Saorsa II - Prog Instrumental Suite

[ariston]

For those undaunted by ludicrous track lengths, here's another one for ya. Part 2 of 4, a bit shorter than part 1. Hope you enjoy it!

https://soundcloud.com/ariston/saorsa-ii

[ChameleonMusic]

Love the slow, subtle development of those opening acoustic guitar motifs in the first section.

Effective drop at around 1 min 40 secs...is that an Oud?

Wonderful change of texture from 3:30...Gabriel-esque flute lines.

7:50 - yeah, returning to the opening ideas, but developed differently...a little pivot point in the structure.

12:26 - Ney? Could be a duduk, but sounds slightly too edgy for that?

It all hangs together extremely well considering the length - seriously impressive achievement!

For me it was also better produced than your last track possibly (and that was good) - more warmth + clarity and separation between the sounds?

[seismic1]

After an initial listen, this is very promising. I agree with Mark's assessment of the production/mix. This sounded much cleaner than part 1, if my memory isn't playing tricks on me.

Good work

[ariston]

Thanks for listening in, and for your usual detailed comments, Mark!

The instrument around 1'40 is the wonderful Mandolin by Orange Tree Samples. It's got a very "woody" sound that I love, I can see (hear?) why you might have thought it was an Oud.

"Gabriel-esque flute lines" made me smile. I was thinking more of Roland Kirk when I improvised it, but I'll gladly take Gabriel.

The instrument around 12 minutes is actually the Uileann Pipes. I listened to tons of Chieftains back in the day, and I adore this instrument. It's so expressive and mournful, maybe I should get a real one someday. Maybe as a retirement project? I know bagpipes are divisive, and some people can't stand them, but my ears don't seem to be that sensitive to high piercing sounds.

There's a Duduk in the ending section though, trading lines with a rather simple synth flute patch.

Sorry for ramblin' on. Again, thanks very much for listening and your appreciative words. I'm really glad you like the production, as I did go back and remix parts 2 to 4 because I wasn't satisfied. There's a lot of effort in this mix, and I'm really proud of how it all came out. Still mixin' on JBL Ones and headphones, if you can believe it.

[jcub]

Loved this! Nice job with playing, production, and arranging. I have the same Mandolin library and love it. Impact Soundworks makes a really nice Oud library if you are looking for that kind of sound too.

[ChameleonMusic]

Thanks for listening in, and for your usual detailed comments, Mark!

The instrument around 1'40 is the wonderful Mandolin by Orange Tree Samples. It's got a very "woody" sound that I love, I can see (hear?) why you might have thought it was an Oud.

"Gabriel-esque flute lines" made me smile. I was thinking more of Roland Kirk when I improvised it, but I'll gladly take Gabriel.

The instrument around 12 minutes is actually the Uileann Pipes. I listened to tons of Chieftains back in the day, and I adore this instrument. It's so expressive and mournful, maybe I should get a real one someday. Maybe as a retirement project? I know bagpipes are divisive, and some people can't stand them, but my ears don't seem to be that sensitive to high piercing sounds.

There's a Duduk in the ending section though, trading lines with a rather simple synth flute patch.

Sorry for ramblin' on. Again, thanks very much for listening and your appreciative words. I'm really glad you like the production, as I did go back and remix parts 2 to 4 because I wasn't satisfied. There's a lot of effort in this mix, and I'm really proud of how it all came out. Still mixin' on JBL Ones and headphones, if you can believe it.

Thanks for the info...mandolin...that makes sense!

Uileann Pipes - that explains the slightly edgy sound...wouldn't have got there very quickly...I'd have been going around the Middle East first of all!

No objection to the bagpipes though...seen this lot a few times live:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iijKLHCQw5o

[Frantz]

Sprawling and imaginative. A seemingly endless supply of musical ideas keeps this interesting. My favorite parts were when the drums kicked in and an irresistible groove was built up.

Excellent work! I hope prog fans find this.