Author Topic: [Music] Can someone critique my songs?  (Read 2371 times)

Spacechurro

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[Music] Can someone critique my songs?
« on: February 13, 2017, 01:39:02 AM »
Welp, I like to make songs, but i'm not a pro at all, and would like some critiques for my songs. I have three right now that are kinda game-like, and I think you guys could critique them for me, so I know if I've done anything wrong, or if they are or are not decent at all. I was thinking this could help me improve faster.
I made an unlisted Youtube video if you want to watch them there, heads-up that in making the video itself, the music's stereo turned into a mono, so the sound is weird sounding, but the melody and whatnot is the same.
I would give a download to make it easier, but I don't feel that is necessary, you can ask for one if you want.
Also, they're not touhou remixes or anything, but I plan to use them in danmakufu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLWUBZp9ZmI&feature=youtu.be

The songs start on the time stamps in the description they're next to. Thank you!
task FiteMe{
    loop{
          let m = atan2(MyFistY-YourFaceY,MyFistX-YourFaceX);
          Punch01(GetMyX,GetMyY,100,m,REDFIST01,0);
          wait(1);  }     }

Spacechurro

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Re: [Music] Can someone critique my songs?
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2017, 06:08:40 PM »
Also here's my soundcloud for easier hearing
https://soundcloud.com/flandre-no
task FiteMe{
    loop{
          let m = atan2(MyFistY-YourFaceY,MyFistX-YourFaceX);
          Punch01(GetMyX,GetMyY,100,m,REDFIST01,0);
          wait(1);  }     }

Mеа

  • catnapping
  • three dots connect to rectangles
Re: [Music] Can someone critique my songs?
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2017, 02:25:48 PM »
The latest three sound pretty ok, and also the fourth one too maybe. The ones earlier than that have a couple problems. One of them being the low quality instruments, but you stopped using them so that's good (particularly bad was that zunpet(?) in the halima).
The latest three ones have a nice ambiance to them and makes them more enjoyable to listen to. Although, personally I don't think the latest two invite multiple re-listen throughs because while the mysterious tonalities lend the music its dark, uncertain mood, it's not particularly comfortable to listen to (ie: uncertain mood makes me uncertain/uncomfortable).
Also be careful to make sure that you let the listener become acquainted with the unusual melodies by repeating it enough times before moving on. For example, in SILK, you present that opening high piano in the intro but it never reappears again and is stated only once. The unusual tonality makes it hard to predict where the melody is going and so it's much harder for the listener to remember it. So yeah, economy of material -- use what you have.
The most pleasant one to listen to is the third one ("It Won't End"). The harmonic progression is still unusual but the harmonies themselves are easy to listen to (for one, being more in the middle range) and consonant so also pleasant and not off-putting. I do wish there was some background event happening though to add more texture to the sound. Like an undulating pad or something.

If you want to continue exploring the unusual harmonic progressions and other strange tonalities, I would suggest experimenting in the middle range (like in It Won't End) so that you can properly hear the effects of assembling the different pitches together. When you work so high up higher registers, the lack of resonance makes anything sound acceptably consonant. Mm that reminds me. While the latest three are better, the textures seem to only consist of the melody (main melodic line) and color effects (fluttering piano twinkles, etc.). It's quite thin, so you may want to add a bass or background thin of some kind, like what I suggested above earlier, probably something thing if you want to keep that thin, "space-y" ambiance. Also, you can try adding counter-melodies. Especially if you're going to continue making vocal stuff, counter-melodies/secondary melodies are very good for music that uses the voice as an instrument like that third one.

e: to add one more thought to the repeating unusual material bit, if you don't repeat unfamiliar, unusual material enough for the listener to get acquainted with, then it'll only have sounded like random notes. People can only experience music retrospectively, so if the listener can't remember what the passage/melody sounded like because it was so unusual, then it'll only exist as this fuzzy mess in memory that will only have sounded totally random. And you don't want that. So make sure whatever material you present will be remembered by the listener's short term memory at least long enough to not be thought of as random. Building on how people only experience music retrospectively, this is also why you would like not to only use a material once. Repeating old material later in the music recalls the memory of it in the listener and strengthens the cohesiveness of the music and also is a lot more satisfying and potentially even cathartic or liberating.
« Last Edit: February 27, 2017, 02:34:36 PM by Mеа »
Naked expression; purple raspberry flavour

Spacechurro

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Re: [Music] Can someone critique my songs?
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2017, 12:15:04 AM »
Thank you, I was actually afraid it was too repetitive. When it comes to the instrument's sound fonts, there's not much I can do, since I can't afford better ones, or better programs like FL studio, mostly because i'm only a baby person, and all my funds come from my mom. But, I'm glad to know their biggest problem is the crappy synths, "Nini" "Miki" and "Halima" were intended to be used for danmakufu levels. I guess I was using trumpets that kinda sounded like zunpets, (but weren't the same sound font), mostly because I like the way trumpets sound, and those were the best sound font of trumpets I had.
Enough with my excuses though! Thank you for the feedback!  :D
task FiteMe{
    loop{
          let m = atan2(MyFistY-YourFaceY,MyFistX-YourFaceX);
          Punch01(GetMyX,GetMyY,100,m,REDFIST01,0);
          wait(1);  }     }

Mеа

  • catnapping
  • three dots connect to rectangles
Re: [Music] Can someone critique my songs?
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2017, 04:15:44 PM »
Pretty sure there's a whole lot of excellent vsts out there that are free.
Naked expression; purple raspberry flavour