Each Face Retains the Mask it Wore

[trewq]

Soothing to the savage hyperactive ear.

[tomtom1]

KVR Music Cafe needed a break from me...and I mean it that way around!

yes i saw that there were some unpleasant conversations. sometimes your "teacher-nature" flashes (but don't mean that disrespectfully) - not everyone can seem to get along with that. but i think there are plenty who appreciate it. btw. do you know a good guide on how to best make mixes? questions like: when will the eq come in the chain? when the compressor? I know that it can't be generalizedt, but to have a theoretical guide (very basic)... maybe you know something...

Note: That cello and piano piece - Ysabel's lament [...]

congrats... i knew it

Kontakt library [...]

wow.
I did a little research. that's a great sampler. and there is such a huge range of sounds, fx-sounds and so on. At the same time, however, I wonder what some composers (not you) still do themselves when there are "ready-made" things for almost everything.

Hybrid nature - yeah, it can get criticized at times

I think that changes again and again over time. when I e.g. think of the tradition of playing Bach organ works. in the romantic era everything was "designed", many changes of tone color etc. - today: you play it through again in almost one (!) registration.

[ChameleonMusic]

yes i saw that there were some unpleasant conversations. sometimes your "teacher-nature" flashes

I try and limit it to those who a clearly asking for advice...but NOT always, I admit! Naah the aggressive douche last time is a well-known f#ckwit on here, I thought I had blocked him...have now!

When someone says things like: "compression is just for guitars, vocals, drums etc no one EVER needs to use it on synths" I tend to try and ignore them...no point discussing it at all. He also tried to tell people "you don't need EQ on synths as filters do exactly the same job...anyone who EQs a synth has no idea what they're doing" I politely opted out of the conversation...well, reasonably politely anyway!

At the same time, however, I wonder what some composers (not you) still do themselves when there are "ready-made" things for almost everything.

I will always use the occasional loop etc as part of a bigger composition if it's appropriate, but I do get seriously pissed off with some of the 'copy and paste' TV scores I hear all the time...I know for a fact that they are dominated by preset loop after loop after loop with very little original music in there at all. I've been undercut price-wise a few times by complete idiots who've just bought a library of loops in a particular style and then just stitched something very mediocre together with very little thought at all! Aaaaaargh!

in the romantic era everything was "designed", many changes of tone color etc. - today: you play it through again in almost one (!) registration.

Never understood that either - whole point of the organ is the different registers surely...like having a personal orchestra under your fingertips! Just bought a library that possibly has the most wonderful sampled organ sound I've ever heard...going to try and compose a piece for it soon...it'll definitely give you something to criticize if nothing else!!!

https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/c ... ns/tallinn

Interested to see what you HONESTLY think of the sound...INSTRUMENTS tab goes to the individual parts of the library.

do you know a good guide on how to best make mixes? questions like: when will the eq come in the chain? when the compressor? I know that it can't be generalized, but to have a theoretical guide (very basic)... maybe you know something...

Yeah, I'll dig something out...got loads after 32 years of teaching / lecturing in all this!

Never been a great fan of all the online YouTube vid tutorials...sometimes they just talk bollocks...sometimes they just talk about specific styles of music and NOT general principles...often too definite in what they say...it's all about guidelines and NOT rules!!!

EXAMPLE: I've got two old colleagues who are BOTH highly talented mastering engineers...

One almost always puts compression before EQ in his mastering chain.

The other almost always puts EQ before compression in his mastering chain.

They both produce incredible results!

[ChameleonMusic]

Nice one Mark.
Liked where it turned more major at 2:27, subtle but I found it interesting.
The introduction of the human voice brings another dimension.
I think its because there's a level of connection in our brains to another persons voice, which makes us connect to the piece compared to if it was just an instrumental.
Anyway, well done...

Thanks for having a listen and giving some feedback, Ian...

Liked where it turned more major at 2:27, subtle but I found it interesting.

i think that's the change from Aeolian mode to Dorian mode that I mentioned to someone else...

It stays in a key centre around D minor for the whole piece, but that Dorian section with its B rather than Bb let me introduce G Major (rather than G minor in the preceding section) into the underlying harmonies and the whole mood is 'lifted'.

Human voice - yeah, it can definitely add that extra level of connection without a doubt!

[tomtom1]

aw f***!!!
i wrote something, trying to sum all up my thoughts and the difficulties of organ sounds/recordigns, problems and astestics, in a foreign language, it took me "ages"... and then timeover of the site???.. all gone... f*** the system... ... for that now a short version:
- organists will maybe critise the organ (its a Rieger-Organ, brilliant, clear, for some steril)
- non-organists love the sound of such instruments
- all in all - good choice!!

[ChameleonMusic]

aw f***!!!
i wrote something, trying to sum all up my thoughts and the difficulties of organ sounds/recordigns, problems and astestics, in a foreign language, it took me "ages"... and then timeover of the site???.. all gone... f*** the system... ... for that now a short version:
- organists will maybe critise the organ (its a Rieger-Organ, brilliant, clear, for some steril)
- non-organists love the sound of such instruments
- all in all - good choice!!

Thanks! Shame that the long reply disappeared, does that to me sometimes as well on KVR!

Just wanted your input as on organist as I instantly loved the sound...and still do after a week messing about with it...I'll try and create and post something with it ASAP.

[layzer]

quite the engaging listen, nice mix of traditional
and electronic sounds. it kept my interest to the
end. mix came over very well balanced, too. enjoyed.

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

Yeah, Cham. Very nice. Probably no surprise to you that this speaks into the mood and instruments I like myself. Though the distorted guitar felt a little anachronistic, I would not have dared that idea, but it worked. Cinematic the relaxed way. Lovely.

[wagtunes]

https://soundcloud.com/chameleon-music/ ... sk-it-wore

A piece that evolved out of one simple melodic motif - a little melodic idea that is present in each and every section of the music.

Stylistically this is very much a bit of a hybrid creation - electronica / classical / ambient...maybe others as well for some listeners?

Composed June 2021 using various Kontakt 6 libraries and Reaktor Blocks

Any Reaktor owners who haven't tried out BLOCKs yet...go for it...great fun!

That's what happens when I don't come around as much as I used to. Took me 5 days to get to this.

Anywho, that's the quickest 5 minutes I've ever sat through. Simple motif turned into a really cool track. The mix is great. Everything about it is great.

Anybody who doesn't hear the Alan Parsons influence is deaf. Alan himself would be proud.

5 stars and thumbs up.

[ChameleonMusic]

Expertly realized composition and mix! It holds up well to multiple listens (on my 5th now). It works as a nice Chameleon Music sampler as it encompasses many of your styles transitioning seamlessly between them.

I really love the section which begins at 3:28. It could work well as an extended, standalone piece.

I was a little surprised when the brass 2:56 first appeared but I guess the change in texture and dynamics is unavoidable when brass is involved.

Fantastic job as usual.

Thanks Frantz - glad it holds up to extra listens!

Chameleon Music sampler as it encompasses many of your styles transitioning seamlessly between them.

Seriously useful thing to point out as it had NOT occurred to me at all!

I really love the section which begins at 3:28. It could work well as an extended, standalone piece.

That's my favourite section as well, i think...very 1970s Vangelis in many ways and probably my favourite composition 'comfort zone'!

For those that want to know stuff like this... that section is actually just 4 layers of the same melodic pattern at 4 different octaves...but all staggered so that they weave around each other. Then I just added a synth version of the earlier vocal melody with a few variations + a 2nd synth harmony part.

I was a little surprised when the brass 2:56 first appeared but I guess the change in texture and dynamics is unavoidable when brass is involved.

The brass entry was one that troubled me a little bit...originally I led into it with a half bar 'rise' of woodwind and percussion, but then opted for the surprise 'hit' as such. I think both worked, but you're right that it's unexpected to some extent...hopefully in a good way!

[enroe]

The first thing that struck me positively: The title of this song is
great! Everyone goes back to their original mask, haha.

From the minimalist beginning, your instrumental develops
into a bombastic orchestral work. At 1:40 this long vocal voice
comes into play. Fits really well, looks a bit scary! And
the bombast is skillfully put into perspective by the breaks.
Well done!

I'm a little impressed: the song is really good, it never gets
boring. Great!

[ChameleonMusic]

Nice, really like the section that starts at 3:28. The only complaint I'd really have, and this may just be a difference in mixing aesthetic, is that for me everything sounds too clean and lacks a certain amount of tone and distortion. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it feels in parts like "Kontakt" and is missing a little warmth, pitch variance, and space.

Thanks for taking the time to have a listen and feedback...always appreciated and useful!

really like the section that starts at 3:28.

Cheers...That's probably my favourite section as well...I said to Frantz, above somewhere...very 1970s Vangelis in many ways...a quirky, electronica style that I slip into a bit too comfortably sometimes!

It's just 4 layers of the same melodic pattern (variation on the opening riff of the piece) at 4 different octaves...but all staggered (canon style) so that they weave around each other. Then I just added a synth version of the earlier vocal melody with a few variations + a 2nd synth harmony part.

...is that for me everything sounds too clean and lacks a certain amount of tone and distortion.

I do tend to create glossy, shiny, polished mixes...two reasons...1) I like them 2) they sell more easily to media companies...too much 'grit' and you've got no chance a lot of the time...it can always be added in via post production if needed or via a requested remix anyway.

'tone' and 'distortion' - both musically and in studio production circles those are seriously multi-faceted terms so I don't really know EXACTLY what you mean there without extra info.

but it feels in parts like "Kontakt"

Not really sure again what you mean by 'like Kontakt' as the software doesn't really have a trademark sound as such - each individual K. library certainly does though, obviously... and there are a number involved here of various styles.

If you mean the more orchestral timbres sound a little bit VST and not like the 'real' thing, then that is a simple truth, I suppose. Having performed in ensembles and orchestras for nearly 40 years, I moved beyond attempting realism a long time ago...I unashamedly compose for VST instruments in situations like this.

is missing a little warmth, pitch variance, and space.

I'm afraid that I simply disagree here...always happy to have my mixes examined on forums and have taken onboard many suggestions from KVR listeners since 2006, but I simply don't hear any lack of warmth (admittedly within a more glossy mix environment than you tend to create yourself). Of course 'warmth' in a mix can easily overdone and I'll readily admit that I generally dislike tracks that are too wrapped up in cotton wool as such...for me, warmth, punch, clarity etc often need to work together in a balanced way.

'Pitch Variance' - I can say with 100% certainty that you're simply wrong there...my ears, sadly, cannot lie on that one! Subtle variations in pitch exist all over this piece, in every single section.

Frankly at times with LAS Strings (for example) I wish there was a little bit less pitch variance to deal with...intonation in that software is appalling in some of the divisi sections...this piece originally used A and B sections for both the violas and violins, but I had to change it to sections A and C for violins and B and C for violas because of bloody ongoing tuning issues!

'space' - tricky one that, as different styles demand different approaches. Listening to a lot of your music (including under your old moniker) it is very much more pop / dance oriented at times and almost always with a lot fewer simultaneous layers / lines of music than mine. There is often a lot more dynamic variation / textural variation as well in my pieces which tends to create a 'different' sense of 3D sound stage / space as such...

Mixing tracks with a lot more variation in them is a different experience...often with different final objectives...this piece might explain even more clearly...

https://soundcloud.com/chameleon-music/ ... land-final

I listened again a few times after your suggestion (on 4 different systems) and I really don't hear an issue in this area at all...in fact in the big epic 'orchestral' section I think there is a serious sense of freedom to the sound - something that I try and aim for, but don't always achieve 100% ...

Still can't quite get it exactly how I want it here in the 'full' sections in my last 'hybrid-style' piece on KVR:

https://soundcloud.com/chameleon-music/exiles-return

Thanks for the critique by the way - I take absolutely no offence whatsoever at any of it...in fact I took it all very seriously before responding.

[eassae]

but it feels in parts like "Kontakt"

If you mean the more orchestral timbres sound a little bit VST…

This is basically what I meant. I know VSTs are never going to sound like a real orchestra but the pitch is a little static and constant to my ears in the strings in the first part of the song and sometimes in the brass. I didn't get the same feeling in Exile's Return.

BTW, I don't think orchestral instruments do have to sound like the real thing to be interesting or sound great.

is missing a little warmth, pitch variance, and space.

I'm afraid that I simply disagree here...

Yeah, to each their own on preferences. You're obviously a pro and I'm sure the sound is how you wanted it to be. For me, although I thought the piece was very good, I kept wanting to add a PSP Master Comp for warmth on the strings and maybe Waves Vinyl to the mix bus to add just a touch of wow. Or, run through analog gear.

Like you said, easy enough to add warmth if a client want's a slightly different sound.

I'm afraid of what you may have listened to under my old name . My mixing skills improved, imo, significantly, in the past 2 or 3 years. I especially had no control over the low end in the past. I have the partial excuse that my 8030As couldn't really produce the low end, but… Everything was so boomy.

[ChameleonMusic]

but it feels in parts like "Kontakt"

If you mean the more orchestral timbres sound a little bit VST…

This is basically what I meant. I know VSTs are never going to sound like a real orchestra but the pitch is a little static and constant to my ears in the strings in the first part of the song and sometimes in the brass. BTW, I don't think orchestral instruments do have to sound like the real thing to be interesting or sound great.

is missing a little warmth, pitch variance, and space.

I'm afraid that I simply disagree here...

Yeah, to each their own on preferences. You're obviously a pro and I'm sure the sound is how you wanted it to be. For me, although I thought the piece was very good, I kept wanting to add a PSP Master Comp for warmth on the strings and maybe Waves Vinyl to the mix bus to add just a touch of wow. Or, run through analog gear.

Like you said, easy enough to add warmth if a client want's a slightly different sound.

I'm afraid of what you may have listened to under my old name . My mixing skills improved, imo, significantly, in the past 2 or 3 years. I especially had no control over the low end in the past. I have the partial excuse that my 8030As couldn't really produce the low end, but… Everything was so boomy.

but the pitch is a little static and constant to my ears in the strings in the first part of the song

I think you might be referring to the lack of vibrato here on the strings then - that was a deliberate choice so as not to interfere with other parts as such in this context, but believe me, the actual pitch on those strings is not static at all...I automate them so that higher velocities make the sound very slightly sharper on the transients if nothing else and they're programmed to 'drift' very subtly in other ways on sustains as well.

Possibly the sound might be slightly 'level' or 'flat' as such to some listeners, especially if they're not used to a string ensemble playing without vibrato.

USEFUL to hear your reaction...I'll make a note of that as, of course, the huge tendency for the last 10 years (media wise) in both VST string and real string writing is for lush / rich heavy vibrato on sustained notes

I'm afraid of what you may have listened to under my old name

Listened to both I think...Eassae (one long track) and Naught (a few over various albums)? Enjoyed it all...listened for a while.

8030As - Genelec? never tried 'em, what do you use now then?

[eassae]

8030As - Genelec? never tried 'em, what do you use now then?

The 8030As are a decent two-way starter speaker, but yeah not great for mixing low-end, especially in a bad room. Last year I bought a pair of 8351Bs, and they're fantastic. I was also thinking of going with the ATC SCM25A Pro which were recommended to me by a veteran mix master, but ultimately I thought the Genelec point source design was the winner out of the two.

Thanks for listening. The long track was kind of a weird experiment. I was doing a music residency in Sweden for a month. I figured out what the longest song I could upload to bandcamp was, and used that as a target length. I don't know how cohesive it ended up being, more like a DJ mix in a lot of ways.