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Track in progress: Hey Dive

I'm working on an instrumental track, titled Hey Dive. I always have trouble naming my instrumental tracks.

This one was named after a headlong dine my wife did in the pool at Calamigos that was so impressive it has etched itself indelibly into my memory. I made most of the track while at Calamigos while the others were at the pool. I simply can't do vacation for more than a few days, then I have to be creative again.

After putting it aside for a few days, I was just listening to it again in the taxi to the airport. Here are my notes for what I want to change about it:

Intro:

  • Birds too loud
  • Pad more in tune
  • Shaker awful ... find another shaker sound
  • Fill way too much

Verse/Build:

  • Kick too plump
  • Snare too sloppy
  • Fill and Rise & Hit is too much
  • Snare roll too sloppy
  • Pluck is awesome!

Drop:

  • Pretty good soundscape & groove
  • Fills a little on the loud side
  • Could have more in the left front side of the mix
  • Try carving out midrange EQ space for voices other than the main vocal hook

Arp section:

  • 2nd half: Put rim or snare or clap on 2 & 4
  • Bass dropping out: Try just highpassing it, or dropping one of the voices

Call & Response section:

  • 4th time call lower, let response be the same
  • 2nd time response da-da-dum doesn’t work
  • Delay on response too heavy
  • Response could be a bit more processed

Bridge:

  • Try messing with the rhythm of the call & response
  • The hats/shakers are a bit much ... one too many sounds, a bit too loud, too much movement?
  • Fill a little much

Build:

  • Hook comes in a little abrupt ... bring it in filtered in the bridge already
  • Bass has a sharp attack on the fourth bar, doesn’t fit
  • Fill the style
  • Kinda like the organ but doesn’t sit great in the mix
  • Beginning of snare roll doesn’t groove
  • Could we use a drone to build tension?

Final drop:

  • Again, lead hook drowns a bit
  • Mid-way fill stops too much ... we want to keep the momentum going
  • I like how the snap comes in the last 8 bars
  • Hi hat could lose a hit

Take a listen for yourself and let me know what you think.

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