I defenitely agree man, this are exacly the comments i am looking for, the constructive ones that help improve.
Im actually having the problems you described usually on all my tracks and im having difficult time resolving them.
Hopefully i will get better anytime soon ;p
Well if you want some tips on how to fix those problems, here's a few according to each problem:
1:
EQ the frequencies that cause the problem, usually I first make a really exagerrated cut to find the frequencies then I change it to the point where I'm satisfied.
Lower the volume
Look for a different sample that has different frequencies
If I like the sampple cut for example the 'transient' or 'click' at the start is too harsh, I compress.
The sound is also harsh because there's nothing else happening at the same time to smoothen it out - it's quiet whenever the sample's not playing, making it hit extra hard when it plays (this can be used for profit as well, such as the first kick of a drop)
2:
For effects, what I do quite often is make reverb shots from synths/percussion/whatever and reverse them then add them at the points where that synth is gonna start or stop or whenever I want.
Effects are one of the fun things about production since you can get really freaky with them, for example:
I grab a reversed reverb shot. I automate the panning so it sweeps left and right, sweeping in a loop, each time faster and faster. The I throw some delay & distortion on it, automate them both.
Render the sample and edit it to make it perfect, then, voilá you have a cool sample.
You can also make drum rolls, use growls, bass hits, anything really. Effects aren't anything specific.
Even though white noise sweeps sound pretty boring on their own, I almost ALWAYS put them at least with low volume under the buildups/transitions.
3:
High pass everything. EVERY. THING. You don't want any sound apart from the sub and the kick to use up the really low frequencies. If you have a sub, for example on your pluck, sidechain the sh*t out of it, you want the kick to come through nice and clean.
I'm not sure if the kick is centred or not but it doesnt sound like it. You always want kicks to be in mono and not stereo so that it sounds clean on any speaker setup.
Put an EQ on the most important elements of the track and study the most important frequencies they take up, for example in voice the freequencies that make the vocal clear and understandable and the ones that give it air, volume etc. Then see if these frequencies are conflicting with other instruments and if they are, alter the less important instruments so the frequencies dont conflict (e.g. EQ, lower volume, compress and EQ, etc)
4:
This is something you'll learn with time so I won't worry too much, but just try to make up new stuff and mess around with things and see what sounds cool, then try to include it in your tracks.
You're welcome
- Walter Slewis
P.S. for the tips I give, you don't need to use them all at the same time, just use the one(s) that work best.