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Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 7:00 am
by The_G
This is the opener to my retro soundtrack album, which is more "techno-adjacent" than techno. (Also more "synthwave-adjacent" than synthwave.)

Unmastered, nothing on the master channel.

https://soundcloud.com/the-g-music/conc ... ip/s-5yqz4

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 7:35 am
by Opnå
You say you intend it to be an intro and it has that feel about it. I like all the noises. For me the melodic pads could be a little more enticing, a bit higher in the mix and sharper sounding. But i'm guessing this is a stylistic choice and you're avoiding sounding too much like the brash synthwave stuff or even to much like Vangelis / John Carpenter?

I think if I heard some of the other tracks (keen btw) then I'd probably be able to put the album opener into better context.

Over all don't think there's really much wrong with that though.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 10:19 am
by bioniceye
great production techniques
in my opinion some of the synths could be a little more brighter or higher in the mix to create some more contrast
but i think i need to hear the other tracks to see if that will fit your ideas

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 11:19 am
by The_G
Thanks, guys. Appreciate the kind words and constructive feedback!

To explain a bit about the album, it's conceived of as the soundtrack to a (fictitious) road movie across abandoned highways after a cataclysmic event. The sound is a bit John Carpenter, a bit Survive and a bit techno, but mostly inspired by fiction and film rather than music.

And to answer the question about intent, keeping the synths sort of enmeshed in the bass was a conscious decision. But that's two votes for making the synths more prominent and clear in the mix, so I'll try it.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 1:02 pm
by Opnå
I almost mentioned S U R V I V E. Really like those guys.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 8:40 pm
by Opnå
I was just wondering btw. Have you ever seen the film "Radio ON" ? 70's british road film?

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 6:46 am
by The_G
Okay, pulled the synths up a bit and yes--it does sound better! Clearer but still textural in the way I was after.

No, never seen Radio On, but I found it on youtube:

youtu.be/L1URiPSDQMo

Looks awesome. I'm a big fan of road movies, esp the Wim Wenders ones (Alice in the Cities, Paris Texas, Kings of the Road).

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 7:22 am
by Opnå
The_G wrote:Okay, pulled the synths up a bit and yes--it does sound better! Clearer but still textural in the way I was after.
Good stuff.

As for the Film, hope you enjoy it. I think it manages to be strangly dystopian, despite being set in the real world.

I've not actually watched the Wenders films you mentioned so I will have to make an effort and check some of them out.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 7:18 pm
by jordanneke
Ditto on the brightness. The pad could so with being a touch louder. along with the white noisy pattern.

Like it a lot.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 3:33 am
by PatrickHughes
Cool song, I wasn't into the panning at first but as it developed I got more into the kind of disorienting sound of it. It sounds good as an intro and I would totally be ready for this to kick off into a full blown track around the 2 minute mark.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 2:40 am
by The_G
Thanks, guys. All the comments are much appreciated! I've pulled up/brightened the synths so they aren't quite so backgrounded--it's definitely a lot stronger now, though it still has the same textural feel.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 2:44 pm
by Prophän
I really like the textural feel you just mentionned, and this track is very emotional for me, you get a feeling of danger that vanishes when the track is at its peak then slowly starts crawling back . very nice

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:54 pm
by Mattias
Good but it's too hard panned mate. It lives too much in only one of my speakers.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 2:07 am
by The_G
It is? I didn't hard pan anything, and didn't sound that way to me. But maybe there's something in there that I can fix--just trying to figure out what. The bass is centered and mono'd under 200hz. The polysynth is centered but individual voices are panned (they should alternate left/right). Is that the one you are referring to? If so, I can fix that.

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:58 pm
by TimBuys
Sounds sweet, definitely one of the best tracks I've heard by you. Keep it up :).

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 4:22 am
by The_G
I think I've fixed all the issues raised. Check it out and let me know what you think.

https://soundcloud.com/the-g-music/freeway/s-iLzIq

(And Mattias, I figured out what was wrong with the balancing. I had a phase setting on the filter that was pushing most information between 80-300hz to the right side. Should be fixed now.)

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2017 9:54 am
by Root
Way better!!! That panning problem killed it before to me. Maybe, the strings could be a tick louder and/or brighter (open LPfilter), connecting more to that high pass percussion/tom whatever on top. Great atmosphere!

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 3:31 pm
by paul-slacknoise
Great! Sound reminds me a bit of the mulholland drive opening. I like it a lot. would also be keen to listen to the album. cheers

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 4:19 pm
by matt1171
Hey, sounds interesting and a good opener! I wasn't sure if you were looking for comments on it or not but a few things I noticed. I would look at the panning as the track sounds heavily panned to the right speaker. Just think the panning needs to be a bit more balanced i.e. the whole track shifted over to the left speaker a bit more. Also I think a bit more reverb automated in places could work, also a sine wave sub underneath to give an extra layer/dimension/depth to the track. Not too loud, just there to fill the track out a bit more. Obviously these are all creative opinions which you might not agree with but I do think the panning needs to be fixed.

Cheers

Re: Concrete Island - Freeway

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 4:15 am
by The_G
matt1171 wrote:Hey, sounds interesting and a good opener! I wasn't sure if you were looking for comments on it or not but a few things I noticed. I would look at the panning as the track sounds heavily panned to the right speaker. Just think the panning needs to be a bit more balanced i.e. the whole track shifted over to the left speaker a bit more. Also I think a bit more reverb automated in places could work, also a sine wave sub underneath to give an extra layer/dimension/depth to the track. Not too loud, just there to fill the track out a bit more. Obviously these are all creative opinions which you might not agree with but I do think the panning needs to be fixed.

Cheers
Thanks for the input and suggestions! On panning: already fixed, see my comment above (and new version).