[Prog rock] Small finished segment from a track -- yet another amended mix

[Lost_Highway]

Here's the latest project I've been working on. It's a short piece of instrumental symphonic progressive rock - it's just the opening section of what will be a longer piece. This part is finished and I have a vague idea what the next section will be like, I just need to put the work into writing and developing it, which, me being me, will take an age.

The original idea was written, thrown together would be a more accurate description, on my four-track about 12 years ago, consisting of guitar, bass, electric piano and a Hammond organ drum-machine. Yes, it was as bad as it sounds! My, how far things have come since then.

I've been meaning to do something with it for a while, but it was only when I decided to revisit it in December that things started to fall into place. Hopefully it's a bit more interesting now, I certainly had fun developing it and learnt a few techniques along the way.

I'm no Linux fanboy - it works fine for me (and I'm no computer scientist) but that doesn't mean it will work for everyone. I just mention it to show that Linux can be a useable platform for music. Any crappiness is due to my use of the tools rather than the tools themselves, I ain't no poor workman

I'm using Ubuntu Studio 9.10 and it's all recorded and mixed in Ardour; processed using LADSPA and LV2 effects; Linuxsampler (specifically Jsampler/Fantasia) for pianos, church bells and glockenspiel; and drum programming done in Hydrogen using NI Studio Drums.

B4 II VSTi, M-Tron Pro and VSM were used running standalone and Cantabile Lite was used as a VST host for B4 II VST and Oddity (I struggle with its preset handling so it's easier to use a host and save FXPs and FXBs). All, of course, only possible thanks to Wine and Wine-asio.

Live instruments are a Yamaha SA503 TVL for all the lead parts, Gibson Les Paul Studio for rhythm (with a Behringer echo pedal), Freshman 6- and 12-string acoustics and a Squier Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz bass.

I've done no post-processing/mastering yet beyond a spot of limiting to raise the level a bit.

Anyway, I give you the short, and hopefully (bitter-) sweet, Beyond Triple Point (part 1):

FLAC [old mix] (14.6 MB) | 17th March mix | Newest mix
OGG-10 [old mix] (7.4 MB) | 17th March mix | Newest mix
MP3 [old mix] (6.2 MB) | 17th March mix | Newest mix

Enjoy!

ETA (17/03/10): Someone mentioned to me that the trumpets and horns near the end was pretty much inaudible, so I have raised the levels a little. They're still a long way from being in your face, but that was never the intention anyway -- all being well you might be in danger of actually hearing them now

EAgainTA (07/04/10): I bought a classical guitar on Friday , so have replaced the steel-strung acoustic part at the beginning - I'd always envisaged it as a nylon-strung part anyway.

[Laguna Rising]

Very nice composition. Great melodic sense.
This is the kind of progressive I like the most, and this very interesting although it's very short.
Appropriate arrangement and good mix
Well done !

Cheers

[Lost_Highway]

Very nice composition. Great melodic sense.
This is the kind of progressive I like the most, and this very interesting although it's very short.
Appropriate arrangement and good mix
Well done !

Cheers

Wow! Well, many thanks for listening and thank you for your kind words. I ought to try making music more often, instead of reading about it, thinking about it, listening to it, writing about...

[jeffn1]

Thanks. I liked the sound of it. FWIW, I think the drums are an area that could use some work in terms of timing (especially the fills).

jeffn1

[Lost_Highway]

Thanks. I liked the sound of it. FWIW, I think the drums are an area that could use some work in terms of timing (especially the fills).

Thanks for listening, glad you liked the sound.

I spend absolutely ages over drum programming and it sounds like perhaps a lot of that time spent carefully programming things not perfectly in time was wasted

They shouldn't be massively out as the "lead and lag" feature of Hydrogen will only go, at most, 10 ms either way I believe, and I only used that much when speeding up into the tempo change; everywhere else is just a smidge quicker or slower to give it a bit of a more human feel, but perhaps I've overdone it and over-compensated.

Anyway, thanks again for commenting, I appreciate it.

ETA: in some places I was probably also going for a bit of that lazy, laid-back, behind the beat, Nick Mason sort of feel as well -- I didn't want it to be ultra-in time. Again, perhaps I've overcooked it a bit. It'll be interesting to see what other people make of it.

[jeffn1]

Thanks. I liked the sound of it. FWIW, I think the drums are an area that could use some work in terms of timing (especially the fills).

Thanks for listening, glad you liked the sound.

I spend absolutely ages over drum programming and it sounds like perhaps a lot of that time spent carefully programming things not perfectly in time was wasted

They shouldn't be massively out as the "lead and lag" feature of Hydrogen will only go, at most, 10 ms either way I believe, and I only used that much when speeding up into the tempo change; everywhere else is just a smidge quicker or slower to give it a bit of a more human feel, but perhaps I've overdone it and over-compensated.

Anyway, thanks again for commenting, I appreciate it.

ETA: in some places I was probably also going for a bit of that lazy, laid-back, behind the beat, Nick Mason sort of feel as well -- I didn't want it to be ultra-in time. Again, perhaps I've overcooked it a bit. It'll be interesting to see what other people make of it.

Yeah, don't take too much from my ideas, the Sound-on-Sound reviewer referred to my music as "torture prog". http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... highlight=

[Lost_Highway]

Yeah, don't take too much from my ideas, the Sound-on-Sound reviewer referred to my music as "torture prog". http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... highlight=

I don't normally buy SoS, but I was travelling abroad recently to meet a music collaborator so bought it to read on the plane. I was flicking through the review section and thought, "Wow, I know him, he's on KVR! Ouch... OUCH...".

I must get around to listening to your music after reading the review. I think there is truth in the saying "any publicity is good publicity"!

Perhaps I've just invented the first sub-sub-genre of the torture prog sub-genre - tempo torture prog, designed to torture those with a very accurate sense of rhythm by playing fast and loose

We can then move on to pitch torture prog, where all the instruments are deliberately slightly out of tune, in order to torture those with perfect or acquired pitch I might already have accidentally started this with my atrocious flute intonation in another piece

The list is endless

[Lost_Highway]

Just a small bump because I've added a new version of the mix (and updated the first post).

I finally succumbed and bought a classical guitar on Friday . I always had a nylon-strung sound in mind for the acoustic part at the beginning of the track, but had to make do with a steel-strung acoustic until now.

FLAC (~14.6 MB): Classical guitar mix

OGG-10 (~7.4 MB): Classical guitar mix

MP3 (~6.2 MB): Classical guitar mix

[Laguna Rising]

The classical guitar is a very nice addition. Well done !

Cheers

[Lost_Highway]

Hi Laguna Rising -- thanks for listening and commenting again.

I'm glad you like the classical guitar, I don't think the acoustic sounded bad but it was never going to sound the way I wanted it. So I just had to give in to the GAS and buy a classical: I had no choice, I had to do it to do the music justice

I'm sure I'll find plenty more excuses to justify the purchase er... I mean, opportunities for that nylon-strung sound

Cheers