I thought I was off to a good start this week. I had a bunch of ideas early and hoped I'd be able to put together something really interesting. The various ideas, however, didn't really work together and I wasted a lot of time rewriting things to try and make them fit. In the end I took my favorite riff, filled out a handful of parts, and just set it on repeat and jammed over the top. It sort of reminds me of an afrobeat jam, and I wouldn't be surprised to find I've lifted one or more riffs from a Fela Kuti or Antibalas record. Anyway, I did manage to spend a bit of time toward the end of the week mixing what I had, and I'm pretty happy with how it all sounds:
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Description:
After some recent rearranging of my schedule this week ended up blank and I never did come up with a theme feeling. I guess if anything I was feeling a bit of encouragement this week. The last couple weeks I've been rather down about this project, but now I feel better about it. I'm also excited about our upcoming vacation. On that noe, I'm taking a hiatus from songwriting next week while we're in San Francisco. The blog will resume with a new song on September 11th.
Tools:
Presonus FireStudio audio interface
Ableton Live 7
de la Mancha Erratic 2
Martin Eastwood Audio Compressive CM
PSP SpringVerb
IK Multimedia TRackS 3 Vintage Program EQ 1A
IK Multimedia TRacks 3 Vintage Compressor Model 670
Fender Jazz bass guitar
Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp
Aixcoustic Electri-Q CM
Epiphone LEs Paul studio electric guitar
Studio Devil Virtual Guitar Amp
PSP Vintage Warmer
PSP PianoVerb
Wave Arts MasterVerb
IK Multimedia TRackS 3 Linear Phase EQ
IK Multimedia TRackS 3 Brickwall Limiter
Notes:
- The only thing to note is that this piece is another C Dorian number. I''m not sure why I've been favoring that mode lately, but it's been giving me some fun riffs over the last few weeks. The extra bonus is that it's in the key of Bb so I should be able to work on horn parts for these ideas which is something I've really wanted o get back to. I'm happy to be playing a lot of guitar and bass, but I love horns as well. Combined with electric pianos, dirty synths, and drum machine beats, I've really got a funky electronic sound in mind that I want to foster.
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2009-08-28
2009-08-21
Week #34 - Rapture
I was going to delay posting this until I got further along, but this is where I'm at at my Friday deadline, so this is it for now. It's very much a song in progress - as of now this track is just rhythm guitar and a very basic beat.
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Description:
This was a very organic song. All I felt like doing this week was playing guitar, and this is all I managed to record. The guitr was recorded in one take (though I edited the original take a tiny bit) and I didn't use a click track so that I could keep it natural. I used the guitar track as the master tempo track so that all the other parts I add (just a rough stab at a beat so far) will follow along with the variations in tempo and feel. It moves around roughly between 128-138bpm.
Tools:
Ableton Live 8
Presonus FireStudio
Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE
Retro Sampling TapeDelay
de la Mancha Erratic 2
Togu Audio Line TAL-Bitcrusher
Retro Sampling Vinyl Dreams
Notes:
Not really much to note this week. It's obviously a very bare bones track thus far, but I've got a few ideas for further development:
- I'd like to beef up the drums with a combination of some glitches and a strong kick.
- I'm not sure what I want the bass to do on this. I noodled a bit, but didn't record anything. Part of me like a really melodic bassline, but another part of me thinks it should basically just be a pedal bass part rocking along with the kick.
- I also did a lot of noodling with a second guitar part, but again didn't put anything down on disk. I definitely want a higher guitar part - not really a lead, but a second rhythm part playing triads high on the neck, at least in certain sections where I want things to build nicely.
- A synth pad and/or string section would fill things out nicely, an a brass section might make for an interesting lead.
- This song really needs words, but once again I've come up short on that score.
- The chords progressions are:
Intro/Verse: Dm | Dm | F | F | Am | Am | Bb | C | x2
Chorus: Dm | Bb | Gm | Am | x2
Middle 8: Dm | Dm | Am | Am | Bb | Bb | Gm | Am |
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Description:
This was a very organic song. All I felt like doing this week was playing guitar, and this is all I managed to record. The guitr was recorded in one take (though I edited the original take a tiny bit) and I didn't use a click track so that I could keep it natural. I used the guitar track as the master tempo track so that all the other parts I add (just a rough stab at a beat so far) will follow along with the variations in tempo and feel. It moves around roughly between 128-138bpm.
Tools:
Ableton Live 8
Presonus FireStudio
Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE
Retro Sampling TapeDelay
de la Mancha Erratic 2
Togu Audio Line TAL-Bitcrusher
Retro Sampling Vinyl Dreams
Notes:
Not really much to note this week. It's obviously a very bare bones track thus far, but I've got a few ideas for further development:
- I'd like to beef up the drums with a combination of some glitches and a strong kick.
- I'm not sure what I want the bass to do on this. I noodled a bit, but didn't record anything. Part of me like a really melodic bassline, but another part of me thinks it should basically just be a pedal bass part rocking along with the kick.
- I also did a lot of noodling with a second guitar part, but again didn't put anything down on disk. I definitely want a higher guitar part - not really a lead, but a second rhythm part playing triads high on the neck, at least in certain sections where I want things to build nicely.
- A synth pad and/or string section would fill things out nicely, an a brass section might make for an interesting lead.
- This song really needs words, but once again I've come up short on that score.
- The chords progressions are:
Intro/Verse: Dm | Dm | F | F | Am | Am | Bb | C | x2
Chorus: Dm | Bb | Gm | Am | x2
Middle 8: Dm | Dm | Am | Am | Bb | Bb | Gm | Am |
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2009-08-16
Just an update
i'm not sure how this blog project is going. the last 8 or 9 weeks have seen me doing a lot of bending my own guidelines. first of all, the timing of my posts has been all over the place. i haven't been sticking to getting things done by friday (though i usually backdate the posts). i also don't really feel like i've come close to any of the supposed theme feelings lately. for awhile i just had no motivation or inspiration. it was just a natural down period which i attempted to work through as i continued writing something each week. in addition, i've barely been sketching out tunes, and haven't done a decent mix in 3 months. and i'd hoped to start adding lyrics over the second half of the project too, but words have been even harder to come by than musical ideas. it's started to leave me feeling pretty negative about my writing abilities at the end of the week, and then i'm even less motivated to start working on the next week's piece.
and thing is, 19 weeks from the end of the project, and i've actually started to get ideas again. only they're not for any of the feelings left on my list. instead i'm getting antsy to start finishing up tracks for my next album and have it ready to release early next year. including all the songs i've started with this project, i have nearly 70 tunes, and i think almost half of them are worth at least considering developing for the album. these three "legend of ..." albums have really been about documenting my learning how to use the computer to produce music and hone my writing and mixing skills as i explore a variety of different styles and techniques. i feel like i'm coming to, well, not the end because i'm always learning something new, but i guess i feel like i'm ready to level up. i want to get this final "legend" album out so i can move on to really focusing on some conceptual albums i've been thinking about and putting together a live show.
so anyway, i'm really tempted to shift the focus of this blog. i'd stick to a similar format, but instead of the feeling per week thing, i'd post updated versions of tracks for the album as they develop. and i may or may not loosen the time constraints. it's something i wanted to intersperse with the song a week anyway, but i've only had a chance to work on a handful of album tracks since i started this project. this is probably where the blog will go after the year is up anyway, but i'm waffling because i did set the goal for myself of a new song every week for a year. it would sort of feel like failing to give up on it now even though the project has ceased to inspire much new experimentation. I can't tell if the project has run it's course and served it's purpose, or if i just suck. is it worth sticking to a commitment that doesn't serve a purpose just for the sake of the commitment? or would it be better to move on a find a new purpose?
for now i'll try to stick to the plan - at least for the next two weeks, and then i'll be taking a week off while we're on vacation. but after labor day things might change. i think i could still feel pretty good about 8 months and 35 songs of this project. but then maybe by that time i'll either find come inspiration for the pieces. or maybe i'll just see the end of the tunnel, and when i'm down to just the last handful of songs i'll get motivated to see it through to the end after all...
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and thing is, 19 weeks from the end of the project, and i've actually started to get ideas again. only they're not for any of the feelings left on my list. instead i'm getting antsy to start finishing up tracks for my next album and have it ready to release early next year. including all the songs i've started with this project, i have nearly 70 tunes, and i think almost half of them are worth at least considering developing for the album. these three "legend of ..." albums have really been about documenting my learning how to use the computer to produce music and hone my writing and mixing skills as i explore a variety of different styles and techniques. i feel like i'm coming to, well, not the end because i'm always learning something new, but i guess i feel like i'm ready to level up. i want to get this final "legend" album out so i can move on to really focusing on some conceptual albums i've been thinking about and putting together a live show.
so anyway, i'm really tempted to shift the focus of this blog. i'd stick to a similar format, but instead of the feeling per week thing, i'd post updated versions of tracks for the album as they develop. and i may or may not loosen the time constraints. it's something i wanted to intersperse with the song a week anyway, but i've only had a chance to work on a handful of album tracks since i started this project. this is probably where the blog will go after the year is up anyway, but i'm waffling because i did set the goal for myself of a new song every week for a year. it would sort of feel like failing to give up on it now even though the project has ceased to inspire much new experimentation. I can't tell if the project has run it's course and served it's purpose, or if i just suck. is it worth sticking to a commitment that doesn't serve a purpose just for the sake of the commitment? or would it be better to move on a find a new purpose?
for now i'll try to stick to the plan - at least for the next two weeks, and then i'll be taking a week off while we're on vacation. but after labor day things might change. i think i could still feel pretty good about 8 months and 35 songs of this project. but then maybe by that time i'll either find come inspiration for the pieces. or maybe i'll just see the end of the tunnel, and when i'm down to just the last handful of songs i'll get motivated to see it through to the end after all...
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2009-08-14
Week #33 - Contentment
This is sort of a companion piece to last week - it's acutally more like a continuation as I could see elements of the two pieces being combined to form a complete piece. I definitely feel like one of the developments it needs is lyrical content. One of these days I've gotta pull my writer's cap out and get things working again.
Anyway, this nice, laid back, warm-and-fuzzy groove conjures images of lounging in bed on a cool autumn weekend completely comfortable and content. Or at least that was the idea...
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Description:
This week's piece is all about feeling nice and comfy and I never feel as comfortable as when I've got a nice groove in my head. Getting a nice beat and bassline going and then grooving out on the guitar is about as content as I get.
The other things this track is about is playing with new toys. Computer Music magazine's latest free software - Guitar Rig 3 LE and DrumCore 3 CM, are amazing considering they're free, and I just had to try out my new IK Multimedia plugins from the summer's best group mix. Some old favorites like Erratic 2, Zebra CM and Vintage Warmer helped round things out of course, but I was all about exploring the functions on the new beasties this week...
Tools:
Ableton Live 7
TAL-Bassline
u-he Zebra CM
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE
Submersible Music DrumCore 3 CM
de la Mancha Erratic 2
Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer 2
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Voxengo Stereo Touch
KResearch KR-Delay CM
Wave Arts MasterVerb LE
IK Multimedia T-RackS Brickwall Limiter
IK Multimedia Linear Phase EQ
IK Multimedia Opto Compressor
IK Multimedia Vintage Tube Compressor Model 670
IK Multimedia Vintage Tube Program EQ 1A
IK Multimedia CSR Hall Reverb
Notes:
There are a lot of FX on this rather simple track, and admittedly not all of them work that well. I was just playing with them to see how they work and what types of tracks they work best on. Here are some of my first impressions:
- I really like the T=Racks compressors. The Opto Compressor is much more subtle than the Vintage Tube Model 670, but I think they'll both have thier uses. THe Brickwall Limiter is also good. It does what it sets out to do anyway, though I'm not sure my music is the type that really needs to be pushed to the limit so I may use it less. the limiter, along with the Linear Phase EQ will likely come in handy when I'm mastering finished projects.
- Speaking of EQ, I'm not sure about them. The Linear Phase EQ intermittently introduced a delay when used as an insert despite my CPU meter never going above 20%so that was kind of annoying. As for the Program EQ 1A, I'm just not sure I could hear it making much of a difference.
- The CSR Hall Reverb is nice. I used it on the lead guitar in conjunction with the Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp and I was pretty happy with the tone. It's definitely very digital, but sometimes that's what you want. I still need to find a quality reverb puglin that sounds a bit mroe analog. The Wave Arts MasterVerb isn't bad, but being the LE edition I can only use one instance at a time so I usually put it on a send or over the master channel.
- Guitar Rig is a pretty nice plugin though I'm not sure it completely suits me. It's used here on the rhythm guitar. I also have versions of IK Multimedia's Amplitube and Ampeg SVX plugins, and while they have some usable tones, I'm just not sure they're my cup of tea either. The LE versions are limited of course, but I think I prefer the Studio Devil plugins, and I may look at their new Amp Modeler Pro. The Studio Devil approach is just so natural, and even though their plugins don't offer quite the range of the competition, they sound more like real amps to me. I use pretty simple tones anyway and don't crave anything too far out.
- DrumCore is a pretty cool little plugin. I'm not sure whether it's worth buying the full version or not, but it was definitely very easy to find usable beats and generate some variations. We'll have to see how much use this version gets. I wasn't that impressed with the sound sets that come with it, but as most of the loops have MIDI versions it was pretty simple to copy the patterns I like to a new track and use my own sounds either in Live's Impulse or Erratic as I did here which gave me the added ability to use the random probability settings to further vary an mangle the beat. I just wish there were MIDI files for the fills.
- The other new plugin I used this week was Voxengo's Stereo Touch. This was actually one of the first VST plugins I ever downloaded 5 years ago, but I'd stopped using it and never got the new version. I'm not sure what to make of it. It's definitely more subtle than its predecessor, though I could hear the difference it made. It's not as easy to use, but I suspect once I get to grips with it, it will offer even greater felxibility - or at least I hope so.
- Despite all of these effects, this isn't really mixed at all. There are no changes in the settings between sections, and though the IK plugins give it some power, and there's a decent amount of space, I didn't get the delays and reverbs sorted out so that things are kind of muddy in the midrange. The rhythm guitar especially isn't working right, and the lead guitar and synth still need work. Also the piano that doubles the rhytm guitar on the "chorus" isn't very good.
- It's also not much of an arrangement to speak of - just a couple of alternating riffs really. It would need something mroe to be a complete track, though as I said above I'm really thining of using these riffs in conjunction with parts of last week's piece to form a whole tune. (Look out for this to be something I include on my next full length album *wink* *wink*)
- I recorded a guitar solo over the "verse" section though I didn't include it here. Partly I wasn't 100% happy with any of the takes, and partly it just didn't make sense to have a solo come in when there aren't vocals yet. I'm also not sure about the lead guitar riff on the verse. I wanted something a little more melodic, but ended up with a moe rhythmic part so that will need to be revisited.
- I also have another candidate for the lead synth sound - it's a patch from Wusikstation CM, but I thought it made things even muddier so for now I've gone with this Rockit tone. It could use horn stabs too though I didn't have a chance to get to those.
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Anyway, this nice, laid back, warm-and-fuzzy groove conjures images of lounging in bed on a cool autumn weekend completely comfortable and content. Or at least that was the idea...
Read more...
Description:
This week's piece is all about feeling nice and comfy and I never feel as comfortable as when I've got a nice groove in my head. Getting a nice beat and bassline going and then grooving out on the guitar is about as content as I get.
The other things this track is about is playing with new toys. Computer Music magazine's latest free software - Guitar Rig 3 LE and DrumCore 3 CM, are amazing considering they're free, and I just had to try out my new IK Multimedia plugins from the summer's best group mix. Some old favorites like Erratic 2, Zebra CM and Vintage Warmer helped round things out of course, but I was all about exploring the functions on the new beasties this week...
Tools:
Ableton Live 7
TAL-Bassline
u-he Zebra CM
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 LE
Submersible Music DrumCore 3 CM
de la Mancha Erratic 2
Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp
PSP Audioware Vintage Warmer 2
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Voxengo Stereo Touch
KResearch KR-Delay CM
Wave Arts MasterVerb LE
IK Multimedia T-RackS Brickwall Limiter
IK Multimedia Linear Phase EQ
IK Multimedia Opto Compressor
IK Multimedia Vintage Tube Compressor Model 670
IK Multimedia Vintage Tube Program EQ 1A
IK Multimedia CSR Hall Reverb
Notes:
There are a lot of FX on this rather simple track, and admittedly not all of them work that well. I was just playing with them to see how they work and what types of tracks they work best on. Here are some of my first impressions:
- I really like the T=Racks compressors. The Opto Compressor is much more subtle than the Vintage Tube Model 670, but I think they'll both have thier uses. THe Brickwall Limiter is also good. It does what it sets out to do anyway, though I'm not sure my music is the type that really needs to be pushed to the limit so I may use it less. the limiter, along with the Linear Phase EQ will likely come in handy when I'm mastering finished projects.
- Speaking of EQ, I'm not sure about them. The Linear Phase EQ intermittently introduced a delay when used as an insert despite my CPU meter never going above 20%so that was kind of annoying. As for the Program EQ 1A, I'm just not sure I could hear it making much of a difference.
- The CSR Hall Reverb is nice. I used it on the lead guitar in conjunction with the Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp and I was pretty happy with the tone. It's definitely very digital, but sometimes that's what you want. I still need to find a quality reverb puglin that sounds a bit mroe analog. The Wave Arts MasterVerb isn't bad, but being the LE edition I can only use one instance at a time so I usually put it on a send or over the master channel.
- Guitar Rig is a pretty nice plugin though I'm not sure it completely suits me. It's used here on the rhythm guitar. I also have versions of IK Multimedia's Amplitube and Ampeg SVX plugins, and while they have some usable tones, I'm just not sure they're my cup of tea either. The LE versions are limited of course, but I think I prefer the Studio Devil plugins, and I may look at their new Amp Modeler Pro. The Studio Devil approach is just so natural, and even though their plugins don't offer quite the range of the competition, they sound more like real amps to me. I use pretty simple tones anyway and don't crave anything too far out.
- DrumCore is a pretty cool little plugin. I'm not sure whether it's worth buying the full version or not, but it was definitely very easy to find usable beats and generate some variations. We'll have to see how much use this version gets. I wasn't that impressed with the sound sets that come with it, but as most of the loops have MIDI versions it was pretty simple to copy the patterns I like to a new track and use my own sounds either in Live's Impulse or Erratic as I did here which gave me the added ability to use the random probability settings to further vary an mangle the beat. I just wish there were MIDI files for the fills.
- The other new plugin I used this week was Voxengo's Stereo Touch. This was actually one of the first VST plugins I ever downloaded 5 years ago, but I'd stopped using it and never got the new version. I'm not sure what to make of it. It's definitely more subtle than its predecessor, though I could hear the difference it made. It's not as easy to use, but I suspect once I get to grips with it, it will offer even greater felxibility - or at least I hope so.
- Despite all of these effects, this isn't really mixed at all. There are no changes in the settings between sections, and though the IK plugins give it some power, and there's a decent amount of space, I didn't get the delays and reverbs sorted out so that things are kind of muddy in the midrange. The rhythm guitar especially isn't working right, and the lead guitar and synth still need work. Also the piano that doubles the rhytm guitar on the "chorus" isn't very good.
- It's also not much of an arrangement to speak of - just a couple of alternating riffs really. It would need something mroe to be a complete track, though as I said above I'm really thining of using these riffs in conjunction with parts of last week's piece to form a whole tune. (Look out for this to be something I include on my next full length album *wink* *wink*)
- I recorded a guitar solo over the "verse" section though I didn't include it here. Partly I wasn't 100% happy with any of the takes, and partly it just didn't make sense to have a solo come in when there aren't vocals yet. I'm also not sure about the lead guitar riff on the verse. I wanted something a little more melodic, but ended up with a moe rhythmic part so that will need to be revisited.
- I also have another candidate for the lead synth sound - it's a patch from Wusikstation CM, but I thought it made things even muddier so for now I've gone with this Rockit tone. It could use horn stabs too though I didn't have a chance to get to those.
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2009-08-07
Week #32 - Malice
I'm definitely feeling the doldrums. It's been forever since I had time to do a proper mix - I feel like I've just been throwing together rough arrangements for over two months now. Mostly it's due to not coming up with an idea early enough to get things together in time to dedicate a session to mixing. But I think the real root of that is just not feeling inspired. I don't even feel like listening to music lately, let alone writing/playing/recording anything.
Still I managed to put this tune together. I bounced down two versions of this song as I couldn't decide which bass I liked better. Initially I had the synth bass on the verses and the sampled upright come in on the chorus, but then I thought I should stick with one or the other. So here are both versions. I think I'm leaning toward the synth bass, but let me know which one you like better:
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Description:
The feeling of malice is a really mixed bag. Taking pleasure in the suffering of others is both somewhat evil and yet there's a happiness in the feeling as well. It's like joy with a dark underbelly. So I immediately thought Dorian for this piece as it's minor, for that tinge of darkness, but the major is really strong and most of the riffs are overall pretty happy sounding. Once I'd decided on that it was just a matter of coming up with a groove, and I decided to keep things funky. I started with the guitar riffs and built from there, going back to basics a bit and using Reason for all of my sounds, mostly sample patches.
Tools:
Ableton Live 7
Propellerhead Reason 4
Notes:
- This is another tune that I think needs lyrics, or maybe just a melody on the verse (I'm thinking alto sax), to really bring the feeling home.
- The whole piece really just plays around a Cm minor chord. The guitar throws in some Eb and Dm triads high on the neck on the verses, and the chorus is a two bar pattern: Cm-Cm | Dm-Cm |
- On the chorus the bends on the guitar/clavinet are supposed to evoke a sneer.
- This is again a pretty much completely raw track. I automated some levels and panning, but I didn't add any effects, EQ, compression or anything else except for whatever effects were parts of the combinators I used from Reason for the bass, piano, and horns.
- I also didn't really tighten up the parts. I worked a bit on the guitar, but the bass, drums, keys and horns were all played in via MIDI, and I didn't quantize them so there are places where things are a bit loose and out of sync.
- I'd like to work more on the beats giving a bit more variation throughout the song. As it is there are just two variations of the main beat with a few fills here and there.
- The horn are done with a combinator called 'Live Brass' from the Reason Factory soundbank which includes samples of two trumpets, a trombone, and bari, tenor, alto and soprano saxes. There's also a sampled clavinet, sampled grand piano, sampled upright bass, and drum samples. In fact, the guitar (which I recorded) and the synth bass on version 2 are the only none-sampled parts.
- It's a basic arrangement: I-V-V-C-V-C-B-V-C-C-O I had built up a few sections and just went with a standard verse/chorus arrangement including more parts each time. I started with guitar, bass and drums, added keyboards, replaced the keys with horns, and finally brought in everything at the end.
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Still I managed to put this tune together. I bounced down two versions of this song as I couldn't decide which bass I liked better. Initially I had the synth bass on the verses and the sampled upright come in on the chorus, but then I thought I should stick with one or the other. So here are both versions. I think I'm leaning toward the synth bass, but let me know which one you like better:
Read more...
Description:
The feeling of malice is a really mixed bag. Taking pleasure in the suffering of others is both somewhat evil and yet there's a happiness in the feeling as well. It's like joy with a dark underbelly. So I immediately thought Dorian for this piece as it's minor, for that tinge of darkness, but the major is really strong and most of the riffs are overall pretty happy sounding. Once I'd decided on that it was just a matter of coming up with a groove, and I decided to keep things funky. I started with the guitar riffs and built from there, going back to basics a bit and using Reason for all of my sounds, mostly sample patches.
Tools:
Ableton Live 7
Propellerhead Reason 4
Notes:
- This is another tune that I think needs lyrics, or maybe just a melody on the verse (I'm thinking alto sax), to really bring the feeling home.
- The whole piece really just plays around a Cm minor chord. The guitar throws in some Eb and Dm triads high on the neck on the verses, and the chorus is a two bar pattern: Cm-Cm | Dm-Cm |
- On the chorus the bends on the guitar/clavinet are supposed to evoke a sneer.
- This is again a pretty much completely raw track. I automated some levels and panning, but I didn't add any effects, EQ, compression or anything else except for whatever effects were parts of the combinators I used from Reason for the bass, piano, and horns.
- I also didn't really tighten up the parts. I worked a bit on the guitar, but the bass, drums, keys and horns were all played in via MIDI, and I didn't quantize them so there are places where things are a bit loose and out of sync.
- I'd like to work more on the beats giving a bit more variation throughout the song. As it is there are just two variations of the main beat with a few fills here and there.
- The horn are done with a combinator called 'Live Brass' from the Reason Factory soundbank which includes samples of two trumpets, a trombone, and bari, tenor, alto and soprano saxes. There's also a sampled clavinet, sampled grand piano, sampled upright bass, and drum samples. In fact, the guitar (which I recorded) and the synth bass on version 2 are the only none-sampled parts.
- It's a basic arrangement: I-V-V-C-V-C-B-V-C-C-O I had built up a few sections and just went with a standard verse/chorus arrangement including more parts each time. I started with guitar, bass and drums, added keyboards, replaced the keys with horns, and finally brought in everything at the end.
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