Can this old guy review a modern uptempo hardcore track?
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Thursday January 4, 2024
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
@jurikonradi8941: Your example track sounds like beginning of 90s when rave/techno sound was very infant. Try something more contemporary: Temudo - Lea & Blanche, or Luke Slater, Dubfire - The Sonic Assassin, and you will notice that modern techno is very advanced in sound design and in mixing.
@michaeldeloatch7461: I agree with you about Now and Then entirely spot on. The video creeped the living crap out of me. Not like horror show creepy -- like dirty old man hanging around the playground creepy. (I am a clean old man and I eschew playgrounds except when my grandkids turn my house into one occasionally.) The uptempo hardcore track sounds like an old tape recording where you used the CUE feature to listen in on the fast winding tape to find a song and fry your tweeters with 100kHz if you bring the head too close to the tape.
@thepostapocalyptictrio4762: Can’t wait till next week’s reaction to Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart…I mean that’s “old fart” music,too
@Thefreakyfreek: And tere is me who listen to this unironicly
@SwapnilBBagul: Way better than the other thingy. So much distortion in the other audio.
@1974UTuber: Even your track was far too modern for my taste. But the quantity of the recording was leaps and bounds above that other nonsense.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @1974UTuber: My track is just one of my unboxing backgrounds. It is mastered, but in a way that I find pleasant and to a sensible degree of loudness.
@mikewesty2864: So the A.I. Lady describes the "melodic thrash metal" band Exodia, the song you referenced was also by an artist titled Exodia however their genre would be closer to dance/techno/electronic for lack of better terms. Just to clear up the very confusing description Ms A.I. gave us...
@AudioMasterclass replies to @mikewesty2864: The description came from Bandcamp, word for word.
@colemanmorefield: I had a roomate in college that would spin hardcore on a pair of technic turntables, music was trash then he stole my promotional pressing of The Long Blondes "Couples" at the end of the semester. He only took the record and left the jacket, what a loser.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @colemanmorefield: Tragedy.
@MacinMindSoftware: rayquaza ex sounds like AI was asked to make a track based off of left field 4-track Amiga mods. Nothing new, just fast house chords like from 1989 like 808 State. Remarkable that this can get 4.8m listens. Almost everything I listen to is closer to 10K listens.
@johnwatrous3058: Your track was better than the other track but still meh.
I wish I could forget the other track.
@Will-qx9vm: This is straight up 90s PSone Jungle/Hardcore. Next do a review on Unicorn on Ketamine or GPF.
@MC-jv6fs: Hallo David. I asked where i can find some of your music in YT. You advices me to search DAVIDMELLOR . I did. But i found only 23 videos of 1 minute . So I am disappointed. Can you understand ? --
@AudioMasterclass replies to @MC-jv6fs: I'm David Mellor on Spotify and Apple Music. YouTube knows me better as David Mellor Music.
@andrewbolam4346: The hardcore track reviewed was basically a pastiche of much older jungle techno (hardcore breakbeats with a 4 to the floor kick) and some happy hardcore piano breaks, there is nothing chiptune about that track. Not saying its good or anything, but there is a certain requirement to sound a particular way so that the sound fits the track, which is why it was compressed in that way. Remember, we did not have spotify back in the 90's so the more your track leapt out of the speakers the better it was at the rave. And this it the difference between the first and second track. This is going to sound a little pendantic, but the first track was clearly produced by someone who has been to several raves and understands how the music should be in its representation of what was before, and what is recognised now as 'old school'. I'm not saying you've never been to a rave Mr Audio Masterclass but if you dropped that at a rave you would be booed off stage. At a more niche event however it holds merit as perhaps intelligent dance music or experimental synth. I don't expect most people to know what makes it different, but there is a certain sound to hardcore that is stylistic as well as it's abuse of compression/distortion.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @andrewbolam4346: I have never been to a rave and it's unlikely that I ever will.
@EgoShredder: One way of approaching it, is what would you want other more intelligent lifeforms to encounter and listen to, if they found some of our human music after our civilisation had long gone? Would you want them to hear Hardcore or something else? Which music would showcase our proudest and most accomplished achievements, in composition, arrangement, improvisation, melody, chord work, playing virtuosity and technical recording methods?
@YoadJSVlog: Uhhh those are just electronic noises
@randalb7930: I’m a classically trained from conservatory musician and after 10 years of that path, I started learning and appreciating live immersive experiences that are commonly called “raves.” Now ten years into this new path, I come across music like this often. I think you are missing the experience of being in a sweaty crowd, everyone undulating and moving in sync to the music played at a near ear damaging volume. It takes over many of your other senses and as a group, the audience is forced into a state of trance like hyper real focus. The bass distortion might have been created with an analog circuit on a modular synth, or created using a modular mixer made for over saturation, like a Bastle Bestie. So, any time you’re in Buenos Aires and want to learn more about why music is pushed up into distortion at high tempos, im happy to help you find a venue to experience this. I see it as a form of shock therapy. But yes, at the end of the process of mastering, unfortunately the loudness wars on the dance floor was taken too far and the dynamics were uselessly damaged. Excellent review.
@BlazejMarczak replies to @randalb7930: Came across Nils Frahm yet?
@timh6510: I thought yours was cool, but part of me wanted to slow it down.
With good luck and clean living, I will never hear any part of that first track again.
@sosimplyinhere: Life has not been the same around here since the thunder god of YouTube (Yeus?) slipped your VU Meter discussion into my pixels. This forage is just right!
@glennlove461: I love playing this game: Where some guy plays his crappy music and then I play my good stuff.
@HansGeersing: I'm an old fart also 😅
@fernandofonseca3354: I LMFAO reading all those condescending comments from individuals telling you what hardcore music really is and isn't and why you should be listening to x and not to y... oh man! 😂😂😂
@fernandofonseca3354: The track reminds me of my days studying for my music degree where amongst many other regrettable things, I put together a 3-minute piece using DTMF tones with true Hammond key clicks, evolving towards a simple jazz progression to save it from lethal boredom...
@fernandofonseca3354: Although it sounds a bit like an LP played at 78 rpm by someone who is none the wiser about both (yes I am an old fart too), I heard much worse in my life... Anyway, my point is if you are a professional, you simply do your work you were paid for, to the best of your abilities... now whether it's recording Berlin's Philarmonic in all its full glory or someone taking a wet patchy dump after a well served, spicy hot vindaloo, I really couldn't care less... my 2p
@DJStanSteel: Old fart here… after the 1st 5 seconds I could not take any more. It’s just nonsense. If you wanna actually listen to music that is modern and actually shows people that real musicians can actually play instruments while keeping the generation of now plus us older folks on the dance floor. AC SOUL ORCHESTRA - Metamorphosis (it’s truly one of the best albums of this year, even the art work is just fantastic. https://youtu.be/o508WtmvKno?si=qnQhBKLJCoLGLiJP
@resound7: Great review of a garbage piece of music.
@ericquasney8832: Yeah. Got a good beat. 🐵
@ericquasney8832: A concise review. Persnonally,I liked it .agre with you. Don't strangle. Artists visions are
Theirs. Let's put it out there and
See what happens. I'm 66. 🙉 🐵
@AudioMasterclass replies to @ericquasney8832: It wouldn't be for everyone but there's stuff in this track to like.
@Ghandralph: I’d rather listen to some good old (fart) heavy metal … Maiden, Running Wild, Helloween …
@dermamred: The first one is a trUck.
The second one is mono(tone).
I like only the latter a li'l.
@stevengagnon4777: Huh? Not hard core. Not thrash. Not metal.
@johnbrentford5513: Hardcore? That was just a bunch of silly shit.
@raycochrane3971: Yes, Now & Then with all of its mawkishness could've been a McCartney song.
@rabit818: Aphex Twin derivative.
@DAVID-io9nj: Bad music for me, also an old fart. I have found very good hard rock out of Japan. Try Band Maid. Highly melodic vocals over driving rock n roll, drums, bass and guitars.I suggest "Manners", would have fit right in with stuff I was listening to back in the day, except it is not a tired rehash.
@zloboslav_: Maybe "modern" is defined in a broad way regarding its time-frame, because this particular music style with the same sound became popular in the mid 90s.
I do think the review is on point and I appreciate that.
@Dutch-linux: Your track has nothing with Hardcore .. that distorted drum is the hart of hardcore so your view on this hardcore track is totally wrong but hey what can we say youre an old fart :P
@fins59: The original song by John Lennon was an apology to his missus for being an asshole, it was a shit song which was why it was never used until some money grubber thought it could be censored, made 'nice' and squeeze the wallets of Beatles fans now suffering from dementia.
The other noise you played would be better named 'modern uptempo hardcore crap'.
@theaustralianconundrum: 37 MILLION views in 30 days and 1.1 million thumbs up and
73,354 Comments
They are entitled to write whatever music they like. They were the Beatles after all. Merry Xmas old guy from this old Australian guy and subscriber!
@BostonMike68: I think you got the wrong track. They described a heavy metal band that has influence from slayer. That's not metal so you know anything about testament or Megadeth even slayer. You should probably listen to rain in blood by slayer and then you know what kinda music you're looking for
@AudioMasterclass replies to @BostonMike68: So there's another track out there called Rayquaza Ex by another band called Exodia? If I can find it, I'll review it.
@BostonMike68 replies to @BostonMike68: @@AudioMasterclass unless someone is playing a joke on you. I don't even like hardcore but I know what it is. It's short for hardcore punk . It's an aggressive style of punk rock .
@Anybloke: It sounds like a 33rpm record played at 45rpm and basically, it's crap. Give me Now And Then or the sound of your nasal hair trimmer any time.
@djvoid1: That ain't modern uptempo hardcore Sally. More game soundtrack influenced by 90s hardcore, similar to rave influenced soundtracks like Sonic CD. Try something like Mad Dog - Hardcore Style if you want something closer to the genre description. Be warned though... it's -3 Lufs and there's more than a bit of kick drum distortion 🙃
@imqqmi: Modern hardcore isn't my thing, older hardcore neither. Clipping base drums makes me feel like my speakers are going to blow.
As for your track, I like it. It reminds me of an 8 bit shmup Aleste on the MSX2, stage 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxNfa1FGAI4 on 40:35. It's an FM synth chip, YM2413. Excuse the 50 or 60hz hum, this was probably a recording on actual hardware. I do like the occasional chip tune too :)
@AudioMasterclass replies to @imqqmi: I might have a go at proper chiptune at some point in the future. As for my track here, I used a plugin emulation of the Fairlight CMI, so quite antique, plus some other percussion. It's one of my unboxing backgrounds for my equipment review videos.
@imqqmi replies to @imqqmi: @@AudioMasterclass My first association with Fairlight was a cracktro group composing chiptunes lol! I've just watched a documentary about this device and I'm impressed! I've played around with a Commodore Amiga back in the day (late 80ies, early 90ies) and its 8 bit 4 channel sample player fairly similar to the Fairlight (8 ch 8bit 24khz) (and a cheap ADC plugged into the printer port). Had a blast sampling stuff and playing with it the same they did on the $30k+ Fairlight! Certainly not at a level for others to hear though.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @imqqmi: Comment readers should probably not investigate what 'cracktro' means.
@imqqmi replies to @imqqmi: @@AudioMasterclass Now you say that, people are going to have to look it up to satisfy their curiosity ;)
But I see nothing wrong investigating a subculture, like people are fascinated by criminology but don't practice it.
@isotoxin: Lol... the beat from rayquaza is so comical. 😅Sounds almost like some sort of Benny Hill show. And this is a comment, from the techno music fan!
I loved the review! I hope we will see more of them!
P.S. OMG! The 6:42 sounds crazy!!! I love the panning, because I'm using it in my mixes with a variable speed controlled by LFO!
@AudioMasterclass replies to @isotoxin: In this case the panning was in the preset but there are so many ways to pan without using the pan control. Here are a couple... https://youtu.be/bmVMdBZUQVc
@BruceGrembowski: Your track: Frenetic!
@AudioMasterclass replies to @BruceGrembowski: When you get to be as old as me you want to cram a lot in to what time is left.
@BruceGrembowski replies to @BruceGrembowski: @@AudioMasterclass I understand, being of a certain age myself. I did find the track enjoyable.
@shadowside8433: Modern? The first track sounds more like late 90s Happy Hardcore to me.
The second track sounds like a Tears For Fears vintage mid-80s B-side.
@Dusty_Records_ replies to @shadowside8433: I'd have to dig out the history books, but wasn't that more late 80s early 90s? I got a rather Amiga Demo Scene feel from it.
@shadowside8433 replies to @shadowside8433: @@Dusty_Records_ Quite possibly!
@shadowside8433 replies to @shadowside8433: Apparently "peak happy hardcore" was between 1995 and 1999, that's around the time it was blasting out of my mates next door room!
@Dusty_Records_ replies to @shadowside8433: @@shadowside8433 Not sure that the distinction of 25 or 30 years ago really matters any more. Nostalgia bait for people in their late 40s/early 50s, an elegant piece of music for a more civilised age if you will.
@Synthematix: Sorry i didnt hear any music in the first clip
@apolloskyfacer5842: Oh look. An AI female giving it's opinion. 🤣
@ctbcubed: This sounds like it was recorded in an MRI machine, but even an MRI sounds better than that!
@almo2001: OMG I've heard Firecracker. We had Quiet Village. Also loved Sake Rock. Which was in an animated short on Sesame Street!
@SPEEDWEEB: Nah grandpa out here makin breakcore now 😭😭😭😭
If you review another track you should try something by machine girl’s album wlfgrl!
@lawrencerasmus: It's the description of annoying in the dictionary 😢
@Lif-999: Gameplay accompanyment at best. Most certainly not music for the pleasure of listening to.
@maidsandmuses: Ah yes, from a genre of music where the song structure has all the artistic complexity of a product barcode. Each to their own...
@almo2001 replies to @maidsandmuses: Sometimes, it's not about the song structure. It's about the textures and soundscape.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdhfmShgdAg
@eugenebrandon3914: Your track sounds eerily similar to the iconic score's theme, 'Tubular Bells,' from the movie, 'The Exorcist.'
@leonid998: How about Adam Neely "angry music for jazz orchestra?" or his "exigence"? Worth looking at, imo.
@christianduval8374: Exodia's track gets 0/10. Yours gets 6/10 - could have got an 8 if u textured it with some carefully crafted vocal samples.
@Douglas_Blake_579: Nope ... sorry ... Not touching this one with a 10 foot pole.
@niklasschmidt: The first song could be from 1991. So an old fart song 3:27
@shadowside8433 replies to @niklasschmidt: Hmmm, maybe mid to late 90s?
@jeffchristian6798: Well done, but it ain't music. God I feel old
@martineyles: I didn't detect any chiptune elements in either track, and they didn't seem that modern, but I did get a 90s happy hardcore vibe from them.
I would suggest chiptunes are characterised by very simple synthesis based mostly on square waves with the odd sawtooth or triangle wave sometimes added, and often a noise generator. Also generally with limited tracks, 3 or 4 most common, but up to about 6. People got around some limitations with rapid arpeggios to get chords and rapid octave jumps for extra colours.
If you fancy drum n bass with some chiptune elements, I'd recommend the Pendulum album Immersion, which features chiptune stylings on two of its tracks - the rapid octave switching in the opening track, Genesis and a nice square-wave solo parts of, Set Me On Fire. Nice moments that feel up to date and nostalgic simultaneously.
@stelachris: It stinks. Don't quit your day job, whatever that might be. 😉
@earthoid: As an old fart myself I have to say I enjoyed your track a lot more because it put a smile on my face.
@Citizen-1a: Pretty sure that track was just made for the lufs.
@ericdere: The movie Hardcore Never Dies is available on Prime (at least in The Netherlands). It takes place in the 1990's
@Dutch-linux replies to @ericdere: also on via play
@marxman00: HOW DARE YOU!...... How dare they!......How dare we !..."Ever get the feeling you've been cheated !"
i think youll find that was the Guantanamo bay remix ..if im not mistaken
@harrybaque5502: Old dude drops epic boss battle theme, priceless!!!
@chatochavez7448: This is not hardcore!
@niklasschmidt replies to @chatochavez7448: Obviously not the band described
@radman8321 replies to @chatochavez7448: There are two kinds of hardcore. There is the growly doom/thrash type and an EDM version. They have little in common apart from taking a gentre and pushing it past its limits.
@maxtrue9744: Frank Zappa did it much better.
@grumpy9478: so, you do chip-tunes too? given the high dynamic range & lack of distortion, I guess old farts still play games. but they must be retired 1st gen pro gamers - that pace is higher than I pedal.
@christophmartin5381: This is to funny 🤣
@SLATEB0Y: i love your honesty and telling us like it is. As an "older" (approaching the "old fart" category) musician i can totally relate to you. The sort of guy you could easily share a pint with!
@s_r_v: Your track would sound very at home in a sonic the hedgehog game... well done 👏
@HieronymousCheese: No. Apparently not.
@the_dude182: The ultimate un-review-able track. If you call it utter ear piercing garbage, it's actually credits to the artist as he/she wanted it to do that.
@Will-qx9vm replies to @the_dude182: If you think this is ear piercing then I have bad news for you, actual Uptempo is WAY more noisy and over-the-top.
@the_dude182 replies to @the_dude182: @@Will-qx9vm So true
@radman8321: Both tracks were appaling, but at least the audio quality of yours was good.
@teashea1: This song is quite awful and pathetic
@theshootindutchman: If you are a fan of Steely Dan, this "music" track you just listened to is wasted time that cant be gotten back......
@teashea1: Now and Then is an awful awful song