2manygentlemen

Edited it a good deal so it's not a phase-y mess.

Added a lot to it, so there's actually some of the original song in it. Also did some mixing stuff.

Back to square 1 again. Been listening to a lot of old 90s trance, trying to really attempt to get that sort of style. I've learned some stuff about EQing and have made an effort at actually doing that on the instrument tracks. (Also, moved to bandcamp.)

I've gotten back to this one and changed a lot of it, musically and instrument-wise. Hopefully this is a step up!

Actually got around to adding percussion. Mostly 808/909-type stuff. The drums right now are fillers for the moment.

Minor improvements, instrument-wise.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely look into using those. Anyhoo, I've replaced the bass with a patch that's actually in tune. And tried to fatten things up. The update's here.

I dunno what I did in Synth1 to the bass, but its patch Is out of tune. That's easily the first thing I'm fixing tomorrow.

Current Version: It's right here! So far, it's mostly an intro-type thing with just bass and some pads/leads. Percussion'll come later. Right now, I just want to know whether this seems like a good direction. I'm sort of inspired by 80s Rush here, minus the rock, what with the odd-time stuff going on, as well as a couple of minor shout-outs to Freewill and Distant Early Warning. When I do add percussion, I think I'll be going at that sort of "world music" feel from the same period with congas, shakers, ect. Here's what I've got so far.

If you're on a budget (or just cheap), get Reaper. It's functional, it isn't super-hard to figure out, and it's shareware that you never have to actually buy to get the full experience. Try it out, at least, and if you don't like it, maybe fork out the dough for something else.

Recently, I was introduced to the genre through Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. Impressed with him and some other assorted songs I've heard that'd fall under IDM, I ask: What would you say are definitive IDM artists/albums/songs?

40 seconds of music, FREE OF CHARGE!

An other update is here. So, I honestly have no idea how to replace the beginning to 0:53 yet. That'll have to wait for some time. But in the meantime, I did try to overhaul the production some more and try to make the high lead in the first half less dissonant. Tried to further improve sounds as always, esp the drums. I'll also be honest and say that I still don't really know what I'm doing and if not for all the feedback I doubt I'd even be at this point in the WIP process, so loads of thanks to you people!

Yes, the piano is intentially distorted. The original patch was alright, but I thought it needed to be more interesting, so it got distorted.

As someone getting into trance, I'd like to know: what vst synths and effects do you people find most useful for getting that style's general sound? Freeware stuff would be most appreciated, but I am willing to go the shareware/commercial route for stuff that's worth the trouble.

Yeah, I'm not super-afraid to totally redo or replace stuff, if it could mean a better final outcome. In fact, I'm planning to replace the stuff up to 0:53 with something different, something with more of a real soft-to-loud buildup. I'm also looking to continue replacing a lot of instruments. The drums are being replaced again (not by Battery until I can get around my .exe's issue), as are the strings. Most of the synth sounds are leaving, too, so they can be replaced by Superwave P8 (a JP8000 emulation), as I've heard a lot of good things about it's being useful for trance.

This song features some of that genre mixture at points. You'll have to wait for it, though; the tune's kind of long.

Why, thank you for the detailed and specific feedback, Brandon! This shall go on my checklist for next update. I do have one question: what do you mean by "the tinny synth"? I'm guessing you mean the one that backs the flute in the 'soft section', but I'm not entirely sure.

Another update has come. So, I changed the synth line that starts at around 0:13 so it's an octave higher and lines up more with the bassline. I also tried to better balance the overall EQ by reducing the mid frequencies. The main oboe melody from 1:33 onwards and the counter melody behind it from 1:20 on has the G natural raised to a G sharp to fit the instruments around it.

Getting to work right now on fixing the things brought up. Like always, your feedback is helpful and appreciated! I do have a Q I'd like crypto_magnum to A: what specifically about the mixing/EQ needs to be fixed? (I really am not someone who's tuned into hearing that sort of stuff.)

So, should I simply remove some of the excess tracks, or should I do that and make the remaining ones less syncopated and busy?

By tomorrow I meant the day after. Hopefully these instruments sound less genesis-y now.

Is Primal Scream groovy or what?

Another update featuring some 24-odd bars of new content and a shout-out to another song! Nothing new, production-wise, though. This is probably the last one for today. Tomorrow'll probably bring more production updates, possibly some more content. (Identify the song referenced and you're awesome!)