A new, Mike Oldfield-inspired track

[Marc JX8P]

Hi everyone! It took me some time, but I finally am working on a new track. It's going to be a collaboration with a guitarist but this is what I have created until now so I'd thought I'd preview it for you all here so you could ultimately compare it with the final version when that is done.

Bear in mind that this mix isn't a final mix (haven't used my monitor speakers and there's no panning in it yet). Please tell me what you think. This obviously started out as a Tubular Bells inspired piece but I do think it has its own character.

Hope you like it!

[offthewall]

Marc,
interesting soundscape here. It certainly has the Oldfield stamp. I think there is plenty of scope in there for further development and will be very interested to hear the outcome. Do you have a guitarist working with you or do you need one?
 
James

[Wyatt]

Good one Marc,

I really like this one..it is already cool.

Wyatt

[kara]

An interesting one, will be good ones it is finished
An advice for the next version... fire the bass player 

He realy doesn't participate to the groove of the song, sounds completly off
Find a groove Root-fifth-octave up (of the chord) which goes with the groove of the song and it will sound much better, eventualy with playing a semi tone lower then the root of the next chord on  the 8th beat of the previous to give it a bit transition.
I'm sure you know what I mean

k

[folderol]

Yes, certainly Oldfield-esque.

Very promising work. There is some very good detail here already and I'm keen to hear how you develop it.

I'm not happy about the bass. Sometimes it seems to nearly fit, other times it seems way off. I can't say what I think is wrong from a technical stance, just that it doesn't 'feel' right

[Marc JX8P]

Weird, I do like my bassline in there. Sometimes people dislike something I did, sometimes they like something I did when I myself don't like it that much... Ah well.

[kara]

Hi Marc,

Sorry if my comments sounded a bit harsh....
You propably know that I'm a bass player, so I allways listen to basslines in song, it's second nature for me.
The only thing I wanted to mention is that no real bassplayer would play the bass like that in your song. In a group a bas player listens and works together with the drummer to put the groove of the song in place.
I hate to play with a bad drummer because it just isn't inspiring to play bass on a bad drumline and the same goes for a drummer if he has a lazy bassplayer. It is true that you simply can play the root note of the chord on every chord and it will sound right but it doesn't contribute to the song.

And you know what they say about bassplayers
1. They never get the chicks
2. People never listen to them as long as they play right
3. If they play one wrong note, everybody heared it


But if you liked it like that just leave it, it is your song.

k

[Marc JX8P]

To be honest, your first comments did come over as harsh when I first saw them yesterday, hence my reply (and after re-reading they're still a bit harsh, fortunately I've got no bass player whose feelings can be hurt... ). After listening again a few days I can understand what you're saying though. I still think the track does work - but I'll give it another look before the track is finished. In any case, thanks for the response!

[Laguna Rising]

Hi Marc
imaginative piece of work, I like the composition, many good ideas, great developments as well...
There are many sounds or patches I personally won't use in my music but I admit the combined together they works well for the final result (for example the synth in the beginning and the one following).
So listening to this track opens my mind, in a way...

I could avoid talking about the bass, but it won't be helpful...    ...so my opinion is:
The bass sounds weird to me in the beginning and the point is there are notes that are NOT meaningful to the building of the atmosphere although technically are correct (according to theory).
But, of course, this is just my opinion and we know well that every person has a different perception and feelings and so if you feel that those notes are making sense to you, you MUST keep the bass line as is (this is the right thing to do).
This is YOUR song after all  LOL 


Cheers

[Marc JX8P]

No no, feel free to comment on any part - even the bass! I do appreciate all the comments that were made, it only took me as a surprise that the difference between what I thought of it and the opinions expressed here was so big.

In truth, I'm usually very critical of what I do and most of the time it takes me long to get to like what I have done. In this case, the way the bass goes against the main melodies, kind of meandering around the chords and I really liked it from the start so hence my confusion.

In any case, I'll definitely keep watching the bass critically during the rest of the creation process. Knowing what other people think is always useful, even if I do decide to keep it as is.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Oren]

Marc,

This one has a lot of character and interest. Keeping the percussion to a bare minimum is a nice touch - tends to leave room for the other instuments to make a percussive statement. The bass is a classic JXP maneuver; clean, idiosynchratic, and it serves the song.

The final flavour of the song will depend largely on how the guitarist treats his/her part. Are you writing the guitar lines, or leaving it up to the instrumentalist to compose the melody?

Personally, I'd love to have a go at this myself sometime, so if your picker craps out on you, consider me as backup, eh  ?

Oren.

[Marc JX8P]

Thanks Oren! Actually, Hovmod from KvR is doing the guitar duties on this one and he has some cool ideas. I have left it up to him to decide what to do as I find it very interesting to see what other people find suitable in a track.

By all means, though, feel free to try it out for yourself, maybe I can make this into a multi collab! Alternatively, if you want, I have this other idea lying around of a Bowie style track - it's quite early still but that definetely is another track that could use a guitar...

[Oren]

Oh Boy!

Leave this puppy for Hovmod, my man - too many cooks can spoil the soup 

I can hardly wait to hear "JXP does Bowie" (....I've actually done a few Bowie tunes, live and in the studio.....had my jeans on backwards and my hair braided....or was that my brother.... ?)

Anyhoo, do one up, Marc, and then take cover and turn your Canadian loose in the playground; life will never be the same  .

Oren.

[Marc JX8P]

Anyhoo, do one up, Marc, and then take cover and turn your Canadian loose in the playground; life will never be the same  .

O-kay... Didn't quite understand that (looking for codebook)

[Oren]

Marc,

English has become a very quirky language. Working at the international hostel has made me more aware of this.
 
I speak 3 versions:
  my "home" dialect, developed over many generations in northern Canada where immigrants lived in relative isolation - nearly unintelligable to most people;
  modern idiomatic English in use by North Americans as their first language - heavily influenced by pop culture and the media;
  and what I call "international English" - grammatically correct and without colloquial phrases.

You just received a dollop of version #2 - nasty habit on my part  . Translation: "finish the song, and I'll contribute as best I can". (but you knew that )

Looking forward,

Oren.