help me. I’m going to think about all of this as I work on the next one and I’m definitely going to try the arrangement analysis that you outlined.
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exactly the challenge I have most of the time…to create the variation of the main theme and to get back to it for maintaining energy.
My last point with Critics, Advises and whatnot is never let it discourage you. We here, are not average listener… and I am perhaps one of the worst here in the sense that I am a perfectionist and it is for me a pathology that does not help me or slow me. I’m never happy with myself in general.
Try your tracks on must people (wife, Childs, family… everyone we don’t care electronic music is not weird anymore everyone is confortable with this music genre now) around you ask them what they think, how they feel, if there’s parts they liked, parts they find too long (which often come with the boring notion)
If that possible try it on a dance floor or a club, in a car, everywhere to see if it’s works (for the clubs) and how the sound relate to different environment and devices. (it can help for the mixing)
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if I may say so, you objective and honest analysis are very helpful, at least for me helps me deal with the reality of where things are by gaining an insight. Thank you.
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Yes @ammanuel that’s why construction and arrangement are not that simple. Michael Jackson probably won’t have the same success without Quincy Jones as an Arranger behind. (a bit of a cliche but I really like to remembering me that… at least for the first albums)
Yes originally i would like to PM what i write to @303abuser and finally i try to be constructive and propose him solution and hints… so it can help other people as well
without any doubts construction and arrangement comes at some point when you Finnish tracks after tracks… with a certain amount of tracks finished things start to make more sense… you learn that in the experience of making it one by one… and you shape yourself in that regards too in the time…
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no worries at all, this is exactly the feedback i need. if i don’t know what isn’t working, i can’t fix it.
because my monitoring situation is awful, i do test the tracks on a few different systems to see how it sounds and apply a sort of average to how i mix it. it’s obviously a skill that takes a lot of time to get good at. i’d love to try it on a dance floor, but i’m worried the mix/master won’t hold up to a club system (i may have the opportunity to try it in an empty club though).
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yes @William_WiLD…by trying to identify your point (for eg. @303abuser track) I try to transpose your advice to what I do. Correct every composer has a genius arranger behind them ( Duke Ellingtonhad Billy S ) I am an intuitive one without formal training where I tend to get caught up in a loop
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If it’s not really your music style and have the feeling to get stuck in Loops I encourage you to listening one of the master at musical/repetitive loop which is to me Moodyman…
and by analyse its track see how he solved things like the Boring effect… Even if you get brilliant THE LOOP there’s plenty things you can do to make the track something unforgettable …
He always keep some energetics things like hats and shaker and bring them later in the construction…
so keep things : the key is not to reveal everything in the introduction
For instance in JAN track there’s Clap but only at 5 minutes…
. it comes but it’s also OUT… it’s never there all the time. there’s a lot of rupture… that’s way the loop is never really boring. but the atmosphere is incredible. With that any DJ can really make something in a club … that’s a incredible track and an incredible dj Swiss knife - tool as well… as it’s playing on people tension… frustration…
Thats’ a good exemple of something repetitive, a very good loop but with a very nice construction (and probably that one was hard to find…)
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Another one very good to analyse, probably one of the best construction tracks I have ever heard between 2000 and 2010 even if the original is from Theo Parrish… :
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Thank you for the example ( Moodyman from Detroit one of my fave) I apologize @303abuser did not mean to hyjack the convo. Peace
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Don’t worry we all on the same boat…
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it’s all good, the discussion really fits what i need.
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Also when you find variations, secondary parts… sometimes you realize you have two tracks in one. And you need to restart except if it’s something you like, then it became an artistic choice.
it’s exactly the opposite on the Falling up (from Theo Parrish, remixed by Carl Craig). Where every Secondary parts are exceptionally complimentary from each other… and the amount of emotional is incredible. From dark to sad to happy… really like if it’s a story telling and that’s what I like in a track. When the producer as something to tell.
Nowadays there’s strategy, people want to take less time to make even more track, so their name is usually noticed in the releases (or music shops) and that’s have a marketing impact on the booking and gigs. More than someone seen with one release every 6 month, even if it’s a master tune.
Personally i prefer to be fine with myself, I like story telling and not conceive music as only beats to get more gigs. Personal choice here.
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Thank you for understanding and sharing your tracks
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