Awake - new Ugo track - update: new mix (less bass)

[ugo]

i got the chance to listen to the song on the little, but sub bass heavy, system here at work...wow, i definitely hear the low end overkill you guys were talking about. i'll see if i can pull the bass down tonight and test it again tomorrow. i'll post an updated mix once i think i've improved the low end.

-ugo

[SynDrone]

This is damn cool. If you put some serious metal guitar chords and heavier drums you'd be right alongside Marylin Manson on the "Resident Evil" soundtrack (what an awful movie though). Love that "drippy" lead sound. You must share what that is!!!

[qa2pir]

Oh, this is groovy.

The little stupid percussional, rhythmic high frequency thingy adds so damn much atmosphere on an already outstanding track.

I hope the creativity gap im in right now will lead to something half this good

[ugo]

Oh, this is groovy.

The little stupid percussional, rhythmic high frequency thingy adds so damn much atmosphere on an already outstanding track.

thanks

I hope the creativity gap im in right now will lead to something half this good

i wish i could offer some advice on how to get out of it but i dont really know what got my writers block to lift. (though reduced stress at work seems to have played a good part in it.)

-ugo

[ugo]

This is damn cool. If you put some serious metal guitar chords and heavier drums you'd be right alongside Marylin Manson on the "Resident Evil" soundtrack (what an awful movie though).

wow! thanks!
(im a manson fan and really dig what he did on that soundtrack.)
i actually did try to add some heavy guitar in there but what i was coming up with seemed to be distracting from the song rather than adding to it. i would like to experiment with it more though. perhaps come up with a darker, heavier remix of the song.

Love that "drippy" lead sound. You must share what that is!!!

ah, you've just asked a gear addict to talk about gear. its like asking the stereotypical evil mastermind how they put together their fiendish plan...prepare for the long and overly elaborate explanination.


vanguard (x2) - main gated synth and the lead pad
discovery - short midrangey accent used in the verse
phantom - bass
absynth - ambient pad
string theory - detuned pluck
wusikstation - choir pad (from the vox'd collection)
zero vector - little arp in the chorus
kontakt - drum loops (from bt and percumania)
kompakt - high hats (my quasimidi 309 samples)
battery (x2) - one kit used for the main beat, the other for an extra snare and the cymbals
operating table - additional drum loop
personal orchestra - the one big bass drum at the end of the second part of the song
super camelphat - band pass filter sweep on the break at the end of the bridge
supatrigga - choppy, reverse effect at the end of that break
anarchy convolver - also used on that break
chopper (cubase) - again, used in that break
dynasone - main mastering plug
thrill me - additional mastering help
stereo enhancer (cubase) - also used in the final mastering...only a tiny bit applied, just enough to open things up a little bit and to smooth out some overly punchy kicks

nearly everything was done in cubase SL3. i only went into wavelab essential at the end to do the fade out and to normalize the wav file.

-ugo

[emdot_ambient]

Sweet!

Every now and then I feel like I'm doing pretty good with my tracks . . . then I hear something like this and I have to remind myself that humility is a good thing . . . I suppose.

This is a hard one to put in a genre. But you know what? It would make a really nice game soundtrack. I like the idea of adding some heavy, heavy guitar hits. I'm sure some would be tempted to add a vocal track, and I can see that working, too.

I really like the way you marry a driving beat with slow motion melodic stuff, that always works to give a piece depth and duality.

Nice dramatic ending, too. Love how it comes to a false stop, the BAM! It's back to repeat the main themes.

Great work!

[ugo]

This is a hard one to put in a genre. But you know what? It would make a really nice game soundtrack.

i wish i knew how to get into that line of work. i'd really like to try doing game soundtracks.

I like the idea of adding some heavy, heavy guitar hits. I'm sure some would be tempted to add a vocal track, and I can see that working, too.

im starting to get a few more ideas for the track so i may try some things like that. we'll see how it goes when i get a chance to work on the track some more.

I really like the way you marry a driving beat with slow motion melodic stuff, that always works to give a piece depth and duality.

Nice dramatic ending, too. Love how it comes to a false stop, the BAM! It's back to repeat the main themes.

Great work!

thanks!

-ugo

[TotcProductions]

UGO, i forgot to mention this. You REALLY REALLY REALLY NEED to enter into my song competition for the tsunami sounds volumes. there are a ton of prizes...and i'm telling you, if you can submit something this good you are GUARANTEED a prize.

please consider it.

peace!

[plunge]

Just incredible. Nice work. Please post when you do a remix with a little less bass. Great stuff, ugo!

[ugo]

You REALLY REALLY REALLY NEED to enter into my song competition for the tsunami sounds volumes.

i had totally missed that thread (just found it)...very cool. i dont know if i'll actually be able to have any music finished in time for this (particularly with all im involved with at the moment), but its at least a perfect additional excuse to order those collections.

Just incredible. Nice work. Please post when you do a remix with a little less bass. Great stuff, ugo!

thanks! im glad you dig it.
i did a less bass heavy mix this evening and i'll test it out tomorrow. if all goes well, i might be able to post up a new version thats lighter on the low end by tomorrow night or sometime this weekend.

-ugo

[FaX]

Great stuff Ugo very "Epic" in it's own way.
Reminds me ALOT of JohnFoxx's early 80's work.
That's a complment by the way.
If I didn't know better I'd say you're old enough to remember

Ultravox
Magazine
SPK
Art of Noise
Cabaret Voltaire
John Foxx
Heaven 17
British Electric Foundation
Propoganda
joy Division
etc ....

And remeber them well.
I really enjoyed this - didn't sound as long as it was either.

[topaz]

wow

thats an epic man, great stuff.

(edit) nobody can accuse you of not using your vsti's to full can they.

[bitfreak8]

I like it too, but i'm not having any problems with the bass. Guess i like it that way

[ugo]

Great stuff Ugo very "Epic" in it's own way.

thanks!

If I didn't know better I'd say you're old enough to remember

yup, im old enough...im 32.
im not surprised my stuff shows the 80's in me. even though i didnt start working with synths until the mid-late 90's, the 80's had a big influence on me, musically.

didn't sound as long as it was either.

thats certainly a good sign! since i normally work with shorter songs, i wasnt sure how much a song of this length this would be trying people's patience/interest.

wow

thats an epic man, great stuff.

(edit) nobody can accuse you of not using your vsti's to full can they.

hell, im just happy i dont have to accuse myself of that quite so much now either! in my mind, this track just justified a whole bunch of purchases. now for the rest of them...

I like it too, but i'm not having any problems with the bass. Guess i like it that way

it seems to depend on the system. it sounds great through the monitors at my place, but when i played it at work (on a little computer system with a sub) i heard lown end overkill. so it would appear that the more sub bass a system can produce, the more it is showing off an exceess of bass i didnt realize i had in there.

i'll test last night's mix at work later this afternoon and see if i've improved things enough.

-ugo

[ugo]

ok...i've just uploaded a new mp3, this time with a bit less bass.
awake.mp3

when i tested the last night's reduced-bass mix, i found i had brought it down too far. so when i got home tonight i set the bass about 1/2 way between the two previous mix attempts.

please let me know what you think.

thanks,
-ugo