Hmmmm. I've heard better and worse. Fairly nondescript from a compositional/performance viewpoint. As for the mix, there are no dynamics, it's all just "lying there", no variation from the beginning to the end. Especially the "drums", there are normally "dips" and "peaks" of volume levels that help to build the foundation of the song - it's drive, if you will. None of that is evident here.
The technology at hand should steer young players to strive for individuality and emotional "soul" in their compositional skills, instead of stealing it away from them. As a student of Bob Moog's vision 40 years ago, I am stunned and saddedned by the way people are using technology to mimic what has already been done...to death. I mean, do we really NEED another swept filter, another pulse-modulated waveform whining helplessly?
The musicianship is there, I believe. You and your friends need to learn how to open it up and try new avenues, not the same old same old. Sorry for the rant. You probably just wanted confirmation that the kick needed to be -2.5 dB at 47Hz.

let me say from the start this is not my favorite kind of music ... but the bit from 3:49 on is interesting ... before that it was pretty mundane ... i mean nice keyboard chops but nothing exciting ... might be more interesting if i was on acid or mushrooms but i quit that stuff a long time ago ... i could hear this used in a soundtrack for a movie though. that's the song. as far as the mix itself i sounded fine to me ... i mean what is there? a couple of keyboards, drum machine / loops and a guitar? i can hear them all just fine ... if there's a bass patch in there somewhere, bump it up a bit 3 or 4 dB with a narrow notch around 220 to bring it out on smallish speakers. thanks for sharing. keep rocking!

moonbaby-

Thank you for listening. I completely get where you're coming from, especially from a musical stand point. Yes i agree completely that this particular track doesn't have much going for it composition-wise :| We were asked to create a track for a dance with 2 very contrasting themes and this is kinda what we came up with

As for the drums, in the electronica part, it was a style from a korg pa800 and in the rock section, it was programmed using the metal machine ez-x in ez drummer.

You probably just wanted confirmation that the kick needed to be -2.5 dB at 47Hz.

Not sure if this is sarcasm or serious >_

Kurt-

Thank you for listening. I totally agree that the electronica part is mundane, i'm not the biggest fan of the genre either, and this was pretty much our 1st(and prolly last) crack at it

if there's a bass patch in there somewhere, bump it up a bit 3 or 4 dB with a narrow notch around 220 to bring it out on smallish speakers.

there were 2 bass patches, 1 a synth bass from a korg pa800 in the electronica section and a bass guitar in the rock section. I take it i should to do this for both?

try one or the other and/or both ... just make it so you can hear it on small sh*tty speakers.

I've heard worse, I've also heard better.

I think this track would improve if you used real players - bass and drums - in addition to the cool lead guitar - along with the sequenced synths, all the way through.
I'd agree with the others that it's fairly mundane, it doesn't really "do" much, most of that is caused by the fact that you're not really moving off of that modal B chord throughout the bulk of the song.

It wouldn't hurt to have some chord/chord progression change-ups; even a possible key sig change?

I also think that the drums - whatever you used to do them - are far too compressed... they're too squashed, resulting in a lackluster, anti-dynamic sound... you should open them up sonically, let them breathe, give them room, as opposed to squashing them as hard as you have.

Unless, of course, that was the sound you were shooting for, in which case you succeeded.

Not bad... but I'd keep working on it.

IMHO of course.
-d.

PJ-
No, I wasn't meaning to be sarcastic, but as reiterated by my betters, the drums and bass are the weak spots here. For good or bad, they really are the defining points for modern Western pop music. The musicianship is not in question here,
just how you put it all together. Music like this needs to beat like a heart...with FEEL. Keep working at it, you'll get it.

DonnyThompson-

changing up what's already been recorded is kinda outta the question right now for various reasons, so any and all changes that can be done are only in the mix stage

and i take it both drum tracks are overly compressed in your opinion? (as in electronica and rock parts)

you should open them up sonically, let them breathe, give them room, as opposed to squashing them as hard as you have.

By this you mean, i should dial back the compression right?

moonbaby-

mix drums and bass better! Gotcha!

thanks for the support :)

Reminded me of songs from P..n movies from the 80s.. hey hey.. ;)

In 2013, more and more electronic music turn to sampling rather than electronic generated sounds. Sure some vintage sounds can still be actual, but if they are rounded with other fresh ones. There might be a wave of vintage influences going on these days. If you listen to the last album of bruno mars (influenced by the police) and Justin Timberlake (with touch of a big band), it gets you wonder if pop music is going to loop out to the sixties and start over. But to add a touch of the past to a song, there's a lot more to it than just pulling out a Roland juno 106 from your sleeve and play the first default patch... ;) To me, electric music shine when you want to make people dance, relax, meditate or at least be accessible to average people. I respect the musicians who can blow notes faster than I can type on my computer, but I rather enjoy a good melody, with expression and some dynamic... And if one wants to make people dance, it seem the more simple it is, the more effective it gets..

MMmm, who am I to discuss styles anyway? Play a fusion jazz song using the midi sounds of your laptop if you wish... :wink:

Well maybe I got out of the subject but what I ment was, you got to choose your sounds carefully.
If any of the instruments were recorded in midi, I'd try to find better sounds for the drum and that solo instrument in the first part of the song. Those are the one that I feel could be upgraded first. I liked the electric guitar part better tho.

If you don't have any midi data of the instruments, I'd say, try to do it next time. If there's no way I can get the real instrument in my studio and I have no choice but use a vst instrument. I always try to record in midi and audio at the same time. That way I always have a backup if the band feel the sound isn't so good at the end of the production.. People's taste change every day. Studio projects can last months, stay flexible !