Video Soundtrack (Only) Feedback Welcomed

Soniclight-2.0 wrote on 5/27/2017, 6:06 PM


(Composition/arrangement structure of the track'd different "movements".
A different kind of verse-chorus-bridge approach.)


Hello,

First, this is an original composition by me.

Second, years ago, I posted a similar question and the truth is that composition and mix was quite muddy* and it deserved the harsh critique at the time. (*Something I didn't pick up on--forest for the trees syndrome in the creative process...) Peer feedback is instructive.

Genre of music

First, track length: 8:21 min. to fit video. As to style, hard to categorize, but I call it "slow-groove soundtrack-ish instrumental rock". Some say there is a touch of pre-choral phase Vangelis. Makes sense for I have known of his music since he was with the Greek pop band, "Aphrodite's Child." Lead guitar-ish, keys, pads, and and making at times syncopated, "human sounding" drums/percussion.

Put it this way: I turned 62 this year, grew up on progressive U.K rock (Floyd, etc.) and European classical, so it's not hip-hop, or robo-dance music. I'm into melody and layers. No sampling, all instruments played by me with exception of structuring custom MIDI-based grooves, bar-by-bar, incl. grace notes, etc.

Limits of My Setup or Gear

While I have a natural sense of creating music that goes back a ways to my days as an aspiring singer songwriter (6&12, then electric rhythm guitars), I can neither read or write scores - "math block" kind of thing. Then I discovered the music workstation on which I could play multiple instruments. My setup is by no means professional due to living on fixed disability income:

-- 2 Near-field 5" cross-over KRK speakers BUT in which both amps died, so they are no longer active, but passive.

-- Software used for recording of my playing and customizing mostly MIDI drum tracks - Steinberg Cubase 6

-- All non-percussion instruments played by me on an ancient but classic Korg Trinity music workstation. Some sound banks are also customized/programmed-tweaked in-Trinity by me.
______________

That wind-up is so as to not judge me by too stringent professional recording standards for my speakers are now more or less acting like consumer ones. And everyone's listening platform type and quality is different.

And of course, music is very personal and "in the ear of the beholder."
I'm not asking you to like it, just grant me some feedback as a track.

So here are the two questions:

1. As stated at SoundCloud, this is a "polished draft" but close enough to the final.

  1. Q: What is its overall sound quality and mix? And what platform did you hear it on?


2. I am purposely not stating what the video is about so as not to influence this query.
Title is purposely mysterious-poetic.

  • Q: What emotions or space of mind, etc. does it evoke, etc.?
     

I also believe and want it to stand on its own as a composition, soundtrack or not.
Thank you.

~ Philip

VALLEY OF PLEASURES
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Comments

Soniclight-2.0 wrote on 6/1/2017, 11:24 AM

Bump. It's been a few days, crickets. Hopefully someone will respond.
Thanks.

~ Philip

james-ollick wrote on 6/1/2017, 1:48 PM

Just listened to it, sound quality seemed good and it was very relaxing. Felt like flying in the sky like an eagle. Will it be available for use and if so, fee or just accolades?

Home built PC - Corsair case, ASUS ROG Maximus XI Code motherboard, i9 9900k, 64GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz,  Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB graphics card, Corsair 1000 watt power supply. Windows 11.

VP 21 BCC 2024 Boris FX Continuum Complete, Titler Pro v7. Various NewBlue effects.

JMacSTL wrote on 6/1/2017, 2:44 PM

I'll give a listen, but perhaps the non-response is due to the fact that this forum is specifically intended for issues and usability of the Vegas line of software.

jmm in stl

Windows10 with Vegas 11 Pro (most recent build). Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz 3.90 GHz, 32GB ram, separate audio and video disks. Also Vegas 17 Pro on same system. GPU: NVDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. Dynamic RAM preview=OFF.

Soniclight-2.0 wrote on 6/1/2017, 3:15 PM

@james-ollick - Thanks for response and feedback, and you did "get" what most people's reactions have been -- and in one sense its intention. Music creation is a hobby of mine, and one that is rather limited due to my anxiety-depressive condition, so I don't make music anywhere near to the amount I would like. Health and life come first.

As to permission for use, I don't do this for money, but if someone wants me to give me a just couple of bucks for use - and yes, accreditation, I'm open. I'm not registered with BMI or ASCAP, etc. so no burdens of legal complication. My music, my decision what to do with it and who I give it to for use.

I'm not quite satisfied with this mix, but part me may also be in overly-perfectionist space at times. We can all nit-pick our work to death... When I listen to it without the critical musician-producer side of me stepping in, seems pretty acceptable to the just-listener layman in me. :)

As to my SoundCloud collection, it is pretty un-even in mix quality for some of it goes back 25 years remastered from a cassette recording of work done on a Kork O1-W (the classical sketchs). The higher up on the list, the more recent the work, and the better the audio quality.

Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.
Thanks.

My slim sonic portfolio
https://soundcloud.com/philipstevenknight
 

Soniclight-2.0 wrote on 6/1/2017, 3:22 PM

@JMacSTL - Absolutely true. That said, having been a member here for about 10 years (not reflected in my profile for I wasn't able to re-constitute my original "Soniclight" profile), the ethos of this board has waxed and waned in terms of what is or is not OT/off-topic.

I'm not the only one that has asked for feedback on music or video drafts or completed work. And not limited to Vegas. Member here also use After-Effects, other Adobe programs and other NLE's etc. in combination with Vegas, and will say so. Or used to say so.

I've been gone for some time, so maybe the ethos has changed. Back in the old days, we'd have "Happy Holidays" thread where people would post pics of themselves (no avatars, etc at old board), so it was fun to get to know one another. When Luciano Pavarotti died, a lot of tribute posts.

In short, how flexible people are what is or is not OT within categories may differ now. As well as according to the overall sense of the community which has its own flows and shifts. So I don't see my query as verboten. It used to be acceptable. It was after all scored or re-arranged for a video being created in Vegas... :)

But, hey, your mileage and viewpoints may differ. That's fine. Do what feels right for you.
Including not listening to my track.

~ PSK

JMacSTL wrote on 6/1/2017, 3:52 PM

Wasn't trying to school you, just trying to figure out why nobody had responded yet. And hey, I said I'd listen! (and I will.....promise). I like hearing others' work.

jmm in stl

Windows10 with Vegas 11 Pro (most recent build). Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz 3.90 GHz, 32GB ram, separate audio and video disks. Also Vegas 17 Pro on same system. GPU: NVDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. Dynamic RAM preview=OFF.

Soniclight-2.0 wrote on 6/1/2017, 4:32 PM

I capisce and thanks. No problems here.