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Flipperwaldt posted:I'm not the best at this, so I devised my own workaround: treat it like any other pattern/track. Percussion or melody. Write a full line that fits with the groove, that fits with the frequencies. Then strip it back to one note, one tiny flourish whatever. Then use it sparingly throughout the track. Good idea, I never thought of it that way! I may have done this to a limited extent for some things but not seen it like that, thanks. Sevyplates posted:A simple answer for this is that it's probably placed in a heavily occupied frequency range so your hits may be trying to compete for attention against a lead/bass/drums/whatever. You should have a spectrum open and see where parts in your song kind of lack dynamics and insert something there. It's real tempting to hear something cool in a sample pack and try to throw it in but chances are it won't work. You can try downpitching the sample or you could make room in your mix for it if a vocal is that important. edit: Also here's a song I made http://soundcloud.com/zmbeats/midnite-zone
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Jul 31, 2012 00:35
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Just cross posting these from the dnb thread as it'd be nice to get some producer ears on. http://soundcloud.com/hostismusic/you-got-to-be/s-fdqoE http://soundcloud.com/hostismusic/the-last-train/s-zEMRh
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Jul 31, 2012 00:39
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So, I'm half of an EDM duo, and VERY NEW AT THIS, and I developed a songwriting process. Here's how I do it: 1. Concept-come up with an idea or inspiration or whatever. 2. Drum track creation 3. Bass-in-yo-face lines 4. Melodies-arpeggios, chords, sequences, funk it up, whateva's clever. 5. Audio effects-like one hits, cowbells, sirens, risers, etc. 6. Render first draft-this is the unprocessed song 7. Post-processing-heres where I do flangers, panning, fades, sidechains, compressions, all that audio processing nonsense. 8. Render final draft-finished product, ready to be ridiculed by all! I've found that good EDM seems to work in 8 bar sections, that is that every 8 bars something should happen. That's been my listening experience anyway. ALso, I like to use Reaper DAW because it has a lot of effects processing built in AND the template system is pretty good. Comor coded tracks also help me keep my kick drums out of my VST midi's. I divide up my tracks into intro, verse, chorus, minor breaks, major breaks, and outro's, and typically i'll start on the verse first. start in the middle and all that. here's the first draft of a track i put together in the past couple days. it's not my first, but it's probably better than the others. I'm very much a beginner at all this, so it's a learn-as-I-go thing, but i'm having a great time. http://soundcloud.com/peter-graves-1/supradigital-first-draft
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Jul 31, 2012 05:46
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boxorocks posted:Just cross posting these from the dnb thread as it'd be nice to get some producer ears on. Just curious, because I've been wondering how to do this, how do you get the audio to lose all the low end like that around 1:02 on your first track? is that a flanger? I like that effect the way a man likes a woman.
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Jul 31, 2012 06:18
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Sauced this together a few days ago. Not really sure where to go with it, would love some criticism! http://cl.ly/IRMz
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Jul 31, 2012 06:38
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thegalagakid posted:Just curious, because I've been wondering how to do this, how do you get the audio to lose all the low end like that around 1:02 on your first track? is that a flanger? I like that effect the way a man likes a woman. Just had a look for you: It is all on the break (I'd bounced the break to an audio track just for the intro) and it has a phaser with an increasing frequency and increasing feedback then a flanger with a decreasing delay time and feedback, then an increasing high pass filter sweep. The other tracks playing at the time also have high pass filters that increase the cut-off as well except for a reverse crash.
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Jul 31, 2012 07:28
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Right, so six months ago I decided to get into production as it's the easiest way of getting big DJ gigs and travelling the globe without sucking promoter cock and selling a bunch of tickets for a 5am slot at Ministry of Sound. Also I'm told I've a bit of a gift for music. Anyway I'm now fully addicted to Logic so here's some of the creations my crazy mind has concocted up over the past month or so. If you'd be kind enough to have a listen I'd love love love any feedback, advice, criticism, anything that helps me improve. (I'll say now there's no compression on the whole mix and I'm aware the kick/sub needs more of a BOOM. I daren't jump into the quagmire that is mastering just yet..!) From latest to oldest: My first attempt at minimal: http://soundcloud.com/careyb/periscope/s-sO1Lt Dark driving techno: http://soundcloud.com/careyb/helter-skelter/s-7UPMk Joseph Fritzl goes down a sewer tunnel techno (am told this is actually my lightest track) http://soundcloud.com/careyb/natural/s-VlE5i Thanks in advance! 
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Jul 31, 2012 10:25
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CareyB posted:Dark driving techno: I would be interested in hearing it with the compression because I don't think you are really going to get that driving feeling unless you put in some compression. Also agreed that the kicks need to be a little more boomy. There is a shaker (I think, or maybe its a closed hat) sound that needs to be taken down a bit.
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Jul 31, 2012 18:04
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I'm guessing this isn't hip and elitist enough these days, but I like it. Just add some vocal and you're good to go. mister ginger posted:Sauced this together a few days ago. Not really sure where to go with it, would love some criticism!
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Jul 31, 2012 18:54
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Lump Shaker posted:I would be interested in hearing it with the compression because I don't think you are really going to get that driving feeling unless you put in some compression. Also agreed that the kicks need to be a little more boomy. There is a shaker (I think, or maybe its a closed hat) sound that needs to be taken down a bit. Cheers for listening and yeah this was the first track I've tried to compress... It's been a fight. I've got the kick to pop more but at the expense of some of the bass modulation which is fairly delicate as it is. I'm using the multipressor. Good idea/bad idea? If you're referring to the sound that the track begins with it's a hat, if it's the sound that comes in at 1:50 that did indeed start life as a shaker They could both do with a little more toning down tbh.
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Jul 31, 2012 20:31
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Flipperwaldt posted:I'm guessing this isn't hip and elitist enough these days, but I like it. Thanks for listening! After stepping away from it for a few days and coming back I agree with you 100%. Thinking back I can't count the amount of electro songs that have an annoying noise that kill the song. Sitting down and trying to reproduce what's in my head is so overwhelming at this point. The criticism is much appreciated!
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Aug 2, 2012 04:59
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Been working on a mix for a track i posted a demo version of here a few months ago. I've made a lot of changes in it since then, but could still use some help with the mixing as i'm using cheap desktop speakers that especially struggle with the bass frequencies. Feedback is appreciated! http://soundcloud.com/joelsimon/vainstream-rough-mix-demo-july I'm currently working with logic's stock eq's, comps, and limiters, but I would like to get Ozone 5 in the near future. Does anybody have experience with that plugin, and would you say it is worth the purchase? I've heard its a pretty good solution for ITB mastering.
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Aug 2, 2012 05:13
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Typo92 posted:Been working on a mix for a track i posted a demo version of here a few months ago. I've made a lot of changes in it since then, but could still use some help with the mixing as i'm using cheap desktop speakers that especially struggle with the bass frequencies. Feedback is appreciated! I think this sounds pretty good. I can't think of anything really negative to say about it. I liked it quite a bit.
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Aug 2, 2012 06:18
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boxorocks posted:Just cross posting these from the dnb thread as it'd be nice to get some producer ears on. These aren't bad, really liking the dark airyness to the second track and the piano work. For the first tune: Much prefer the second drop, the first feels too different from the intro. Try bringing the bass in subtlety as you lead it in maybe so you get some of the feel before it drops in? Listening again I don't think the synth helps. Your filters feel way too abrupt and overdone in the intro. The "Go" vocal sample feels too frequent. Maybe try using it more sparingly say once every 16/32 bars? Like I'd love to have heard it at 3:30 for example. If you want to use it in a phrase like you have maybe try taking the low out and adding some noise with attack so it keeps the feeling but sort of brushes past you, if that makes sense?! Then you can still accentuate it with the normal sound every 16 
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Aug 2, 2012 13:04
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Spent the better part of my day after work yesterday putting this together. I haven't had this much fun making a track in a long time. Tell me what sucks! http://soundcloud.com/dsc-2/give-the-earth-a-remix
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Aug 2, 2012 14:16
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Sgt. Slaughter posted:Spent the better part of my day after work yesterday putting this together. I haven't had this much fun making a track in a long time. Tell me what sucks! Really like this, can tell you had fun with it! Maybe a bit of reverb tail on the kicks when there's no bass to trail them off slightly? Very cool track.
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Aug 2, 2012 15:16
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New sample uploaded. Comming out in a month or so - but early promo went out to Hernan Cattaneo, he liked it and played it on his weekly show Exciting! Here it is!
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Aug 2, 2012 16:30
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So, I got a M-Audio Oxygen 49 for my birthday today. My problem now is I don't know anything about music besides learning the recorder in 4th grade and screwing around with a guitar I owned for a little while. What's a good resource for learning how to use this thing (making synth/electronic music) and/or how to compose in general? Also, good sources for learning FL Studio would be cool too. Thanks. I'm looking forward to hopefully be making some not horrible stuff in the future. PureRok fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Aug 3, 2012 |
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Aug 3, 2012 04:45
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^ IIRC as far as how synths work and how various features of FL work, the included manual is actually really robust and helpful. you're asking some really huge questions - a good starting point might be to just read up on some included synths and mess around.
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Aug 3, 2012 06:02
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Honestly, YouTube has been really helpful for me. If you spend some time searching for good tutorials on YouTube, you can actually learn quite a bit. I've noticed a ton of videos about FL Studio.
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Aug 3, 2012 07:37
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One of my very favorite plugins is iZotope Trash. I know there's lots of love for Ohmicide in this thread, but Trash is pretty great. The interface might not be so pretty, but the distortions it has are really top notch. I use it on practically everything.
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Aug 3, 2012 23:08
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Flipperwaldt posted:I'm guessing this isn't hip and elitist enough these days, but I like it. +1 for checking it out. I really appreciate it, and I finished the track the best that I could given the time constraints I was under. I'm not happy with the bass response. I must not be doing something right in my DAW (eq? compression? http://soundcloud.com/peter-graves-1/supradigital-final-draft
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Aug 4, 2012 00:20
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PureRok posted:So, I got a M-Audio Oxygen 49 for my birthday today. Okay, I'm going to assume that you have no musical theory training, which is fine. Everything I know I pieced together from forums like this and a few books I've read on the subject. Check out the Dance Music Manual (I seem to remember someone posting about this book in another thread, or maybe this one earlier on.), Idiot's guide to Music Theory, and the Rusko Producer Masterclass video. It's on youtube but if you're torrent-fu is strong you can get a copy that way. If your looking to actually learn how to PLAY a keyboard, I'd recommend the Hal Leonard Fast Track keyboard series and the Fast Track Level One songbook. First book for pianists classical composer series is also a great resource to get you playing classical pieces (and thus, build your keyboard chops) early on. I'm using to Mozart book now and it's pretty entertaining to try out some measures over some coffee. It sounds like you want to compose songs from the ground up. You should know right off that writing EDM music is different than writing, say, a pop tune or a rock and roll song, but a lot of the same rules still apply. You can start writing a song through a few different approches: Melodic composition-Write the melody or "hook" first, then chords, then everything else. Harmonic composition-Write the chord progression first, then melodies, then everything else. Rhythmic composition-This is one I came up with on my own (being a drummer since I was 10), but I feel pretty certian way better musicians than me invented this one long before I was born. Write the drums first, then bassline, then chords and/or melodies last. A chord progression is essentially a loop of chords that repeat, much like a drum loop. find one that works for your concept and your good to go. Remember, listen to your gut about the notes and chords and percussion you choose. If it doesn't sound right, don't hesitate to change or remove whatever it is. Also, get yourself a DAW program. I can't recommend Reaper enough for this. If I missed anything, just ask. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Aug 4, 2012 00:46
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Thanks for all of the responses, guys. Time for me to get cracking on all these books.thegalagakid posted:Okay, I'm going to assume that you have no musical theory training, which is fine. Everything I know I pieced together from forums like this and a few books I've read on the subject. Check out the Dance Music Manual (I seem to remember someone posting about this book in another thread, or maybe this one earlier on.), Idiot's guide to Music Theory, and the Rusko Producer Masterclass video. It's on youtube but if you're torrent-fu is strong you can get a copy that way. Which would you say, of those books you posted, would be more useful to get first? Is there one I should read through first, or should I just get them all and just rotate through them?
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Aug 4, 2012 01:36
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PureRok posted:Thanks for all of the responses, guys. Time for me to get cracking on all these books. Get the Idiot's guide to music theory first, as it's a pretty good overview of the entire songwriting process and has some good sections on melodies and chord usage. Then snag the Dance Music Manual, Fast Track keyboard level one, and any of the First Book for Pianists-Composers series. This should round out the whole 'tickling the ivories section.
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Aug 4, 2012 01:49
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Ricky Rooksby's "How To Write Songs on Keyboards" is a book I wish I'd had years ago. It's not the best general introduction to music theory, but it doesn't presuppose any special foreknowledge. It's mostly about building chord progressions, developing harmony, different chord voicings, inversions, etc. Lots of ideas to help your songs fit together and not all sound same-y with the same handful of chords.
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Aug 4, 2012 03:49
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So I'm currently turning my old tracks into versions I can actually play live in case a gig ever happens, and right now I'm working on my track called Happosade. The original sounds like this. Somewhere along the line the thought suddenly came to me that I'd love to try to make a clubby house thing out of it for shits and giggles - you'll probably notice from the original track and my other stuff that my music really isn't the kind of stuff you people create in this thread. But I think this one is turning out pretty drat well and it's a shitload of fun to do a track like this for once! I thought you guys might get a kick out of it and maybe comment on it as well. Uploaded to Tindeck instead of SoundCloud because it's definitely not finished and I kind of want to keep it under wraps at this point.  Gear used: Bassline: MeeBlip -> Delay from Kaoss Pad 3 Synthline: Nanozwerg -> Delay from Kaoss Pad 3 Beat and sequencing: MPC 500 Recorded raw into Audacity, no EQ, compression or any of that kind of fancy trickery. a cyborg mug fucked around with this message at 10:02 on Aug 4, 2012 |
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Aug 4, 2012 09:18
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So I did this thing: http://soundcloud.com/someguybrian/all-the-night It's my first attempt at vocals in an original electronic piece. I'm looking for general critique, especially on sound design and bass balance. Also, screw the fake comment spamming accounts on SoundCloud. I always think "Oh cool somebody really liked it!", then realize it's basically just an advertisement.
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Aug 5, 2012 01:12
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I feel like I'm getting closer to where I want to be with my electronic music productions and thought maybe someone will like them here. Here's my latest few (feedback very much appreciated): http://soundcloud.com/helsquiades/06-04-12 http://soundcloud.com/helsquiades/07-19-12 http://soundcloud.com/helsquiades/06-12-12
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Aug 5, 2012 09:20
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The Mystery Date posted:So I did this thing: http://soundcloud.com/someguybrian/all-the-night The kick is waaaay too low, in this kind of music you want it to be the loudest thing in the mix. Everything sounds muffled and thin. I like the arrangement tho, and you really nailed the 90 eurodisco vibe! Now my turn... http://soundcloud.com/rpblc/cronkers-1-1-12/s-eGEGf I'm really liking this one so far, I'm still working on the basslines (first and second verse), but I think the arrangement is solid and things flow well enough, I'd love some feedback! (also, FM synthesis  )
Horrido fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Aug 5, 2012 |
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Aug 5, 2012 21:16
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Horrido posted:The kick is waaaay too low, in this kind of music you want it to be the loudest thing in the mix. Everything sounds muffled and thin. The kick isn't really too low and turning it up won't solve anything. The problem is too much reverb is muddying up everything, you really gotta keep it under control with EQ or gates or plain turning it down. Also needs more compression/EQ/frequency diversification in general to tighten things up
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Aug 6, 2012 01:02
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Thanks for the feedback; I'll see what I can do to clear things up. I'd also like to get more high end oomph in the kick, but when I try to layer a sample I think would work well they just don't mesh. This one was a conglomeration of two kicks and a shaker, and it was the best I could do. How do I get those electro house kicks that sound like they're breaking the door down even on laptop speakers?
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Aug 6, 2012 01:40
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There's no simple answer to that question. It comes down to your skill as a producer. Knowing how to apply all the tools at your disposal in a judicious and elegant manner in order to achieve the results you want is the hallmark of an experienced producer. Experiment with compression, limiting, distortion, and EQ. Build up a toolbox of tricks and techniques to improve your mixing ability. There isn't just one "do this and you'll have a slamming kick" trick that producers use. It's the culmination of many incremental improvements.
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Aug 6, 2012 02:05
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I tried my hand at making some disco house. This is what I sampled, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHlb5iPlmiI
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Aug 6, 2012 18:33
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Would it be possible for someone with more music knowledge than I to tell me what key Trafalgar by The M Machine is in? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg0Ozh46mak&feature=player_embedded
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Aug 6, 2012 23:10
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Mixed in key says it's 6a/Gminor
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Aug 7, 2012 00:02
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Last couple of things I've done haven't been slammin', just laid back piano-ey things where I focused more on the music than on the drums. I'm pretty happy with the results, but am always looking for tips/feedback. http://thethirteenthstep.bandcamp.com/track/drowned http://thethirteenthstep.bandcamp.com/track/you-make-the-stars-shine-bright Is downtempo/trip-hop even still a thing anymore?
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Aug 7, 2012 00:25
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Hels posted:I feel like I'm getting closer to where I want to be with my electronic music productions and thought maybe someone will like them here. Here's my latest few (feedback very much appreciated): I just listened on my laptop speakers but this is good stuff. Seems kind of film-score-ish in places.
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Aug 7, 2012 17:22
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Hels posted:I feel like I'm getting closer to where I want to be with my electronic music productions and thought maybe someone will like them here. Here's my latest few (feedback very much appreciated): These are really cool, I'm especially digging the first one. Very ethereal sounding.
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Aug 7, 2012 18:20
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Hels posted:I feel like I'm getting closer to where I want to be with my electronic music productions and thought maybe someone will like them here. Here's my latest few (feedback very much appreciated): Really good stuff, like the best I've heard here in a very long time. I can't help hearing a lot of Vince DiCola influence in the third track which also helps 
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