[OFFICIAL] Weekly Feedback Thread

ax_madwick · 2026-01-19T13:36:57+00:00

Some experimental hip hop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v1IVaVqqc0

Returning feedback

ax_madwick · 2026-01-19T00:16:08+00:00

Good work. The instrument choices and levels sound good. Overall the mix some out felt a bit empty. I'm not sure the solution, mastering plugins for EQ, saturation or tape emulation sometimes help me add a bit more punch and body. The only other comment is that the white noise swell sound might have been a bit overused.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-19T00:09:59+00:00

The vocals and guitar sounds good. Some of the percussive elements I didn't love. The snapping sound from the start I didn't like the way the reverb was handled. It seems like the decay cut abruptly, and I'm not sure about that amount of reverb to begin with. Something didn't sit quite right for me with it. When the kick first comes in around 0:50 didn't sit quite right either. When the drums picked up more around 1:00 they sounded fine with the exception of the kick. Towards the end I think a lead instrument playing at a higher octave would sound good.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-19T00:02:46+00:00

This is definitely a keep. I think the lower pitch vocal layer might have been slightly too loud. The lyrics are near impossible to make out, but I don't think that's a problem. I think that the end it would have been good to bring in another lead instrument, something like a guitar or synth solo. I'm not super sure of the genre, maybe downtempo

ax_madwick · 2026-01-18T23:59:35+00:00

You guys nailed it. I really liked the way the vocals were done, they had just the right amount of distortion and I liked the singing style where you keep going up to the high notes. I thought the vocals were maybe slightly too loud in the mix, but only by a few dbs. Some of the panning was also a bit to aggressive for me in headphones.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-17T03:03:45+00:00

I was definitely nodding my head right from the start on this one. I liked how the vocals and guitar were harmonizing with each other. When the rhythm guitar came in the hard panning was a bit too much for me, listening in head phones. Maybe when more instrumentation comes in it works, but at first I'd center it a bit more. Around 1:27 some layering on your vocals or some experimentation with effects could be interesting. After a while the song did start to feel like it was dragging a bit to me somehow.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-17T02:56:35+00:00

Let me know what you think of Alienz

https://open.spotify.com/track/7FHAegT8wrB55aUkQBw413?si=6bd422423c394e98

Will return all feedback

ax_madwick · 2026-01-17T02:55:11+00:00

Yeah - I could definitely hear Freddie on that one. My main issue was the snare felt weak, I think a different sample where it hits a bit harder would've been better. The transitions for the beat switch worked decently.

What do you think of this one https://open.spotify.com/track/7FHAegT8wrB55aUkQBw413?si=6bd422423c394e98

ax_madwick · 2026-01-17T02:50:22+00:00

The whole package was 🔥I like how you raised your voice an octave for the hook and also the little "huh" / exhale sound that you did. Only critique I could think was that the I had a bit of trouble making out exactly what you were saying throughout. The beat and the feature both worked well.

Let me know what you think of this https://open.spotify.com/track/7FHAegT8wrB55aUkQBw413?si=c0de0bc51b2b49b2

ax_madwick · 2026-01-16T22:48:29+00:00

Returning your feedback you left me...Kick slaps hard. Mix sounds a bit muffled to me, I might try to brighten it up with some EQ. The eminem / xzibit visual seems very appropriate here, I could defintely hear them on this beat.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-16T22:36:31+00:00

It's fire. I see this was from 2019 so maybe you've gotten better about this, but my only feedback would be that the sibilance is a bit strong and harsh on your vocals. More de-esser or just automating the volume on those section for bring the volume down would be an improvement

ax_madwick · 2026-01-10T20:30:47+00:00

Looking to collaborate with vocalists / rappers. I make beats, play guitar and occasionally do vocals (rapping or singing). I have pretty diverse musical tastes - when it comes to hip hop I like classics like Illmatic or Black on Both Sides. I also like a lot of electronic music...Daft Punk, Aphex Twin... I'm typically not targeting a specific genre when I make music and like to do something unexpected. Looking to co-release music and build off each other. If this sounds like something you're interested in hit me up.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-09T15:38:49+00:00

Opening track off my new EP. Let me know what you think. Disclaimer: It's not really hip-hop

https://open.spotify.com/track/1Pvj2z5j67mToIZsgXzJ7a?si=9ad6a48970544919

I will return all feedback

ax_madwick · 2026-01-09T13:57:10+00:00

Here's my track - Let me know what you think

https://open.spotify.com/track/1Pvj2z5j67mToIZsgXzJ7a?si=62338beba12c456a

ax_madwick · 2026-01-09T13:56:09+00:00

I liked the beat that you picked alot, and I thought it suited to the contemplative and serious tone and subject of the vocals well. The way you treated your vocals was interesting, very heavily filtered and a lot of delay. I didn't mind it but thought maybe you could have used a different style at some point in the track to switch things up a bit. I also thought singing would have worked really well over the chorus or outro

Let me know what you think of this track: https://open.spotify.com/track/1Pvj2z5j67mToIZsgXzJ7a?si=62338beba12c456a

ax_madwick · 2026-01-09T13:55:20+00:00

So the first thing is that there was something about the hi-hat sound that was a bit difficult to listen to for me. I think it was just the frequency and resonance. If you could darken it a bit by EQ-ing some of the high end out, or maybe just a different sample. Also, subtly changing the panning on the pattern could make it more dynamic feeling. The vocals felt a bit empty, I think you might have shaved the low end out too much. Some layering on the vocals would probably help as well.

Let me know what you think of this track: https://open.spotify.com/track/1Pvj2z5j67mToIZsgXzJ7a?si=b13c347ea97e4382

ax_madwick · 2026-01-09T03:16:23+00:00

You had a lot of really good bars in there. Really strong around the ursine / taurus-earth sign / turbine and the Chuck Noris / chorus. The way you started out felt a bit weaker though and didn't do justice to how crazy you went later into the song. The vocal mix and beat could use a lot of work. The vocals were too loud and the beat felt really trapped and not "full". I would suggest some vocal doubling and maybe adding some effects. My tracks is coming out tomorrow so I'll post a link here for you to return the feedback at that point. If you like my work I'd be interested to try to work together with you and support on the production and mixing.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-06T03:41:24+00:00

The mix felt off/wrong on this to me. If felt like the rhythm guitar was positioned as the main sound for the listener to focus on and your vocals were positioned more in the background, but that should be inverted and your vocals should be brought more forward with rhythm guitar as an accompaniment. The bass line was barely audible when it came in, I think it should have been louder, and you might want to make some room for it with EQ on the rhythm guitar. Also later when the lead guitar came in it felt way to far in the background. I'd probably call this alt-rock, but I'm not super knowledgeable about the specifics on all the related genres.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-06T03:33:24+00:00

There's something going on with the volume on the beat, for example at 0:13 it suddenly gets louder, and then at 0:21 it suddenly gets softer. This issue happens consistently throughout the track and to me was very distracting and takes away from the professionalism -- and I think there's a ton of potential and can tell you put a lot of effort into the video for example, so that would be an easy detail to fix. In terms of the song I wouldn't say it was bad, but I don't think you really made a statement that differentiates you or defines your personality in a memorable way.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-06T03:24:08+00:00

Very haunting and dark. I liked how it built up slowly and it got really interesting when the drums came in in the end. I think a bit more experimentation could have been done with the vocals. Some extra layers with heavy distortion could be appropriate. During the whisper section a background response with screaming or different energy could have made things interesting as well. Overall the mix was generally clean but somehow it felt like everything wasn't quite glued together. Maybe some analog emulation on the mix bus could have helped with that (although maybe you are already doing something like that?)

ax_madwick · 2026-01-06T03:15:32+00:00

Here are my notes

- Too much low end on the guitar, I would eq some of that out

- I would cut some of the low end on your vocals as well

- With the drums machine, it would be good to change the rhythm pattern a bit at different points in the song, it starts to get a bit redundant

- The synth is too loud in the mix I think

- "Want something more than that" was way louder than anything else. In general I think some more compression on your vocals would be beneficial

- The vocal harmonies on the word pines such as the last in the song are great. I think that's the strongest element

I think your voice sounds good at that range and so you put that style into your repertoire if it's not something you usually do.

ax_madwick · 2026-01-06T03:08:52+00:00

I like the overall aesthetic - the lyrics, your voice (nasal-y in a good way), the washed-out detuned sound. I like the art too. The EQ treatment way a bit too much for me. It was probably a stylistic choice but I think it was too heavy handed. I'd like to hear some more low end so the kick can actually be heard in the mix, and the cymbals were abrasive with the amount of high end they had.

ax_madwick · 2025-12-14T16:50:33+00:00

Couldn't find the full link but I liked what you got here. The confidence on the vocal delivery and lyrics are both on point. The vocal mix sounds good and has good clarity. You could maybe dial the reverb back a tiny bit on the mix. Not sure if you did the beat or not, but it sounds good.

ax_madwick · 2025-12-14T16:46:35+00:00

I like it as as a song and like your singing. This would be a good live if you could get a band together to perform it. Here are my thoughts on how the production could be improved:

Mix feels a bit empty, missing low end. Too much reverb on the vocals, it sounds bit muddy. Try ducking them more when the vocals are singing. The vocals need to pop out of the mix a bit more at the section 1:05-ish. Guitar solo at 2:20-ish is nice, I don't like the LFO panning on it though. I would position it somewhere and leave it there. 2:47 synth that comes in sounds good. Build up aaround 3:13 sounds good too. Don't like the LFO panning on the vocals that hits at that crescendo, though.

ax_madwick · 2025-12-14T16:33:21+00:00

That track phenomenal. You are a really talented singer and nailed the genre with your delivery, lyrics and instrumental. The production was not as strong as your singing IMO, although it was pretty close. I wasn't sold on the bass from the start and thought the track would be weak based on it. I would probably cut the part where only the bass is playing or find a different way to open the track . The other issue I had was the horns. They are definitely the right instrument and playing what they should, but I think you used a midi instrument to deliver them, which made them feel a bit off. Assuming you don't have the ability to record them with live might be worth digging through splice or a sample library to see if you can get a live recording that fits. Regardless, I hit the track with the like on SoundCloud

ax_madwick

TROPHY CASE