A few tracks from "Steve" - Aussie fun loving commercial 4/4. Bring on the new year!

[SLProjectNinetyOne]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post, I am delighted to be a member of such a knowledgeable and friendly forum (previous just a lurker).

Here is a taste of what I do, any feedback would be more than welcomed and likewise I am happy to return the favor and provide knowledge where I can.

Recent dub remixes (bounce):

https://soundcloud.com/steven-swift/ele ... v-download
https://soundcloud.com/steven-swift/esteban-butterflies

And an original vocal trance track:

https://soundcloud.com/steven-swift/ste ... rrors-edit

I use a mixture of analog gear (KORG MS20 Synthesizer and Roland Dmora) and Ableton as my DAW.

Interface wise I have an Akai MPK25 and MPC40 which I use for composing melody lines etc and finger drumming. MPC40 is for going to town loopwise and performance.

Again, great to be a member and I look forward to getting to know more of you.

- Steve

[wagtunes]

Listened to "Before I Sleep"

Really had to turn it down. Wow, talk about loudness wars. Oh well. Musically, it's fine. Well done. But damn, does everything have to be ear deafening? Also sounds like this is compressed to all hell. I guess it's the style. Not really my thing but I guess this would be popular for many.

Good luck with it and welcome to the forum.

Now I have to go rest my ears.

[SLProjectNinetyOne]

Hi Wag,
You're right on the money with compression, sidechain and parallel returns. All part of the style and genres.
Loudness wise is something I have been wrangling with lately - for radio things have to be loud and likewise CD and in a market that is saturated tracks need to be able to stack up against what is out there.
It would be great if anyone has any tips regarding use of limiters and how best to produce "loud" styles without over clamping the stereo spectrum and losing range.
Thank you very much for the feedback though Wag and best wishes,
Hope you enjoy the NY.
Steve

[an-electric-heart]

I listened to Smoke and Mirrors, nothing wrong with the song, but I'm just going to second what Wags said... kind of. Being loud is fine, you're right, all music like that is compressed as hell, but the big issue with that track is that (as far a perceived loudness goes), it actually gets quieter when the song "drops", there's no impact there because those vocals at the start are so damn loud. I'd try some automation at the mastering stage to bring the volume of the intro/initial buildup down, and then crank it to 11 at the drop... Oh, and welcome!

[an-electric-heart]

I'm just going to add that my comment above was made when I was listening on my laptop in bed, and now that I've listened on reference monitors there are massive tonal balance issues. Generally it's waaaaaay too harsh in the high end and there's nowhere near enough bass (still talking about your original song)... and that's funny, because when kids first start out making music like this they think it's all about bass and normally make it way too bass-heavy. I'm guessing the problem is your monitoring situation, you really really really need reference monitors, or at very least very good phones, I even mix with a spectrum analyzer on the master and keep an eye on that as I mix. Sorry, I don't want to be too negative, but it's an obvious problem you need to sort.