Share Your Music (it probably sucks but that’s not why we do it)

[sidis 9822]

Thanks, goredho. Always appreciate the feedback. Part of what I’m struggling with in the apogee track is that it is a tragic climax but resolved with just a glimmer of hope. 

that’s why the last minute is currently a bit of a mess as I’m trying to modulate from c minor to E flat major to give it a touch of uplift feel at the very end. Since it is a relative major, I thought it would be the best way to do it subtly without a full slap to the face of changing the tone entirely. But it is relative major so it is all about re-anchoring the tonic with the same chords. I really like what I have with the strings on that but the brass and woods are a bit of a mess. But because I like the strings, will just record them and figure out the final version of the rest once I have a good recording that I can play with. Want to hear how good the cello solo line sounds once actually played in by a pro. 

[Bogeywon 2519]

Do I have to pay to post a song on sound cloud? I’m trying to figure out how to post a rough song I wrote so I can put it here. I’m moving it from garage band. It doesn’t give me a option to choose the song I want. Any help would be great. I internet’d and couldn’t figure it out

[sidis 9822]

7 hours ago, Bogeywon said:

Do I have to pay to post a song on sound cloud? I’m trying to figure out how to post a rough song I wrote so I can put it here. I’m moving it from garage band. It doesn’t give me a option to choose the song I want. Any help would be great. I internet’d and couldn’t figure it out

You do not.  You can post up to three hours of music for free.  You just need to sign up for Soundcloud Artist Basic account.  link:

https://checkout.soundcloud.com/pro?utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=twigeo&utm_campaign=creator_subscriptions_evergreen-brand&utm_content=8694190040&utm_term=94218097144_407806323836_{label}&&ref=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy4fj7PLh9QIV2BXUAR1fLQiNEAAYASAAEgIP_fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Buzzrock 14901]

Do I have to pay to post a song on sound cloud? I’m trying to figure out how to post a rough song I wrote so I can put it here. I’m moving it from garage band. It doesn’t give me a option to choose the song I want. Any help would be great. I internet’d and couldn’t figure it out

I post them from GarageBand for iPhone or iPad and it’s really easy. Never had to pay for anything.

[UTCzech III 2907]

So our band held another practice session a few weeks ago.  Getting ready to record a new CD in April (fingers crossed) so working on arrangements, here's 20 minutes or so as we wrapped up our practice.  We were stuck in a tiny room at Space so I couldn't fit everyone in the video (need to buy an iPhone tripod and set it in the corner next time...).  Yes, I know the video is flipped.  Amazing how much that freaks old geezer out....  

 

[Goredho 17394]

Not sure where the line is between “improv” and “noodling”.  Either way, here’s last night’s bedroom noodleprov...

 

[Chips O'Toole 1322]

I'm finally finishing up an album I've been working on sporadically since 2019.  I had been creatively bankrupt for over a decade after some personal struggles and general malaise that crept in while trying to adjust to becoming an adult with a job and family.  I don't think I finished writing a song from 2006 or 2007 until starting this project.  

My long-time friend and former bandmate and I decided we needed to put something together and FINISH it after leaving several projects in various stages of completion.  So we started small with a folk/acoustic type idea that we thought we could put together in a short amount of time and produce ourselves.  Life with kids and covid hit, and some of the songs got away from us and our original idea of keeping it "simple", and it ended up taking about 2 years to get the songs where we wanted them sonically.  Then we took a while to decide we need to get it mastered professionally rather than do it ourselves, and that process took us into 2022.

I had recorded some demos before, but this was my first time trying to record and mix something to release to the public.  I'm happy with how it sounds and proud of a lot of it.  I would have done completely differently if we started over today, but we have to move on to some other songs.  

The idea behind the music is kind of a spacey scifi interpretation of folk and a little bit of interplanetary gospel.  We both grew up religious and were raised on church music, but neither of us are religious at all now, so it seemed like a cheeky way to incorporate some of our background into a new sound.  The songs jump around a bit stylistically with a mix of acoustic, dense vocal arrangements, some tape recordings and other analog effects and some composed orchestral-sounding bits.  

We weren't trying to make something commercially viable, so some of it is self-indulgent and goofy and it won't be for everyone.  I have tried to edit myself way more than in the past, but I have no designs on this hitting a wide audience.  Maybe it could be used by a film student or something.

 

 

[Goredho 17394]

Will have to listen later, but kudos to you, @AnotherUTFan and anyone who completes an album-scale project.

[jimmyjazz 45878]

Just listened to the first two tracks, Chips.  Really nice job.  I'll listen to the rest later.

I'm picking up some Beach Boys harmonies in the second track, and that's not easy to do.

[Chips O'Toole 1322]

Yeah spot on, I was shooting for something in the vicinity of Beach Boys and CSNY on that track.

[jimmyjazz 45878]

1 minute ago, Chips O'Toole said:

Yeah spot on, I was shooting for something in the vicinity of Beach Boys and CSNY on that track.

LOL.  The opening parts definitely sent me to a CSNY reference but I didn't want to overstate the influences.  That can piss some people off.  Well done.

[AnotherUTFan 9726]

Chip's that sounds great. I get some of that Cosmic Americana in there too.

It sounds like your experience was very similar to mine, as are your expectations. Congratulations. Its a rewarding to feeling to actually complete something.

[Goredho 17394]

First new track in awhile.  I needed a break from my serious/ambitious project, so I threw together this rock/metal/rockabilly gumbo.  Let me know what you think of "Hillbilly Trippin'".

 

[ztejas 43411]

Learned a difficult lesson this week. Lost a phone that I had been meaning to replace and had basically turned into a beater. I'm used to simply getting a new one and syncing all of my google shit and picking up where I left off - however I didn't realize (or had forgotten, basically) that the notes app wasn't backed up at all and a good amount of lyrics and voice recordings have now been lost to the great gig in the sky. Maybe there was a hit single somewhere, but I've been songwriting long enough now to know that if it wasn't something I played regularly and had basically committed to memory it probably wasn't a big loss. I'm also super spontaneous and in the moment - especially with the lyrics I write - so I figure instead of dwelling on it I'll just have to apply myself and scratch some more shit out.

There was something I've been noodling on for a bit that I frantically had to rescue lyrics wise and thank God all the words came back to me. In fact, I wound up making an adjustment because of the whole ordeal that I think is going to stick. Mysterious ways and all. 

I thought this was a pretty good take. I just wish I was a better guitar player (don't we all - but like me especially, I'm shit). I'd appreciate it if no one doxes me but if you want to I get it.

 

 

 

[AnotherUTFan 9726]

First new track in awhile.  I needed a break from my serious/ambitious project, so I threw together this rock/metal/rockabilly gumbo.  Let me know what you think of "Hillbilly Trippin'".
 

Thats fun Goredho, the guitar sounds great and I like the way the riff develops.

[Goredho 17394]

32 minutes ago, AnotherUTFan said:

13 hours ago, Goredho said:

First new track in awhile.  I needed a break from my serious/ambitious project, so I threw together this rock/metal/rockabilly gumbo.  Let me know what you think of "Hillbilly Trippin'".
 

Thats fun Goredho, the guitar sounds great and I like the way the riff develops.

Thanks, appreciate it.  It was a fun thing to do.   About the guitar sounds.  I did all the guitar/bass recording using that little Spark amp and nothing else (the Spark is the audio interface connected to the laptop via USB).  Like, just to see how well it would work as a minimalist portable recording setup, ala those old Tascam Portastudio 4 tracks. 

Anyway, it worked pretty well for capturing tracks.  It would be a good setup for playing with ideas, sketching out songs and maybe throwing together a demo outside of a professional or dedicated home studio.

You aren’t going to mix and master with it, though.  I did that with my real monitors after getting the tracks laid.

[Chips O'Toole 1322]

New album is out there now on all the streaming places.  I still need to finish the layout for the CDs so we can order them, but message me if you are interested in getting one at a surly discount.

 

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/spaceshipandson/twelve-mouth-mountain

 

[Chips O'Toole 1322]

@AnotherUTFan How long did it take to get your vinyl after you ordered it?  I heard there were insane delays for a year or more, so I didn't even bother looking into getting any made.

[AnotherUTFan 9726]

New album is out there now on all the streaming places.  I still need to finish the layout for the CDs so we can order them, but message me if you are interested in getting one at a surly discount.
 
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/spaceshipandson/twelve-mouth-mountain
 

[mention=527]AnotherUTFan[/mention] How long did it take to get your vinyl after you ordered it?  I heard there were insane delays for a year or more, so I didn't even bother looking into getting any made.

Thats super cool, congratulations.

Out vinyl shipped super fast. We ordered in mid-Janualy and were given a May estimate for shipping. Like 3 weeks later we got tracking info and they arrived in mid-Feb. Shipped from Prague, we used CD Baby. My guess is that they slipped our small (200) run in ahead of a larger one.

[Buzzrock 14901]

New album is out there now on all the streaming places.  I still need to finish the layout for the CDs so we can order them, but message me if you are interested in getting one at a surly discount.
 
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/spaceshipandson/twelve-mouth-mountain
 

Nice work CO. What an unusual album. It kinda defies categorization, I hear all sorts of influences in there.

[AnotherUTFan 9726]

[mention=527]AnotherUTFan[/mention] How long did it take to get your vinyl after you ordered it?  I heard there were insane delays for a year or more, so I didn't even bother looking into getting any made.

Saw a friend this weekend. He said he just learned that his 7" that was ordered around the same time as mine LP has been pushed out another 5 months. So who knows? He's on a label, no idea who they used.

[sidis 9822]

On 4/3/2022 at 12:12 PM, Chips O'Toole said:

New album is out there now on all the streaming places.  I still need to finish the layout for the CDs so we can order them, but message me if you are interested in getting one at a surly discount.

 

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/spaceshipandson/twelve-mouth-mountain

 

Good stuff, CO'T.  I've listened to the whole thing a few times now.  I think my favorite tracks are Buckleroy Riding, River Folk, and Buckle Up Bandits.  I also really like the vox melody in So Long, Crystal Kid.

Very unique sound for sure.  I know it can be irksome to some when people relate one's music back to more popular stuff but a lot of this album sounds like Elliot Smith made love to the love child of Elvis and the Beach Boys which resulted in another love child that went on to make love to 80% of PF's "Wish You Were Here" album and they named the resulting baby Stephen Foster and then they gave it a bath in an ocean of reverb.

Anyway, congrats on completing an album and good job.

[Chips O'Toole 1322]

Jesus Christ, I don't even know how to process that comparison but it's goddamn hilarious. You've been really inspiring for a while, Sidis, so I'm really glad you heard things you enjoyed. 

 

Thanks everyone for listening and yeah, I think it's kind of an unusual album as well, but I had about a decade worth of blocked creativity that had to be let out in waves, so I decided to just let some of the songs be what they were and not try to worry about style or cohesion. This was just about finishing something for ourselves and then moving on to other ideas later on. 

[sidis 9822]

had the opportunity to finally get in paul wesley's studio for an entire day and record a bunch of stuff live to replace some compositions i had mocked up in midi and shared here before.  hired some professional musicians and recording/mixing engineer through paul and it was a blast.  orchestrating and arranging seven different tracks (with their own sets of chords, own melodies, etc...) across a bunch of different instruments is...time consuming and not as easy as it seems like it should be.  can't imagine trying to do it before computers.  but at the end of the day, it was really fun and an incredible experience that i continue to learn a ton from.  anyway, i think i have posted mock ups of all of these in this thread or the old composition thread but these are the real thing if anyone is interested.  i mixed them in spatial audio so if you have binaural headphones (apple AirPods maxes for example), then you should really be able to tell.  my favorite of where the live recordings really make all the difference in the world are madeleines and the commute home...probably because they are expressive solo lines where the difference of a real cello/violin is really the clearest.  welcome all comments...as the title of this thread notes, it probably sucks but that's not why we do it.

 

 

[Goredho 17394]

Gonna have to listen later, @sidis, but excited to hear it!

[ztejas 43411]

Still trying to find my sound. Frustrating when it's been years and you still aren't sure (granted a nice keyboard or piano would help).

 

[sidis 9822]

10 hours ago, ztejas said:

Still trying to find my sound. Frustrating when it's been years and you still aren't sure (granted a nice keyboard or piano would help).

 

 

this is definitely the tightest improvisation sketch you have posted and i think it sounds pretty good.  for just sketching things out, the nice thing about this one is that you have your volume levels for the vox and the guitar better balanced (as opposed to post 214 where it sounded like you might have a good song in there but you are wailing on the guitar to the point i can't hear the vox melody).  i think recording into a daw where you can do a little editing (there are free ones like pro tools first, garage band ableton lite, audacity, etc...) would definitely propel you a step forward in your musical development.

if you are open to any feedback, i think you have a really nice start to a song here but as ironic as it might sound coming from me of all people (who is ultra minimalist), i feel like this could really be taken to another level if you put at least a key modulation bridge (not even a chorus, just a bridge - though a chorus could be better) in there to resolve back to your looping verse theme. there are countless options in that C-G-Dm progression you are repeating.  if you did two verses like you have it, and then did an eight bar bridge with a simple key modulation (regardless of whether your sing to it - though i think it would be better if you did), and then resolve back to your last verse, i think it would increase the musicality of the song and make it slightly more interesting.  you already have a pseudo in there at 1:56 to 2:14.

it is obviously a bit of a somber tune so if you wanted to modulate to a dark key for a bridge without straying too far, you could naturally get there by modulating to d minor as the new tonic via Amin chord after the C instead of a G...and then down to Dmin use the new Dmin tonic as a starting point for that progression....and then you can resolve back right through the Amin again.  alternatively, if you wanted the bridge to be more uplifting, the easiest modulation in the world is Cmaj to Fmaj...just go from Cmaj, to Cmaj7th (and hit that Bb), down to Fmaj and off you go with composing a few bars with an Fmaj tonic.  Easy to resolve back in reverse to get back to your repeating verse progression one last time and finish.

or feel free to tell me to fuck off and it's exactly how you want it.  either way, keep grinding and posting songs.

[ztejas 43411]

On 4/12/2022 at 11:41 AM, sidis said:

this is definitely the tightest improvisation sketch you have posted and i think it sounds pretty good.  for just sketching things out, the nice thing about this one is that you have your volume levels for the vox and the guitar better balanced (as opposed to post 214 where it sounded like you might have a good song in there but you are wailing on the guitar to the point i can't hear the vox melody).  i think recording into a daw where you can do a little editing (there are free ones like pro tools first, garage band ableton lite, audacity, etc...) would definitely propel you a step forward in your musical development.

if you are open to any feedback, i think you have a really nice start to a song here but as ironic as it might sound coming from me of all people (who is ultra minimalist), i feel like this could really be taken to another level if you put at least a key modulation bridge (not even a chorus, just a bridge - though a chorus could be better) in there to resolve back to your looping verse theme. there are countless options in that C-G-Dm progression you are repeating.  if you did two verses like you have it, and then did an eight bar bridge with a simple key modulation (regardless of whether your sing to it - though i think it would be better if you did), and then resolve back to your last verse, i think it would increase the musicality of the song and make it slightly more interesting.  you already have a pseudo in there at 1:56 to 2:14.

it is obviously a bit of a somber tune so if you wanted to modulate to a dark key for a bridge without straying too far, you could naturally get there by modulating to d minor as the new tonic via Amin chord after the C instead of a G...and then down to Dmin use the new Dmin tonic as a starting point for that progression....and then you can resolve back right through the Amin again.  alternatively, if you wanted the bridge to be more uplifting, the easiest modulation in the world is Cmaj to Fmaj...just go from Cmaj, to Cmaj7th (and hit that Bb), down to Fmaj and off you go with composing a few bars with an Fmaj tonic.  Easy to resolve back in reverse to get back to your repeating verse progression one last time and finish.

or feel free to tell me to fuck off and it's exactly how you want it.  either way, keep grinding and posting songs.

Sorry man - just reading this. Missed it in all the notifications I get. 

Agree with basically everything. My recording setup right now is fucking shit. It's why it sounds better when everything is super stripped back (also it's just easier to sing and play more consistently that way). My guitar playing is passable but I really need a midi keyboard and/or piano because that's my first instrument. It's frustrating because I feel like I have some great stuff conceptually that I can't really bring to life properly. 

I like the bridge/no-chorus idea (generally not a big 3 part songwriter) and maybe I'll give the chords you suggested a spin. I struggle sometimes to find the next right chord on guitar vs piano where I typically find it pretty quickly. 

And yes - I write dark shit. Although ironically that one is more uplifting lyrically. I have other stuff that is upbeat musically but really depressing when you take the message to heart. 

Btw - think you had the right instinct with the Am. It's taken me in a different direction than what you laid out but that's the right chord to bridge it with. 

Edited April 14, 2022 by ztejas

[sidis 9822]

5 hours ago, ztejas said:

Btw - think you had the right instinct with the Am. It's taken me in a different direction than what you laid out but that's the right chord to bridge it with. 

Nice. Best possible outcome. 

as you’re working through it, just remember that key modulations don’t have to be complicated requiring pivot chords/common chord type transitions…sometimes just brute forcing it is the right move for the feel. The Beatles were the master of this (ending of penny lane for example). Taylor Swift is actually sneaky good at it too. 

there are a million capable and super cheap midi keyboard controllers out there. 25 and 49 key ones that work perfectly fine for $100. 

[ztejas 43411]

On 4/14/2022 at 8:35 AM, sidis said:

as you’re working through it, just remember that key modulations don’t have to be complicated requiring pivot chords/common chord type transitions…sometimes just brute forcing it is the right move for the feel. The Beatles were the master of this (ending of penny lane for example). Taylor Swift is actually sneaky good at it too. 

I just play what I think sounds good man. I can break it down technically if I have to - and I'm sure I've written examples of what you're talking about on both ends at one point or another. I don't intentionally write things in one key or another nor could I even tell you off the top of my head what key a lot of stuff I've written is in. I'm still very nascent on guitar when it comes to knowing where to put my fingers next or even being aware of what chords are out there. I'm also limited by what I'm physically capable of playing. I do the same thing on piano - the difference being I can play every chord and transition under the sun and I can get where I want to and/or produce more meaningful variations much more quickly. (also - I can quickly tell you what chord I'm playing - some of the shit I've written on guitar - not so much)

On 4/14/2022 at 8:35 AM, sidis said:

there are a million capable and super cheap midi keyboard controllers out there. 25 and 49 key ones that work perfectly fine for $100. 

Yeah - I could try that. Not a huge fan of anything under 88 keys though. Then again, there are decent 88 key keyboards I could snag gently used for a couple hundred bucks. 

Thanks for the discourse, btw. I really appreciate it. 

Also - figured showing is better than telling. Didn't sing over this but this was the progression I liked - did a couple variations. 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by ztejas

[statsman 5450]

Didn’t want to start a new thread, so I’ll note this here-

 Tears For Fears’ “The Tipping Point” is the best Prefab Sprout song I’ve heard in 30 years. 😄

[Goredho 17394]

On 4/11/2022 at 10:04 AM, sidis said:

had the opportunity to finally get in paul wesley's studio for an entire day and record a bunch of stuff live to replace some compositions i had mocked up in midi and shared here before.  hired some professional musicians and recording/mixing engineer through paul and it was a blast.  orchestrating and arranging seven different tracks (with their own sets of chords, own melodies, etc...) across a bunch of different instruments is...time consuming and not as easy as it seems like it should be.  can't imagine trying to do it before computers.  but at the end of the day, it was really fun and an incredible experience that i continue to learn a ton from.  anyway, i think i have posted mock ups of all of these in this thread or the old composition thread but these are the real thing if anyone is interested.  i mixed them in spatial audio so if you have binaural headphones (apple AirPods maxes for example), then you should really be able to tell.  my favorite of where the live recordings really make all the difference in the world are madeleines and the commute home...probably because they are expressive solo lines where the difference of a real cello/violin is really the clearest.  welcome all comments...as the title of this thread notes, it probably sucks but that's not why we do it.

 

 

Got a chance to sit down with my headphones and give it all a good listen.

Apogee:  I like the slow, tensive burn ramping up to its tragic conclusion.  The sudden yield back to the piano before everything collapses back on top feels like a moment of realization before a resignation to fate.  Seems like something Hans Zimmer would compose for a movie that has a decidedly unhappy ending.

Baroque Motions: Another that I like the buildup of, but with a completely different feel.  This does not have the same sense of tragedy to me, but is perhaps more beautiful and majestic.  The high string melody is very pretty.

Madeleines with Marcel: That 4th chord!  I think its a secondary dominant?  It arrives unexpected, and changes the feel to have more tension than I thought was going to be in the piece.  The real instruments are indeed fantastic.  The counterpoint between the cello and the high violin is really nice.

Adagio in F: Your stuff is always exceptional, but this does not resonate with me like the others.  It seems more like an accompaniment rather than a full standalone piece that could keep a listener fully engaged through what they are hearing alone.  But, that may be just what the compositional context calls for.  Not every piece of music needs to be the dramatic focus for a listener.

The Commute Home:  I really love this, and its probably my favorite (maybe even of all your music).  This work is kind of ambiguous and "flatter" than what you normally produce, in a really fantastic way.  There are no soaring crescendos or tragic plunges here, and I think that is very much in service to what you are trying to evoke in or convey to a listener.  The word that kept popping into my head through the piece's shallow valleys and eroded hills was DUTY.  The quiet nobility realized by simply doing what must be done -- no matter how banal, monotonous or meaningless it might seem in isolation.  Because it is in service to the greater good, waiting at home.  Really, really well done.

[Chips O'Toole 1322]

On 4/11/2022 at 11:04 AM, sidis said:

had the opportunity to finally get in paul wesley's studio for an entire day and record a bunch of stuff live to replace some compositions i had mocked up in midi and shared here before.  hired some professional musicians and recording/mixing engineer through paul and it was a blast.  orchestrating and arranging seven different tracks (with their own sets of chords, own melodies, etc...) across a bunch of different instruments is...time consuming and not as easy as it seems like it should be.  can't imagine trying to do it before computers.  but at the end of the day, it was really fun and an incredible experience that i continue to learn a ton from.  anyway, i think i have posted mock ups of all of these in this thread or the old composition thread but these are the real thing if anyone is interested.  i mixed them in spatial audio so if you have binaural headphones (apple AirPods maxes for example), then you should really be able to tell.  my favorite of where the live recordings really make all the difference in the world are madeleines and the commute home...probably because they are expressive solo lines where the difference of a real cello/violin is really the clearest.  welcome all comments...as the title of this thread notes, it probably sucks but that's not why we do it.

 

 

I really enjoyed Baroque motions and The Commute Home.  It's so much more interesting with performers vs the midi arrangements.  

 

Did you leave any of the programmed parts in the mix to support the live stuff?  I was just wondering because some of the reverb on the supporting chords sounds similar to what I hear in the orchestral libraries.

[sidis 9822]

18 hours ago, Goredho said:

Got a chance to sit down with my headphones and give it all a good listen.

Apogee:  I like the slow, tensive burn ramping up to its tragic conclusion.  The sudden yield back to the piano before everything collapses back on top feels like a moment of realization before a resignation to fate.  Seems like something Hans Zimmer would compose for a movie that has a decidedly unhappy ending.

thanks for listening, goredho.  right on the nose with drawing inspiration from hz on this one.  this one is supposed to be highly cinematic and very score-driven.  in retrospect, i think it is too long and slow developing to hold people's attention on its own but hairpin/swell chords are one of my favorite sounds in the world and i wasn't willing to cut out any of the first three to four minutes.  i also wanted to do a little music theory challenge on this one and key modulate between relative minor and major.  up until the last 30 seconds or though, everything is in Cmin and then it resolves to Ebmaj which uses the same exact notes but is an entirely different feel.  hard to do in one track but i think there is a shift in feel at the very end.

 

18 hours ago, Goredho said:

Baroque Motions: Another that I like the buildup of, but with a completely different feel.  This does not have the same sense of tragedy to me, but is perhaps more beautiful and majestic.  The high string melody is very pretty.

this one definitely had a purpose...it was "commissioned" (similar to colossus) for a film project...friend asked for "aristocrats riding horses through the english country side in the 18th century" feel.  the poor violinist and violist at the end of recording that...living at the very top end of both registers the entire time. 

 

18 hours ago, Goredho said:

Madeleines with Marcel: That 4th chord!  I think its a secondary dominant?  It arrives unexpected, and changes the feel to have more tension than I thought was going to be in the piece.  The real instruments are indeed fantastic.  The counterpoint between the cello and the high violin is really nice.

good man. agreed, the fourth chord/triplet combination is the best part.  the song is in a minor and the triplets are descending 5th, 3rd of a minor, second inversion f major, second inversion e minor, and then instead of resolving to dominant 7th/Gmaj like your ear expects, it is a G# diminished (which has no place in a minor) but it is an inversion of b diminished 7th (with no flat 5th) which is the ii in a minor.  the underlying bass chords are amin, fmaj, cmaj, and emin (though occasionally switched up to sus randomly throughout - hard to hear though). 

to the extent the title doesn't make it obvious, it is a bit of a tribute to the madeleine anecdote from "in search of lost time" by marcel proust.  it is about involuntary memories/nostalgia driven by the senses such as taste and smell...and those are always kind of weird and mysterious...instantly transporting you.  i wanted the track to have something that was a little "off" to reflect that "mystery" but still be harmonious.  you zeroed in on it precisely.

 

18 hours ago, Goredho said:

Adagio in F: Your stuff is always exceptional, but this does not resonate with me like the others.  It seems more like an accompaniment rather than a full standalone piece that could keep a listener fully engaged through what they are hearing alone.  But, that may be just what the compositional context calls for.  Not every piece of music needs to be the dramatic focus for a listener.

 

not surprising...it doesn't have a melody and is purely experimental with synth sounds and spatial audio.  the gated/throbbing bass synth towards the end on binaural headphones is pretty wild.  there is nothing complex or terribly musical about it (other than trying to sounds unsettling in f major).

 

18 hours ago, Goredho said:

The Commute Home:  I really love this, and its probably my favorite (maybe even of all your music).  This work is kind of ambiguous and "flatter" than what you normally produce, in a really fantastic way.  There are no soaring crescendos or tragic plunges here, and I think that is very much in service to what you are trying to evoke in or convey to a listener.  The word that kept popping into my head through the piece's shallow valleys and eroded hills was DUTY.  The quiet nobility realized by simply doing what must be done -- no matter how banal, monotonous or meaningless it might seem in isolation.  Because it is in service to the greater good, waiting at home.  Really, really well done.

thanks, dude.  this one was inspired by aimlessly riding metro around a bunch one day in paris during the commuting hours.  looking at the faces at the end of the day...almost a slow motion observation in the midst of all the hustle and bustle.  some were satisfied, some were relieved, some were excited, some were depressed and discontent, many were mentally elsewhere.  i was ambitiously trying to do something that could bring it all in together in something as stripped down and simple as possible...and sound both reassuring/satisfied (or like you said, duty-fulfilled) or sorrowful depending on the face and what their stares betrayed if you will.

 

8 hours ago, Chips O'Toole said:

I really enjoyed Baroque motions and The Commute Home.  It's so much more interesting with performers vs the midi arrangements.  

 

Did you leave any of the programmed parts in the mix to support the live stuff?  I was just wondering because some of the reverb on the supporting chords sounds similar to what I hear in the orchestral libraries.

thanks for listening, chip.  answer is a bit song by song.  in mixing and mastering the track, i certainly added some programmed reverbs to the dry stems for all of the tracks which is going to smooth them and help meld with the rest of the tracks.  a few of them were valhalla (piano in madeleines for example) and some of them were cinematic rooms (which you should check out given your predilection for reverb - it is definitely the best out there imo). 

everything in madeleines is real except the sub bass synth.  i played the piano and the strings are all real.  In apogee, everything but the strings and piano are programmed software (brass, winds, percussion).  i find that brass, woods, and bangs can be a bit more convincing.  in the commute home, obviously the recorded ambience of king's cross station at the beginning and ending are samples and the choir voices are samples...everything else is real.  in adagio, the strings are the only thing that is real.  everything else is zebra2 synthesizer including the ricochets.  if you are hearing some sampled supplement in baroque, then major kudos to you.  you've got a great ear (or i am much worse at mixing than i thought).  it was the only one where i am still cheating a bit on the low end (using some double bass samples in the chords) and giving a few extreme high end boosts where the recordings just didn't get me where i needed (but only on a few phrases).

Edited April 19, 2022 by sidis

[Paul Wesley 3278]

On 4/11/2022 at 11:04 AM, sidis said:

had the opportunity to finally get in paul wesley's studio for an entire day and record a bunch of stuff live to replace some compositions i had mocked up in midi and shared here before.  hired some professional musicians and recording/mixing engineer through paul and it was a blast.  orchestrating and arranging seven different tracks (with their own sets of chords, own melodies, etc...) across a bunch of different instruments is...time consuming and not as easy as it seems like it should be.  can't imagine trying to do it before computers.  but at the end of the day, it was really fun and an incredible experience that i continue to learn a ton from.  anyway, i think i have posted mock ups of all of these in this thread or the old composition thread but these are the real thing if anyone is interested.  i mixed them in spatial audio so if you have binaural headphones (apple AirPods maxes for example), then you should really be able to tell.  my favorite of where the live recordings really make all the difference in the world are madeleines and the commute home...probably because they are expressive solo lines where the difference of a real cello/violin is really the clearest.  welcome all comments...as the title of this thread notes, it probably sucks but that's not why we do it.

 

 

Hey, sidis -

I am just now seeing and hearing these...  I am loving hearing them with the full piano/orchestrations.  They sound great!   Madeleines is my first-listen favorite.  Those cello lines are really nice.  

[sidis 9822]

17 minutes ago, Paul Wesley said:

Hey, sidis -

I am just now seeing and hearing these...  I am loving hearing them with the full piano/orchestrations.  They sound great!   Madeleines is my first-listen favorite.  Those cello lines are really nice.  

appreciate it paul...and everything you did to help make it happen.  owe you big time.  i am still not where i want to be on baroque motions or apogee in the mixing and mastering so i have officially called upon CK to help out on those to help me de-mud a few of the frequency clashing spots.

[sidis 9822]

So my computer if officially aged out of being able to keep up with the demands of Logic and all the shit I do in it. So ordered a new monster customized machine a month ago that will be here in a few months. Ugh. 

it is really limiting in the ability to do much at this point but here is something a bit whimsical and different than my typical morose and sober stuff. Heavy Bach influence…particularly on the key modulations but it is original.  Unfortunately, I can’t properly program dynamics, mix, or master it right now because my computer keeps dying anytime I put compressors, eqs, etc on so here is a preliminary raw sketch. 

String Quartet No. 2 (F Major).m4a

[pyrohornIII 4814]

I have none of the skills you guys have.  I am impressed.   

I watched a documentary by Tom Douglas last night.   Very nicely done hour on the ups, downs and angst of song writing.  But in the end the reason why you guys keep doing the craft. 

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Tom-Michael-Lennox/dp/B09QFK74K3

I'll close the door on my way out.

[AnotherUTFan 9726]

Here are some phone recordings from practice with a band I joined recently that im super stoked about. Its right on the edge between Rock & Roll and Punk, and exactly my type thing. Im playing bass and having a blast.

Our singer hasn't even heard this one yet. Guitar player wrote it and is singing. It was our 1st time with it and singer was AWOL.

So far we have like 15 songs. All under 2 minutes, so we need a bunch.

[AnotherUTFan 9726]

And here's something we recorded recently with another band. Im on guitar.

[Celery Man 20929]

Listening to the drummer in band one just beating the shit out of his snare

[Goredho 17394]

A new thing I am working on.  Still kind of arranging, but you'll get the idea.  Not sure if I am going to keep this sparse, or if I am going to flesh it out with a lot of additional instrumentation.  There will likely be at least a melody line going on with this.
 

An elaboration on the intro bit, using a looper so I could play some melody/lead lines in a baroquish style.  So it might be a single accompaniment track with a lead/melody on top, or I might bring in bass, drums, keyboards, etc... at least at the end when it gets to be sort of heavy with the strummed chords and droning filter going on. Not sure which way to go.  Anyone got thoughts?
 

 

Edited June 4, 2022 by Goredho

[jimmyjazz 45878]

I like it.  No advice on direction, you'll figure it out, but it has a nice feel.  Almost reminds me of some Alex Lifeson riffs (which is probably the last thing you want to hear, but hey, I'm here to serve).

[Goredho 17394]

1 minute ago, jimmyjazz said:

I like it.  No advice on direction, you'll figure it out, but it has a nice feel.  Almost reminds me of some Alex Lifeson riffs (which is probably the last thing you want to hear, but hey, I'm here to serve).

Thanks.  I am a big Lifeson fan and think he’s pretty criminally underrated as a guitarist.  Maybe underrated isn’t the right word, because a lot of musicians appreciate how good he is, but he doesn’t get a lot of love outside of music nerds.

[Goredho 17394]

On 6/4/2022 at 9:31 AM, Goredho said:

A new thing I am working on.  Still kind of arranging, but you'll get the idea.  Not sure if I am going to keep this sparse, or if I am going to flesh it out with a lot of additional instrumentation.  There will likely be at least a melody line going on with this.
 

An elaboration on the intro bit, using a looper so I could play some melody/lead lines in a baroquish style.  So it might be a single accompaniment track with a lead/melody on top, or I might bring in bass, drums, keyboards, etc... at least at the end when it gets to be sort of heavy with the strummed chords and droning filter going on. Not sure which way to go.  Anyone got thoughts?
 

 

At @sidis suggestion, I added a change up in this piece and I like the arrangement I got.  Working up to laying tracks.  Here’s a practice run through the solo that will be over the change up.  Ignore my fucking bald spot.
 

 

[dcbc 14465]

How does this thread feel about covers?  I got a few of those.

[Goredho 17394]

21 hours ago, dcbc said:

How does this thread feel about covers?  I got a few of those.

Are they rearranged or otherwise different than the originals?  If so, definitely post here. If not, I’d like to listen but not sure if this is the thread?  But there is probably not enough content for multiple threads, so... maybe? 😜

[dcbc 14465]

Just now, Goredho said:

Are they rearranged or otherwise different than the originals?  If so, definitely post here. If not, I’d like to listen but not sure if this is the thread?  But there is probably not enough content for multiple threads, so... maybe? 😜

Definite maybe.

[sidis 9822]

just post them.  i have posted multiple covers before.  i just try to make sure i clearly identify what is original and what is a cover.

[UTCzech III 2907]

Any of you yay-hoos feel like sweating your balls off this weekend, my band is playing down at Krause's Cafe in New Braunfels on Sunday from 2-6.  Lotsa Czech and German polkas, waltzes, some old school C&W (both kinds!), western swing, shit, we had a practice last night and wood-shedded "She's About a Mover", we'll throw that out there as well... Guaranteed to get your toes tapping and probably self-combust by about 5:30 or so...