u/Gon3toth3dogs

man first of all, thanks for taking the time to write all of this!! really appreciate it, especially since you actually went into detail about what could be improved.

ive been producing music for a while now, but i originally started out making hip hop, mostly boom bap stuff. so while im not completely new to producing, this whole pop punk thing is still pretty new territory for me haha. especially trying to get programmed drums and virtual guitars to sound like an actual band.

i definitely get what you mean about the dynamics and variety. i think thats something ive been struggling with a bit, especially since im trying to make the instrumental interesting but leaving room for vocals. sometimes i feel like adding more stuff just for the sake of adding something, if that makes sense.

and yeah, i actually write all the lyrics and vocal melodies myself! singing is a whole different story tho haha. ive recently found a guitarist and a singer for the project and theyre coming over to my little home studio in a few days to record some demos together for the first time. pretty excited about that ngl.

for this song i actually started with the lyrics, then built the basic instrumental around them and came up with the vocal melodies afterwards. so the whole thing kinda developed step by step rather than having everything planned out from the start.

some parts might feel a little empty right now because theres supposed to be a vocal melody carrying them, especially the bridge(where i really dont like the guitar the more i hear it). im really curious to hear how it all comes together once we actually record the vocals, and i wouldnt be surprised if we end up changing a few things along the way haha.

i really like your point about building the arrangement around the vocals tho. im trying not to get too attached to the current arrangement for exactly that reason.

also, that chord player sounds pretty interesting. ive mostly been writing everything directly in FL studio so far, usually starting with a chord progression or a random melody that gets stuck in my head. definitely gonna check it out tho, especially if it helps with experimenting with different progressions.

and honestly, one of the coolest things about starting this project has been realizing how much there still is to learn. ive spent years making music on my own, but putting together an actual band and writing songs for other people to play is a completely different experience.

anyways, thanks again for the feedback and the recommendations man!! really means a lot. and good luck with your own music too!

first of all thank you for the feedback!!
ik what you mean about the guitars sounding fake haha. the bass is actually me playing tho, just running through an amp sim because i cant afford a real amp rn.
im actually having my guitarist and singer over in a few days to record some proper demos, so the VST guitars will be replaced soon!
im planning on doing the humanizing and more detailed EQ stuff once ive got the actual guitar and vocal recordings in place. right now im mostly trying to get the arrangements down.
really appreciate you taking the time to listen and give some proper feedback!!

yeah im actually noticing that right now haha. ive been learning some songs from my dads band recently. he plays a thunderbird and a rickenbacker while im sitting here with my LTD F-5E 5 string trying to figure out what the hell im doing lol.
some of the stuff he plays feels pretty awkward at first, especially with that massive neck, but its actually helping me understand different techniques and how to adapt them to my own playing. so yeah, definitely starting to see what you mean!

damn 15 years is crazy haha. mustve been pretty cool getting to play so many different styles of music.
i really like what you said about not being afraid to fail tho. especially since im just starting out, i think thats something i should probably keep in mind. thanks for sharing man!

yeah i think playing drums for 7 years definitely gave me a bit of a head start haha. rhythm and timing feel pretty natural, its mostly getting my fingers to actually do what i want thats the problem lol.
but yeah, i think ill just keep doing what im doing for now and see where it takes me. thanks for the advice!

over 1000 gigs is actually insane haha. i definitely see your point about both being important, especially since im currently putting together my first proper band.
i think once we actually start rehearsing together ill probably get a much better idea of what i need to work on as a bassist. right now im mostly just enjoying the songwriting side of things.
out of curiosity, what kind of music did you play at all those gigs?

thats pretty much how i feel about it too haha. theres just something about coming up with your own stuff and hearing it slowly turn into an actual song that i find way more exciting than learning covers. glad im not the only one!

what a song!! took me straight back to when my dad used to show me music videos on his iphone 4 (i was born a little too late for this era unfortunately 🥲).
i saw you mention in another comment that this song is actually from the 2000s. love that songs from that era still pop up every once in a while.
the only thing i wouldve done differently (as an amateur producer myself) is bring the vocals up a little in the mix. they get a bit buried behind the instruments at times.
but man, i can only imagine how cool this mustve been back then!! really glad i stumbled across this one.

thats a pretty good way of looking at it actually. i guess writing my own stuff is what got me excited about playing bass in the first place, but i definitely see how only doing that could limit me in the long run.

and i really like that last sentence haha. guess i gotta get comfortable with being bad at something for a while. appreciate it!

I closed my eyes and was back in the town where my grandparents lived on the costa brava. Even tho its freezing here that track gave me a warm feeling. Thank you for that!! I love the laid back vibe of it. And even though theres already thousands of songs like this, theres something really refreshing about this one that i cant quite put my finger on.

I love the whole vibe of it man. Idk if that makes sense but for me it sounds like the vocalist of radiohead had a background in glam rock/80s hardrock. The way you pronounce your words is remarkable. Love everything about it!!

I love the voice. It sounds a little raspy. Reminds me of early justin bieber if that makes sense. I saw you dont have the money for expensive equipment but when you do, i would defenetly record that one. Has really big potential!! Keep up the good work!

man this song genuinely makes me wanna drop everything and go to the beach haha.

it has that feeling of driving along the coast in the middle of summer, roof down, windows open, warm wind in your face and absolutely nowhere you need to be. like one of those days where you dont even care where youre going because the drive itself is already perfect.

it kinda reminds me of here comes the sun by the beatles, but somehow even warmer? idk how to explain it. its got that same happy, comforting feeling, but this one makes me think more of a lazy summer afternoon rather than the beginning of a sunny day.

theres also something really nostalgic about it. like it reminds me of a summer i havent even experienced yet, if that makes any sense lol.

i could genuinely imagine having this on repeat while driving around some little coastal town in spain. really love the whole vibe of this one.

haha thanks man! im definitely planning on learning more songs along the way. my dads a bassist in a hard rock band and hes been teaching me some of the songs they play. im more of a pop punk guy myself, but its been really fun learning his stuff. he also gives me a hand with writing my own basslines and riffs sometimes. and yeah, walking bass is definitely on my list haha

yeah absolutely! my dad actually plays bass in a hard rock band and ive recently started learning some of their songs. im more into pop punk myself, so its pretty cool exploring a different style. he also helps me come up with basslines and riffs for my own songs sometimes. definitely learning a lot from him!

Thank u very much ill look into it🙌

Thank u for teööing me. When would that be?