https://soundcloud.com/user-803784885/lift_me_up
Hi guys.
I’m new here and I’ve just had my first uploaded track rejected.
This is the answer i got:
Unfortunately your submission Lift Me Up isn’t ready for AudioJungle and
cannot be resubmitted as it did not meet our minimum requirements for
quality and/or Envato Market policies. In order for submissions to be
considered for sale they must be of high aesthetic and technical
quality, unique to our library and cannot be in violation of Envato’s
policies.
Regrettably the Help and Quality Teams are unable to offer a critique or feedback on your rejected submission.
Our Review team also provided these comments:
This submission does not meet our general commercial production (sample quality/mixing/mastering) standard, unfortunately.
I realized some 10 days later that I had my Reaper mp3 render setting set to a variable bitrate and that the files weren’t actually 320kbps.
I wonder if that was the sole reason for the hard reject, or would I get a soft reject asking me to upload a proper mp3 file?
Also, what do you think… does this track meet the standards or not? If not, what would the weak points be and what do you, as more experienced audiojunglers, suggest I do next?
Thank’s for everyone’s feedback.
Hi Hy_Yr -
You’ve got a nice solid rhythm bed and chord structure, but I think you might be running into trouble with the arrangement and mix.
Some random thoughts, for what it’s worth:
1. The strings patch your’e using is very harsh, probably needs an EQ cut around 2.5-3.0 kHz, maybe also at 8-10 kHz.
2. The solo patch at :35 you chose is pretty thin and “MIDI” sounding, which, IMO, cheapens the sound of your whole track.
3. Playing a solo melody for the whole track draws too much attention to the music. A video editor would have a hard time using your music because the solo would probably distract from the video content too much.
4. With regard to arrangement, it’s a bit repetitive. From the 0:19 mark, the track really doesn’t change much. Effective production music will have repetition for sure, but with enough variation to keep it interesting. Take some time to write a B-section, then bring back your A-section with a new vibe is one example (of many) of how to do that.
Just my opinions, of course! Keep at it and I’m sure you’ll get your music accepted soon! Good luck!
-STM
1 Like
Thanks for the feedback. That’s very helpful.
- I’ll definitely try to cut out the harshness a bit, but must see if it will still cut through the mix.
- That’s funny because I used XLN Addictive keys’ E-piano for that. I wonder what i did to it to make it sound cheap. Have to look into it.
- I hoped to kind of bury it into the mix so it would behave more as just another part of the general arrangement and less as a solo. If I pulled it back a little bit more, do you think it could work, or should I just cut it down to less time in the track.
- Yeah, I guess I was a bit lazy and just tried to get this out ASAP. I also hoped that the piano part in between would serve as a sort of quasi B part, but listening to it now…I didn’t bring that part up enough.
Question: It says I can’t upload it again.
How different should my next submission really be?
Also, the fact that the mp3 is in wrong format doesn’t automatically warrant a Hard reject or does it?
Glad to help!
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Ah…gotcha. I think the e-piano is missing depth (it seems too dry, which gives it a very 8-bit kind of sound…at least to my ears 
so some reverb might help?
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I think you have some really nice melodies going on. I would pick a couple of the strongest and make one of them the main theme, and use another in the B-section.
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I can relate! But it will be worth it to give your track some nice dynamics. I think if you also change up your rhythm bed by maybe thinning it out for a section, then bringing it back big that will help the dynamics, too.
As far uploading…the “rules” do say that it must be a whole new animal, but I’ve also heard on the forum that some people get accepted with only moderate changes. Can’t speak from my experience though. I think if you add a B-section, some rhythm bed changes, and create a nice consistent melodic theme from the raw material you have now it will probably sound different enough. Just my opinion though! Good luck!
-STM
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It is kinda dry, mostly because it tended to resonate too much with more reverb. I’ll try to find that sweet spot,
but it seems I’ll need some better monitoring equipment soon 
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to be honest this is my first attempt at this kind of music. I’m more into funk and acid jazz,
groovy stuff, you know, (and never tried to make production music before)
so I’m kind of in uncharted waters here and it seems I went in a slightly wrong direction.
That’s why I appreciate the feedback very much. I’d also love to hear some critique from other authors. This means a lot. Thanks, really.
I’ll definitely try out your suggestions.
- I know I need to give it some more effort, but this song is really getting on my nerves already. I was hoping I got rid of it finally .
You know what I mean: hearing the same thing over and over again for weeks (It was my first upload so I wanted to give it as much as time possible, but mostly concentrated on the mix).
At least now I can mostly focus on the actual composition and make new stuff with this template faster.
Well, mostly…I know it’s not a Great mix, but it’s not too bad (i hope)(please, some more criticism… 
) so i can work with it.
I’m very excited about starting of here at Envato and I love the community.
HyYr
I would appreciate some more criticism from everyone. I know you got it, guys
Need someone to bounce ideas from and to know which direction to take regarding the re-submission of this track.
Anything will help.
Thanks
and a huge thanks to STM
the strings sound a bit too rough in my opinion too and the piano does not harmonize very well at 0:21 / 0:22 and in addition some sustain strings would make the track more versatile.
try it out
opinions are devided
it’s just my impression
Hi Hy_Yr_Productions!
SpinTone has provided some excellent tips and comments. Here some comments on the piece from my point of view, and some advice as to where to take the track.
General comments:
First of all, it’s a nice idea. You’ve got the mood right in terms of the composition. It’s repetitive, but there’s potential for a solid track. However there are some serious issues, and areas that need to be improved upon in order for it to be approved. Here are some more specific points:
Mix and production
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The whole mix sounds quite harsh to me with too much focus on the upper mids (2Khz-4KHz). The bass levels are good, but there are a few instruments that need tweaking.
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As SpinTone mentioned, the staccato strings sound extremely harsh with an excess of 2Khz frequencies. It sounds quite fatiguing and distracting. My immediate reaction would be to cut the 2-4Khz area and boost some of the lower mids to add warmth. Try to add some reverb (in moderation) to add realism and space. This should at least mitigate some of the serious problems. However remember that all this is limited by the original sample (the bottleneck) - you may need to use some more realistic samples as there’s only so much you can do using EQ and Reverb.
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The strings also appear to be lightly alternating between the left and right channels (like a ping-pong delay). To ym ear, it sounds a little distracting. I would either pan 50% left or right, and pan the piano background to the opposite side.
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The piano samples sound very cheap and ‘plasticky’. They have no sustain or velocity variation. You could try to add some reverb and boost the lower mids for extra warmth, but as stated above, there’s only so much you can do with a sample that isn’t great to start with. Consider replacing the samples here as well.
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The sine-wave lead needs some work. It sounds a little too ‘raw’ for the track. It’s very easy for basic synths shapes like sine, square, triangle and sawtooth waves to sound unnatural in an arrangement with traditional instruments. If it’s an editable synth, consider adding some extra harmonics or oscillators to introduce timbral variety to the sound, or at least consider adding some reverb like I said above. As a lead instrument, it sounds too basic at the moment.
Composition
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In stock production music, it’s a good idea to keep a simple structure with not too many changes in tone and structure, but as STM pointed out, this track very repetitive. It could definitely do with some more variety. You can try adding a second section of the track, incorporating a verse-chorus-verse-chorus type structure (using a subtle variation of the main chord progression). You could also try a ‘building approach’ that uses the same chord progression throughout, but where new instruments are added in as the track progresses to maintain interest. Both methods work well, and you can incorporate aspects from both approaches - a track with a simple verse-chorus structure, introducing new instruments each time.
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The melody for the sine wave lead needs some work. Parts like 0:47 are a little distracting and unnecessarily complex, and there are some sections where the solo melody is not present at all, at at those points, the track sounds like it’s missing something. The melody should be adding something to the track, but it shouldn’t control or take over the entire piece - especially given that this is background music. I would first work on the melody to make it simpler, catchier and more memorable. Start with a simple theme, motif or riff and use that to drive the track. You could mix it up using some alternate melodies with verses, but keep it simple, unobtrusive and congruent with the rest of the piece.
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The piano background melody also doesn’t quite ‘gel’ with the rest of the track - as VA-Productions pointed out. It sounds like it’s doing its own funky thing, rather than supporting the track as the staccato strings are. I would use a basic arpeggio for the piano based on the chord progression you’re using - something simple, yet driving. You can even introduce more instruments to build on the main melody, but make sure they serve to compliment the lead melody.
Now this probably sounds like a LOT to take in, so don’t feel swamped! I think your track has the potential to be accepted. It has the makings of a solid piece and the foundation to be improved upon. It just needs some more work. I hope this helps! 
James
The whole track sounds rough, too much repetition, work more on crossings, composition is nice, uplifting. You also need to replace instrument patches with better ones and of course better mix and mastering.
Best Regards
Big thanks to everyone. This is invaluable advice.
I’m working on it as we speak, but it seems I’ll just have to cut down on the amount of ideas in this track.
The patches are actually top notch, I think the problem is that I tried to fit them all together and they won’t work.
I actually EQ-ed the strings so it would fit above the piano and lead, but it turned out to be harsh, obviously. If I bring it down a bit it starts to mess with the piano and lead.
It’s becoming a mess. I guess I need to make more space.
Also, my speakers kind of died recently so all I have right now are my AKG 240 studios. It’s kind of hard to work with cans exclusively, so your feedback is much appreciated.
Thanks again…