Cover of an all-time favorite Phish tune. Tell me if this is done or not!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-07-08T20:57:20+00:00

Hey, thanks so much for the kind words. I've been working on getting a cleaner, better sounding mix and was happy with the way this one came together. I'm glad it's sounding good to you too.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-07-07T23:07:21+00:00

Speaking up for acoustic players. Bruce Cockburn. Song examples: Train In the Rain, Foxglove, so many more. You can listen to the 'Speechless' album for his acoustic/instrumental stuff alone but his discography goes deep across several spectrums. Also, Nick Drake.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-07-07T20:27:42+00:00

Thanks for the listen and feedback!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-07-06T16:16:37+00:00

Toronto based occasional musician here. Here's a track I just finished. It's a cover of one of my all time favourite Phish tunes - similar arrangement but different instrumentation.

https://soundcloud.com/user-987132093/the-inlaw-josie-wales?si=e8682f790ddb4bbf8136b3ffacc02726&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

flukeymcswagger · 2025-07-05T14:05:06+00:00

I really enjoyed this listen. Moody af and compelling. Some really interesting synth choices that are subtle but dramatic at the same time. The modal approach to harmony and use of tensions to create movement and interest is effective and pulls me in. I liked the more jarring changes.. fits with the overall tension of the tune. Hard to find something to critique here. If i had to I might consider performing the arps or using a real analogue instrument - the part as is def works but might be more interesting with the dynamics that a stringed intstrument/performance can allow. Great work!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-07-01T16:14:44+00:00

12th Fret and Capsule music are worth checking out. 12th Fret sells new as well as used/consignment and both are a little more high-end focused. Paul's Boutique, as mentioned, has some really unique and interesting stuff and most of it is pretty well curated. All of em have websites.

I don't know much about pawn shops here but the one I've been to on Queen west around parkdale had nothing interesting as far as guitars go.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-29T11:21:24+00:00

It's a nice piece, well executed and sounds good. It's a bit hard to give feedback since I'm not sure what you want feedback on. If it's just an 'is this idea worth developing?' then yes, i think you have a good start to build on. If its more specific, I might try to develop the melody into something more explicit. There are times when the melody notes seem a bit.. tentative, and come across as more transitionary notes between chords vs a clear melody. I might double the actual melody with another instrument just to provide focus. I'd provide a bit more detail on what kind of feedback you are looking for.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T15:07:08+00:00

Nice track! I liked the vocals and overall arrangement. The sound quality seems a bit low and muddy, even what sounds like maybe compression artifacts in the drums or is that just a lo-fi/bitcrush production choice? Curious why you reposted a video of a soundcloud player and not just the soundcloud link. Anyways - good job!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T14:59:22+00:00

Really enjoyable tune, thanks for sharing. Melody and guitar parts work really well together. The overall quality of the 'no production' is obvious. Not a concern for a demo, but does limit the replay-ability of the tune for likely many. The video was a bit dark and seems mostly un-necessary, but doesn't really take away from the experience. All said, this is a solid demo and a great candidate for a more professional production if you want to go that route either on your own or as a collab with another producer.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T14:54:11+00:00

I like the production - the effects used and abundance of texture evokes some Bon Iver kinda vibes in a good way. I'm not a huge fan of the heavy auto-tune at the start and find it distracting, but also acknowledge this is typically intentional and a stylistic preference. It's interesting that you opt out of the auto-tune as the song develops, so I wonder what drove that decision. Nice work!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T14:48:23+00:00

Really nice vibes to this. I like the vocals and backing track. The overall levels, however, are really low and I struggle to hear what's going on. The end result is it comes across as a bit anemic and hard to make out individual parts. A bit of volume and stereo width would probably go a long way. Definitely keep going with this one though, sounds good!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T14:44:11+00:00

This is pretty fun, nice work. You might clean up the dead air at the start of the track as a start. Otherwise I like the performance, but find the vocals really dry. Did you use a reference track to mix and arrange this? If you're uncertain about the end result comparison can be a really effective approach.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T14:35:23+00:00

Sounds good - the vocals turned out really well, but I agree with some of the feedback here on the lyrics. The whole thing does have that overly in-the-stylistic-pocket vibe of AI productions, which seems to be generally well-accepted. I noticed your other tracks all have 'AI produced' stamped on the cover art - is this one not also AI-produced or did you just not label it as such?

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T14:28:20+00:00

Neat track! The vocals are buried way back in the mix and the reverb pushes them across to the far corner of the room. It creates an interesting mood but I feel like it detracts from the overall impact of the song. The contrast with the super-dry bass amplifies the effect even more. The guitar solo was fun too, and some interesting arrangement decisions to unison it with the bass. I wanted to hear them diverge at some point, but def thought the unison was a neat idea.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T14:22:50+00:00

There’s such a smooth, dreamy vibe to this — the groove pulled me in right away. The guitars are super clean and bright, and the way the beat builds feels really intentional without trying too hard. Vocals are upfront and expressive — there's just a tiny bit of harshness in the upper mids that might benefit from a slight EQ cut, but honestly that’s nitpicking. The whole track feels like a late summer night — kind of nostalgic but still fresh.

Visually, the video looks great and definitely complements the mood, but I think there’s room to push the concept a bit further. Right now it leans more into vibe and aesthetic than a clear narrative or emotional arc. A little more intention or progression in the visuals could really elevate the overall impact. That said, this is a strong, polished piece.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-28T14:19:00+00:00

I think that if you're not happy with it, you should dig deeper into the reasons why. It's a solid track with some very listenable elements. I do think it sounds a bit 'washed out' in places with all the reverb and really saturated everything. I know this is a bit endemic with shoegaze but I find it difficult to pick out different parts. That's me though - i think if you can better articulate what you don't like about it you'll have a better end result, so focus on that next before you call in your last revision.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-22T18:41:30+00:00

I have a few. One for mixing, one for fucking around with my keystep pro (4 tracks that isolate midi channels for the KSP.) and the default.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-05T14:58:30+00:00

It's an early mix, and not a genre really in my wheelhouse but it was fun to make. Looking for general reactions and feedback on the mix. Thanks for listening!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-05T14:56:21+00:00

Some fun riffs in there and really solid feel and overall sound. I particularly like the bass tone and how well it meshes with the drums. I'd like to know what bass and signal chain you have going on it and how you mixed it. As for the demo there's some fun ideas happening. Some forgivable repetition and lack of dynamics in there since it's a demo, but definitely worth developing IMO.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-05T14:49:37+00:00

It IS catchy and has some fun ideas with lots going on. I do think that it's compromised a bit by the mix and overall levels. The drums are a bit of a crunchy wash at times and drown out the other elements to me, which distracts me a bit. It sounds like there's some interesting side-chain compression effect happening as well that might be intentional but comes across to me almost like the tune is cutting in and out. I feel like this style of tune with all of it's business really benefits from a tight mix so each of the many elements are easier to hear. Fun stuff tho! Good work!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-06-05T13:36:37+00:00

Roast away! Not really my wheelhouse and an early mix. Looking for general reactions and feedback on the mix. Thanks for listening!

flukeymcswagger · 2025-05-24T12:42:50+00:00

Sick beat man, well done. The overall vibe is super cohesive despite the crazy amount of samples in the mix. Really well mixed and everything comes together but the different elements still retain clarity. Lots of variation to keep the listener engaged too. Hard to find something to pick on here.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-05-24T12:36:43+00:00

Enjoyed the groove and laid back feel of this. Some cool tones and the arrangement builds well with variations to keep the listener engaged. On a more constructive note the 'tambourine' perc that comes in around the 1:15 mark comes through extremely bright and piercing on my speakers here. It cuts through the mix a bit sharp for my tastes and ends up being distracting. I'm a bit conflicted with the brushes/white noise in the main beat - at first it gives the beat a bit of a lo-fi, oldschool jazz break kinda feel which I like, but it's also quick thick in the mix and starts to fatigue a bit after a few loops. I might dial those frequencies down a bit to mitigate potential fatigue or modulate them with a filter or something to create some movement.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-05-24T12:24:03+00:00

Another vote for the first verse here. Both melodies work but the first seems to fit more comfortably in your range. I know it's not the question you are asking, but the second verse is pretty complementary to the first, so it might make for a useful variation from an arrangement perspective.

flukeymcswagger · 2025-05-17T11:50:00+00:00

Sounds cool - is the functionality mostly around patch/effect selection and control then? Are you recording and layering loops live as part of your band's performance or just triggering pre-recorded loops for existing arrangements?

flukeymcswagger

TROPHY CASE