KVR Audio

AndreasKrebs · Post by **AndreasKrebs** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 8:42 pm

This is a rather old piece, composed, well, some times ago. This was the final (and summing up) part part of a concept album and originally a collaboration with two friends (see http://www.jamendo.com/de/album/28724) but the sound quality always suffered under poor equipment.

Some orchestra (East West QLSO Gold pro) to hear here, as well as Organ fun (NI B4 II), sythns (Korg MS20, Korg Monopoly, Arturia Moog Modular, Gforce Minimonsta, Virsyn Cube, NI Absynth, NI FM8), NI Kontakt, M-Tron, EZ drummer (several ones used here) and other fine software.

The mp3-file (320 kbit/s, 17 minutes, ca. 40 MB) is here:
http://www.andreaskrebs.de/assets/media/closed-098.mp3

Edit: In case you have download problems with the big file, a smaller version (128 kBit/s, ca. 16MB) can be found here:
http://www.andreaskrebs.de/assets/media ... 28kBit.mp3

I hope you enjoy this!

Kind regards & happy easter,
Andreas

AndreasKrebs · Post by **AndreasKrebs** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:02 pm

No comments?

shadoe42 · Post by **shadoe42** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:18 am

Would like to hear all of this. Only get about the first 20 seconds then my download freezes. tried a save and could only get the file to half. First 20 seconds sounded good though heh

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:52 am

AndreasKrebs wrote:This is a rather old piece, composed, well, some times ago. This was the final (and summing up) part part of a concept album and originally a collaboration with two friends (see http://www.jamendo.com/de/album/28724) but the sound quality always suffered under poor equipment.

Some orchestra (East West QLSO Gold pro) to hear here, as well as Organ fun (NI B4 II), sythns (Korg MS20, Korg Monopoly, Arturia Moog Modular, Gforce Minimonsta, Virsyn Cube, NI Absynth, NI FM8), NI Kontakt, M-Tron, EZ drummer (several ones used here) and other fine software.

The mp3-file (320 kbit/s, 17 minutes, ca. 40 MB) is here:
http://www.andreaskrebs.de/assets/media/closed-098.mp3

I hope you enjoy this!

Kind regards & happy easter,
Andreas

I'm having a hard time getting past the kind of stiff, very quantized feel of it. The sound is fine... it just sounds oddly robotic but not in an intentional kind of way. I think if you spent a little more time with note dynamics this could come to life really nicely.

Klemperer · Post by **Klemperer** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:34 pm

Hi Andreas,

I guess you get so few responses because many people can't download. I was not successful either, stops in the middle every time. But as soon as it is here I'll comment, just have to leave the house now. Hope you are all well!

AndreasKrebs · Post by **AndreasKrebs** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 8:07 pm

Hi Klemperer,

Klemperer wrote:I guess you get so few responses because many people can't download. I was not successful either, stops in the middle every time.

Thank you very much for your remark and your kind words! I've just added a somewhat smaller file (only 16MB instead of 40MB) which hopefully make things better.

http://www.andreaskrebs.de/assets/media ... 28kBit.mp3

I'm sorry If I cased inconveniences here, but the piece is ca. 17 minutes long and I always like to give best possible audio quality. So, well, we have some big files here... Usually, my provider is very reliable and has good backbone connectivity (afaik). Statistics show that we have around 38 complete downloads of this file from 11th of April 22:00h until 12th of April 24:00h which may or may not cause some slowdown regarding this specific file?

@zerocrossing:
"Wir sind die Rrrroboterrrr", hehe

I'm not completely sure if it is quantisation or dynamics you refer to, but most things in this piece are quite intentional. This is a rather old piece with influences ranging from Hardware sequencers (earliest versions used an MS-10/MS-50/SQ-10 combination for some parts of the piece) to heavy metal (the very exact speedy kind of heavy metal). So, yes, the orchestra does not necessarily sound like things an orchestra will usually do.

But maybe this is due to that fact that we have a (possibly strange kind of) hardrock piece with a computer program which is in some parts pretending to sound like an orchestra in a role usually filled out by a very loud and exact guitar/bass player combo.

Ah, and there are very sloppy and unquantized parts, as well. And wide dynamic ranges, too. (But not always

)

Kind regards,
Andreas

jakob · Post by **jakob** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:32 pm

I think this is a terrific composition, although the dated (like you said) hardware and software make it sound artificial. It actually reminds me of the kind of background music you would hear in computer games like "Die Siedler". It is epic/orchestral, but has that kind of synthetic feel to it. Not quite my cup of tea in terms of style, but the composition is excellent. This could actually be played by a real orchestra + band and it would probably sound great.

folderol · Post by **folderol** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:58 pm

This is a massive work, and I mean that in the best possible sense. Very dramatic. I'm listening to the 128k version at the moment. I'll see if I can download the biggie later.

I'm really enjoying this, but I can imagine some of the guys on here would be put off by the length. We are all so used to being spoon-fed 3 minute crap by the media

It's late here now so I'm on the phones. Tomorrow I'll crank up the HiFi, and see what it sounds like on that.

AndreasKrebs · Post by **AndreasKrebs** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:07 pm

Thank you very much for your comments!

jakob wrote:[...]although the dated (like you said) hardware and software make it sound artificial.

Hmm, the most dated hardware here is probably me... I used older synths in previous versions, bot not in this one.

However, there are some "vintage" virtual analogs here and the whole composition is some years old.

folderol wrote:I'm really enjoying this, but I can imagine some of the guys on here would be put off by the length. We are all so used to being spoon-fed 3 minute crap by the media

Yes, I've seen few long concept albums and / or large scale pieces in the last years. I've always wondered why there is no "market" for such a music, because I always was happy when I discovered something new in that genre (old Emerson, Lake & Palmer, early Yes, the better pieces of Spocks Beard, etc., etc.)

Kind regards,
Andreas

Laguna Rising · Post by **Laguna Rising** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:19 pm

Very nice track, never boring although the length is over the average here.
I like this kind of music, and sometimes doing prog music the composers have a tendency to exaggerate with complicate parts or virtuosistic playing without direction or exaggerate in experimental solutions. You didn't get caught in these traps.
This is very melodic, and all these melodies always makes sense to me.
Classy arrangements, never overdone, good choice of sounds (keys and orchestral stuff as well)
I like the retro footprint against the more modern fashion that does a large use of uber-technologic synth sounds
Well done !

Cheers

Lost_Highway · Post by **Lost_Highway** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:01 pm

Immense!

It's a respectable length

but there's never a dull moment -- the ending actually seemed to come quite abruptly I'd got so absorbed into it.

Funny that you should mention ELP and Yes, I was reminded of both at different points, ELP mainly for some of the Hammond work.

I can't really take it all in at the moment; I'll try to give it a few more listens and respond in more depth.

AndreasKrebs · Post by **AndreasKrebs** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:51 pm

Laguna Rising, Lost_Highway, thank you both very much for your kind comments! Yes, I like retro type of sounds and Prog Rock is a good place for that obsession

ELP and YES are of course among my alltime favourites, they have shown me how beautiful and electrifying Moogs and Hammonds can sound (the first one of the synthesizer solos is a reminescence to the kind of classic "liquid" Moog-squarewaves sounds)

Kind regards,
Andreas

shadoe42 · Post by **shadoe42** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:46 pm

sigh I think I am destined to not hear this track. My download keeps freezing just a little bit into it. Doesn;t matter if I try to get the big track or the small one.

AndreasKrebs · Post by **AndreasKrebs** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 5:51 pm

shadoe42 wrote:My download keeps freezing just a little bit into it.

In case you use MS Mediaplayer, you may try these streaming files:

http://www.andreaskrebs.de/assets/media ... -small.wax
(for the 128 kbit MP3)

http://www.andreaskrebs.de/assets/media/closed-big.wax
(for the 320 kbit MP3)

The MP3s will not be loaded completely before playing, so maybe we come over some connectivity/performance problems with this little trick. Hope this may help!

Kind regards,
Andreas

AndreasKrebs · Post by **AndreasKrebs** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 4:39 pm

A last bump before it gets lost in the land of forgotten songs ...
Andreas

AndreasKrebs: Closed Connection (17 minutes of Prog Rock)