Snake Road - Smiling Unto Sacred Death

[Meteo Xavier]

http://www.zshare.net/audio/1942428816331366/ - Key of D Minor.

So I'm trying a new method of composing to get more actual SONG done without having to work within a Fruity Loops file that takes up 70% of my computer resources, and this is what I have. I'm just building a song blueprint at this point and I'm doing it with basic sounds and no fx.

Basically what I'm looking for here is whether or not the current arrangement works. This is a song for my first record, and many songs come before it with off-center arrangements and lots of improvising on top, so I wanted to try something a little more basic - something that had an epic sound but kept repeating main themes. The theme for this song is KluYa walking the road to certain death knowing there is no alternative and accepting graciously his fate.

The song is going to be more electronic and trance-like when (if) I finish it and it already has a minute ahead of it, so this section would come in after the first minute. The piano line at 2:12 is actually the introduction theme, but I sabotage it with the other main theme throughout the song, just to play with the structure. Thats all I'm doing right now is playing with structure and seeing what works.

[JH Sounds]

My, this certainly has a lot of stuff in it.

[Meteo Xavier]

....better than nothing I guess. Thanks for the comment, whatever it was.

[Nec5]

This has potential. It's very difficult for me to judge because you admit to not focusing on mixing or sound selection. I'll just assume you're going to substitute some sounds and effects later on. I'll breakdown my reaction to each segment of the composition as I see/hear it:

0-:54'= Well, you have a basic rhythm here that is building. The tone that first jumps in here is a nice new layer. However, you jump to the heavy material around :23' too quickly. I'd recommend adding a few more instruments/synths before breaking into this explosive material. 25 seconds or so is too soon. This explosion shouldn't occur until the one-minute mark.

The chorus heavy effects are quite engrossing, however. Make sure you keep that energy when/if you revise this piece.

:55-1:39'= Again, this is hard to judge because of the sound issues. The organ-like effect gives this a bit of a Castlevania feel. I'm thinking the extra bridge like sequence at 1:17' seems overkill. Do we need a second transition here? Stick with the first. You can always use the cut transition later if necessary.

1:40-2:11= Nice return to the "guts" of the composition. I like the addition of the new overlying synth. Double the length of this section before moving into the classier material next.

2:12- 2:28'=Awesome. Extend this if possible.

2:29-3:06'= This reminds me of an annoying song back from one of my C64 era games. Ditch that siren like backing that starts here and moves throughout the song at points.

3:07-3:36'= I'm digging the new take via the single strike xylophone-esque effects. Assuming you enhance it a bit and clean it up, this section of the composition seems fine to me.

3:37-4:09'= The low and heavy bass here is necessary and smooth. Keep this segment's rhythm because it serves as a perfect bridge to the upcoming buildup.

4:10-end: Cool. You bring back the climax aspect of the song and combine earlier effects to make this seem like a final combination of the song's sequences. Nicely done.I assume the final product won't end with a fadeout. If you do choose a fade, set it up first.

I'm interested in seeing this as a revised/more final product. Keep at it.

[TheHands]

I'm not too big into electronic style music, so I'm naturally more partial to the organ/choral bits. I agree with Nec5 about the slides that build like a warning siren, they don't seem as interesting to the piece as the rest of the song.

The drums feel repetitious, the main beat never changes except for fills. This displeases the ear. While the focus isn't on drums, I kind of feel like they should be more interesting.

I like the synth guitar thing you've got going on during the slide/siren, I'd like to hear that brought up more. Same with the piano in that section.

I agree it's got a lot of potential, and that since production and sounds weren't a focus at all, nothin' can be said about it. I'm looking forward to hearing where you go with it.

[Meteo Xavier]

Well the drum beat is just a placeholder, and I am trying to keep it an electronic, trance like beat. I want to add a bunch of other acoustic and ethnic percussion on top of it.