Not quite the usual trance, but good dance stuff. Could use a deeper
bass and a more prominent melody. I like though.

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...on what you consider "normal" trance. ;-D

Most of my collection consists of this kind of trance music. About 1/3 of it's hard trance, a 1/3 of it's progressive trance, and the last 1/3 is the most recent "dark" style of trance (not sure what that sub-genre is called). I like because it energizes me and helps me wake up on the drive to / from work, as well as keeps me going during work.

Thanks again for the comment and the vote!

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Lovely ditty little kiddie! I was smokin a J while pissing while I was listening! Quite ebjoyable and definetely helped the flow!

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...bad.
Trance isn't really my genre of choice, but I like how you keep things
moving. It stays interesting, which can be hard to do in a trance tune, I
think. I dig it, but I agree that the bass and melody could be
differentiate, separated, or otherwise emphasized, or perhaps
distinctuated, if you like? I dunno. It's late and past my bed time, but I
do like the tune.

Well done,
thelonious.

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Looks like making tracks is like riding a bike!!! My only criticism is the
kick fill where the bassline drops off/changes about a 1/3 of the way in
- make it longer and faster so that you get that build up that all the
drug addicted rave kids love! LOL! This would be a great track for a
porno. Nice and steady!

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At 2:30 in is were I'm talking about. Feels like it really wanted to build but
ended up coming on to fast. Still really enjoy this though!



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Unlike others who post their first loop-only tune here, you've gone
beyond that and tried experimenting with making this your OWN
composition, not just stock loops. You also do a pretty good job of
building suspense as new instruments come in. I like the slight
dissonance. Pretty decent first composition, a lot better than my first
in GB! Anyway, one word of caution... this music writing stuff in GB,
combined wiith the wonderfully fun MacJams online communnity is one
addictive combination! Welcome to a very fun place, and I look forward
to hearing more from you. Feel free to reciprocate and find out what
some of us have written, and drop us comments too!
ttfn,
Drakonis

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Drakonis, thanks for the many kind words! :-) The dissonance is very deliberate -- one of many reasons I called it "off kilter".

My brother-in-law (a former rave DJ with a major techno / trance collection and scads of experience working with the stuff, though not composing his own) let me in on a little secret about techno: Almost all of it is written in a minor key, even if it doesn' t sound like it was. In the case of this song, it was written in a major key (A) but the two primary melodies contained many minor chordings / progressions.

I also called the song "Off Kilter" for what my BIL refers to as the "DJ-unfriendly kick", since it seems to come on the off beat, when in fact almost everything else is on the off beat.

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I'm the BIL in question. I DJed from about '87 through '94, the last three years almost entirely hard trance at raves.

Actually, the intro is a bit less unfriendly than it was in the early version you played for me, and the outro is a gift - VERY mixable. A slightly punchier kick, and maybe a 2-4 snare in parts, and it would have fit into all but the hardest sets of mine. I like this a lot, WITHOUT the "for your first try" qualifier.

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But I liked it all the same. A bit repetitive, but that's the point, eh?

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no wonder the bear was bouncing!! it's not my kinda thing but he tells me that it keeps him going - thanks for sharing x

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But you already know that. I'm glad to hear that you are mucking
around with layers a little (different combinations of tracks) which is
great, by having even subtle changes in the texture you can keep the
listeners interest without having to change the chords or melodies you
are playing. You've also got some nice grooves going (and yay for you
for experimenting with the loops).

Some comments though, another way to keep the interest going in a
similar way to mucking around with the layers... since this is electronic
music, remember that you don't have to confined by the performers
instruments... muck around with the timbre of different bass lines/
melodies/chords etc ... as in use the same melodies... just with a
different sound.

One critisim though.... I really liked your intro... but the intro was the
only place I heard some of those sounds (particulary the tabla). Make
the most out of the material you have, don't just go from one riff to
another, but remember what you've written already. I would've loved
to have heard parts of your intro towards the end of the song... but it
just didn't happen... in the end I forgot your intro until I listened to it
again. Do the listener a favour and remind them of things you want
them to remember.

Other than that, don't stop... just keep going.

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Composer, thanks for the detailed feedback. I appreciate it!

The tabla in the beginning does resurface at the end, but I kept it at a slightly more muted volume so that it was no longer dominant, but a subtle reminder of what came before. I guess it was too subtle! :D

Trance is a bit different from other forms of electronic music, in that the repetitiveness is very deliberate and seeks to put the listener into a trance-like zone or state of mind (hence the name). For the same reason, most trance tracks rely almost exclusively on changes in the layering to accomplish the growth and evolution of the song. While a given trance song may have many layers (I tend to lose count after about 25 or so), no more than 10 or 12 are in use for any prolonged period (kick beat, hi hat, snare, cymbal(s), bass line, and the main melodies and harmonies). Some layers are "atmospherics" or "stingers" that just come in for a measure or two here and there (like the panned synths and the paradiddle/cymbal combo); others are supporting rhythms that are played at a very low volume and blend in well with the other rhythms.

I'm nowhere near that level yet -- this song has a total of 15 layers, and by the end I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed (and so was my laptop before I locked every track except the one I was editing! ;D). I figured best to stop there and keep things on the "minimalist" side. I'm hoping as I get more experience, I'll get better at coming up with or finding rhythms that blend well together and layering them in more intricate ways.

If you want to hear a really majestic and gorgeous sounding work of trance music, listen to "Arms of Orion" by Tea Freaks. It's on the Tranceport II compilation CD (Amazon picked a bad sample for the disc page, so don't listen to it there). It's as repetitive as any trance piece, but the sustained major chords that come in about half-way through, combined with the soaring primary melody and the underpinning harmony (that starts off as the melody) makes this something that gives me goose bumps every time I listen to it.

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I didn't vote as I have no reference for this style of music, but I thought it was a good listen. Look forward to hearing more from you!

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I like this tune a lot, but it tends to be super-repetitive.
Of course, most trance songs are. Which means - you did what you set out to do (trance) and did it extremely well. :)

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like the panning, fun for the ears. A bouncy fun!
Jungle computer sounds.

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I can tell your creative juices have been building and are ready to explode. My only complaint is the drums could have been a bit more kicking. Otherwise good stuff. Awesome first track. And I am really looking forward to your future tracks. I am sure the will be very interesting.

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a decent start; keep experimenting.
-hi-hats pattern too repetitive
-not enough kick drum
-synth sounds too out-of-the-box circa 1985.

i agree with earcandy; not quite the usual trance.
this sounds more like soundtrack music.
i suggest you pick up some current trance compilations for inspiration and hear how things have evolved.

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