What do you think of my music?

  On 8/22/2012 at 8:45 AM, The Bro said:

I make music because I love making music. I'm not sure what this I'm making music for the wrong reasons crap is about. Yeah I'd like it to be successful but take it from me I make the music I want to hear or try to. And yeah I want it to be successful - shit who doesn't?

 

Then why preoccupy yourself with whether people 'rate' it or not? Just keep making tracks and free yourself of the compulsion to start a new topic for every funk vignette that you crank out of your iPad apps even; show some restraint and people will likely be more interested...

 

I personally feel that your music is fine from a basic compositional perspective; at times you capture a vibe not unlike Mike P's Jake Slazenger moniker which I am a big fan of! What it lacks is a discernible audio imprint wherein I could hear 1 or 2 bars and instantly know that this is 'The Bro'... Producers like Lone and Burial are great for a number of reasons; not the least of which being that their unique production techniques, for better or for worse, make their sound instantly recognizable . The pervading aesthetics of their productions ARE their brand so they don't need to preoccupy themselves with anything peripheral to that in order to differentiate themselves. If one finds that loads of producers are apeing their sound, it's probably a safe bet that they've achieved this. I just don't hear this in your music yet.

If I were you I'd focus more on manipulating your samples until you find an aesthetic sense that defines you; something more specific that just making 'funk' music.

Furthermore, if you're actually preoccupying yourself with catering your music to WATMM's tastes (as you are ostensibly doing by even making this topic) then you ought to dirty up your productions; make 'em rougher around the edges; add more distortion to everything... WATMM likes it rough!

Yeah I guess the thing is 'my sound' has evolved from over the years where my tracks sounded very samey and were far more basic melodically. Now I do a lot tunes which are different genres/stlyes etc so can sound quite different from one and other. I guess my thing is using slap bass a lot in my tunes which is something I love and want to get better and better at utilizing.

 

Anyways I'm gonna take on board the comments from folks here as it does help my compositions. That said it can get frustrating when you put your heart and soul and days of refining into a production and then you don't get much interest but such is life. :-)

If you want to use slap bass then use a REAL slap bass.

Have you thought of going all in on the slap bass idea? I mean, as in getting an actual shit-hot funk bass player to lay down tracks for your music?

 

edit: ah squee just suggested that too...

Edited August 22, 2012 by kokeboka

You get 2-4 responses in pretty much every thread you create. That's more than most on here. Seems like a silly thing to complain about.

  On 8/22/2012 at 11:58 AM, Squee said:

If you want to use slap bass then use a REAL slap bass.

I dunno, a sampled slap bass can be pretty fucking awesome if you know how to use it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRTqvix_4lM

Sounds like an Amiga puzzle or platform game !

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRjlrFPy1Tg

This is starting to sound less and less like you wanting help with where to head with your music, and more like you being annoyed witj only getting 3 comments when you'd rather have 10. I may be an asshole, I may be wrong, and if that's the case I apologize, but you have to admit this is starting to sound a bit whiny.

 

Again, just make music for your own sake.

  On 8/22/2012 at 12:20 PM, Bewarethefriendlyfoil said:

You get 2-4 responses in pretty much every thread you create. That's more than most on here. Seems like a silly thing to complain about.

You got me wrong - I ain't complaining about the responses I get from here lol. In fact I'm very happy with the responses I get here. Its just self doubt in general as outside of WATMM I don't seem to get much interest. All I can do is keeping pushing my art to higher level in the hope that it connects with people emotionally.

 

As for real slap bass that I'm open to and have used real slap bass samples in a few tracks. I'm half thinking about learning the bass now although my timing is a bit sucky.

  On 8/22/2012 at 12:34 PM, modey said:

  On 8/22/2012 at 11:58 AM, Squee said:

If you want to use slap bass then use a REAL slap bass.

I dunno, a sampled slap bass can be pretty fucking awesome if you know how to use it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRTqvix_4lM

I agree, I like sampled slap bass too mainly 'cause it sounds different from real slap bass and can be more FM sounding.

  On 8/22/2012 at 12:51 PM, The Bro said:

  On 8/22/2012 at 12:20 PM, Bewarethefriendlyfoil said:

You get 2-4 responses in pretty much every thread you create. That's more than most on here. Seems like a silly thing to complain about.

You got me wrong - I ain't complaining about the responses I get from here lol. In fact I'm very happy with the responses I get here. Its just self doubt in general as outside of WATMM I don't seem to get much interest. All I can do is keeping pushing my art to higher level in the hope that it connects with people emotionally.

Well, you're not exactly alone in that. I'm quite new to the whole music thing, and I only get a few plays on eveything I put up. I have a few regular listeners and that's more than good enough for me.

 

I know what you mean, but becoming a popular electronic musician these days is pretty much impossible, without the right connections. You should do music because you like it. It sucks when you spend many hours/days on something, put it up in YLC and only get three plays, but that's just how things are. There's not enough listeners in the world for a million bedroom musicians.

 

Again, keep doing whatever you want to do. You'll pick up listeners along the way.

Edited August 22, 2012 by Bewarethefriendlyfoil

Why would you want your stuff to sound more FM sounding?

FM synthesis is ace - it's really physical sounding more so (IMO) than additive or subtractive synthesis.

It just seems weird to me that you would use something that SOUNDS like something but only more terrible, instead of just using the real thing. Like MIDI piano... why do people still use that?

 

Anyway, different strokes for different folks, right?

i'm all on board with the idea of REAL slap bass. Your tracks would be so more lively with a real slap bass (i find the rhythms lively and the slap bass would compliment them really well)

  On 8/22/2012 at 12:20 PM, Bewarethefriendlyfoil said:

You get 2-4 responses in pretty much every thread you create. That's more than most on here. Seems like a silly thing to complain about.

  On 8/22/2012 at 12:35 PM, Bewarethefriendlyfoil said:

This is starting to sound less and less like you wanting help with where to head with your music, and more like you being annoyed witj only getting 3 comments when you'd rather have 10. I may be an asshole, I may be wrong, and if that's the case I apologize, but you have to admit this is starting to sound a bit whiny.

Totally. Thanks for putting it a lot less dickishly than I did.

 

  On 8/22/2012 at 12:51 PM, The Bro said:

Its just self doubt in general as outside of WATMM I don't seem to get much interest. All I can do is keeping pushing my art to higher level in the hope that it connects with people emotionally.

Well, you can either do it by attempting to appeal to others' fickle tastes as it appears you are doing now, or you can make it as awesome for yourself as you possibly can. I only think the second approach is worthwhile - people recognize sincerity and even if they don't, at least that way you have some sweet tunes to listen to.

 

Anyway, you get tons more comments, listens, and favorites on Soundcloud than I do so you must be doing something right in the public interest department.

if i don't see a promo thread asking for bass guitar recommendations i'll be very disappointed

 

you don't even need to learn to play straight away, jsut slap that sexy thing

 

breakdance and bass slapping would be good too.. if you learn to play, and can spin on your head.. doing both at once as the lead binds you would be a sight to see

edit: and pulls you towards the amp

 

edit 2: and the amp is situated behind the crowd, so you spin through the crowd

 

ok i'm going mental

  On 8/22/2012 at 2:03 PM, Squee said:

It just seems weird to me that you would use something that SOUNDS like something but only more terrible, instead of just using the real thing. Like MIDI piano... why do people still use that?

 

Anyway, different strokes for different folks, right?

Why do people still use synthesized versions of anything? Why does most electronic music still contain reproductions of acoustic drums (ie. kick, snare, hihats etc)? I'm not saying Bro's slap bass was particularly aesthetically pleasing, but sometimes it just fits in with the sound of the track. For example, I don't think that Rustie song with the Seinfeld-y bass would sound any good with a live bass player. It needs to be rigid and ridiculous. Then again, I might be the odd one out in that regard, seems most of watmm hates that bass sound..

  On 8/22/2012 at 7:53 PM, modey said:

  On 8/22/2012 at 2:03 PM, Squee said:

It just seems weird to me that you would use something that SOUNDS like something but only more terrible, instead of just using the real thing. Like MIDI piano... why do people still use that?

 

Anyway, different strokes for different folks, right?

Why do people still use synthesized versions of anything? Why does most electronic music still contain reproductions of acoustic drums (ie. kick, snare, hihats etc)?

 

I use electronic reproductions of drums because I can get them to sound different than normal drums and the way I want them to sound. Plus, drums, snares, hihats etc. are can be recreated in a bunch of different ways and still sound good - depending on the genre of course. Slap bass on the other hand (like so many other instruments) has a very specific sound, and when you try to reproduce it with FM synthesis or whatever it will end up sounding cheap and fake as hell. The same goes for fake strings. But of course, it all boils down to what genre you're working on. For instance, Data's music under the Mitch Murder alias works PERFECTLY with synthesized instruments, because it fits the sound of his music. I just don't think the fake slap bass is doing Promo's music any good.

 

Here's a thought experiment. Think of one of Eric Satie's Gymnopedies... sounds good, doesn't it? Now imagine it being played on a midi keyboard. Sounds like shit, doesn't it?

  On 8/22/2012 at 7:53 PM, modey said:

For example, I don't think that Rustie song with the Seinfeld-y bass would sound any good with a live bass player. It needs to be rigid and ridiculous. Then again, I might be the odd one out in that regard, seems most of watmm hates that bass sound..

 

Isn't that a DX-7 preset? I like that slap bass sound too, but it has to have a specific context to it - mostly because it's incredibly dated and largely associated with cheesy 80's pop, IMO. The reason why it works in that Rustie song is because the whole production is openly cheesier than bollywood, so the more clichéd the better. It's like those DX-7 horn and rhodes sounds, they immediately make you think Phil Collins if you're not twisting them inside out. If you're going all in on cheesiness you make that association work in your favour.

Edited August 22, 2012 by kokeboka

Slap bass to me is just funky whether is synth or real. I just love it.

  On 8/22/2012 at 9:10 PM, The Bro said:

Slap bass to me is just funky whether is synth or real. I just love it.

well dude, ive been playing slap for about 5-6 years now. if you ever want a quick lick ill be there to drop you one if you want.

You should just build tracks around the slap. I'm not being sarcastic, seriously just go balls out. Everything else in the track should just bolster the slap or get thrown in the garbage. You might find something interesting by going all the way.

just wanted to say it's not bad using any synthetic sounds. just make it work for YOU.