Very dreamy and euphoric pads at least 4 different types some kinda organic sounding. Lots of delay and reverb. 0:00-0:07 Reverse Vocal effect (side-chained?) along with filter sweep 0:08 "Ahh" same vocal sample with side-chained compression 0:11 Light Guitar chord comes in on 1/4 notes 0:23 "Ahh" Vocal sample not ducking. 0:30 Big Sweep 0:37 Chopped Vocal sample "ah, ah, ah" leads directly into:
0:38- 1:08 BREAKDOWN:
0:38 (LEAD) Huge Layered "80s style" Virbrato saw synth is synchronized with Kick drum hits -notes are sustained 4 seconds until next riff. 0:38 Arpeggiator in the high end playing 16th notes adds suspense. 0:56 One of my favorite parts is this drum fill which keeps the momentum 1:01 Final Build with claps on the 2 and 4, fast kick (16ths) and snare hits and the end
1:08 CHORUS or "DROP"
Starts with a solo'ed downward Bass bend/slide. This is were things get very interesting. Various clips of one bar layered riffs undergo heavy limiting and compression to get that pumping effect. The instrumentation is various disco stabs, choir stabs such as the ones heard at 1:11 1/8 note guitars and riffs etc. 1:21 1 bar fill at the end of the first 8 that is similar to intro synths. Next 8 Bars include a hi-hat pattern and even more layered sounds. 1:37 1 bar fill makes the transition from Chorus to verse almost seamless by utilizing a sound similar to that of the beginning. This really keeps the energy of track flowing.
1:39 VERSE
8 bar with a dark bass stab every bar on the first kick and plucky lead from the 1 bar fill in chorus. Very ambient pads almost overwhelming. 1:55 Kick Drops and you are left with original ambience from the intro accompanied by strings. 2:13 Build Beginning with similar snare hits at the end
2:30 SECOND CHORUS
Even more layered instruments as well as noticeable vocal samples such as at 2:53 "yeah" My favorite added synth is the bending riff at 2:50 actually composed of an original guitar sounding pitched bending synth and then finished with a standard saw synth riff.
3:00 OUTRO
Featuring original lead synth from the original drop layered a little bit on the higher side at the end. Goes along with a simple 4 x 4 beat.
All production, mixing and mastering on this and his original productions were done by Madeon in his basement using FL Studio. The best part is Hugo Pierre Leclercq or Madeon just turned 18. He is now signed to mau5trap records, deadmau5's label. One could now assume that his upcoming tracks will be mixed and mastered by mau5trap engineers of which I couldn't find any names besides Joel Zimmerman, deadmau5, who is known to mix and master his own tracks.
I think his mix is fabulous for the style and genre. First things first kick and snare are heavily limited and can be heard pumping through out. I'm not sure if the mixing or arrangement of all these different clips is more challenging. Madeon insist that he mixes while he goes so when it comes to a final mix, he isn't left with much to do. The first time I heard this I was completely blown away. I know he may be regarded as a clique or "mainstream" EDM artist but I believe his style, especially at his young age, is truly uplifting and inspiring.
Second Track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8u3hV3_yCQ King Tubby - Conversation Dub BPM: 134
0:00 - 0:20 INTRO: 0:00 4 bar vocal intro "Ah Reggae Music" 0:06 8 Bars of Simple powerful bass line enters 0:12 and 0:15 Layered snare hits with a heavy reverb, especially on the second hit. 0:19 Congo sounding fill before kick and snare drop
0:20 - 0:55 Verse Kick on the one and Big snare on the 3 in the first 4 bars. High hat and bongo pattern. 0:27 Guitar strums come in one the 2 and 4 0:28 Organ Lead comes in and plays a little riff 0:37 Famous Dub Delay of one of the organ notes fades out.
0:55 - 1:12 CHORUS Kick and majority of high hats and congo cut out. 1:03 Guitar and Original Lead riff return
1:13 - 2:24 VERSE Same as original verse.
2:24 - 2:51 CHORUS Same sort of drop Chorus arrangement with no kick and minimal percussion.
2:51 - 3:07 OUTRO Same as verse.
King Tubby composed, produced and mastered this song himself. What I love about King Tubby's production are his simple yet engaging melodies and the "dubby" sort of spacey feel which he coined. It is great music to relax to on the beach or while reading because it's very organic feel. I feel like it is mixed beautifully and all the elements of the song can be heard in there own space. Though it is a very small amount of instruments used no one item stands out in front of another. The most crucial part to me is the guitar "reggae chuck" which really keeps the rhythm going and the large snare, as the kick is not nearly as loud as in dance or hip-hop.
According to wikipedia Tubby was responsible for the concept of the remix. His Echo and Reverb effects were a staple of the Dub world. He has also remixed and engineered for Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, Augustus Pablo and Vivian Jackson.
I picked these two tracks to contrast each other. They are basically exact opposites in terms of genre, arrangement, instrumentation and production. Tubby's has relaxed copious amounts of space and a half-time rhythm whereas Madeon's jam packed four on the flour funky-disco-electro is very in your face. I hope you enjoy both tracks.
I will be working on an original drum and bass electronic track that I produced/arranged and composed in Ableton Live. The idea is a organic sounding intro with a acoustic piano that leads into a full orchestral breakdown/build up. This will build into a epic style chorus which I have written lyrics to as well, but probably won't be able to record them this time around. It will be composed of two half-time chorus (drumstep) and standard drum and bass verses with the kick on the 1 and the 3 1/2 and snares on the 2 and 4.
My timeline is pretty open. I am free after noon all day and evening Tuesday and Thursday and would love to get into the lab then, as I am starting to bar tend again on the weekends.
My mixing inspirations for this piece are definitely Netsky's "Come Alive". Netsky is the drum and bass master and this is one of his most epic pieces. I also love the production and mixing style of Glitch Mob, simple and fat sounds with choppy leads and drums, by far one of the most unique in EDM right now. Both of these producers use Ableton Live and I have spent excessive amounts of time researching there methods and setups.
I will be bringing my original audio files from my track "Lifeline" into Pro Tools and remix and re-arrange them, I am very unfamiliar with the DAW. I go into this project with nothing holding me back and I am very excited to work on this at a real console.
I expect to face many problems in my mixing phase especially since I have never used Pro Tools. I am fairly happy with the composition and arrangement of "Lifeline" so far, so that will not be much of an issue. I have a tendency to over do it and add unnecessary layers and elements. I want to produce a simple hard hitting professional sounding mix.
First Song: Metallica- Fuel Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2jgTMz4s_c BPM: about 130 Time Signature: 4/4
Time Code: 00:00-00:06 Car Tires Screeching and Engine noises 00:07-00:10 James Hetfield Vocals enter briefly 00:10-00:21 Drums enter with cymbals followed by guitar and bass with the main melody 00:22-00:26 New guitar melody is introduced before verse. 00:27-01:02 Verse 01:03-01:25 Chorus 01:26-01:42 Bridge/ repetition of main theme before verse again. 01:43-02:16 Verse with echoed words at the end directly into chorus 02:17-02:40 Chorus 02:40-03:20 Breakdown 03:21-03:45 Solo 03:46-04:20 Vocals slowly re-enter into another chorus, slightly modified 04:21-04:24 Original chorus 04:25-04:38 Guitar, Bass and Drums play bridge with short vocals overtop.
Levels (1-10, with ten being loudest)
Guitar (Lead) 6 at times and others 8 Guitar (Rhythm) stays fairly constant at about 8 Bass 6 Kick 6 Snare 7 Cymbals 7 Vocals 8
Pan (negative values indicate left and positive indicate right):
This song was produced by Bob Rock in cohesion with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Brian Dobbs and Randy Staub were the engineers for the entire ReLoad album in which "fuel" was released in 1998. Brian Dobbs has also worked with Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. The mastering engineer was George Marino, who also worked with AC/DC and Black Label Society. In terms of mix I think that for the genre it is what I want to hear. Everything in the mix is very clear and nothing his really hidden or abstract. I think for the "gear heads" that this song appeals to the mix really does the song justice by just being straight forward., almost like all they engineers wanted was to just capture the performance and make it a little loud. There's seemingly very little "fancy tricks" in this mix. In terms of effects it seems like there might be some slight reverb on the vocals if any, and at times a subtle delay. This song was, to me, mixed in more of a "pop" style than a heavy metal one.
This song is a genre a do not normally listen to, which is why I picked it. Also this song was mastered by George Marino who also worked with (Dio and Tokyo), and allowed to contrast the Metallica post. It was produced by Val Garay, Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein, Gordie Johnson. The song was mixed by Val Garay, who has worked with Santana and Queensryche. I really enjoyed this mix and after listening over and over again many times I think this is a genre I should expose myself to more. I really liked the vocal effects that take place about 01:37 into the song. It sounds t me like there was a doubled vocal with possibly a octave type effect on it, frankly I'm not really sure but it was really cool. I also liked the backing vocals that were not too apparent in the mix but definately supported the vocals for a nice pop. The horns also do a great job of filling out the extra space in the mix and only becoming super apparent when necessary such as during the solo. I realy love the sound of the snare, it sounds almost as though they mic'ed top and bottom to give it a nice warm crack. It sounds like at some points the backing vocals act as a double vocal track because of how similar in tone they are. Overall I think this a terrific song, mix and writing and adding super big sounding horns towards the end.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFirst Track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHs99iVpnXU
ReplyDeleteMadeon - Icarus (Extended Mix)
BPM :126
Year: 2012
0:00 - 0:38 INTRO: My favorite part of the track.
Very dreamy and euphoric pads at least 4 different types some kinda
organic sounding. Lots of delay and reverb.
0:00-0:07 Reverse Vocal effect (side-chained?) along with filter sweep
0:08 "Ahh" same vocal sample with side-chained compression
0:11 Light Guitar chord comes in on 1/4 notes
0:23 "Ahh" Vocal sample not ducking.
0:30 Big Sweep
0:37 Chopped Vocal sample "ah, ah, ah" leads directly into:
0:38- 1:08 BREAKDOWN:
0:38 (LEAD) Huge Layered "80s style" Virbrato saw synth is
synchronized with Kick drum hits
-notes are sustained 4 seconds until next riff.
0:38 Arpeggiator in the high end playing 16th notes adds suspense.
0:56 One of my favorite parts is this drum fill which keeps the momentum
1:01 Final Build with claps on the 2 and 4, fast kick (16ths) and
snare hits and the end
1:08 CHORUS or "DROP"
Starts with a solo'ed downward Bass bend/slide. This is were things
get very interesting. Various clips of one bar layered riffs undergo
heavy limiting and compression to get that pumping effect. The
instrumentation is various disco stabs, choir stabs such as the ones
heard at 1:11 1/8 note guitars and riffs etc.
1:21 1 bar fill at the end of the first 8 that is similar to intro synths.
Next 8 Bars include a hi-hat pattern and even more layered sounds.
1:37 1 bar fill makes the transition from Chorus to verse almost
seamless by utilizing a sound similar to that of the beginning. This
really keeps the energy of track flowing.
1:39 VERSE
8 bar with a dark bass stab every bar on the first kick and plucky
lead from the 1 bar fill in chorus. Very ambient pads almost
overwhelming.
1:55 Kick Drops and you are left with original ambience from the intro
accompanied by strings.
2:13 Build Beginning with similar snare hits at the end
2:30 SECOND CHORUS
Even more layered instruments as well as noticeable vocal samples such
as at 2:53 "yeah"
My favorite added synth is the bending riff at 2:50 actually composed
of an original guitar sounding pitched bending synth and then finished
with a standard saw synth riff.
3:00 OUTRO
Featuring original lead synth from the original drop layered a little
bit on the higher side at the end. Goes along with a simple 4 x 4
beat.
All production, mixing and mastering on this and his original
productions were done by Madeon in his basement using FL Studio. The
best part is Hugo Pierre Leclercq or Madeon just turned 18. He is now
signed to mau5trap records, deadmau5's label.
One could now assume that his upcoming tracks will be mixed and
mastered by mau5trap engineers of which I couldn't find any names
besides Joel Zimmerman, deadmau5, who is known to mix and master his
own tracks.
I think his mix is fabulous for the style and genre. First things first kick and snare are heavily limited and can be heard pumping through out. I'm not sure if the mixing or arrangement of all these different clips is more challenging. Madeon insist that he mixes while he goes so when it comes to a final mix, he isn't left with much to do. The first time I heard this I was completely blown away. I know he may be regarded as a clique or "mainstream" EDM artist but I believe his style, especially at his young age, is truly uplifting and inspiring.
Second Track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8u3hV3_yCQ
ReplyDeleteKing Tubby - Conversation Dub
BPM: 134
0:00 - 0:20 INTRO:
0:00 4 bar vocal intro "Ah Reggae Music"
0:06 8 Bars of Simple powerful bass line enters
0:12 and 0:15 Layered snare hits with a heavy reverb, especially on the second hit.
0:19 Congo sounding fill before kick and snare drop
0:20 - 0:55 Verse
Kick on the one and Big snare on the 3 in the first 4 bars.
High hat and bongo pattern.
0:27 Guitar strums come in one the 2 and 4
0:28 Organ Lead comes in and plays a little riff
0:37 Famous Dub Delay of one of the organ notes fades out.
0:55 - 1:12 CHORUS
Kick and majority of high hats and congo cut out.
1:03 Guitar and Original Lead riff return
1:13 - 2:24 VERSE
Same as original verse.
2:24 - 2:51 CHORUS
Same sort of drop Chorus arrangement with no kick and minimal percussion.
2:51 - 3:07 OUTRO
Same as verse.
King Tubby composed, produced and mastered this song himself. What I love about King Tubby's production are his simple yet engaging melodies and the "dubby" sort of spacey feel which he coined. It is great music to relax to on the beach or while reading because it's very organic feel. I feel like it is mixed beautifully and all the elements of the song can be heard in there own space. Though it is a very small amount
of instruments used no one item stands out in front of another. The most crucial part to me is the guitar "reggae chuck" which really keeps the rhythm going and the large snare, as the kick is not nearly as loud as in dance or hip-hop.
According to wikipedia Tubby was responsible for the concept of the remix. His Echo and Reverb effects were a staple of the Dub world. He has also remixed and engineered for Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, Augustus Pablo and Vivian Jackson.
I picked these two tracks to contrast each other. They are basically exact opposites in terms of genre, arrangement, instrumentation and production. Tubby's has relaxed copious amounts of space and a half-time rhythm whereas Madeon's jam packed four on the flour funky-disco-electro is very in your face. I hope you enjoy both tracks.
Respectfully,
Connor Smith
www.soundcloud.com/cashsmith
Minor Project Proposal
ReplyDeleteI will be working on an original drum and bass electronic track that I produced/arranged and composed in Ableton Live. The idea is a organic sounding intro with a acoustic piano that leads into a full orchestral breakdown/build up. This will build into a epic style chorus which I have written lyrics to as well, but probably won't be able to record them this time around. It will be composed of two half-time chorus (drumstep) and standard drum and bass verses with the kick on the 1 and the 3 1/2 and snares on the 2 and 4.
My timeline is pretty open. I am free after noon all day and evening Tuesday and Thursday and would love to get into the lab then, as I am starting to bar tend again on the weekends.
My mixing inspirations for this piece are definitely Netsky's "Come Alive". Netsky is the drum and bass master and this is one of his most epic pieces. I also love the production and mixing style of Glitch Mob, simple and fat sounds with choppy leads and drums, by far one of the most unique in EDM right now. Both of these producers use Ableton Live and I have spent excessive amounts of time researching there methods and setups.
I will be bringing my original audio files from my track "Lifeline" into Pro Tools and remix and re-arrange them, I am very unfamiliar with the DAW. I go into this project with nothing holding me back and I am very excited to work on this at a real console.
I expect to face many problems in my mixing phase especially since I have never used Pro Tools. I am fairly happy with the composition and arrangement of "Lifeline" so far, so that will not be much of an issue. I have a tendency to over do it and add unnecessary layers and elements. I want to produce a simple hard hitting professional sounding mix.
CS
First Song: Metallica- Fuel
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2jgTMz4s_c
BPM: about 130
Time Signature: 4/4
Time Code:
00:00-00:06 Car Tires Screeching and Engine noises
00:07-00:10 James Hetfield Vocals enter briefly
00:10-00:21 Drums enter with cymbals followed by guitar and bass with the main melody
00:22-00:26 New guitar melody is introduced before verse.
00:27-01:02 Verse
01:03-01:25 Chorus
01:26-01:42 Bridge/ repetition of main theme before verse again.
01:43-02:16 Verse with echoed words at the end directly into chorus
02:17-02:40 Chorus
02:40-03:20 Breakdown
03:21-03:45 Solo
03:46-04:20 Vocals slowly re-enter into another chorus, slightly modified
04:21-04:24 Original chorus
04:25-04:38 Guitar, Bass and Drums play bridge with short vocals overtop.
Levels (1-10, with ten being loudest)
Guitar (Lead) 6 at times and others 8
Guitar (Rhythm) stays fairly constant at about 8
Bass 6
Kick 6
Snare 7
Cymbals 7
Vocals 8
Pan (negative values indicate left and positive indicate right):
Guitar (Lead) 5
Guitar (Rhythm) -5
Bass -4
Kick 0
Snare 0
Cymbals 0
Vocals 0
This song was produced by Bob Rock in cohesion with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Brian Dobbs and Randy Staub were the engineers for the entire ReLoad album in which "fuel" was released in 1998. Brian Dobbs has also worked with Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. The mastering engineer was George Marino, who also worked with AC/DC and Black Label Society. In terms of mix I think that for the genre it is what I want to hear. Everything in the mix is very clear and nothing his really hidden or abstract. I think for the "gear heads" that this song appeals to the mix really does the song justice by just being straight forward., almost like all they engineers wanted was to just capture the performance and make it a little loud. There's seemingly very little "fancy tricks" in this mix. In terms of effects it seems like there might be some slight reverb on the vocals if any, and at times a subtle delay. This song was, to me, mixed in more of a "pop" style than a heavy metal one.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSecond Song: Reel Big Fish- Cheer Up
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n05Fsq5mASw
BPM:
Time Signature: 4/4 throughout
Time Code:
00:00-00:13 Intro- Guitar, Bass, Drums
00:14-00:32 Verse- backing vocals
00:33-00:46 Chorus
00:47-00:51 Short breakdown
00:52-01:11 Second Verse
00:12-01:25 Chorus
01:26-01:36 Breakdown 2
01:37-01:52 Short Verse (vocal effects)
01:53-02:02 Solo
02:03-02:44 Final Chorus, 2 times, "I've got a funny feeling" repeated util end
Levels:
Guitar 7
Bass 6
Horns 7
Kick 7
Snare 7
Cymbals 8
Vocals 8
Backing Vox 6
Pan:
Guitar -3
Bass 0
Horns -5/5 (stereo?)
Kick 2
Snare 0
Cymbal 2
Vocals 0
Back Vox 0
This song is a genre a do not normally listen to, which is why I picked it. Also this song was mastered by George Marino who also worked with (Dio and Tokyo), and allowed to contrast the Metallica post. It was produced by Val Garay, Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein, Gordie Johnson. The song was mixed by Val Garay, who has worked with Santana and Queensryche. I really enjoyed this mix and after listening over and over again many times I think this is a genre I should expose myself to more. I really liked the vocal effects that take place about 01:37 into the song. It sounds t me like there was a doubled vocal with possibly a octave type effect on it, frankly I'm not really sure but it was really cool. I also liked the backing vocals that were not too apparent in the mix but definately supported the vocals for a nice pop. The horns also do a great job of filling out the extra space in the mix and only becoming super apparent when necessary such as during the solo. I realy love the sound of the snare, it sounds almost as though they mic'ed top and bottom to give it a nice warm crack. It sounds like at some points the backing vocals act as a double vocal track because of how similar in tone they are. Overall I think this a terrific song, mix and writing and adding super big sounding horns towards the end.