I am on level 27 of Dr. Compressor and am finding it trick to tell which is more compressed - the indicators I was using (like things sounding further, or ambiance getting lounder, or even consistency of the part) are frequently not there. Any suggestions as to what I should be listening for?
The description of the game says 'Listen to two sounds - one is more compressed than the other, with very short attack and release for easier detection. Can you identify it?'. I used to try to hear for more pronounced ambience and room sound but now this feels tricky to me. I'm nearing level 100 and most of the time I rely on transient differences, which is what the description implies we should do. If I pay close attention to the transient of the less compressed version, it is more pronounced, snappier. Conversly, the transient of the more compressed version is smoother, more sanded (to use a woodworking analogy). I mainly focus on the kick, and secondarily on the snare. Sometimes it comes easily, sometimes not, but if I have the patience I usually pass the level.
Thanks for the reminder on the description @Stelios Mavroyiannis , I didn't remember it was short release as well. That description does imply you could focus almost entirely on the transient, and it should sound 'duller' I have noticed sometimes with the kick it is easier to hear, With a short release the ambience or sustain should also be more pronounced. i have to guess as you get to higher levels the compression ratio is lower, which would make it harder to hear...
If you can, I'd consider changing up the drum sounds. They are cool in their own right, but they feel like they're meant for more of an 80s rock track to me, while this track seems to be leaning more into the jazz realm. Is it possible to add some variation to that bass loop as well? I think that could be a nice way to give a little forward momentum. I really like the idea you have for the break, but something about it feels just a little off to me, so it might be worth smoothing out just a little bit and finding a way to connect the drums with the other elements while maintaining the cool, off-kilter vibe.
In general, I'd like to hear some more dynamics and variations in accents, especially in the piano. This is definitely something that I struggle with, and I think a track with this vibe really benefits from dynamic changes.
I noticed that this mostly sounds pretty on the grid, and I feel like some humanization would be great, again, especially for the vibe you have here. I especially noticed in the latin feeling motif that you have a few times (the rhythm that the track ends with)--I think that the last note would sound really nice if it was a little later.
It sounds like you might have some resonance in the mids or upper mids of your piano, I wouldn't try to kill it entirely, but maybe some dynamic eq there just to smooth it out a little.
Lastly, it sounds like three instruments in different spaces. If you aren't doing so already, I'd consider some parallel compression, and running all of the instruments through the same reverb. Also, some tape saturation on the master bus can be a very nice way of gluing everything together.
Hi everyone. I hope you are all doing good. Today I celebrate one year of workouts, which is almost the same as one year on SoundGym. According to my wallet, I did my first workout on the 20th of August 2024 and did another 8 workouts from then since October of the same year. Then, on the 5th of April 2025 I bought the Pro version and haven’t stopped since (only one day I accidentally skipped the workout, but I did play some games).
My first proper contact with EQ and compression was at the same time, through the free long courses on the topics by Mastering.com. Even though I was recording music prior to that, I never released anything, never mixed or mastered, never really used EQ and compression(!).
Now, one SoundGym year later, I find myself with 14 million SPI; a percentile of 100%, consisting of above 99% on all 18 games (3 of them 100%); a percentile of 100% on BeatRace, holding the 10th position on its top legends; 48 medals of which 22 are gold; a gold medal on all but one of the last 12-16 weeks on EQ Ace (can’t remember the exact number). Lastly and most importantly, I find myself approaching my first release ever.
It’s fair to say that I’ve grown a lot in this time, to a point I never believed was possible. I remember my first days on SoundGym, seeing great scores on the Olympics, the EQ Ace, high SPIs, and thinking: ‘no way I can go even in the vicinity of such level, let alone reach it’. I really did go from Zero to Hero, as they say, or, as Greek mythology has it, from Nobody (Οὔτις) to Odysseus (Ὀδυσσεύς).
I want to say a big thank you to everyone in this community with whom I’ve interacted, and from whom I got support, whether musical or psychological. Cheers to this great community, cheers to what’s to come!
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Mar 26, 01:49