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steve010101

steve010101

Cape Town, South Africa
Joined : 9th Apr 2014 - 10 years ago
Comments on steve010101 tracks

Other users have posted 85 comments on tracks by steve010101

Comments 51 - 75 of 85
RenzWilde
RenzWilde 28th Jun 2014 01:50 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Some really cool sounds in this track. The intro, builds, stops and starts all sound great and makes the track feel a lot shorter than almost 6 minutes.

Good job man.
RW
StaticNomad
StaticNomad 28th Jun 2014 00:28 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Yo. You reply quickly and intelligently. Some people do neither. Good stuff.

Yes, I was surprised at the lack of bass in this. Most people into dnb go crazy for it, me very much included.

“I personally like it when a track comes back to its heart”

I totally agree and I do that a lot in my own work, including what I call ‘bookending’, where I start and end a track with similar sections. However, in my tracks, there are journeys through so many sections and changes so bringing it back to the heart, the original vibe, I find binds it all together a bit better. Like finally returning to your original point during a conversation that has taken in many topics.

But, here’s the problem with how you’ve done it in your track. You’ve basically got a quiet intro and built that to something good and powerful. But you’ve then gone straight back to that same intro and built it again in almost exactly the same way as before (perhaps just straight copy and paste of parts). It’s not really interesting to hear it twice in such quick succession as I know what’s coming.

Now, if you stick in a different section to break up that return to the quiet intro build, that might well work. That would be ‘returning to the heart’ after a while away from it.

Or, you can go for what I suggested, which is stick some mid-level intense beats in there (eg fat midtempo ones), which will keep the energy going nicely after dropping back down from that first dnb section.

That’s why I said you need to think much harder about your structure as you have good elements but I think a cleverer structure, with a better flow of energy, would help a lot. But no problem if you totally disagree regarding suggestions for this track. You did say “you've given me a lot to think about for future tracks” so that’ll do for me.
steve010101
steve010101 replied 28th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
I totally get what you're saying. I think that because I haven't fully developed my musical ear, I am prone to coming back to old habits/routines. I also have a habit of mixing genres when perhaps sticking to one is best. I often feel that I cant improve upon a section in a song, so I instinctively just repeat it.

I'll definitely pay more attention to this in the future though. As for this track, its been a learning curve.

Again, thanks for the advice.

Kind regards,

Steve
Spivkurl
Spivkurl 27th Jun 2014 20:28 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
This is a pumpin mix! I dig it! The synths you've used sound really nice. The vocal parts work great for this style of song! Definitely the sort of track I can get into. Excellent work! Fave!
Billydragon1
Billydragon1 27th Jun 2014 13:46 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
This is different. DNB was one of my early favourite genres - Goldie, Grooverider, etc
I like anything with flutes. Good buildup and introduction before the main drums kick in at 1.40. Then the quiet parts again, I would have carried on with the synths here(or another pad) from the busy section before or have them going at a lower level then fading it up incremently.
But DnB brings back many memories for me and your song definitely did. Thanks for sharing. - B
StaticNomad
StaticNomad 27th Jun 2014 12:07 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4sPkS8b62Q

Remember that song?

Anyway, yours is good too. Very beautiful on 0:23. Flute sample blended with vocal?

0:44 classic little filtered dnb beat plus simple blocky chords and vocalisations. All sitting nicely.

Building now and kick drum build means it's going to drop and go big.

1:39 it does drop and it's good. Problem is that lead trancey synth is too loud, getting in way of drums. And there's no real bassline. Not sure I can hear one at all so it sounds too thin. No bottom, you see.

Back to quiet. Problem here is that you've kind of gone right back to the same structure as you already covered. So, it's not so interesting to hear pretty much the same build again. I thought it looked like an odd structure just from viewing the waveform and before pressing play.

Still no proper bass in second big breakout. There is an off beat sort of bassline but it's not covering the low end. I'd keep it in but add the low end the track is crying out for.

5:10 return to flute sounds good again.

I like your elements but think you need to think much harder about your structure.

On 2:23 I'd probably kick into a fat mid tempo killer groove ie not d'n'b at all. A whole range of good ones will slot right in (eg many from my track Trial By Ordeal that you liked) so give some a go as that'll help a lot with the structure.

Hope those suggestions are of some use.
steve010101
steve010101 replied 27th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Good tips. I definitely need to get some bass going on in there after the drop. I also agree that the the 'punctuated' end of the big synth section is a little too immediate. In fact, all my uploads have a strong punctuated end at some point in the track -- something I need to work on. As for the repetition, thats probably the influence of all the psytrance I listen to. I personally like it when a track comes back to its heart, so I'd probably keep the repetition in there -- its just a personal preferance of mine.

Good advice though -- you've given me a lot to think about for future tracks.

Kind regards,

Steve
Oxnitrogen
Oxnitrogen 27th Jun 2014 11:04 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Wow wow wow,
simply magic.Keep it up bro
steve010101
steve010101 replied 27th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks man. Really appreciate the comment!

Kind regards,

Steve
kelanuvelle
kelanuvelle 27th Jun 2014 03:31 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Nice Work! I wrote an entire song to this instrumental in less than 5 seconds! That's how much it got me pumped and how beautifully it flowed. The drum pattern had me up dancing. I don't know WHY but this reminds me of Janelle Monae. Possibly something she'd dance to in her black and white. I SUCK at feedback if you couldn't tell.. but a good track is a good track and overall you've got gold here.

If you don't mind or have the time, check out my "Jonestown massacre" track on my profile, (its also available on iTunes #shamelessplug) I made the beat for that song with loops I found on this site. I wrote/performed the vocals for it too. New to this site so if you're down to collab maybe we can hook something up!?

-Kèla
steve010101
steve010101 replied 27th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks for the kind words. I'm still kind of finding my own sound, so a collab is a bit out of my comfort zone. Thanks for the offer though.

Kind regards,

Steve
Cestevens1783
Cestevens1783 27th Jun 2014 02:14 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Again, I love it. I am definitely keeping a look out for more from you. Another download from me.
-Charlene
steve010101
steve010101 replied 27th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks again Charlene, glad you liked it!

Kind regards,

Steve
lakeway915
lakeway915 27th Jun 2014 01:16 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Really nice track! Like the progression of chords at 1:17. Really nice! Keep it up!
steve010101
steve010101 replied 27th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks a lot! Yeah, that little section has a bit of a 'jump' to it, which kind of leads into the break.

Thanks for the kinds words.

Kind regards,

Steve
GramoChopin
GramoChopin 26th Jun 2014 22:19 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Nice synths and vocals. I agree with SJ though on some things. There needs to be a bit more punch in the drums and kick. It's not fleshed out enough, the flute however sounds fine to me when it came in. This has more of a dance like vibe going on rather than dnb. Mainly because there isn't a roll to it, not much at least. Just a bit of honest critique, I never sugar coat my words if i hear something I think could be better. Come back to this one over time, great track. peace

Gramo/Neo
steve010101
steve010101 replied 26th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
I followed your suggestions and the kicks and drums are a lot stronger now.

I tend to underpower my drums and kicks on my tracks, which is a bad habit of mine. I replaced the original kick with a more agressive one this time and turned up the knob on the side-chaining -- has much more powerful punch now.

Yeah, this probably is more Dance than Drum and Base, or something in between.

Thanks for the suggestions/comment.

Kind regards,

Steve
SeriouslyJoking
SeriouslyJoking 26th Jun 2014 21:17 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Yes!
I hear the changes - sounds better.
The drums really do come through punchier now and the reverb works, and the little vocal in the end - LOVE it!
steve010101
steve010101 replied 26th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
I'm glad you liked the changes!

Kind regards,

Steve
SeriouslyJoking
SeriouslyJoking 26th Jun 2014 14:52 - 10 years ago

on Miss You - Reworked by steve010101
Very good chilled parts and the intro is amazing, I love that autotuned (?) vocal sample there right in the beginning - you could bring it back later on also, it's really beautiful that way.

The uptempo parts could have more movement and some more punch in the drumline and more...reverb (I tend to missuse and overuse reverb because I love the sound of it but here you almost have a little too dry sounds mixed together I think).
The flute sample definitely needs more reverb and maybe a hint of delay?
These are just a few suggestions I thought of while listening, but I'm an amatour with a bit of unusual musical taste so don't take this too seriously... =)
There will be better guidelines coming from the others here.

But a GREAT start!
DnB is one of my old favourite genres so I'll be keeping an eye on this to hear how it developes.

Cheers!
/SJ =)
steve010101
steve010101 replied 26th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Yeah, I totally agree with the uptempo part -- it sounded a bit weak and 'muddy', if that's the right word. I changed up the the pad to be a bit more aggressive and clean (I think it sound a lot more powerful now).

I side-chained the drum pattern, so it comes out a lot clearer and louder now. As for the reverb, I also tend to overdo it, so I decided to do less this time -- bad mistake! I put more reverb on the vocals and flute and you were absolutely right, it does sound a lot better.

I also put the intro vocals at the end, since you liked them so much.

Again, thanks for the good suggestions/advice -- sometimes I get too close to a track and can't hear it properly any more -- so another set of ears is of great importance.

Thanks again.

Kind regards,

Steve
joecramer
joecramer 23rd Jun 2014 18:01 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
What a nice piece of music. I liked the voicesound, it´s very cool. And also al this "little" sounds around. First time i listen to it with not much volume and then i read the comments and THEN i read something about drums :) .... ok others already told you about them .... i realy didnd hear them the first listen :) but all sounded good to me.
For my opinion the way from part 2 to 3 is a bit hard to go. I needed a few seconds and i was not realy sure if its the same song. But thats just my believe.

All sounds very well to me and i could could listen to it without any problems two times.

Good work
joe
joecramer
joecramer 23rd Jun 2014 16:39 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
What a nice piece of music. I liked the voicesound, it´s very cool. And also al this "little" sounds around. First time i listen to it with not much volume and then i read the comments and THEN i read something about drums :) .... ok others already told you about them .... i realy didnd hear them the first listen :) but all sounded good to me.
For my opinion the way from part 2 to 3 is a bit hard to go. I needed a few seconds and i was not realy sure if its the same song. But thats just my believe.

All sounds very well to me and i could could listen to it without any problems two times.

Good work
joe
Phyruis
Phyruis 23rd Jun 2014 11:26 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
the intro is amazing nice work brother....

those drums do need to be crisper.. all of which can be done in post production with eq and some compression..

just and idea I would try reversing those bird sounds as a layer in the back ground..

some nice work just needs a bloody good going over in post production .. you could have yourself a banger here if you could get that right..

nice one ...keep 'em coming brother
steve010101
steve010101 replied 23rd Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Yeah, the drums need to shine more, no doubt. I need to read up more on mixing, particularly equalizing and mastering though, that area is still rather confusing to me. Prior to this track, I didn't even know that sub-bass was a thing and I tended to ignore equalizing all together! Regardless, this was a fun track to work on.

Kind regards,

Steve
BadTrailer
BadTrailer 23rd Jun 2014 03:22 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
This was a fun listen
Someone earlier mentioned that the panning was kind of heavy handed but I like the movement in it.
I love the sonics of it and it remains musical.
Definately a Fav and it will warrant atleast a half dozen more plays/discoveries.
Peace
BT
steve010101
steve010101 replied 23rd Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks for the comment. I find it interesting that you and M8TN have opposing views on the vocal panning. I think that because the track is very experimental, there are no 'genre guidelines' as to what it should sound like, so its down to the listener's gut to decide. When creating this track, I was going for a sensory experience over a purely musical experience. When doing the panning on the vocals, the image I had in mind was of some ethereal spirit dancing around you.

That being said, to find the sweet spot between the sensory and the musical can only be done by getting feedback from all you guys that comment, which I really appreciate.

Thanks for the comment.

Kind regards,

Steve
M8TN
M8TN 22nd Jun 2014 12:37 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
I like a lot of your tracks, this again is very beautiful to listen. (the panning up to 2:13 with headphones is a bit obvious, I think too much, after that I really love it)
take it easy
steve010101
steve010101 replied 22nd Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Good ear. I listened to the vocals again, reduced the panning a bit and it sounds a lot smoother! Good advice.

Kind regards,

Steve
Cestevens1783
Cestevens1783 21st Jun 2014 23:02 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
Again, a great trip. Beautiful is a word I am thinking here, I love it, thank you again!!
-Charlene
steve010101
steve010101 replied 21st Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks, that really means a lot to me.

Kind regards,

Steve
SeriouslyJoking
SeriouslyJoking 21st Jun 2014 20:10 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
I very much enjoyed listening to this piece of great music, it has a bit of everything in it, great dynamics and movement, chilled parts and the beautiful sounds of nature...
A fascinating piece!

Can't say much about the techinacal part though, I'm a novice myself. But cool panning. The drums drowning in the first part really didn't bother me. Great use of the vocal. Loved the piano coming through the rain!
Thanks for the DL.
steve010101
steve010101 replied 21st Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks for the kind words! I always start a track with a specific genre in mind, but it always ends up as a fusion of multiple genres.

Kind regards,

Steve
Spivkurl
Spivkurl 21st Jun 2014 18:49 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
I like about anything with nice bird songs, so I liked this from the beginning! The really big sounding synth in parts is really cool! I think the mix sounds very good, including panning and EQ. My only personal preference that isn't satisfied is that the drums are very low and not really there in the earlier parts of the song. It's not a big deal though, because I realize that's not what you were going for. The thumder sounded like it was coming from outside! Nice organic feel you achieved, well done!
steve010101
steve010101 replied 21st Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Truth be told, I really wanted the drums in the early part the song to be more prominent. I tried sidechaining the kicks and removing the low end of the pads, but I just couldn't get them to shine out over the pads and vocals -- I just don't have the technical skills to get this right.

Anyway, thanks a lot for the comment. Creating this track has taught me many skills I hope to use in the future.

Kind regards,

Steve
FreeRadical
FreeRadical 21st Jun 2014 17:55 - 10 years ago

on Two Seasons by steve010101
I like the way you blend the vocals in with the synth. The intro reminded me a little of an old war flute player or something. The bird noises are pretty trippy as is the vocal with the panning effect. It's a hard track to put in any particular genre so i'll have to say it's a pretty original piece.
Good work.
FR
steve010101
steve010101 replied 21st Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Yeah, the natural/organic sounds were great to play around with.

Thanks for the comment.

Kind regards,

Steve
M8TN
M8TN 18th Jun 2014 15:58 - 10 years ago

on Finding You - Version 2 by steve010101
big atmosphere and I love the rhytms you have. I didnt read the description at first (sorry) then I hear Alan Watts :D yea man, nice one :)
steve010101
steve010101 replied 19th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Yeah, Alan Watts has clear, strong voice that lends itself incredibly well to music! The man speaks poetry.

Thanks for the comment.

Kind regards,

Steve
Cestevens1783
Cestevens1783 16th Jun 2014 04:10 - 10 years ago

on Finding You - Version 2 by steve010101
Of douse I had to dl the update, and leave another two cents. Sounds great! Thank you
-Charlene
steve010101
steve010101 replied 19th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks - I hope to make more like this in the future.

Kind regards,

Steve
BCVProductions
BCVProductions 15th Jun 2014 20:32 - 10 years ago

on Finding You - Version 2 by steve010101
Oh Snap! This track got proper all of a sudden with just a few changes. Keep tweaking, it's paying off bigtime!
Automation is the key imo.
Good job.
-Slimm
steve010101
steve010101 replied 19th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
Thanks for the kind words and advice.

Kind regards,

Steve
ValveDriver
ValveDriver 15th Jun 2014 11:56 - 10 years ago

on Finding You - Version 2 by steve010101
Nice. I like what you did with the panning. Especially on that big chorus pad. The drums sound better too!
I don't know if you're still working with one speaker, but if you are, it's pretty impressive to get that done with one ear!
That little voice is a neat one. It stays with you after the track is finished. It definitely adds to the whole dreamy-chill factor.
Again, excellent work. Keep 'em comin'!
Take care.
V.
steve010101
steve010101 replied 15th Jun 2014 - 10 years ago
I found my headphones, so I finally got the panning done. As you suggested, I added a bit of delay to the chorus pad to smooth it out. I also mirrored the chorus pad with a Saw, to give the sound a more 'bold' tone.

Thanks for the suggestions though, it has really helped bring this track to life.

Kind regards,

-Steve
Comments 51 - 75 of 85