I was going to post a different song from my Bandcamp page, but the forum software won't accept the link, so here's one from my Youtube page.
This song is about leaving the midwest behind and heading to Colorado to spend some psychedelic currency back-country with a friend before moving on with the rest of life.
Wonderful trip, thank you, it's wonderful to travel like this!!! Very enjoyable!
Thank you for listening, @Mora!
I really like the ambiance of this. The video was lovely, too. Even though it was more than 4 minutes long, it didn't seem too long to me. Nicely done.
This is great
@mattyoungmusic !
I love the driving drums and it has a wonderful melody
The vocal performance is a perfect fit for the song - great job on that
I do have a few things I would like to point out
I think this song would have SOOOOO much more power if you locked in the kick and bass together - if the kick was replicating that really groovy bass line (which is AWESOME by the way) it would really bring the track together and unleash the power
The piano sound a bit "too busy" when the vocals came in - I absolutely LOVE what you have mixed in the right channel - but I found what was going on the LEFT channel distracting when the vocals were present
I would leave the sections in-between the vocals as they are though - these bits with the busy piano sounf really groovy
Overall, I LOVED this groovefest!!!
The more I hear of your music, the more I like it. A 60's vibe without a doubt, but it's also really really refreshing. Great vocals. No crits from me. I really enjoyed this. :)
Nice one, Matt.
Even though I'm too young, I feel transported back to 1967. I think I need to light a loss stick to get the full effect :)
Thanks for listening and for your comments, all.
@Boydie How would you have the kick replicate the bass groove? What beats would you have the kick hit to match a bass that's playing so many quarter notes? I'm not a drummer, so I use Jamstix to program my drum parts. I know where I want fills usually, but I must admit the kick is a bit of a mysterious art to me. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated!
@Nick Ryder I'm too young for '67 as well, but I do feel a special connection to that sort of retro sound. And I have a drawer full of Nag Champa, which helps set the mood!
@mattyoungmusic QuoteHow would you have the kick replicate the bass groove? What beats would you have the kick hit to match a bass that's playing so many quarter notes? I'm not a drummer, so I use Jamstix to program my drum parts. I know where I want fills usually, but I must admit the kick is a bit of a mysterious art to me. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated!
What I would personally do is, set the drum groove up for the song as you have - and then record the instruments
When the bass has been recorded, I would then go back to my drum pattern and make sure that the KICK drum and BASS drum have the same "groove" - i.e. they do not always play all of the notes/beats at the same time - but you try to add the accents and feel of the bass groove (and the piano groove) to the kick drum - so that the track is all grooving together
It is really hard to describe in writing - but listen to the intro of your track and tap your hand to the groove that the piano has established - you will notice that the KICK drum is playing a different groove - and they are almost "fighting"
If you just tweak the KICK pattern to match the groove of the song - I think you will find that it all "solidifies" and comes together
It is a "dark art" - but when you master getting the kick drum and bass to lock together (or make artistic choices when you don't want them to) you will create a really solid foundation for your songs
Couple this with learning how to EQ them both so that they also sonically fit together and you will improve the "punch" and groove of your songs
I hope that helps, but please feel free to post or drop me a PM and I can show you what I mean
This is fabulous
I just thought the vocals are a bit quiet
but during the listen I must have adjusted.
Harmonies and various instruments are well balanced.
I especially like the piano
Sounds wild but actually doesn't jarr
I like to read the lyrics while listening
But fine without.
I enjoyed that listen. 👍
Quote from: Boydie on Feb 03, 2025, 10:22 AM@mattyoungmusic
QuoteHow would you have the kick replicate the bass groove? What beats would you have the kick hit to match a bass that's playing so many quarter notes? I'm not a drummer, so I use Jamstix to program my drum parts. I know where I want fills usually, but I must admit the kick is a bit of a mysterious art to me. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated!
What I would personally do is, set the drum groove up for the song as you have - and then record the instruments
When the bass has been recorded, I would then go back to my drum pattern and make sure that the KICK drum and BASS drum have the same "groove" - i.e. they do not always play all of the notes/beats at the same time - but you try to add the accents and feel of the bass groove (and the piano groove) to the kick drum - so that the track is all grooving together
It is really hard to describe in writing - but listen to the intro of your track and tap your hand to the groove that the piano has established - you will notice that the KICK drum is playing a different groove - and they are almost "fighting"
If you just tweak the KICK pattern to match the groove of the song - I think you will find that it all "solidifies" and comes together
It is a "dark art" - but when you master getting the kick drum and bass to lock together (or make artistic choices when you don't want them to) you will create a really solid foundation for your songs
Couple this with learning how to EQ them both so that they also sonically fit together and you will improve the "punch" and groove of your songs
I hope that helps, but please feel free to post or drop me a PM and I can show you what I mean
That's super helpful, thanks. I've got a couple songs in the works that I'll tackle with this workflow in mind.