Battle of the beats 2006 - VI: reviews by Royalston

You Are Virus by Ruffian: this one is gonna be a heavy

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:44.

this one is gonna be a heavy track....you can tell straight away.

nice edited intro. good punchy elements.

drop - heavy. very nice. punchy clear and a good kind of nasty - not noisy, just heavy. This one is the best Ive heard so far.

My only comment production wise - kick could have more punch. 80-100hz Thats the only area where it feels weak...thats being picky though. Smiling

rainmaker feat. esther by mabus: hey - nice guitar..at last

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 05:57.

hey - nice guitar..at last something different. and vocals. excellent.

drums are too weak and sound too programmed...and the bass needs to be bigger...nice song though despite this...I think Dnb needs heavier drums and bass - take the vocal down a notch or two.

excellent- originality rules.

against all odds by djobscure: Really nice synths and vibe

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:31.

Really nice synths and vibe on this one.
The drums need some highend 1k-5k eqd up just a little to bring them out. The drums are crusty (but I like it in the context of this track)

The pad needs 300hz taken out. Thats making it all a little muddy.

After the drop...there's extra drums that come over the top - they are too loud and unneccessary.

I like it when you take the drums out and leave the hats...thats nice

cool bass sound.

the ooh-yeah is not needed- its too "sample Cd"...its a good track without that.

This is a nice track. The bassline is working well Smiling

Overdose by Golem: Good mood going at the

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:24.

Good mood going at the start...not a lot of clarity between elementsbut that suits the grimey vibe. I love all the reeses...the vocal stab is really really done to death (by dillinja and crew) imo.

Overall the track could do with a bit of loudness but thats what the gain knob is for.

nice vibe.

demon rising by waves power: nice intro...good

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 05:53.

nice intro...good dynths...the first drop doesnt really do much though..needs more low mid bass...second drop when everything goes nuts - drums need punch, and again, punchier bass.

shores of the unknown by synrgy: nice intro but the drums are

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 06:00.

nice intro but the drums are muddied - theres too much competing with them

drop - drums too quiet. No bass. no sub really either.

still, not bad Smiling

Underground by Dj Shiver: I really like the opening

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:09.

I really like the opening loop...but the first synth is too loud (scared the crap out of me)...Drum could be turned up about 6db.
The crazy full-on drums and the synth after the drop seem to have no connection with the intro loop...the start loop is slow and everything else is super-fast. That vocal loop suggests a slower bassline to me (which you seem to have put in there occasionally).
Also needs more kick drum and the bass needs definition and clarity.

Souls R us by DMJ: Nice start. Its gets a

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:21.

Nice start. Its gets a groove going. Good balance between Kick and snare.....

...but that cuts out too abruptly into craziness - theres too many kicks after the drop. The beats also sound too programmed I think...you need to chuck a break on there to get some crunchy.

Nice filtering. Pretty good production too.

If the track is gonna be really really really fast then Id introduce that right at the start.... dont have that nice simple kick snare thing for 16bars or whatever - just let people know right away what theyre in for.

How fast is this track 180bpm? More?

In The Morning by DJ Scape: nice intro so far....good

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:40.

nice intro so far....good mood and percussion and synths....nice vocal sample...really nice intro.

snare is a little weird - "hollow?" try a different sample with more punch

Gets too complicated after the drop. too many elements - the intro makes you expect a chilled song...the background synths also suggest this...also the  Beats need punch and the bassline isnt clear. Add another layer to your drums, that will help...and simplify them Smiling

nice track

Anzor by hksystems: First synth is nice. Second

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:01.

First synth is nice. Second high pitch synth is a bit off.
Drums need to be much louder. Bass has no punch- when i comes in it doesnt feel like a bassline- and theres no kick drum to accentuate it.

The mood is good and the arpeggiator is good. Simplify things...less is more.

Dirt Bike by Contayjen: Nice intro...needs more

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:34.

Nice intro...needs more connection to the drop (fast bit). At the moment - its chilled-then fast-instantly.
Nice programming at the start.

I like the high synth that comes in...and the warping breakdown with the reverse sound (my favourite part). I would prefer it if the track stayed slow like that.

Needs an audible bassline.

by : I like the vocal sample.

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 06:03.

I like the vocal sample.

The drums dont flow - they need some more work. The ghost hits need to be made from different/modified samples of the main snare. Kick needs more punch.

bass needs looking at too.

Translation Protection by ptah: Drums need tightening - they

Submitted by Royalston on Thu, 2006-10-26 00:15.

Drums need tightening - they are loud and fairly punchy but theres too many hits in there for my liking - and , if you are putting heaps of layered drums they have to hit at the same time...they cant be a little out...it just gets too crazy.

Vocal sample...seems like the standard thing to chuck in a DnB track if you cant work out a build up...maybe chuck some hats over it to keep the tension/ rhythm going? Process the vocal more and take off some off the muddy reverb.

bass is big and solid but needs rhythm - on and off. a beat etc. its just one long pulse.

Vary the synth in the background...it never changes.