Month: June 2017

Broadjam Artist: FRED GROSS
Song: Micky & Mo (female vocals)

Reviewer: Keith Taylor

Positive Comments: It is a fun song. It reminds me of older country songs and there is nothing wrong that. I liked it.

Constructive Comments: It is fine for the right audience but it is not really inline with the country music of today. Again there is nothing wrong with that if that is what you are going for.

Broadjam Artist: Produca X
Song: Everybody Got A Story 2 Tell

Reviewer: Calico King

Positive Comments: So with a blind listen to this track: whether you intended this, I think you might be on to something if you want to pitch this for background music for a reality TV program. The BPM is nice and stable, It has enough bounce, and digital synth noises to blend behind something you’d hear being played on an MTV/BET/CMT type show, which is where the money is. I think the quality of the beat recording is decent, the kicks are nice and low, the snare has pop, and the hi-hats are crisp.

Constructive Comments: If you’re intended purpose for this beat was to pitch it off to a rapper, I think the beat needs a little bit of work. I say that because I took make instrumentals (at least, I try to) and I wouldn’t want to get insincere advice so I won’t give it. The main hang up I have with the beat is the redundancy. You have one bar of a drum loop with a couple fills, one low synth bass line, a very rudimentary synth mid pitch arpeggiated synth, another simple higher pitched synth that comes in and out a few times, and then those swoosh sound effects peppered in . It sits in e-minor for the entire 3 minutes, and because the only changes up are essentially when you hit the kill switch on a track, it affects the structure/organization of the track if you wanted to pitch this to a rapper. The synth licks/drum loop you have on here isn’t bad, it’s just not enough to call it complete. There’s nothing to differentiate sections, and it’s not even clear when the hook is and when the verse is, and though catchy, it’s not catchy enough for 3 whole minutes. There is a lot of things you could do with this (some quick fixes, some larger structural changes) to make it more unique, and much more dope. You could use all these parts you have here for the verses, but i wouldn’t even do it twice with out layering another track on for the second verse. Don’t be afraid to try out some other instruments/drumlines. Again, take this with a grain of salt, but as i’ve started to learn how to make beats, I like to break up the beats in to a few sections. I’ll devote 4-12 measure for an intro section, a section for a verse 1, a hook that has a distinctly different melody line or even a chord change- then repeat section for verse 2 (but a lot of times with added layers or drum switch ups to make it funky, give each verse a uniform, but let them have their own identity) hook repeat, then i’m a big fan of a break down, or “Crescendo” where the beat either has a switch up, a drop, time change, new instruments or samples, sometimes a chord change. then I resolve back into the hook, and put an outro on there. This beat has bounce, but it could use more involved drums, more defined melodies, and some switch ups. It’s not only because I like my beats with some flavor, but imagine your beat was being bought by 2-3 rappers, or a rapper and a singer for the hook: If you give them essentially the same back drop, it will be hard for the artist(s) to really through expression on to the same loop because it’s not moving or evolving. Put changes/alterations/distinctions in it not just for the sake of making your productions more dynamic, but to facilitate any future collaborator’s own swagger and distinction. If you are running low on samples take a look at splice.com – killer selection of packs on sound packs. I’d also lose a lot of those whoosh and high pitched fx noises that come in and out. But to end on a good note, I think if you chopped length down to about 45-55 seconds and added some sort of flair on to what you have, you’d have something to market for ad cues. Keep it up the good work!

Broadjam Artist: Charlie Shock
Song: THE WAY LIFE GOES

Reviewer: Ross Mabey

Positive Comments: I thought that the storyline in the song left a bit to be desired. It was a bit repetitive and lacked depth and direction.

Constructive Comments: What about telling the story of a lost love and “She left me for another, the one I treated like a brother. But I no longer care, because I’ve found a love that true and rare, that’s way life goes, Yeah, that’s the way life goes”.

Broadjam Artist: Chet Nichols
Song: Old Friends (Instrumental)

Reviewer: John Hazlett

Positive Comments: Wow, this is really well done! This could be used for a pop song’s background music. I can hear in my head several different artists singing a variety of different songs with this. Or, it could be used in an opening for some type of program that uses pop instrumentals. Or, a main melody/lyrics line could be added over this track.

Constructive Comments: Well, if it’s to be just an instrumental, none is needed. But if it’s intended to have a melody in it, than if it has one, it seems to disappear. If it has a melody, it needs to be brought out more. It depends on what the intention for this piece.

Broadjam Artist: Chip Salerno
Song: Apart at the Seams

Reviewer: Nick Kushner

Positive Comments: Love the ominous quality. Then the mood modulates a bit. Good use of complementing tracks. Machine like samples very effective. Becoming more ominous again. Very soundtrack-like. Great job here!

Constructive Comments: A little on the long side, but it does keep the interest.

Broadjam Artist: Tristyn Leach
Song: While The Angels Weep ( instrumental )

Reviewer: Nick Kushner

Positive Comments: Love the drum track!! Cool voices. Love the strings!

Constructive Comments: Not much here.

Broadjam Artist: Keith Taylor
Song: Lonely Out Here

Reviewer: Ross Mabey

Positive Comments: I think that you need to articulate (words were sometimes difficult to understand) more. Also the length of the song was too short for commercial radio.

Constructive Comments: Perhaps you could use more emotional words “heart broken”, “my world fell apart” and say how upset you were. Otherwise it sounds as though you’ll just move on to the next relationship. I know its only a song but what went wrong with the relationship?

Broadjam Artist: Keith Taylor
Song: The Long Ride

Reviewer: Ross Mabey

Positive Comments: It was an excellent song. Well constructed and flowed well. The instrumentals and vocals were again excellent.

Constructive Comments: There is nothing that I could add. I thought it was a great effort.

Broadjam Artist: Uncle Spider & The Electric Dirt Clods
Song: Send It In Down / Hip Hop Dance

Reviewer: JFK

Positive Comments: over its a nice track it gives me a jazz feel good job

Constructive Comments: over its a nice track it gives me a jazz feel good job

Broadjam Artist: MES
Song: Paper Alarm

Reviewer: JFK

Positive Comments: dammmmm instrumental is nice lyric is sick his flow is a go

Constructive Comments: its a go whats next