The Gates at Bifrost's end (polyrhythmic polyphony)

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

I have recreated a tune I made after my first class in polyrhythmics back in music school anno 1992. Made it on a Yamaha SY55 then, but lost it with the disks when I sold it. Now it is back and heavily ToH-fied.

We are counting 6 against 4. The initial bass drums and the cello to the right follows the four while the guitar follows the 6. All others are in between. Try see if you can change your base feeling by shifting your attention between them.

So raise, fallen einherjars and enjoy the travel to Valhalla over the rainbow until we face The Gates at Bifrost's end.

https://soundcloud.com/user-228690154/t ... frosts-end

Kind Regards

Gothi and Peter
Tribe of Hofund

[herodotus]

More hopeful sounding than I was expecting. Just the thing to delay the onset of Ragnarok.

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

More hopeful sounding than I was expecting. Just the thing to delay the onset of Ragnarok.

We are going to spend our last days in Valhalla. What is not to like? Eat the same pork from Sæhrímnir every day, get drunk with Odin, and fight each other to death every day just to get ressurected by the Valkyries in the morning. Every single day in and out till the end of time....

...hmm, OTOH, maybe it is not too late to apply for Freya´s Folkvang instead

[jancivil]

6 comes across as the base pulse here, with 4 dotted 8ths or what-have-you, 4:6. Because the melodic material feels like 6.
As to the mix, I think the 4 cross-rhythm sounds stronger on the right every other hit, and IMO should be equal, so my guess is there's something sucking energy from the other hits just left of center; so I'd advise to not have it do that much stereo, whatever you've done, and make it more like one drum with its own space. and narrower field is louder.

[enroe]

The opening rhythm, 6 quarter beats, brings in a meditatively
steady atmosphere - a bit like what we know from the early
Alan Parsons Project albums.

It gets a bit monotonous over time. I don't think the stereo
panorama is too wide. On the contrary: the panorama division
is interesting and successful.

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

6 comes across as the base pulse here, with 4 dotted 8ths or what-have-you, 4:6. Because the melodic material feels like 6.

Yes. The 4 are deffo subordinated the 6.

As to the mix, I think the 4 cross-rhythm sounds stronger on the right every other hit, and IMO should be equal, so my guess is there's something sucking energy from the other hits just left of center

Spot on. It is because the cello to the right is the only thing following the 4 until strings enter in the left field towards the end, which follows the 4 as well. Meanwhile the 4 gets sucked up too much in the 6 in the left field.

so I'd advise to not have it do that much stereo, whatever you've done, and make it more like one drum with its own space. and narrower field is louder.

Advice taken. I have given it a new individual drum sound. Centered and emphasizing 2 and 4 in the cross rhythm with the main BD doing the 1 and 3. Freya bless your ears, Jan. Thanks

On another note, I have shortened the tune. The last B-part was unnecessary to the climax. Flutes moved to the one before that. Kill your darlings.

Kind Regards
Gothi

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

I don't think the stereo panorama is too wide. On the contrary: the panorama division
is interesting and successful.

Oh-oh. I did not quite return this view on your own spread in your polyphony thread. Sorry. Tho, Jan did only refer to the spread bass drum that should keep the four going, not the whole mix. She was right about it. As to monotony, it has been shortened. Tho, no repeated sections are exactly the same for those who enter the details.

Thanks for feedback, enroe.

[jancivil]

it isn't very different than the usual 'bass should be mono' we see all the time.
I don't necessarily think 'should be mono' about it but a lot of sum and difference fr. stereo tends to cloud the issue down there.
I separately output kick, hat, snare, toms all as mono in BFD, albeit the instrument channel itself uses a lot of ambience. For those it's more of a faint halo (which I like to make recede).

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

it isn't very different than the usual 'bass should be mono' we see all the time.
I don't necessarily think 'should be mono' about it but a lot of sum and difference fr. stereo tends to cloud the issue down there.

Well, it is a fine rule of thump if you need a safe haven, methinks. However, I tried to narrow the bass field in our tune "Norn Song", but since it is multi-modal -the bass makes phrygian moves, the melodies aeolian- it became a mess in the mono field. Had to spread the bass wide to make the counterpoint work. A good rule of thump is one that is always ready to turn with the weather.

[justin3am]

Excellent work as always. I listened twice! I enjoyed the rhythmic interplay and the mix sounds really nice to me. Great sounds and well played.
Thanks for sharing!

[jancivil]

FTR I don't adhere to the notion 'bass has to be mono'. Although if it's 'bass guitar' it's not going to be very wide. Most things I call up are stereo and I don't need to go thru changes like that.
I'll have low brass rule the world at times. I model things on real staging to a point but what I don't do is 'natural volume' setting in the MIR Pro (a supposed enforced balance with the other instruments conventionally in an orchestra) and have a lot of unreality or surreality/hyperreality.

I agree with the brevity: "I have shortened the tune".

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

Excellent work as always. I listened twice! I enjoyed the rhythmic interplay and the mix sounds really nice to me. Great sounds and well played.
Thanks for sharing!

Ah thanks for your very kind and embracing words, mate. Appreciation is my muse. Now don’t forget that my Nektars play an important part of it too, turning my Reason into a hardware experience.

[eassae]

That bass really keeps the track driving forward. I particularly like part that starts at 1:44. Reminds me of a fraught and difficult, but worthwhile journey.

[justin3am]

Now don’t forget that my Nektars play an important part of it too, turning my Reason into a hardware experience.

I won't forget it! It's why we do what we do. Thanks!

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

That bass really keeps the track driving forward. I particularly like part that starts at 1:44. Reminds me of a fraught and difficult, but worthwhile journey.

Love your interpretation, it is spot on. A long but worthwhile travel over the rainbow Thanks. The basssynth is Repro-1 It is the fourth time it makes it to a tune. Tho in this tune it is occasionally followed by a Sylenth 1 bass blast. They go well together, methinks.