Hey y’all. This track’s not quite where I want it to be but I’m not sure in what way. Would like some notes please.
Here’s a rough live mix. I suspect the congas will be unpopular.
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Gave me a late 90s Global Underground vibe.
I didn’t mind the congas at all! Maybe lower the volume of them a pinch. I thought the melody could be louder.
The only thing that sounded out of place to me was the metallic open hat. I’d be curious what a washy 909 hat/ride would sound like. But that is purely my opinion.
Overall, sounded nice.
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Cheers, I’ll try those
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Same here.
I like the congas, I’d personally try to pitch them down or lower the volume as suggested above.
Nice track overall, the weak point for me is the lack of variation. When the beat stops at ~1:21 I’d expect something more coming in or changing, in addition to the arpeggiated sound. Maybe increase the cutoff of the pad there or have it play another melody. Same for the part after the second break, at around 6:15, would be nice to have some variation there. Maybe try to change the arp sound a bit or fade in a new element during the break that will follow along till the end.
I guess though the most important thing is
what do you want this track to be?
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I had to practically force myself not to add another element! This is my eternal struggle. A lot of the 90s tracks I love have this perfectly understated minimalism I’m trying to embrace. It goes against my impulse to just keep adding more shit forever. Richie Hawtin’s 90s work is an obvious example but a modern artist who I think achieves it is Arcologies:
I’d argue that the first track you posted, minimalistic alright, has a lot of variation on the hihat patterns. For me that’s the key balancing monotony.
The second one has a more complex drum pattern and it’s half the length than your track, so maybe doesn’t need so much more. Tbh this one feels (to me) less similar in style that yours and the first one above.
I hope that’s not coming off as harsh, I’m trying to answer as if this were a dialogue with myself for one of my tracks.
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I would suggest to lowcut the congas a bit more, and place them in the background with lower volume, and increase the lead synth volume instead. Also i would layer more atmospheric pad sounds , not constantly - but regular appearing to add some mood swings with them, transition fx. So you have some atmospheres - but they lack a bit depth to it - make it a central element, and use a pads panned hard right /left and center, and then play with the panning - add some “rippels” to these pads (creeping /buzzing noises for added intrest - maybe granular etc - used sparingly.)
Maybe you can also use noise bursts from a synth, to compliment the static hat, also playing a more dynamic pattern to add to the hat groove.
A smal kick roll here and there might also contribute to make it feel more alive. (leave the bass out for a moment.) It helps to think about it - like its a movie score - place some attention moments, with holding back elements, and then “tada - introduce them again, with impact.”
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Changing up the hats is a good call. That second one actually isn’t the video I thought I was posting, now that I watch it. Oh well, it’s a cool track.
Appreciate the advice but personally, even if it would make the track more appealing, I really don’t want to add anything like transition FX. That always sounds a bit too much like modern “EDM” to me. I’ll try messing with the panning.
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No that is not what i meant - i would use the added depth in the pads to emphasize the transition, not creating a fx layer with pads. Use it as a melodic push pull. This guy is a master with this technique.
Example:
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OK, some changes made. Also I realised the last version was accidentally exported in mono, doh. Arrangement is still kinda aimless.
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Nice! I don’t know if it was from the mono/stereo or if you EQ’d things a bit, but everything sits better in this one. And I like the hats!
Arrangement can be hard. I agree with the reluctance for fx transitions. I think the suggestions others have here are good.
The synth lead could act as a driver for the arrangement. Maybe introduce it, increasing the volume, opening and closing filter.
Or just leave it as is if you like it.
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oh I really like this version. At 3:00ish, the hats should probably drop out at the same time as the kick. The congas could even stay during the dropout but that’s a personal thing that could go either way. The change at 4:05ish is very cool. No notes there.
I could take or leave a lead - I like the hypnotic, atmospheric feel of the track and a lead could take away from that. The congas almost do that job, providing some melodic interest without interrupting the vibe.
I think your cymbals sound really nice, btw!
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Thanks for your help everyone! I added a little bit of melodic interest for the final version. Overall, I’m pretty happy with it now.
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I agree with this comment. I like the overall sounds (including the congas…I use that type of sound often!). Arrangement-wise it progresses in a way that my friends and I used to create tunes when we first started, meaning elements are either on or off. They come in and basically loop until they’re turned off without much variation.
I totally get it and suffer from this same impulse! What I’ve learned to do is take one sound/part and try to jam on that to make it progress and be interesting over time. I won’t suggest how you should do that (there’s a million and one ways you could and need to find the way you find interesting), but I would try to add some kind of change or movement over time to maintain interest as opposed to adding more parts.
As @ligature also noted, with this type of music we often expect something new and interesting to come in after a beat drops out. I could also suggest some sound design element that leads into a new section or part. Some overused, stereotypical examples of this are white noise, a reversed cymbal or a snare roll, but I’m sure you could find something more creative than that.
Again, the overall vibe, mix and sounds are good!
Love. It.
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Agreed.
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Nice track 
I would like to have more happen with the tonal sounds in terms of developing the timbre, gestures etc. This can be used to tell a story as well without changing any of the melodic motifs them selves.
Richie Hawtin Is a master when it comes to this. Doesn’t necessarily have to be lots of automation all over the place but that it’s used to convey musical meaning. I think of it like a musical sculpture that is viewed from different angles:)
Yeah I shouldn’t have brought him up, comparison to him is a losing game.