"Nightfall" (new electronic/synth tune)

Hi all
 
Excited to share my latest piece of music
 
https://soundcloud.com/ant-832623685/nightfall/s-6hCMs
 
Hope you enjoy it; any feedback is welcome

Hi Ant

This is good... Make it a public track and get it out there

Thanks everyone.
 
It was my first outing with Omnisphere 2 (the majority of the sounds), and FM8 (the synth doing the arpeggio throughout the song, and also the slightly growly arpeggio pad that comes in around 1:54). Drums are BreakTweaker, Superior 2 for crash cymbals.
 
There's also a fairly subtle use of StutterEdit for one of the leads that come in at 1:20

cclarry
I really like the composition!  

Thanks
 
The whole piece started off as a riff that had been stuck in my head for a really long time. I'd always said to myself that I'd try to make something of it, and recently I finally decided to sit down and do it; I'm glad it came out quite well.

I like it too! The essential goodness is the different elements coming and going, with that unifying plucky synth theme. I can tell that great care was taken in the mixing, with volume automation bringing things to the front.
 
For me, I hear the snare and other drums dip down in volume when other synth parts came to the front - well done there - but for my tastes I disliked the snare sound. It sounds so very canned compared to the rest of the instrumentation. It's a very dated snare sound, which I know fits the genre, but I couldn't help wanting something more varied, more organic, in the snare department. That's just my .02 cents and others will love the snare to death, so there you go!
 
very good piece, and welcome to the forum (if you are in fact new around here)
 
cheers,
-Tom

emeraldsoul
I like it too! The essential goodness is the different elements coming and going, with that unifying plucky synth theme. I can tell that great care was taken in the mixing, with volume automation bringing things to the front.

 
Thanks Tom. Funny thing is when I finished my initial mix after a long session, I thought it sounded like a huge mud pile. Guess it shows the importance of taking breaks, as coming back to it the next day let me realise ear fatigue had got the better of me. What I ended up posting is a few mixes after, indeed with a few automation envelopes.
 

emeraldsoul
For me, I hear the snare and other drums dip down in volume when other synth parts came to the front - well done there - but for my tastes I disliked the snare sound. It sounds so very canned compared to the rest of the instrumentation. It's a very dated snare sound, which I know fits the genre, but I couldn't help wanting something more varied, more organic, in the snare department. That's just my .02 cents and others will love the snare to death, so there you go!

 
You have a good ear: I can't remember the exact name of the snare sample, but it is an 80s snare (and also an 80s kick)
 

emeraldsoul
very good piece, and welcome to the forum (if you are in fact new around here)

 
Thanks; I actually joined these forums a while back, it's just that I haven't had as much time in these last few years to spend musically as I used to.

Makke
Agreeable synth music. I liked the composition and arrangement. Sounds nice

Glad you liked it.

bjornpdx

Omnisphere 2 is probably my fav synth for this genre of music. Arturia is pretty good too.
I like the FM8 arpeggion throughout. The chord changes sound a bit like a Brian Eno song (can't remember
the name)
There's a wonderful flow to this composition. It sounds very good.
Only crit I have is the drums seem too prominent in the mix.
Good one.

Hi Bjorn
 
Thanks for listening, and for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed listening.

Really cool song you've built up here! The drum levels do seem to bounce about and, mostly, it works. However, I think a steadier level on the drums (to match the bass) would be better, IMO.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

dcumpian
Really cool song you've built up here! The drum levels do seem to bounce about and, mostly, it works. However, I think a steadier level on the drums (to match the bass) would be better, IMO.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Thanks for the compliment Dan. The drum levels are probably a result of passing the whole mix through slight compression (CA-2A) during the final stages, as I don't change the levels of my Drum and Instruments bus faders. Maybe the answer is a few more automation envelopes?

stevec
That was really good...   Electronic, yeah, but there's a lot of creativity to it, and the way you've arranged the synths is very effective IMO - solid, edgy, and in the pocket. 

 
Thanks Steve. Glad you enjoyed the song.