Trance synth work

[Timothee]

so anyways, I was rummaging through some old stuff and found this little abandoned track...fixxed it up a bit, and found a masterpiece...well for me it is...its called trance synth work because i never re-named it...  http://soundcloud.com/tim-billstrom/trance-synth-work
I'm not posting it here for reviews or critique so please dont tell me what I could change or what part should have been different or you didnt like...  The song is complete in itself and If you like it thats cool, but if you don't, then just don't listen to it...

[SLD Music]

Liked it, Timothee.    It lays down an easy to like groove and has some nice layering and building over top of it.  Nice work.

It seems as if you've been burned by critiques from people who don't like the electronic / trance / house style in the past.  That's a shame.  I find that when electronic music is well executed (and somehow manages to strike that precarious balance between edgy and melodic, which not all of it does), it is plain fascinating to listen to.  Although I'm still really unclear on what genre is what when it comes to the electronic, four-on-the-floor type stuff.  I sort of understand what dubstep is about now, but trying to understand the difference between electro house, trance, french house, tech house, electronica, electro, etc. is well outside of my musical education so far.  My background is more traditional and classical.

That said, I'm currently working on trying to make my own...Trancey (?) type of track using my own sensibilities as a guide as well as listening to some of the tracks I've found and admire by other artists.  It is very difficult to do... I mean, not only in making sounds that are interesting and dynamic, but how to make use of those sounds.  I also keep falling back on old traditional melodic habits, and when I do that, it doesn't sound like it fits in the genre, so I have to listen to some more and analyze some more tracks to try and figure out what direction I should go in to keep the vibe I've got from turning into a I-IV-V, ABA traditional pop-type song.  It's very tough, but I'm enjoying the challenge of branching out of my comfort zone.  The more I work on it, the more respect I have for those who do it well (which is, admittedly, a rare commodity--there's a whole lot of mediocre music out there, in all genres.  Hehe.).

Anyhoo... sorry for the tangent.  Liked your track, that's what I really came on to say. 

[Moon]

This is great work. It's punchy enough, it has the right amount of energy. There's enough variation in the song, both sound-wise and composition-wise. The break is well balanced. Overall this is a good production. Very well done!

Moon

[Timothee]

Thank you SLD and also Thank you Moon...I'm glad you liked the song, and I'm thankful for no negative comments as well...they really don't inspire me to create very well...

On another note to you SLD, may I suggest you take a listen to the genre 'minimal' if you are serious about making trance and any electronic music for that matter...Minimal helped me get a solid grounding on the fundamental elements in electronic music for the single reason of it focusing on dynamic percussion and basslines...This is the Bulk of electronic music I feel and no matter what genre of electro you are making, whether ambient or trance, to dubstep and house, your percussion and bass define your song...

If you try making some minimal songs, you will find that you channel your energy and learning curve towards the very heart of electronic music today, and after a few attempts, the other genres will open up and make a whole lot more sense...When I first started making electronic music, I was totally in the dark, and only could dream of making genres like trance and house, but after a month or two of trying to understand minimal, I realised that most electronic music is in fact minimal, with different things added or taken away... 

To sum it up, most electronic music is usually of house descent, with the quarter kicks, snare on the second kick and forth, and an open hi hat in between the kicks...this formula is golden and can be a great place to start a project...as you add a bassline, it may be favourable to add a few little percussion hits to alter the standard flow of the house kick, making it come alive with minimal dynamics...then you just work in a melody....of course there is a whole lot more to figure out with laying out the track and working on the builds and breakdowns, but that is more of a personal feel then a set standard...

Anyways good luck with the trance!!!

[Moon]

On another note to you SLD, may I suggest you take a listen to the genre 'minimal' if you are serious about making trance and any electronic music for that matter

To sum it up, most electronic music is usually of house descent, with the quarter kicks, snare on the second kick and forth, and an open hi hat in between the kicks...this formula is golden and can be a great place to start a project

Thanks for this tip. Where can we found good examples of 'Minimal' ? I'd like to have a try myself 

Moon

[Timothee]

Hey I'm glad you asked Moon, I happen to have a very good source of minimal and every other genre of electronic music conveniently organised according to genre...This source is digitally imported... digitally imported is a music radio website with many different genres of electronic music organised into channels for easy navigation to what you want to hear... Its a sister site to sky.fm and can be accessed from their main site, also the url for Digitally Imported is di.fm...simple enough right?  Its completely free and hosts thousands of big name electronic music songs 24/7, constantly adding new mixes and always rocking the house... that means you can listen to, say, the trance channel, and be sure that every song you hear is 100% trance music round the clock, and also produced by some of the biggest names of the genre... Every channel on the site is strictly electronic music so you can't go wrong either... plus, if you feel like straying from the electronic field, sky.fm is always just a click away with pretty much every other genre of music that isnt electronic, such as jazz or classical, to indie rock, punk, oldies, and latin piano, plus many more...

Also if you want to listen to one specific artist with a special talent at creating songs with the characteristics of minimal, techno, trance and eurotrance/house all wrapped into one, check out the legend Sander Van Doorn ...personally my favourite artist, also very talented electronic producer/dj

[SLD Music]

Thanks for the info, Timothee!

Will check them out.  Up to this point I've been trying to find electronic music genres via soundcloud and bandcamp, and of course, that can have mixed results.  Don't get me wrong, I've found plenty of things I like (particularly Electrocado, which I _really_ liked.  I'm such a newb to this kind of music, I listen to their stuff and it's a constant..."Wait... how the hell are they DOING that?").

Anyway, soundcloud and bandcamp are anything if not unpredictable, which is part of their charm.  Still, with services like that and my admittedly rather specific tastes for these genres, it's a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack.  I imagine digitally Imported will be the same, but at least it gives me another source to tap. 

[folderol]

Well, this isn't really for me, but I can appreciate what you've done here. Very good work, and proof (if such was needed) that you should never throw away work that seems to be dead-ending. Come back later, even years later and you'll find new life in it.

[Moon]

Hey I'm glad you asked Moon, I happen to have a very good source of minimal and every other genre of electronic music conveniently organised according to genre...

Thanks for this info. I'll certainly will check this out. See, my basic principe is
1. see
2. Learn
3. Do it yourself

Well... since we're talking music, it's actually listen, learn end try it yourself 

Moon

[Moon]

By the way... I didn't know there were so many electronic music styles... Interesting ! 

[SLD Music]

By the way... I didn't know there were so many electronic music styles... Interesting ! 

Hence my utter confusion...    I could tell you the difference between a symphony composed in the classical period versus one composed in the romantic one, but I can't tell you the difference between french electro-house and progressive trance to save my life.  I get so confused that I seriously wonder if most of the musicians who produce the stuff even know the differences.   I think that's why it's so hard to find types of electronic music I LIKE according to genre.  It seems that the genres aren't set up in a way that would help me identify what I would enjoy in that regard.  For me, it's more a matter of ... is it musically interesting and melodic?

Having listened very briefly to some of the stuff on digitally imported this morning, I can say that I like your stuff better than most of what I've heard so far, Timothee.  One of my favorites of yours was the portamento piece you wrote for the "glissando" contest on KVR a couple months back.  Another one I especially liked was the brief one you made called "The Awakening".

[Moon]

Having listened very briefly to some of the stuff on digitally imported this morning, I can say that I like your stuff better than most of what I've heard so far, Timothee.

I agree. I had a listen to the 'Minimal' channel and must say that I was a bit dissapointed. I don't know where these channels get their music from, but to my feeling, they sure could use some 'better' music.

Timothee, I would suggest you get your music on these channels 

Moon

[Timothee]

Well thanks moon I'm flattered, and thanks Scott for liking my music over digitally imported as well...digitally Imported hosts very commercial styles that are generally played in clubs around the world so they are usually filled to the brim with sounds and elements, so it can be a good place for inspiration, but generally the artists arent really unique on there... like I said its very commercial stuff... And I do hope to get my music on there someday, but they only accept songs that are generally popular and I still struggle to get 50 hits on my songs total... plus Im just beginning my musical adventure so I have a lot of work to do...However all the great comments on here have inspired me recently to create a brand new trance song, and I must admit it's sounding pretty nice(I'm also starting to get the hang of trance)....Its still in the works but I'll be sure to post it when its complete...!!!  Thanks for the support!!

[Moon]

Its still in the works but I'll be sure to post it when its complete...!!! 

Great ! Keep up the good work !

Moon

[Oren]

... I've found plenty of things I like (particularly Electrocado, which I _really_ liked.  I'm such a newb to this kind of music...

This has been an opportunity to explore an unfamiliar genre, and while listening to examples of each style, I'm constantly amazed at what the folks who work with Jeskola Buzz/ buzz machines - http://www.buzzmachines.com/ - come up with. It seems they add that extra bit of creativity to the music.

"untriangle", Buzzers from France, has some very big sound and innovative compositions - http://www.myspace.com/untriangle

From Germany, "Chill Carrier", works with a variety of styles and a very large pallet of hi-fi sounds - http://www.cbasstn.de/

- http://www.plosive.net/ - gets you to veteran buzzer Aaron McCammon's music and video site.

And of course, the prolific "Hamster Alliance" - http://www.hamsteralliance.com/

Tim,
Thanks for the primer on electronic music, and I'd be interested in your comments on these artists and where they fit, in terms of the general categories you've outlined.