A few people have asked for a thread specifically for critiquing tracks-- a place where we put our tracks under the proverbial microscope, and get into the nitty gritty of what works and what doesn't. I think a good hard examination of what you're producing from time to time can help you improve-- be it musically or production wise. And while things are generally civil and thoughtful around here, a few rules usually help keep things tidy, so I'm asking that people follow a few basic ones:
1) Do not post a track unless you have posted a critique. Simply put, if you just want people to have a listen to your music, there's a whole section of the forum for it (and it's awesome, lots of good stuff in there). This thread isn't for that.
2) Offer constructive feedback. "This sounds like hot garbage" isn't constructive feedback. "I found the mix a little muddy, try a little EQing in the X, Y, or Z range", is. "Boy, I hated this song" isn't. "There is an emphasis on repetition of a single baseline here which I found a bit distracting, have you considered varying things up a bit?" is.
3) Don't be afraid to be nitpicky. This thread is here to help folk improve-- sometimes a small tweak can make a big difference.
4) If you are the recipient of a critique, and you disagree with it, it's probably not a good idea to respond, unless it's to ask for clarification. Music, mixing, and the like are subjective arts-- One person's genius is another person's noise, and it's best to just take the rough with the smooth and move on.
5) Don't post a track that you don't want critiqued. I know this sounds simple enough, but if you aren't ready for some criticism (I'm not always in the mood for it), then it's ok to just provide feedback-- there's never a *need* to post a track here.
6) When you post a track, feel free to ask for specific feedback-- "I'm looking to hear people's thoughts on how this is mixed". However, I encourage people offering critiques to add other notes they think will be helpful.
7) Let's keep tracks under 10 minutes. While I love (and indeed make) long form drones, it's hard to offer decent criticism of something that long on a web forum.
8) Be excellent to each other.
Ok, I'm not going to be the first one to post a track. The first one is 'free'-- whoever wants to step up for a critique can get theirs without giving one out. It's a one time offer.
1) Do not post a track unless you have posted a critique. Simply put, if you just want people to have a listen to your music, there's a whole section of the forum for it (and it's awesome, lots of good stuff in there). This thread isn't for that.
2) Offer constructive feedback. "This sounds like hot garbage" isn't constructive feedback. "I found the mix a little muddy, try a little EQing in the X, Y, or Z range", is. "Boy, I hated this song" isn't. "There is an emphasis on repetition of a single baseline here which I found a bit distracting, have you considered varying things up a bit?" is.
3) Don't be afraid to be nitpicky. This thread is here to help folk improve-- sometimes a small tweak can make a big difference.
4) If you are the recipient of a critique, and you disagree with it, it's probably not a good idea to respond, unless it's to ask for clarification. Music, mixing, and the like are subjective arts-- One person's genius is another person's noise, and it's best to just take the rough with the smooth and move on.
5) Don't post a track that you don't want critiqued. I know this sounds simple enough, but if you aren't ready for some criticism (I'm not always in the mood for it), then it's ok to just provide feedback-- there's never a *need* to post a track here.
6) When you post a track, feel free to ask for specific feedback-- "I'm looking to hear people's thoughts on how this is mixed". However, I encourage people offering critiques to add other notes they think will be helpful.
7) Let's keep tracks under 10 minutes. While I love (and indeed make) long form drones, it's hard to offer decent criticism of something that long on a web forum.
8) Be excellent to each other.
Ok, I'm not going to be the first one to post a track. The first one is 'free'-- whoever wants to step up for a critique can get theirs without giving one out. It's a one time offer.
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