KVR Audio

d2k · Post by **d2k** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:32 am

...mindless cruelty or overlooked olympic potential?!
[the possibilities are endless...]

edit: or just a cynical attempt to grab the attention of kitten-lovers?!

(for 2windy)

Anyho, in case anybody is even 'slightly' interested, I haven't been around for a while (about 8 months I think) because I've moved to the Russian Far-East; and it's taken this long for my typing hands to thaw.

Been tweaking quite a few tracks in the intervening time though - so here I am crawling back to KvR in search of your valuable feedback (especially on anything that I consider even vaguely finished - and from anyone who thinks my musical sensibilities are akin to the noise of some bee's in a jam-jar - strangely inspiring) - I'm making a bit of a drive to get things into some semblance of 'album' by the end of the year so everythings in a bit of a perpetual work-in-progress.

Right- enough wibbling:

http://www.redilated.com/mp3/usedtobelieve.mp3

The track's called "Used to Believe" features my lady vocalist Sandy on main vox and my MC mate doing interlude-things - my first experiments with GPO - dash of Absynth and a pinch of Kontakt - bunch of Crystal in there with a lot of bit-reduction - a load of filter work courtesy of Topaz (awesome 48dB filters) - I think the LoungeLizard is responsible for the 'lec Piano stuff - and some random guitars and scratches by me.

Lemme know.
Cheers people.[/i]

2windy · Post by **2windy** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:46 am

Was the title just a shock factor to get this looked at then?

d2k · Post by **d2k** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:53 am

heh heh heh!

I don't think I've actually managed to give any posts a proper title yet?!

It's be too dull if I called it:
"that wot I wrote at the weekend"

dulldulldull

...and everyone likes kittens
...especially a whole bag of them
...thrown in the riv[enough!]

Shane Sanders · Post by **Shane Sanders** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:00 am

Slick. This pulled me in right away and the intro moved into the main piece in a cool way.

-Shane

Shane Sanders · Post by **Shane Sanders** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:02 am

btw, are you in Khabarovosk?

d2k · Post by **d2k** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:36 am

Close- I'm on the sunny isle of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Cheers for the comments- but did you find it got a touch... erm... monotonous at times?!

Shane Sanders · Post by **Shane Sanders** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 5:19 am

d2k wrote:Close- I'm on the sunny isle of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Cheers for the comments- but did you find it got a touch... erm... monotonous at times?!

Nah, it didn't get boring. You took the time to add new elements each verse, and that helped a lot. And the filter fills were a nice touch in many spots, adding both rhythmic and timbral interest.

If I were really getting picky, I'd say you have a good opportunity here to add some simple melodic chants over the MC parts after the first one goes by to help those parts keep elevating. Just a really simple Gregorian chant type thing would really set the rapping in a new context, imo. Even a counterpoint string part might work there, but in my head I hear actual chants (ahhh ahhh eeee oooo). Otherwise it's kind of Tricky/Massive Attack (Mezzazine era) derivative in the vocal style. But that's not really a criticism, it's more of an observation about what I'd do if tasked with producing it further.

I really did like the post-modern approach to it all. The way the first gritty riff after the intro had just barely enough of the fundamental present to set up the tonality of the coming section was a really cool thing to my ears.

d2k · Post by **d2k** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 6:04 am

If I were really getting picky

Not picky in the slightest my friend...

A Gregorian-type motief would certainly be bang in context - by bizarre coincidence I had been using some samples from the Carmina Burana on a different track (which I abandoned)... strange?!?

In fact, this is something that just slipped off my radar for no good reason- but a while back I had been looking for some decent Gregorian-type samples and come up empty handed. I used to end up using/manipulating some old recordings I made in Durham (UK) cathedral, but the ambience of the place is just too overpowering (it sounds impressive, but out of context). Any pointers would be good as the idea is spot on.
Cheers for that one (much appreciated).

The inspiration for the gritty riff actually happened by complete accident - Crystal caused the audio lock on Logic- and the sound was so groovy I had to record it (quickly) externally and feed it back in (then add variation). That's why I always have something 'poised' to record the output at any given accidental moment.

PS> Loved "Atlantean Trident" - ever think about remixing it in a drum&bass style (something along the lines of LTJ Bukem/Cheeky Records), methinks it would be awesome.

Nice.

Anonymous Shadow · Post by **Anonymous Shadow** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 6:55 am

Honestly, I'm not much of a cat lover but that's just wrong. Oy. But you're right, it got my attention. Maybe I'm the twisted one here

.

d2k · Post by **d2k** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 7:27 am

Anonymous Shadow wrote:Maybe I'm the twisted one here .

...think that makes two of us...

EJo · Post by **EJo** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 7:33 am

(removed)

toine6 · Post by **toine6** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:01 am

WOW!

Sorry, but I this is the screaming cat's meow!

In other words I think it's terrific.

Course I'm not listening as someone looking to give constructive criticism, and claw it to shreds. As I casually listen, sitting here before going to bed, my opinion leans in the "I love it" direction. If this was a single I'd buy it. If I was sitting in my car and this popped on the radio, I'd be dying to know who it was so I could purchase the album. Luckily I know who it is, and I saved some money and downloaded it legally for free (hoo hee haw haw).

Let us know when the album's finished.

t-willy · Post by **t-willy** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 1:16 pm

d2k wrote:
Anonymous Shadow wrote:Maybe I'm the twisted one here .
...think that makes two of us...

i'll listen to your tune if you let the kittens go..........

lates

t-willy

kara · Post by **kara** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:05 pm

My comments, for what is is worth

Pro :
- Great vocals, jesus I love that voice.
- Very good strings, wonder what you used for that.
- Very nice structure of the song

Contra
- I don't like extreme panning in songs, but that's just me

Verdict : A++

Rony

Shane Sanders · Post by **Shane Sanders** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:28 pm

d2k wrote:
If I were really getting picky
Not picky in the slightest my friend...

A Gregorian-type motief would certainly be bang in context - by bizarre coincidence I had been using some samples from the Carmina Burana on a different track (which I abandoned)... strange?!?

Cool. I abandon many tracks myself.

d2k wrote: In fact, this is something that just slipped off my radar for no good reason- but a while back I had been looking for some decent Gregorian-type samples and come up empty handed. I used to end up using/manipulating some old recordings I made in Durham (UK) cathedral, but the ambience of the place is just too overpowering (it sounds impressive, but out of context). Any pointers would be good as the idea is spot on.
Cheers for that one (much appreciated).

I don't know of a good place to get samples of chant, but you could always use Delay Lama to create a line, and maybe mix that with the female vocalist doubling the part. OR, and this just occured to me, have her sing the part, then find someone on KVR who has a good formant shifting program to switch the voice to a male one. I'm sure someone here has a program for that - can't think of the name of it, but it originated on the Mac and starts with an "M".

d2k wrote: The inspiration for the gritty riff actually happened by complete accident - Crystal caused the audio lock on Logic- and the sound was so groovy I had to record it (quickly) externally and feed it back in (then add variation). That's why I always have something 'poised' to record the output at any given accidental moment.

Nice. A happy accident.

d2k wrote: PS> Loved "Atlantean Trident" - ever think about remixing it in a drum&bass style (something along the lines of LTJ Bukem/Cheeky Records), methinks it would be awesome. Nice.

Thanks. Well, it's only a couple of days old so I barely even have the original done. I do like DnB, though. The closest I've come to it myself is this track for one of the KVR monthly contests:
http://www.futurehaus.com/kvr/Apr04/04- ... _Crawl.mp3

But I would be willing to provide the tracks to anyone willing to work on such a version. Any taker?

drowning kittens...