Constructive criticism needed

duncehead

duncehead

Formely known as the Duke
Hi. I would appreciate your creative criticism on some of my more recent work. I will definitely return the favor. The link is in my signature.

I am trying to get the vibe of my tracks a little bit happier but the samples and chords I use end up making me feel more jazzy I think. What do you think?
 
duncehead said:
Hi. I would appreciate your creative criticism on some of my more recent work. I will definitely return the favor. The link is in my signature.

I am trying to get the vibe of my tracks a little bit happier but the samples and chords I use end up making me feel more jazzy I think. What do you think?
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I'll comment on a few things. Hopefully it helps.

hip hop/ r&b 6 - I don't like those strings. I hear a lot of producers trying to use them solo and they just don't work. They're great to back up vocals or to add just a bit of timbre in some areas of a mix. But alone, they sound to "orchestral".

I think if you isolated the lead that comes in about 0:10 with the snare, you could have something really hot.

hip hop/ r&b 5 - I heard a problem right away, because I have the same issue. You have a high pitched pad that comes in around 0:07. Pads bring out deep emotion for me, they aren't exactly "happy", unless specifically intended to be so.

Here's a little exercise I do when I feel a track isn't going in the direction I want. I fire up my turntables (with Torq or Tracktor), and mix my track with something that I'm aspiring it to be. It's usually then easy for me to see the elements that are depressing my track or taking it in the wrong direction.

Hope that helps,
Nick
 
I agree with hip hop/rnb 6. Strings by themselves usually don't work in hip-hop. They are excellent for accentuation, and letting the MC know where the hook was supposed to be. However, you're better off coming up with a melody with another instrument (such as piano) and then using the strings to accent parts of the piano. That will make it sound dope. To see what i mean, listen to "Still Dre" by Dr. Dre, notice how the strings accent the piano for the hook part...it just makes it sound dope.

anyawys, on to the beat, the drums were pretty good, but i suggest that you work on your compostion a bit, or loop that part at 0.10 and then add instruments around that...

check me out https://www.futureproducers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=304875
 
BallinBeats said:
I'll comment on a few things. Hopefully it helps.

hip hop/ r&b 6 - I don't like those strings. I hear a lot of producers trying to use them solo and they just don't work. They're great to back up vocals or to add just a bit of timbre in some areas of a mix. But alone, they sound to "orchestral".


Hope that helps,
Nick
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Yea I have been trying to get out of that habbit. I picked it up early when I started producing and try to stay away as much as possible from using orchestra strings in the front of my songs.
 
All of the tracks i listend to sound pretty original, you got a funky style wit the samples. i like it. the only thing i would recommend is to focus on the structure of the beat a little bit more, just so when someone wants to use your beat or whatever , they can have an easy time writin to it.:)
 
Yo I liked hip hop/r&b 7 but wasn't feeling that kick drum too much! Songs sound pretty fresh like that guy said above me.
 
thnx for the feed back guys. I try to sample songs as little as possible. Actually I don't like sampling songs. Yea all the songs up there I haven't actually made sure the arrangments are all together. I started working on those this week
 
just checking out tracks. I think hip hop/ r&b 6 is interesting. I do notice the string thing, maybe try using them in sections like a quartet would be. anyway not bad, but was a little abstract, which isn't bad, just different. keep it up..
 
kyle blaque said:
just checking out tracks. I think hip hop/ r&b 6 is interesting. I do notice the string thing, maybe try using them in sections like a quartet would be. anyway not bad, but was a little abstract, which isn't bad, just different. keep it up..
Click to expand...

I come from and listen to alot of 20's jazz along with hip hop. I have been trying to develop my own sound with so much cookie cutter music out there. A couple of my earlier tracks recorded with Florida rap artists turned out pretty interesting even though they never were released. The artists all got locked up lol.

In any case I have just started to let my music become visible as I have been locked away in the studio for the last 2years. Now I am going throught he process of letting people help influence the sound of my tracks.

I have come to find that if you listen to your own music enough you can invent or even eliminate sounds subconciously. Atleast I can. Thnx for the commenting. I'll have a few tracks up later.
 
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