How to get feedback from your music?

[tavasti]

I suppose this is topic for many of us: how to get relevant feedback for your music?

This forum is fine, but all genres in same pool does not work. At least for me, too many tracks are not interesting, not my genre, and therefore not following and not commenting. And when hitting something really awful I don't know is it really, or am I just in wrong genre? I have that 'oh what crap' feeling with some tracks playing in radio or my kids room

I joined to https://audiu.net/ but seems that idea of platform is partly flawed:
- you need 10 point per week to keep your music on 'comment panel'. This part is ok
- to get one point, you click on thumb up/down for 6 areas: sounds, mixing, groove, market appeal, etc. Those scores are not show to artist!
- you can comment tracks, but for it you won't get any points. However, if somebody likes your comment, then you get 10 points

Based on amount of comments tracks have, most of the people just click thumbs, and not too much feedback there.

Any other services or other ways to get constructive feedback for your music?

[jonetsu]

The best replies I got simply happened. But not here. On KVR. One guy once wrote an extraordinary long comment which was very good. Another one even posted along his comment a spectrum analyzer screenshot showing how clean the bass was. And in-between there were many other comments.

The system you describe seems overly complicated and does not seem to take into account how much one likes the music to start with. And it sounds like a 'system' eg. a mechanical approach. As for me, I mostly only want comments from people who finds something interesting in my music. Unless it's a professional and by that I mean a real one, not just a guy acting like one to gather 'points' or whatever.

This said I did get very good replies here too, which I also appreciate a lot. I do remember for instance one from Glen about the bass drum in one piece. And a couple from protozone. And some others.

Cheers.

[tavasti]

Another site, which looks more promising: https://synthshare.com/

There you can ask what aspects of your track you want specially have comments, and select which things you want to be scored. Comments have minimum length and they are audited. You get 1 feedback for every feedback you give.

[jonetsu]

What is it worth when one has to give feedback in order to receive feedback ? Is it worth anything at all ? What is the experience of the person giving feedback ? If he just got his first speakers last week connected to his computer and writes "man, there's not enough bass in your song" ? What is is worth ?

[lilith]

It's an interesting idea, but I largely share the thoughts of jonetsu.

- to get one point, you click on thumb up/down for 6 areas: sounds, mixing, groove, market appeal, etc. Those scores are not show to artist!

These categories make little sense to me as long you are not going for a radio hit or something, especially market appeal

[jonetsu]

I'd say get to know some well-known mixing engineers, producers. Get on their blogs, be a member, pay each month if need be, hang around. Then after some time ask if he can give a comment on one or more of your songs (or instrumentals).

If not there's Friedemann Findeisen who seems to be looking for members that can submit some pieces for him to review. He's pretty much into pop analysis ("The Addiction Formula", Holistic Songwriting) but he knows a lot about musical mechanisms, theory and maybe he can give your style some advice.

Old, on guitar, a Dufour cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu3rntwDQ2o

Analysis, System Of A Down (September 2018) - pretty good, creative, comment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXNrR73Gq38

[tavasti]

What is it worth when one has to give feedback in order to receive feedback ? Is it worth anything at all ? What is the experience of the person giving feedback ? If he just got his first speakers last week connected to his computer and writes "man, there's not enough bass in your song" ? What is is worth ?

Personally, I think I can sort out relevant and not relevant feedback. Even in audiu I have got somewhat useful comments althou there is no obligation to comment anything for anybody. Let's see what that will be in synthshare.

[TrojakEW]

What is the experience of the person giving feedback ? If he just got his first speakers last week connected to his computer and writes "man, there's not enough bass in your song" ? What is is worth ?

What experience you mean? Do you want only feedback from real and experienced musician? What about feedback from normal listener. I think this is most important. Most of musicians underrate this type of feedback and they think that if person have no knowledge then he don't have right to critize your work. Do you need to be "florist" in order to decide by yourself if the flower you see is nice? You are not making music for other musicians but for "normal" people. Yes they can't give you constructive feedback but, they are not affected by all that music theory, mixing, composition used instruments and all other releated things. What they give you is what they feel about it. The true How your track affect them regardless all those things that you need to know in order to make this track.

Most of time "problems" discussed with experienced musician are related to some small part that you think if you fix it your track will be better (I mean overall). For example they point you to some problems with certain instrument not sitting in mix and having some problematic resonannation on it that need to be corrected. You you fix it and improve track in regards of this issue but thats all. This type of feedback help you to avoid same problem in future but it doesn't change other facts about your music and your approach.

So my answer to your question is - Yes it is worth. Even it is described with one word like - sucks. Then you will have similar one word feedback from 20 people with result 19x sucks and 1x nice. Does it prove somthing? Yes it does. If 19 people out of 20 want more bass you should give it to them or forget about feedback at all.

[jonetsu]

So my answer to your question is - Yes it is worth. Even it is described with one word like - sucks. Then you will have similar one word feedback from 20 people with result 19x sucks and 1x nice. Does it prove somthing? Yes it does. If 19 people out of 20 want more bass you should give it to them or forget about feedback at all.

I completely disagree. If I start to make burgers and 19 customers are complaining that they lack some characteristic found in big macs it will produce the following pondering:

Am I targeting the right customers ?

Is my 'brand' put out in such a way as to lead in the music it supposedly represent ?

Why would that music attract Justin Bieber fans ? It should not. Back to the brand.

Are the structures and atmospheres of the music made in such a way as to lay out as clear as possible the experience the music aims at ? Does it attract disco people only to let them down after a short while because of unexpected twists ? Back to structures and atmospheres.

OTOH, if you do want to make big mac-like burgers, or if you want to be a second deadmou5, or a 6th or a 37th one, then yes, the experience of people commenting on your music you can take without knowing any background about them. If they even wrote 3 lines just to gather points to be able to submit their own music would not matter to you. The aim would be the faceless masses.

That is, when nothing about the writer of the comment perspires from what's written, and you do not know them. I would classify a comment such as "Sucks." in that category. Or any other 1 to 5 words comment or the like. Anything that has negative output. A positive output is different. A "I like it" - 3 words - is all right since in that case one does not really want to know the background of the person.

But if a bunch of guys are saying "not enough bass" w/o anything else then one would like to know, are these guys EDM fans commenting on a piece they shouldn't be commenting about since the piece is not EDM ?

There are a lot of jazz drummers that if they would have listened to huge fans of Carl Palmer and take their advice seriously, they would have lost everything that would have made them great jazz drummers, using brushes and a small kit that can be almost carried in one's hands instead of requiring three 14-wheeler vans.

It's easy to find a bunch of guys that just got their first set of speakers last week.

It's harder to have some of your music commented upon by professionals for whom the mix and the instruments, the feeling and atmospheres should all be focused aspects working together to deliver a listening experience, no matter what style it uses.

[MathewCox]

I understand the point but it sounds almost mechanical, if you want to receive quality feedback the best is to try in online forums and communities, so musicians and no musicians can have an opinion of your work, you know more organic ways...

[TrojakEW]

I completely disagree. If I start to make burgers and 19 customers are complaining that they lack some characteristic found in big macs it will produce the following pondering:

Am I targeting the right customers ?

Is my 'brand' put out in such a way as to lead in the music it supposedly represent ?

Why would that music attract Justin Bieber fans ? It should not. Back to the brand.

.

I agree with all that but most of "musicians" work only to be famous and rich. They do not care if music they make is unique or good. They rate they music based on popularity and sale. So if you want that, you need listen even to Justin Bieber fans. If you making music because you love music and you enjoy the process of making it you stick with what you write.

So question should be also what is the purpose of music you are making.

Mostly i ask feedback from friends and family. And the stats were my productions are spread.

I'm not sure that this type of feedback is good idea if you want to hear the truth.

[Michael Willis]

I get a lot of really harsh feedback when I put the mic too close to the monitor.

[tavasti]

Another site, which looks more promising: https://synthshare.com/

There you can ask what aspects of your track you want specially have comments, and select which things you want to be scored. Comments have minimum length and they are audited. You get 1 feedback for every feedback you give.

To see your feedback, you need to pay 5$ for joining. Ok, I could live with that, but they want my credit card number, can't pay with paypal. No thanks.

Edit: usability issue / my stupidness, feedback is usable even without paying.

[tavasti]

To see your feedback, you need to pay 5$ for joining.

I suggest we all here become more open with giving and receiving feedback. We can do it for free within the principle off giving and getting, sharing.
Even if something is 'not your style of music' one can still give objective honest feedback about the production.

I think you are really on core of the topic. I suppose I should brace myself, and start listening more on recordings presented here, and present more of mine also.

[lilith]

The best replies I got simply happened. But not here. On KVR. One guy once wrote an extraordinary long comment which was very good. Another one even posted along his comment a spectrum analyzer screenshot showing how clean the bass was. And in-between there were many other comments.

The system you describe seems overly complicated and does not seem to take into account how much one likes the music to start with. And it sounds like a 'system' eg. a mechanical approach. As for me, I mostly only want comments from people who finds something interesting in my music. Unless it's a professional and by that I mean a real one, not just a guy acting like one to gather 'points' or whatever.

This said I did get very good replies here too, which I also appreciate a lot. I do remember for instance one from Glen about the bass drum in one piece. And a couple from protozone. And some others.

Cheers.

protozone wasn't active the last months. Hope he's ok ...