Is your music... too balanced?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มิ.ย. 2024
- So often we're trying to achieve balance in our art - but what if I told you that the opposite approach might be more exciting? Let's look at a track that's extremely out of balance, and see why that still works.
Listen to Renato Cohen - Pontapé here ► • Renato Cohen - Pontapé
My Foundations courses ► courses.underdog.brussels
Patreon ► / underdogmusicschool
Discord ► / discord
Contents:
0:00 intro
0:34 the musical example
1:08 first impressions
2:01 extreme tension and release
3:05 closer look at the music
3:28 adding the drums
4:25 weak 16th notes rimshot
5:40 bass note
6:16 sampled mids
6:59 turnaround at the end
8:23 recap
![[FULL EP.13] เซียนหรั่ง พา ไททศมิตร ลงเรือฝึกสกิลหว่านแห | เฮ็ดอย่างเซียนหรั่ง | One Playground](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EWFuf2Av0K0/mqdefault.jpg)
My Foundations courses ► courses.underdog.brussels
Patreon ► www.patreon.com/underdogmusicschool
Discord ► discord.gg/trDbVcDHB3
The best mixing note I ever saw was, mixing isn't about balance, it's about focus; it's our job to inform the listener on where they should be focusing their attention at any given moment in the song. The lesson in the video definitely follows that note, from a compositional POV. Great video!
Oh hey it's one of those comments I'll remember forever. Thanks!
@@slowfreqwow, you are 100% on that. I saved a screenshot to make sure I'll never forget hah
Absolute bible
Renato Cohen - pontapé. BANGER track, thanks for reminding me again. It was a banger when it came out in 2002. Crazy how time goes by and it is still fresh when hearing it again.
This was a more interesting lesson than I anticipated! The title made me think this was going to be about frequency balance in a mix. I thought maybe you'd be discussing the idea that true, "perfect" balance between lows, mids, and highs can sometimes come across as bland and unexciting and possibly even sound "small" compared to a track with less balance and a more distinct foreground/background within the frequency spectrum. I enjoyed this alternate concept of balance you presented that was more about rhythmic symmetry in the groove and the importance of breaking that symmetry, even just briefly, to create tension and anticipation. Good stuff! 👍
This takes me back. So Simple but so good. It's like a Techno blank canvas that invites DJs to paint over it with acapellas, scratches and 3 deck wizardry.
Cool you are exploring this style Oscar! The tense hypnotic loop punctuated by a surprise moment was key to the late 90s techno sound. I love this idea, It's every effective BUT the simplicity isn't just a 'balance' choice or something the audience would have to 'endure', many of these repetitive loop tracks were specifically designed to be layered and filtered. Rarely would any track get played on its own for very long.
True! I'd say that's why we're sometimes talking more about 'tools' than 'tracks', as it's one musical idea, expressed gradually over time, that can fairly easily manually be filtered in/out to progress the story at the tempo the DJ wants.
@@OscarUnderdog I always think tool sounds a bit dismissive even though its a good description in many ways. These tracks were still recognised and loved by the crowd.
I loved your description of the pregnant tension this style has and how exciting those switch moments are. I feel this concept and vibe is specific to techno and great youre discussing it. Its definitely a vibe that has been returned recently as the scene embraces the funkier hypnotic side of the techno again.
@@moonmonkey303 out of curiosity, do you have any more recent tracks like that that come to mind?
Pontapé is a timeless techno anthem 🎉
Oscar, the boss of electronic music! That was a nice one, and actually, I still remember when I started with all this, how I tried to describe exactly that with my words to a more experienced friend, but my noob words back in the day didn't really make clear what I meant. Intuitively, I found this short, refreshing moment of silence at the end of a bar so massively fascinating, but my ears and words just weren't good enough to even try to extract knowledge from whatever place or person. Then, I forgot about it and now, you come along and solve this old mystery. Made my day (right before going to bed, lol). Thanks!
By the way, there is a similar thing which, I'd say, serves a similar (if not the same) purpose: I can only describe it as some kind of "delayed kick". I'm not sure if it was an otherwise normal 4 on the floor when it happened, or just before the drop after a break / buildup, and at the end of it, there is this "delayed kick", which isn't really delayed, though, and maybe it's a bit shortened, it's like a tiny micro break from the sound, and before you even realize it, your ears tripped over it and it's over.
Too bad I don't have an example, but maybe someone knows what I mean and can shed some light (or sound) on this. :)
When you mentioned the refreshing turnaround, I felt exactly what you meant. You articulated precisely what I couldn't put into words about this impactful kind of music.
Even though your channel is more Techno related it has helped make my Funk tracks do much better. I can’t thank you enough earthling!!! 🤘👽🤘
Your tutorial videos are always the best. I learn a lot from your videos.
that stab sample made iron to gold like a true alchemist.
That little jumpy bit was actually a mistake- a happy accident- that Renato left in. Thank god he did. Incredible track.
wooo it feel great , such a inteligent hack made renato , i dont know taht track and just listening taht few secods you showed i already love it. but not more than i love you oscar. you're the best teacher amigo! realmente valoro mucho tu trabajo y tu manera de comunicar! love from buenos aires! ♥
Great video, really insightful!
Thanks for showing me this track and thanks for the project file over on Patreon. Today “Kmyle - For The Flash” and “Jam & Spoon - Follow Me (Jerome Isma-Ae Remix)” are my suggestions. Have a nice rest of the week everyone.
In terms of 909 sample of 4:06, do you have any good recommendations where to purchase those good percussion samples from?
I would say just use any cool samples you can find. however if you insist on that exact sound the roland cloud tr-909 vst will give you that.
I was listening to it and I completely overheard the change. Music I make and I listen to is way fuller and allways changing. So for me its more of a reminder that to a lot opf peoples ears, also smaller changes can make an influence.
This is why Pontape is so good still man!!! DK8 - Murder Was The Bass is another beast of a tune with the same kinda thing going on but even better!! ⚡️⚡️
Man this inspired me as hell. Thanks! (Opening Modplug Tracker and FL-Studio)
Mate!!! Absolutely made up you made the video! Amazing brother, thank you☺️🙏🏼
😁🙏🏻 such a good track, couldn't resist!
Pontapé means kick , like kick in the face or in the leg. Renato is a friend of mine, from Sao Paulo, I am from Minas. =)
Pontape OMG how I loved that as a teenager :D and still
😆 I was listening for instrument level balance in the original playthrough and wasn't paying the least attention to compositional or phrase balance or whatever it's called. I need a do over!
First time i heard this was on Scott Bond's Ahead album, it was Cohen vs Tim Deluxe - Just Kick! (Carl Cox mix). Banger!
Pontape is still legendary:). Perhaps you could do vid on the pounding sub bass of I.e abelhas? Sick bass line
Great topic!!
Haha you nailed it! That was precisely what I was thinking and feeling. 1:30 to 2:00
I enjoy your videos. I'm the guy who has been stuck in the loop for 30 years. I was wondering if your skills also involve Cubase 12 too?
Pontape sounded fucking unreal in the club back in the day, went off every time
Makes me think of Maximaal from Egbert. Here the bass changes after every 8 bars or so
I listened to the whole track. It sounds very much like a loop sampled from possibly a late 90's trance track, and the 'glitch' is part of a synth from the same track. The clap sounds like more of a very echoed clap, which got a lot of use at that time, rather than a reversed clap. The rimshot thing makes it sound like something from gouryella, but I can't be sure of that. The name of the track translates to 'kick' so he probably added a more techno kick.
Thanks Oscar!🔥! I’ve been searching for this track for about 20 years! It made such an impression on me way back then. Thanks for covering! I’ve tried to recreate from memory a few times.
Do you have a link to the original track?
Only the TH-cam link! I couldn't find any sources where I could buy the original! Kinda crazy :)
@@OscarUnderdog many thanks Oscar. You’ve taught me lots over the years
Thx Oscar...👍👍👍
❤☮☯❤☮☯❤☮☯❤
Another great tutorial.
Renato Cohen is the goat
I’m still wondering what sort of distortion he used to make the sound.
That’s brilliant! Shall we connect?
🎉
If u really like The Techno Music, ..., you will easily understanding the concept here, wich is a fundamental one. Good tip !
Please analyze "Dj Sterbinszky - Discography" it is a good old Hungarian classic
The question is, hahaha, is art 🎨 unbalanced? Music is artistic too, you know
If that’s what you’re into, I can assure you my goofy music will have you fully satisfied 🎉❤❤❤
I bet I'm not alone when I say that I prefer Oscar's version, it has much nicer sound design 🤘
The punch didn't seem that drastic to me, not enough to offset the rest. It was still boring to me
It's such a horrible track. I get your concept and the tension release but this is not a good track in any way. If the chord changes and an extra element is introduced to break to the 4x4 then maybe a nice build but anything more than 32 bars of this and I'm ready to never listen to it again
That’s late-1990s / early 2000s techno. The records aren’t always particularly interesting to listen to on their own. But as a component of a DJ set it is used for a minute or two to escalate the energy.
This track was used to great effect in the widely available Sven Väth / Richie Hawtin mix CD “The Sound Of The Third Season” from approximately 2001. Give it a listen, context is everything.
It's too dry, samples are really boring and sounding plain and outdated, that's my first impression. Rhytmically it's ok, if the change is coming soon.