(http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/3348/wonder.jpg)
some messing with the qwerty on last day of the past year, added some fm technology and polished it a few days after. This is what it sounds like now, i may patch it up in future here and there, but the overall idea is done.
Expect peaceful and melodic sounding, nothing too aggressive:
Signal Chain - For a Wonder
http://psi.lp1.nl/music/Signal_Chain_-_For_a_wonder.mp3 (http://psi.lp1.nl/music/Signal_Chain_-_For_a_wonder.mp3)
I sense some default piano patch + delay settings here. :P But anyway, nice calm tune. I'm not sure if the distorted patch at the end fits too well, though.
Hi Psi, it is a nice tune, but didn't really appeal until the percussion and all kicked in.
I think the problem for me was that the echo on the piano was too much (or not at the right tempo) in the beginning. For my part - starting dry(er) and increasing the echo with time until you reach the proper mix when the percussion comes in would work better for me - but this is just my opinion and all that.
Oh, that is not a bad idea uncloned, i may add that up to the start. Also i thought mayb i could introduce some additional fx, that would make the start a bit more interesting. The echo was bpm synced, but with dotted timing, not the "usual" normal.
Jojo: erm...yep :D, the ending was rushed again a bit, i may brain about it a lil more, its still listenable tho. =)
QuoteI sense some default piano patch + delay settings here
well i've experimented with lot of variations before, but i've came up with this setting, and it works for me the best =). You can say that it became "default" for me. To be honest, there arent many variations to the piano sound texture itself (you can eq it however), the reverb/delay settings can be various, but as i said, this worked for me.
Well, the distorted guitar(?) and percs are not really my cup of coffee, but nevertheless an enjoyable piece.
And I don't think that there is timing problem with the echo. I may be wrong, but I think that the third low-octave note (around 4.5 sec.) doesn't fit the rhythm (too early). This gives the impression of the "wrong-timing-echo"....
Quotethe distorted guitar(?)
well, its an automated soft synth-line, routed to overdrive>tubeamp> and a bitcrusher, set to 7bits. It may give a guitar impression.
QuoteI may be wrong, but I think that the third low-octave note (around 4.5 sec.) doesn't fit the rhythm (too early). This gives the impression of the "wrong-timing-echo"....
The low octaves are giving you the chord/tempo (further on, they are on the exact same spots), the high ones are playing with melody, but i think i can spot the general trouble from these few comments:
The listener cant pick up the songs tempo from the variable piano sounds, and have the trouble clinging to something on the start, these stuff could make him a bit lost.
I'm thinking that i could bring some lighter percussion, right on the start, just to give some aid to the proper tempo.
For crying out a loud! Why don't you get a record deal or something???
Here you have a composer in a genre flooded with the same old, and he makes something completely fresh, stylish and evoking.
Go Pro man.
Contact me.
Y.
yes, ffs earn some money and come to breakpoint! :P
Quote from: "KrazyKatz"For crying out a loud! Why don't you get a record deal or something???
Here you have a composer in a genre flooded with the same old, and he makes something completely fresh, stylish and evoking.
Go Pro man.
Contact me.
Y.
I thought he *was* pro....
Unfortunately nope Uncloned, i wast able to level myself to professional yet. It's still one on my primary goal tho', that i'm pushing forward every day.
I was turned down by the publishers (or simply ignored in some cases) about a year and a half, so i've used the time to learn a tons of (essential) technical stuff and to research song structures that are unusual, fresh but working for electronic music lovers, also for everyday ears. Also produced a fairly big amount of working material over time, that should (imho) surely impress the potential publishers. If nothing else, it should give a good overall picture about my style and variability skills for them.
My timing idea came near to end anyway, i wanted to finish one more uplifting song, then i will have more or less everything bigger ready, that i've planned (mayb even an album can turn out from it). So i wanted to approach people in business once more, somewhere early 2010, with more "weapons" and composing experience on my back.
Nice stuff. Excellent use of the i - III - VII movement, if I understood it correctly. That, as well as the expressive lead/solo towards the end caught my attention on first listen. The second listen reminded me of the potential associated with not misunderestimating the effect produced by including the lower and higher register, as opposed to limiting oneself to some middle octave. The wide approach certainly worked well here.
Very impressive overall sound.
When did you start using Modplug (or equivalents)? Do you have e.g. .MOD, .IT files too from your earlier work?
EDIT: (Jojo, concerning your distortion remark): To the contrary, but maybe more erratic playing could have fit well considering how the song developed?
QuoteWhen did you start using Modplug (or equivalents)? Do you have e.g. .MOD, .IT files too from your earlier work?
In a really tight nutshell:
Well, to be honest i've started serious composing about two years ago, when i found VST technology and soft synths. The possibilities opened a whole new level of freedom, than i had experienced with the "old" sample based system. Before that, i was an Impulse Tracker (dos/win98 era), later on Schism Tracker user (with win xp) for several years, but all i did was "playing" and experimenting with the software and some sounds. I couldn't call that composing because i had zero experience with one of the most important element for finished songs: structure arrangement. While i had several interesting ideas, most of my pieces was about 1-2 minutes long, i couldn't go with them anywhere.
So, after some time, i've decided to learn all the essential technical stuff that an electronic musician should know, and wanted to compose finished pieces, with my own synthesized sounds. Within a few months i managed to learn what i needed to know, learned a lot about synthesizers, found a tracker that has a very appealing, easy, familiar interface, and have vst support (OpenMPT). Everything went fine, i've managed to finish my first vsti based piece "Royal", and i was very pleased with it. This was kind off a turning point, with this, stuffs finally started to work as a whole, and i was starting to use my past experience and gainer rapidly more and more. For only a few months with OMPT, i needed to pass to Renoise, the only tracker at the moment with enough modern feature list that i personally demanded for comfortable composing, without handicaps or workarounds (multicore support, automatic vsti suspending, easy automation, built in LFO-s, great vst routing/effect system, but i could go on with the list...). From that time i almost always used Renoise for composing, and did finished several pieces from various genres. I think i will stay with it for some longer time. Now i have only hardware barriers sometimes, but haven't really experienced any serious software limits that could interfere with the creative process.
The Modplug community was/is a huge help, i will never forget that fact. They aided me with technical help, reviews and comments that were very important for my development. They could show me their experience, expectations while listening, and supported me with advices. So for return, i am helping them or the newcomers with any technical or other advices, commenting their work if i have any particular to say, and posting my songs for them to listen and enjoy.
oh my :shock:, this was a bit longer reply than i've expected :D, but you needed all this to understand if i say:
Yes, i have old .IT files, but they wont help you much, and they suck.
Also if you would see the pattern list from the new .xrns files, you wont get much, because the key stuffs are on the synthesizers and on the vst routing, automation, or lfo part. The notes are plain and standing as they are, you will never find any trick or technology there.
But, if you have any particular question about "how was something done", "how can you archive that", feel free to ask, i will gladly help.
Ok, worked on it a bit here and there. The (kinda depressive) intro should be a sufficient build up for the piano solo part... i hope. :D
(download link on the first post changed to the new file)
This is definitely improved!!
Perhaps it might work to move the timeline up on the solo piano (bring in the other stuff a bit sooner) or... move a little more distant in harmony in the solo piano and bring it back home to meet the rush of the new instruments. (sort of a piano build to the 3:30 rush)
I especially like the parts after 4:00 where the piano speeds up
Dude, contrary to what other people have to say. You just wrecked your song.
You originally made a piece that makes sense in itself, and then you redesigned to cater for a public without any sense of patience. You took something uplifting and fresh and made it closer to mainstream. I think it did need some alteration, but you redefined it into something it was not meant to be.
Your current intro nullifies the impact of the current 03:20 style change, since the listener is already adjusted to the loud stuff from the beginnings.
Instead of crescending into a peak over a period, we start with a big sound, which goes back down, then goes up again. This is far more the POP approach where the crowd needs to hear some loud chorus ASAP to keep their attention. But this piece was not made to be that.
It's your call, but I can't hold back when I see this.
On a productive note, I'd say try this:
Chop off the part from 00:00 till +/-01:00 (the intro).
Now, instead start with just those percussion-like sounds in stereo without the piano. Slowly fading them in, with a filter if you like. When they reach optimum level, bring in your piano fading in.
Very simple to do, and it will work.
And before I'm burninated by all, please note that I'm looking out for the song.
lol sure, you made a normal sense. Actually the "change" effect is nullified with those strong sounds right on the beginning. If anyone, i could feel that definitely right away. But people seems to like it better this way (on other forums too), whenever its not my primary idea of the structure. But i think a much lighter start could just do the crossover for "both sides". Song can maintain the peaceful structure in the beginning, and people will have some fx and stuff, that points to the right tempo for them. 95% of the listeners demanded some pointers on the start, because they felt lost. Some much less aggressive start could just do the trick, and not ruin the 2nd "impact".
Thank you Katz, again, a very valuable comment that i highly respect.
drilling it here, hammering it there :D
Now the intro is much shorter and even less aggressive, but kept the nice elements, plus the piano slowly begins to play right from the start.
I think its a good idea to keep the stuffs interesting right from the beginning, if i would start with only the piano part (without anything that hooks), the listener would feel lost or bored, they would most likely think its another tiresome piano thingy... while it's not what it tries to be. =)
And with this, the intro doesn't gives too much push, so the second impact still has its own power, that few minutes of piano solo should calm the listener enough, to enjoy the change with full potential.
Quote from: "uncloned"I especially like the parts after 4:00 where the piano speeds up
well that's the final parts where i bring out all of the interesting layers. I like to save the best for last, all the time. :)
I still wonder if the sort of solo piano is a bit too long - but this is sounding nice. Lovely chord introduction from the string pad at 2:49 into the rush.
Are you using FM synthesis with this? Some of the sounds seem to me to be so.
Sure Uncloned, but i am using FM synthesis on every of my songs.
I love that technology (i knew it right from Adlib era), i've always created every instrument with it, percussion, leads, bass, pads, ect. You can create so beautiful sounds, or even very hard and raw ones, just need to know the way, and what is that you looking for. And of course, you can always push the limit, how will it sounds, so it could have barely recognizable FM characteristics (or it will *have* them, if its intentional).
Yeeeaa this Track is nice i Love it
Oh, welcome to out very friendly Modplug Central mr. warphead, from China. ^_^
I'm glad you like the piece, have fun listening to other ones from any of us too. :D
You also compose, or just like listening to nice stuffs?
CH is Switzerland. :P China would be CN.
oh snap, you're right. ^_^
He He Yes swizerland :) Yes i make Music with Logic but the modplug Tracker is nice.
This has been a good night for Modplug forum music. Wow! Great production. I don't have the different versions to compare, but this is really good. I thought the intro was fine. (I frankly have had enough of the dreamy, slowly building, layered pattern type tunes anyway.)
And I never thought I would hear myself say this, but -- cool beat.
As a side note, Renoise never really clicked for me, even though it has everything anyone could rationally want. I eventually strayed to Sibelius to write music the old-fashioned way. (Well, OK, no pen and paper.) I still like to hear plain old tracker music once in a while, though.
Notes as i'm listening:
Very interesting and innovative opening sonics, but then for way too long, an electronic piano meanders through a pointless and uncatchy soliloquy. Here there is no layering except for a background filtered percussion. Eventually a well-FX'd pad comes in with a considered kick rhythm to begin the song.
But no, the song winds down, having not really gotten started. If your "mind's ear" (that sense of where you expect music to take you as it progresses) were an airline flight, this song has you wandering at the airport, waiting for your plane to land and taxi up to the terminal, even though you see it out there circling the airfield.
What you did here is wonderful to me. I love the contrast of distorted and clean sounds. Piano solo is captivating. I only would soften the bitcrusher a bit. It seems to take things over to my ears.
Anyway I enjoyed the listen!!!
mrvegas: thanks for the comments, and i'm glad i could introduce you to the term "cool beat" ^_^
QuoteAs a side note, Renoise never really clicked for me, even though it has everything anyone could rationally want. I eventually strayed to Sibelius to write music the old-fashioned way. (Well, OK, no pen and paper.) I still like to hear plain old tracker music once in a while, though.
As much as i like tracker music, i will still prefer to compose on Renoise 'cause of the very reason that you've mentioned: it has everything i can rationally wish for, and makes my composing sessions joyful and self explaining, rather than full of workarounds and figuring out handicaps. I'm not a nostalgic type of person, i will pick the most powerful tool that i can work with, and will stick with it until i find something more efficient.
Harbinger:
I know what ya mean. This is one of those songs that dont want to tell you much, or anything at all, but rather trying to describe (and bring) you to a given mood. It didn't took long and tiresome composing weeks also, it wasnt my intention in the first place, to over complicate the structure.
Zaphoid: im glad you've enjoyed it. ^_^ I love the distorted sounds so the crunchy sounds sounded fine for me, alto' i will (hopefully) able to remaster all my pieces sometimes soon, then i can listen to them on very precise monitors and do these fine tunings.