My Songs

[Old_Man]

Hi everyone. I make electronic music, although some of you already know that from my account at Heroes Community, which is william.

Here is the latest post that I wrote there and I hope that you can give some feedback on the songs that I have made. thanks.


From HC

I'm wondering if a moderator was able to edit my first post and edit it and just include the newest links that I have. All the links in my first post have since been deleted.

Anyway, I have uploaded a few more songs that I have made recently. I hope you like them and please give me some feedback on them if you have heard the songs. Thanks.


Confusion

Ambient Soundscapes

Imaginary Boundries

Intrepid Minds

Morning Mist

I realise that the song 'Imaginary Boundries' is spelled wrong, but I can't be bothered re-uploading it with the correct spelling.

Enjoy and remember to please give some feedback. thanks.

[Kalah]

Warning: I'm very honest. I mean, like Simon Cowell-honest. If you still want to read further, be warned...

...
...

So, decided to risk it? Well, from looking at this list, I see the titles are certainly falling into the right category... It's like a Coldplay album, this. Not sure if that's good or bad. Personally, I've never really liked these sort of titles - it's as if they're just put together by made-up words that sound nice, or try to describe the sort of mood you're supposed to be in when you hear it. I know what kind of mood I'm in when I hear it; I don't need anybody to tell me... "Ambient Soundscapes", yes, I'm pretty sure I've heard about fifty-eight song titles quite similar to that. Then again, at least you've made an effort. The only problem with them is that they're not love/hate titles; they're good for all timezones, races, languages and tastes..

The first one (Confusion) sounded a bit like a blend between an adventure game and something you go jogging to, really... my thoughts went to Final Fantasy VII and some other thing I can't remember the name of... It starts OK, develops a rhythm early on, and carries a cheery tune throughout, interrupted only by that "morning dew in the grass" moment at around 1:40. The transition is brilliant to the extent that I was afraid you were going to screw it up when you took it back to the main theme at around 3:00. I listened to it half a dozen times, and concluded: You didn't screw up. The surprising change at 3:41-3:44 is excellent. The entry of drums is also a positive. Out of all the songs, this was the one I liked best, but I can't help the feeling that it's lacking ...something. Still, very nice.

The second (Ambient Soundscapes) just sounds as if a ten year old kid has been playing with the electric organ he found in his grandfather's loft. Sorry, but this is bad. Not "good" bad... really bad. Throw this thing in the recycling bin, empty the bin, then set fire to the computer and promise never to speak of it again.

The third one (Imaginary Boundaries) really has something going for it. I like how you mix the gentle harps with the rougher rhythm. If you can make the intro sound a bit less like a bad video game intro, and get rid of as much of the "synth rhythm box" feeling as possible, it would be great. The chanting is very well incorporated into the mix - it immediately reminded me of "The Dig" Overall, the song is well-balanced and sticks to the theme it sets out with. A polish of the sounds could make this a best-seller.

No 4 (Intrepid Minds) I have a small issue with. At around 3 minutes, I was really beginning to like it... and it starts to fade out at 3:40... You know the sound you start out with? The rhytmic chime that carries on until 2:14? I say get rid of it sooner. When the chanting begins, that's the time to change the pace of the song.

The last one (Morning Mist) I can sum up in three words. I like it. I like the echoes and the almost epical sad whine that carries the tone throughout. This one almost sounds as if you've made, heard, discarded and started again a dozen times, only to use the first version in the end anyway. Doesn't sound as if it could be made any better than it is. Very nice.

[Lord Lakely]

Well, I guess you don't require my feedback, Old_Man

[Zamolxis]

OK. I'll also give it a try:

Confusion - I pretty much agree with Kalah on this one. Start is indeed OK (and I cannot find any other word for it: nothing wrong with it, but also nothing catchy). I liked the cheery tune very much and I was also afraid you might have screwed up at 1:40 with that change, even if the transition was very well done. But then I realized that was perhaps the best moment to stop the cheery tune before it became repeatedly annoying. Its return later on is of course welcome, as are the nice change at 3.41 and the end notes of it at 4.18. The drums are perfect. I'm not sure if the fade out is not a bit too long maybe (30sec fade out + another 5sec silence before the end of the track).

Ambient Soundscapes - I don't find it as bad as Kalah. I only hate the beat... particularly the cymbal (or whatever that's called). You can still make sth out of it if you change that. The only problem with the good part of it however, may be that some might not find it very original. I think I heard sth a bit similar at Kitaro. That doesn't bother me, but it might bother others... I don't know. But again, get rid of the cymbal! I'm not sure what bothers more: the sound of it, or its beat (which is kinda off-beat or sth...) can't put my finger on it.

Imaginary Boundaries (correct spelling - in case you wanna go public with it) - It's nice. Nothing to criticize, but also no particular sequence in it that I could praise as "brilliant", "nice surprise". The beauty of this song is its balance I guess - and I'm sorry I can't find an even better word for it. If it would come in my playlist, I would surely not skip it (as I'd prolly do with the previous one) because it's a nice, easy listen, somehow relaxing. And that may be enough sometimes actually. It doesn't have a particular catchy tune, but I also don't feel it's missing one. Very well done.

Intrepid Minds - I agree with Kalah again. For my taste, the rhythmic chime you start with could end already at 1.17. Or alternatively, I would try halfing its pace as of that moment (though I would have to listen to it to see if it's not a totally bad idea actually). And if you do stop it earlier in the first part, you can safely make it longer afterwards, as the fade out seems indeed to come in a moment when the song is getting pretty catchy, so at least 30sec extra wouldn't hurt.

Morning Mist - again, a nice one. But I don't have any particular comments about it.

Morning Mist and Imaginary Boundaries will definitely remain in my playlist for a while. Perhaps also Confusion which - on one hand it stands out - but on the other hand I feel the standards for these songs which stand out, are also a bit higher. The cheery tune cannot be carried out throughout the whole song, so the change is needed, but it depends on listener's mood if your choice for the change is the perfect choice for them as well. I for one am yet to decide if the transition at 1:40 - although very well done - is the right change for my taste.

But bare in mind that the above comments don't come from a specialist, and some may be pretty subjective. Feel free to create whatever gives you satisfaction. As someone who loves music very much, but unfortunately does not have the time & skill (perhaps mainly skill) to make it, I have all the respect & appreciation for ppl like you. Kudos!

[Milla aka. the Slayer]

@Old_Man: Are you by any chance a fan of Jean Michel Jarre?

I agree with Kalah on the whole title-issue. I've never liked such complicated titles as it just seems the artist is trying too hard. But it's your music

First off, "Confusion": I liked this song to some extend. After about a minute I found the high pitched theme a bit too much and it somehow reminded me of disco tunes. On the other hand, the song wouldn't be as speciel without that theme.
But the composition was great and obviously very well thought through. The break in the middle of the song works great though I think a smoother transition from the previous theme might have worked a bit better. Also, as Kalah said, the drums man:

"Ambient Soundscapes" I really liked up until the point where it changes around 02.14. First off, I'll say that the first part of the song actually matched the title very well imo. And the whole ambient-theme reminded me of some great underwater adventures in Tomb Raider Anniversary
But the change, ugh the change...it just seems out of place. To me it would seem much cooler to keep with the initial theme and then maybe increase the "voice-like" theme during the song and throw in some bass to vary and perhaps increase that ambient feeling that the first part of the song does so well.

"Imaginary Boundries" quickly establishes an emotion inside the listener and I think that is great. It's wonderful in all its simplicity. I liked the song and have nothing further to add to it.

"Intrepid Minds": You have a well developed sense of composition and I think that's very impressive.
I had a hard time deciding whether this song was actually good or not cause there was something in the song that just kept reminding me of the themes from The Sims 2 (which I play a lot )

Finally, we've got "Morning Mist" and I liked it but I think it could use some "Umpf"....it ends a bit abrubt too imo. But overall it was good.

You seem to have an overall theme in your music and a general style. And I like that. I think you're good. Do post some more music when you have some more to show forth

[PhoenixReborn]

Say, that's some pretty good music criticism in this thread. Did you ever change anything William?

[Old_Man]

Sorry that this has taken a while, but here it goes...

So, decided to risk it? Well, from looking at this list, I see the titles are certainly falling into the right category... It's like a Coldplay album, this. Not sure if that's good or bad.

Well titles are hard to come up with when you are making a song with no lyrics. When you have lyrics, you can make a song title by picking out some main words of the chorus for example: The Beatles song, Let it Be, which is one of the most recurring words in the song. When I make titles for my songs, I usually just try and find an item that is nearby and then couple that with another word to try and make it a unique title. i have been commented before in regards to the titles that I have made with my songs but it's a hard thing to do at times.

There have been other times where I have tried to make a song and include lyrics in it that I may have written down, but it didn't work out right and I took the lyrics out of it and just named it as some of the words that might have been in the chorus.

or try to describe the sort of mood you're supposed to be in when you hear it. I know what kind of mood I'm in when I hear it

I get what you're saying but sometimes when I have made a song and then named it, I may have been depressed. For example, the song 'Confusion' was named as it was because I was confused about many things. Another example is the song that I named (but haven't put here) called 'Sadness' and as you might be able to tell, I was sad when I made the song. Other times I might name it because I feel as if the sounds in it sound sad or perhaps really upbeat, so I might name it to reflect what I feel the song sounds like.

When I listen to the song Confusion, I really feel as if I should have taken that synth out (that keeps going on and on and is the change that you liked at 3:41-3:44). It gets a bit annoying at times now that I hear it, but thanks for your comments in regards to the song.

The second (Ambient Soundscapes) just sounds as if a ten year old kid has been playing with the electric organ he found in his grandfather's loft. Sorry, but this is bad. Not "good" bad... really bad. Throw this thing in the recycling bin, empty the bin, then set fire to the computer and promise never to speak of it again.

Heh, while I agree that it wasn't the best of the songs that I showed in the first post, I wouldn't say it is too bad...I have definitely made worse than that. I think it needs a lot more improvement and I guess that comment about it made me realise that.

No 4 (Intrepid Minds) I have a small issue with. At around 3 minutes, I was really beginning to like it... and it starts to fade out at 3:40... You know the sound you start out with? The rhytmic chime that carries on until 2:14? I say get rid of it sooner. When the chanting begins, that's the time to change the pace of the song.

Hmm, I agree that it is a bit short. I guess I could try and improve it a bit by making it longer plus taking out the rhythmic chime when the chorus starts off (when that choir comes in). If I do do that, I'll try and upload it here and perhaps you could see if it is any better.

Thanks for your comments Kalah, greatly appreciated. If only I got reviews about my songs like this at HC hehe. These posts are EXACTLY the ones that I have been having in mind and it is great to read them and see in detail what you like/dislike and what needs improving and what doesn't.

Now onto the next reply....

Confusion - I pretty much agree with Kalah on this one. Start is indeed OK (and I cannot find any other word for it: nothing wrong with it, but also nothing catchy). I liked the cheery tune very much and I was also afraid you might have screwed up at 1:40 with that change, even if the transition was very well done. But then I realized that was perhaps the best moment to stop the cheery tune before it became repeatedly annoying. Its return later on is of course welcome, as are the nice change at 3.41 and the end notes of it at 4.18. The drums are perfect. I'm not sure if the fade out is not a bit too long maybe (30sec fade out + another 5sec silence before the end of the track).

Yes, like I said above I too think that the cheery tune sound because it starts to get a bit annoying after a while. I often like to make kinda long fade outs because I feel that if it fades quite soon then the whole song just ends abruptly and you might think "what? I was enjoying that". Well that's what I would do anyway.

Ambient Soundscapes - I don't find it as bad as Kalah. I only hate the beat... particularly the cymbal (or whatever that's called). You can still make sth out of it if you change that. The only problem with the good part of it however, may be that some might not find it very original. I think I heard sth a bit similar at Kitaro. That doesn't bother me, but it might bother others... I don't know. But again, get rid of the cymbal! I'm not sure what bothers more: the sound of it, or its beat (which is kinda off-beat or sth...) can't put my finger on it.

Yes, I kinda admit that the song sounds kinda similar to some of Kitaro's music (his is much better though, lol). I put the cymbal in the song to try and make the song sounds slightly ambient, hence the title 'Ambient Soundscapes'. It probably didn't work out too well but meh.

Thanks for your comments on Imaginary Boundaries (thanks for the correct spelling, I think it was all fine in the ID3 tags of the mp3 though).

But bare in mind that the above comments don't come from a specialist, and some may be pretty subjective. Feel free to create whatever gives you satisfaction. As someone who loves music very much, but unfortunately does not have the time & skill (perhaps mainly skill) to make it, I have all the respect & appreciation for ppl like you. Kudos!

Heh, that's what I do. I don't make music because I have to, I make music because i want to and that, in my opinion, makes it much more enjoyable. Thanks!

And onto the last reply...

@Old_Man: Are you by any chance a fan of Jean Michel Jarre? smile

I agree with Kalah on the whole title-issue. I've never liked such complicated titles as it just seems the artist is trying too hard. But it's your music

Yes, I am a fan of Jean Michel Jarre. His music is great and I have been inspired by a few of his songs, most notably Oxygene Part 2 and Rendez-Vous Part 4. I am a much bigger fan of the band, tangerine Dream, from which I have gained most of my inspiration from.

As for the title issue, I explained it a bit above.

I don't have much else to say in regards to your comments about my songs since I have pretty much covered most of what I want to say above, but they are greatly appreciated.

You seem to have an overall theme in your music and a general style. And I like that. I think you're good. Do post some more music when you have some more to show forth

Thank you. I'm just surprised that I can make music where people will enjoy it even though I haven't even been professionally trained (I trained myself).

And some more music? Sure. I made a post on HC since I uploaded 3 more songs today, so I will post them here as well. If any of you wish to give any feedback then feel free to. It would be appreciated.

Here they are:

Incoming Transmission

Permanent Impact

Virus in the System

[Asheera]

Well I'm not really a good music critique but I'll just say which I liked the most:

The first one was simply great, I love it, the peaceful atmosphere you managed to create is awesome.

The second one was even better (for me), the melody is great.

The last one was also good, but it's the worst from these 3. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but simply not as good as the others


That's just my opinion of course.

[Old_Man]

Thanks Asheera for your comments. I made a sped up version of Permanent Impact. If any are interested then I might try and upload it.