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Dreaming - Requesting feedback

JulianF

New Member
Hey everyone, this is my latest track. I'd appreciate it if you can give me feedback.



Bonus: Can you give me tips on how to transition between sections? I find I struggle with it and it ends up with me masking it with sound design as you can hear in this track.

Thanks in advance!
 
Hey,

I liked the sound you achieved, but if I were you I would work a little on your melody, as with the same motif it could be stronger maybe with a different order of those motifs. When it starts it feels like a beautiful tune, but throught the piece I flet like the dynamics were a bit disconnected to that (maybe the piano is too forte for the tune and not with enough contrast within itself, strings are a bit too much, etc). When the strings enter first, maybe you can try to make them a bit more supportive in piano instead of taking the lead, and keep that lead for later on in the piece.
Also a bit of a change in orchestra colors would be nice, maybe on the first entrance of the strings you could use the woodwinds to do the melody and save the strings for later, or start the melody with the celli in a different register so the violins are not just simply following the piano... You have many different possible choices.

Regarding the A and B sections, I'm afraid they didn't work together very well and you put yourself on a difficult situation, as it is very difficult that you can guide the listeners smoothly between different meters. You spent the first third of the piece in 3, and then you switch to 4 when the perc enters. That is difficult to make it work, as the vibe is too similar but with different meters.
I think it would work better if you keep the second part with the percussion in 3 instead of switching to 4s...
 
Thanks for the feedback!

I'll keep these useful tips in mind. Yea, I think I'm missing dynamics as I'm looking at my velocities/CC's and they don't really change that much. Thanks for the saving tips as I often ask myself how to make a piece longer.

Regarding the A and B sections, I'm afraid they didn't work together very well and you put yourself on a difficult situation, as it is very difficult that you can guide the listeners smoothly between different meters. You spent the first third of the piece in 3, and then you switch to 4 when the perc enters. That is difficult to make it work, as the vibe is too similar but with different meters.
I think it would work better if you keep the second part with the percussion in 3 instead of switching to 4s...
Actually the entire track is in 4/4 but after listening for a bit, I can now hear the 3s now. I really suck at rhythm if I could somehow manage to make a 4/4 into 3. Is it because I'm going too slow or something that people can hear 3s? The piece is 4/4 @75 bpm.
 
Actually the entire track is in 4/4 but after listening for a bit, I can now hear the 3s now. I really suck at rhythm if I could somehow manage to make a 4/4 into 3. Is it because I'm going too slow or something that people can hear 3s? The piece is 4/4 @75 bpm.


The grid and the tempo track might be 4/4 at 75bpm, but believe me, the first part is in 3. Totally in 3. Your harmonic rhythm (the chord changes) goes by 3, your melody moves in 3, and the piano accompaniment is in 3. :)
 
The grid and the tempo track might be 4/4 at 75bpm, but believe me, the first part is in 3. Totally in 3. Your harmonic rhythm (the chord changes) goes by 3, your melody moves in 3, and the piano accompaniment is in 3. :)
NOoooo!!!! How I prevent this in the future? Before I was hearing it in 4/4 until you told me. I was counting 2 beats per chord.
 
Once it's natural it's very easy, but in the case of this piece, if your grid is in 4/4 then all the first part is offbeat (meaning that the chord changes goes on beats 1, 4, 3, 2 and so on. Every 3 beats and not on the downbeat. Or it's done in triplets (doesn't sound like it).
I guess it all comes down to listening to a lot of music, if you listen to Beethoven Moonlight Sonata you will feel the triplets, if you listen to a waltz you will feel the 3/4. Very generally speaking, your accompaniment and chord changes should be on the downbeat, if you can count 3 confortably between chord changes, then it's 3. :)
For me it would be very difficult to count 2 beats per chord change in the beginning of your piece, as the second beat would be off. :)
 
if your grid is in 4/4 then all the first part is offbeat (meaning that the chord changes goes on beats 1, 4, 3, 2 and so on

My chords align with the downbeats in 4/4. Maybe it's because I have too much movement along with the majority of notes not landing on the quarter that it becomes a 3/4 bar per chord instead of a 4/4 bar per 2 chords?


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the majority of notes not landing on the quarter that it becomes a 3/4 bar per chord instead of a 4/4 bar per 2 chords?
It's not that it's busy, it's just you're actually doing triplets in your sequencer and that's why it fits on the grid, but the beat of the music is 3/4. The notes doesn't land on the quarters because they land on the triplet feel (just put your iQ in Cubase in 8th triplets and quantize, your notes will barely move because they exactly land on the triplet feel). ;)
Imagine putting a waltz rhythm below the music, and you'll perceive the 3/4 clearly.
 
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