DnB Mike Z - Storm (WIP)

[Mike Z]

Hello.
This is the first song I've made that I felt comfortable posting and maybe getting some feedback on.
Appreciate everything that can help me improve

https://soundcloud.com/user-703510579%2Fstorm

 

[Chapter11]

Intro : Liking the build up on this man ! elements sit nicely along the spectrum (like the idea of using the low pass filter on the drums I'm a sucker for that too) - I'm a fan of all the little musical elements aswell I think you've amassed all you need to really round this track off.

Drums : these do feel a bit thin and static (as in stiff) - I think the kick is lacking a bit in the low end (I'd deffinitely recommend layering these drums) - something like a ZERO G Jungle pack with the mid to low cut out will give the drums a lot more of a rolling presence (a shuffle would deffo go down well aswell) - I don't know if it's just me but I feel like the hats are being panned to my left speaker.

Breakdown : structure wise I think you have everything down well it's just the drums that are holding this track back

Sub: I'm not getting any sub throughout the track (mid bass works well though although I might advise to low pass it a little bit and layer a sub under (3OSC Sine) - or any sign wave would go well)

to add: If it was me personally man I'd just work on those drums - sub - + maybe add a vocal in and take down the volume on that stringish instrument that comes in and it'll be on it's way for sure. good stuff !

If you could feedback me too man that would be great https://dnbforum.com/threads/chapter-11-suspicious-wip.202354/

 

[Mike Z]

Intro : Liking the build up on this man ! elements sit nicely along the spectrum (like the idea of using the low pass filter on the drums I'm a sucker for that too) - I'm a fan of all the little musical elements aswell I think you've amassed all you need to really round this track off.

Drums : these do feel a bit thin and static (as in stiff) - I think the kick is lacking a bit in the low end (I'd deffinitely recommend layering these drums) - something like a ZERO G Jungle pack with the mid to low cut out will give the drums a lot more of a rolling presence (a shuffle would deffo go down well aswell) - I don't know if it's just me but I feel like the hats are being panned to my left speaker.

Breakdown : structure wise I think you have everything down well it's just the drums that are holding this track back

Sub: I'm not getting any sub throughout the track (mid bass works well though although I might advise to low pass it a little bit and layer a sub under (3OSC Sine) - or any sign wave would go well)

to add: If it was me personally man I'd just work on those drums - sub - + maybe add a vocal in and take down the volume on that stringish instrument that comes in and it'll be on it's way for sure. good stuff !

If you could feedback me too man that would be great https://dnbforum.com/threads/chapter-11-suspicious-wip.202354/

Thanks a lot man, I wish I could give this same type of quality feedback back to you. Looking forward to hear more of your stuff

 

[Mike Z]

Hi man,
Firstly great job on the first upload...... took me ages to get one up so I know how it feels..........
I am no expert but imo I second on the drums I think the kick could have some eq I personally thought there was quite a bit of thump in it but could do with a bit more click in the higher frequencys, snare could be more snappy......also the high hat is a bit repetitive prehaps you could add some variation on the shuffles or a diff loop here and there...
I think there could defo be some sub the only low im really getting is from the kick.....
General eq and tidying of frequencys, a bit more space for each sound theres a lot going on sometimes it gets a bit muddled to me
Good work tho nice sounds keep it up, I hope this is helpfull/some thing to think on
Peace KRYOS

Thanks so much for taking time to give me feedback. All good advice. Mixing is more complex than I could have ever imagined when i started. And it's a bit daunting at times. But when I get feedback like @Chapter11 and Yours (@KRYOS) it's really motivating because they make it clearer what areas I need improve the most.
Guess I'm just trying to say, Thanks, it means alot to me

 

[KRYOS]

Edit:
No sorry the kick is lacking a little in the lower regions, I can feel it knocking in the mids, but with better headphones on I can hear it is thin........ my bad sorry...... Chapter 11s feedback is more on point than mine here... I still stand by adding more sub and look into a bit more variation on the drum loops, good luck with all the beat making man!

 

[Smart-E]

tbh mate to me it all sounds a bit thin and lacking movement try using a bit of sidechain, also have a look at tuts for bass resampling, in terms of processing your kick use a bit a light saturation, a transient shaper and then eq out the sub frequencies also check out my latest track any feedback would be much appreciated https://dnbforum.com/threads/new-jump-up-track-please-feedback.202415/

 

[Mike Z]

tbh mate to me it all sounds a bit thin and lacking movement try using a bit of sidechain, also have a look at tuts for bass resampling, in terms of processing your kick use a bit a light saturation, a transient shaper and then eq out the sub frequencies also check out my latest track any feedback would be much appreciated https://dnbforum.com/threads/new-jump-up-track-please-feedback.202415/

Thanks, this is good feedback, appreciate it. I'll look into all of these things.

I listened to your track, and really liked it, the vocals are really cool and the song sounds tight and well put together, but since I'm so new to this, I don't really feel comfortable giving more detailed feedback, would be like a drunk dude tapping the beat with his fingers trying to give Matt Garstka advice on drumming...

 

[symbiosis]

Hey mate,

Did you make any changes since you received the feedback from Chapter 11 and Kryos? Just asking cause I can hear a sub and the kick doesn't sound as thin as I was expecting, if anything the kick is a little overpowering, but not in a good way. Of course it could just be my hearing lol

You could spend all day trying to fix a kick with different processing techniques but really the simplest thing you can do is to just swap it out with one that fits better.

Anyway, not bad for a first attempt! Keep it up!

 

[Mike Z]

Hey mate,

Did you make any changes since you received the feedback from Chapter 11 and Kryos? Just asking cause I can hear a sub and the kick doesn't sound as thin as I was expecting, if anything the kick is a little overpowering, but not in a good way. Of course it could just be my hearing lol

You could spend all day trying to fix a kick with different processing techniques but really the simplest thing you can do is to just swap it out with one that fits better.

Anyway, not bad for a first attempt! Keep it up!

Hey, thanks for the feedback. I haven't made any changes to the song on SoundCloud.

It could be that the lows, in general, are muddy? I've just received my DT880 PROs and even if they are brand new I can hear that the sound isn't great, in any of the songs I've made. To be honest, I can say that I haven't heard clear and neutral music before last Wednesday when they arrived.
I've also been reading up on frequency sweeping and mixing theory in general which, combined with new headset, is already making a big impact on sound clarity and space.

 

[Smart-E]

Hey, thanks for the feedback. I haven't made any changes to the song on SoundCloud.

It could be that the lows, in general, are muddy? I've just received my DT880 PROs and even if they are brand new I can hear that the sound isn't great, in any of the songs I've made. To be honest, I can say that I haven't heard clear and neutral music before last Wednesday when they arrived.
I've also been reading up on frequency sweeping and mixing theory in general which, combined with new headset, is already making a big impact on sound clarity and space.

Sounds like your on the right track bro, i signed up to acadmy.fm for £20 per month although alot of the vids aren't for dnb, the knowledge you gain from professional producers is second to non, im still on my 30 day trial and the knowledge i have gained from that alone is priceless

 

[Paree]

The drums need to be more punchy imo. I also feel like it needs more movement to keep the listeners interested since its a pretty long track. I like the intro. The melodies are nice as well. All the best.

 

[Mike Z]

Sounds like your on the right track bro, i signed up to acadmy.fm for £20 per month although alot of the vids aren't for dnb, the knowledge you gain from professional producers is second to non, im still on my 30 day trial and the knowledge i have gained from that alone is priceless

Thanks for the feedback, and the tip, I 'll check it out.

 

[Mike Z]

The drums need to be more punchy imo. I also feel like it needs more movement to keep the listeners interested since its a pretty long track. I like the intro. The melodies are nice as well. All the best.

Thanks for the advice, I've had a lot of feedback regarding the drums and lows and It's definitely one of the aspects I'm going to be focusing on improving. Adding movement to a melody or a track in general is one of the things that I don't understand very well, it sounds easy, but I find it to be a very complex aspect of the song that is kinda hard to get right.

 

[Smart-E]

Thanks for the feedback, and the tip, I 'll check it out.

What daw you using Mike

 

[Mike Z]

What daw you using Mike

FL Studio.

 

[Mike Z]

New iteration, iIbelieve I've made some progress. Still super unsure about the kick, but I'v tried to phatten it up abit.

Edit: I think the mix is really low volume.

I'll fix the volume and publish a new one.