knockman wrote:
sttjelle - production-wise this outclasses just about anything else here, some of the turns unexpected and beautiful, full of things i wouldn't think possible. oh!
I don't think I could possible deserve this. Thanks knockman!winter contest - GOSSIP
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- KVRist
- 85 posts since 30 Jul, 2004 from Norway
I don't think I could possible deserve this. Thanks knockman!-
- KVRAF
- 4878 posts since 13 Jun, 2002 from Montreal
Thanks so much Knockman for such kind words!beardedone - what i love is the movement, in infinite dimensions, non-linear and beguiling. i recall gazing at stars as a child, a sense of wonder that's left an impression ever since, a fabulous production.
I especially appreciate the tersm non-linear and beguiling. Cheers,
Gordon
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- KVRist
- 135 posts since 27 Sep, 2003 from Reston, VA.
Thanks for the thoughtful review. As I mentioned in a reply to an earlier view, I think I mixed the male lyrics too low because I wasn't comfortable with my singing. It was hard to hear my voice out in front of everything. Something I need to get over as I continue to work on songs.Mystahr wrote: Mephit Blue - Great poppy and calming rhythm you created where for some reason I felt the harpsichord/guitarish(?)-sound to be a bit weak against the rest. There are some really strong moments in this tune that lifted this tune up high; some great guitaring solo's happening. I don't fully agree though on the balance of the male vocal compared to the female vocal. I personally would have pushed the male vocals a bit more up and the female vocals down and now and then put a long decaying delay on it to spread it more onto the song. All in all this song has got me softly swaying in my chair.
It's great to hear that the song got you moving in your chair. I feel I did something right seeing that comment.
What more can I ask for than having my song stuck in someone's head. Thanks for the great words Knockman. It makes me feel good to hear that.knockman wrote:mephit blue - great balance of parts with subtle shifts and dynamics, it's a really sweet sound, almost floats and in fact i found it in my head today at work, it took a moment to place it but i soon realised it was this.
Oh, and definitely thank you Koorby and Kovacs for the votes (need more voters with names that start with K), and Wopelka and sttjelle for the HMs. Very much appreciated.
Formally the mephit called DrakeBP
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- KVRAF
- 2973 posts since 18 Oct, 2004
knockman wrote:arglebargle do you ever do this stuff live? it'd really lend itself to some awesome performance/theatrics. i'm a huge fan of MAYWA DENKI of whom this reminds me somewhat, kind of music made with art-robotics. great fun and an inspiration through its 'joi de vie'.
regards
Videogame-flavored synth rock live?? Hahaha, that sounds like the weirdest idea ever.
It's a pretty cool idea though, but certainly nothing at all what I had in mind when I wrote it. I tried that website, but these damn library computers don't have any translation software. I'm definitely intrigued, if you say it kind of sounds like my music.
Glad you liked it, and thanks for the comments!
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- KVRian
- 854 posts since 14 Jul, 2003 from Netherlands
Well - you asked for it, you got it. I reviewed the rest of you (please tell me if I forgot someone though).
There is a reason why I wanted to do only my top ten at first. While I did love more tracks than the ten I could do, there were several ones that I didn't like so much, if only because of the sounds used or the musical style. What I want to say is: this is just my subjective point of view and please take any criticism in that light.
Anyway, here we go:
wave, nikp2000:
--------------------------------------
Very nice guitarwork - both in play as in the guitar sounds. The flute sound really lets it down for me, though. This kind of music requires a lot of feeling in the way you play the melody and you manage that very well. I'm looking forward to your next track!
Prairiedog, Farlukar:
--------------------------------------
One mean Prairiedog! It's a bit too experimental for me but there are some nice sounds in there and the bass guitar parts are very nice too. Perhaps needs some hooks, some small pattern that guides the listener. Great drums, btw.
Sonic Warfare, Arglebargle:
--------------------------------------
So we have these basic fm chips in our game consoles and we're so happy when we can go to 96 khz/48 bits or whatever - and then it turns out these low-tech sounds are actually very hypnotic and still have a place. Nice sounds and rhythms, great arpeggio's. Could have done with some powerful real bass maybe to contrast the other sounds.
Rocket to uranus, Astanine:
--------------------------------------
And another game tune!
I love the chorus part, has a real happy feeling to it.
Neurosurgery, Katanaman:
--------------------------------------
I found it a bit repetitive, maybe also because I expected a bit more evolution in the rhythms and the sounds. There is no problem in repeating a pattern but there should be some changes to keep the listeners interest and the changes I do hear are too subtle for me. Having said this, the pattern you have created is very nice in itself and you've employed some great sounds.
Syphon, Wopelka:
--------------------------------------
Thi-thi-thi-this is a a a a ve-ve-ve-verrrryyyy weird song... It's something that definetely captured my interest - even if I wouldn't listen to it to relax. The way you play with the voice samples is mesmerizing and the flute line suits perfectly. It's like the soundtrack to some bizarre alien ritual. Cool track!
Improviz3tion, cold c:
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Impressive - that orchestra sounds very real. Love the arrangement. Bit short though, I'd have liked to have seen it evolve.
Poly, Splatter Pattern:
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Nice, a real good buildup here. The rhythms could have done with a deeper, slower percussion element though. Also maybe the synths, when they enter, could have been pushed a bit more to the foreground. What I do like, though, is that a relatively hectic piece of music conveys a very mysterious, quiet athmosphere which I really love.
Hellish, Niko:
--------------------------------------
For some reason the vocals don't fit too well into the rest of the track. Maybe a bit of processing could do the trick. Otherwise, nice heavy guitar work and drums. It does seem to lack some energy though, maybe some compressors would help there (because it can't be the enthousiasm which is very clear!).
3rd_mix_jjj_tinkle_cp_remast_154:
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This song to me has at certain moments a kind of U2 feel to it. Great singing, nice guitar work and drums though. It sounds like a live performance.
Desert Island CD Malfunction:
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Wha.... Two things. First, it's amazing how you put this one together. Love the rhythms you create by chopping up the samples. Second, Im sorry but this really drives me nuts... I like to hear some recognizable structures in songs and yours does have those but you kind of have to listen on a meta-level to recognize and enjoy them which is hard work. Like I said on some other tracks, I'd have loved to have some clear rhythmic or melody lines to get a handle on what's going on. Still, impressive work.
Song For America, Col.G:
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Love the guitar playing and the sound effects. Don't like the rhythm which, to be blunt, sound like you started a drum computer at the start of the song. Nevertheless - I defenitely would like to hear more of that guitar playing.
Come, Mephit Blue:
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Nice song. I'm not really convinced of the male vocals which for some reason do not really integrate into the rest of the song. I love the arrangement and the musical aspects, though. Nice sounds, the backing electric guitar could be a bit more sparkling though.
maelstrom hydro-mix:
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Nice piece of trance. Very well put together and great choice of sounds. It does lose its energy a bit though around 1:30 and the variation that starts around 1:55 feels a bit too loud as the main saw pattern tends to dominate. It sort of feels like two different pieces put together.
Fluidity, Auralscape:
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Great patterns, nice sounds. Doesn't really seem to go anywhere though. However, as dance music I imagine this would very very hypnotic. Very well put together!
Report, Beardedone:
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This kind of music always makes me feel a bit stupid because I 'don't get it'... In truth, I do find it very interesting and impressive. It does however - and please don't take this too harshly - feel partly like a random pattern generator at work. It's all so rigid and tight and especially the drums feel too hectic, fighting the rest of the instruments for attantion. I do enjoy the brass lines though - very, very nice and impressive too!
Free of it all, Donkey Tugger:
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Nice heavy guitars. Nice singing. Still, I do feel like I miss something but it's hard to say what. Great playing and great structure though. Maybe the melody lines - they just don't feel that memorable.
Leave, Softegg
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Nice song, great vocals - except for those moments where it's out of tune and it's a real pity those weren't overdubbed. Still, very nice work and with some overdubs and maybe a bit of work after 2:37 where the song sounds like it's undecided where to go next it's pretty perfect for its genre.
Keith's magical musical tour
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This one starts out truly exceptional with totally unrelated micro pieces of music that flow well into each other but around 1:00 it remains with its current pattern for a minute before going into the next one which is rather harsh and electronical and ends in some sound effects. Basically - I thought this had some wonderful elements, it's just that the first minute gave me the impression of hearing melodious, very different pieces that followed each other - a magical musical tour indeed. The electronic parts for me broke that feeling. Nevertheless, some great elements and nice playing.
Tomorrow no more
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Musically very nice. The sounds sound a bit cliche though. Nevertheless, I love that Bass solo around 2:20. The saxophone unfortunately sounds less than convincing, but that's more due to the fact that it's a hard instrument to make sound real on a keyboard. A nice track though - I'm definetely interested in your next tracks.
Snow On The Doorstep, SecondSkin:
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Great sounds, nice hooks, powerful driving beats. Not sure why you called it Snow On The Doorstep though... Very expertly put together. Pity that you were too late in submitting, but I'm glad you did anyway.
There is a reason why I wanted to do only my top ten at first. While I did love more tracks than the ten I could do, there were several ones that I didn't like so much, if only because of the sounds used or the musical style. What I want to say is: this is just my subjective point of view and please take any criticism in that light.
Anyway, here we go:
wave, nikp2000:
--------------------------------------
Very nice guitarwork - both in play as in the guitar sounds. The flute sound really lets it down for me, though. This kind of music requires a lot of feeling in the way you play the melody and you manage that very well. I'm looking forward to your next track!
Prairiedog, Farlukar:
--------------------------------------
One mean Prairiedog! It's a bit too experimental for me but there are some nice sounds in there and the bass guitar parts are very nice too. Perhaps needs some hooks, some small pattern that guides the listener. Great drums, btw.
Sonic Warfare, Arglebargle:
--------------------------------------
So we have these basic fm chips in our game consoles and we're so happy when we can go to 96 khz/48 bits or whatever - and then it turns out these low-tech sounds are actually very hypnotic and still have a place. Nice sounds and rhythms, great arpeggio's. Could have done with some powerful real bass maybe to contrast the other sounds.
Rocket to uranus, Astanine:
--------------------------------------
And another game tune!
I love the chorus part, has a real happy feeling to it.Neurosurgery, Katanaman:
--------------------------------------
I found it a bit repetitive, maybe also because I expected a bit more evolution in the rhythms and the sounds. There is no problem in repeating a pattern but there should be some changes to keep the listeners interest and the changes I do hear are too subtle for me. Having said this, the pattern you have created is very nice in itself and you've employed some great sounds.
Syphon, Wopelka:
--------------------------------------
Thi-thi-thi-this is a a a a ve-ve-ve-verrrryyyy weird song...
It's something that definetely captured my interest - even if I wouldn't listen to it to relax. The way you play with the voice samples is mesmerizing and the flute line suits perfectly. It's like the soundtrack to some bizarre alien ritual. Cool track!Improviz3tion, cold c:
--------------------------------------
Impressive - that orchestra sounds very real. Love the arrangement. Bit short though, I'd have liked to have seen it evolve.
Poly, Splatter Pattern:
--------------------------------------
Nice, a real good buildup here. The rhythms could have done with a deeper, slower percussion element though. Also maybe the synths, when they enter, could have been pushed a bit more to the foreground. What I do like, though, is that a relatively hectic piece of music conveys a very mysterious, quiet athmosphere which I really love.
Hellish, Niko:
--------------------------------------
For some reason the vocals don't fit too well into the rest of the track. Maybe a bit of processing could do the trick. Otherwise, nice heavy guitar work and drums. It does seem to lack some energy though, maybe some compressors would help there (because it can't be the enthousiasm which is very clear!).
3rd_mix_jjj_tinkle_cp_remast_154:
--------------------------------------
This song to me has at certain moments a kind of U2 feel to it. Great singing, nice guitar work and drums though. It sounds like a live performance.
Desert Island CD Malfunction:
--------------------------------------
Wha.... Two things. First, it's amazing how you put this one together. Love the rhythms you create by chopping up the samples. Second, Im sorry but this really drives me nuts...
I like to hear some recognizable structures in songs and yours does have those but you kind of have to listen on a meta-level to recognize and enjoy them which is hard work. Like I said on some other tracks, I'd have loved to have some clear rhythmic or melody lines to get a handle on what's going on. Still, impressive work.Song For America, Col.G:
--------------------------------------
Love the guitar playing and the sound effects. Don't like the rhythm which, to be blunt, sound like you started a drum computer at the start of the song. Nevertheless - I defenitely would like to hear more of that guitar playing.
Come, Mephit Blue:
--------------------------------------
Nice song. I'm not really convinced of the male vocals which for some reason do not really integrate into the rest of the song. I love the arrangement and the musical aspects, though. Nice sounds, the backing electric guitar could be a bit more sparkling though.
maelstrom hydro-mix:
--------------------------------------
Nice piece of trance. Very well put together and great choice of sounds. It does lose its energy a bit though around 1:30 and the variation that starts around 1:55 feels a bit too loud as the main saw pattern tends to dominate. It sort of feels like two different pieces put together.
Fluidity, Auralscape:
--------------------------------------
Great patterns, nice sounds. Doesn't really seem to go anywhere though. However, as dance music I imagine this would very very hypnotic. Very well put together!
Report, Beardedone:
--------------------------------------
This kind of music always makes me feel a bit stupid because I 'don't get it'...
In truth, I do find it very interesting and impressive. It does however - and please don't take this too harshly - feel partly like a random pattern generator at work. It's all so rigid and tight and especially the drums feel too hectic, fighting the rest of the instruments for attantion. I do enjoy the brass lines though - very, very nice and impressive too!Free of it all, Donkey Tugger:
--------------------------------------
Nice heavy guitars. Nice singing. Still, I do feel like I miss something but it's hard to say what. Great playing and great structure though. Maybe the melody lines - they just don't feel that memorable.
Leave, Softegg
--------------------------------------
Nice song, great vocals - except for those moments where it's out of tune and it's a real pity those weren't overdubbed. Still, very nice work and with some overdubs and maybe a bit of work after 2:37 where the song sounds like it's undecided where to go next it's pretty perfect for its genre.
Keith's magical musical tour
--------------------------------------
This one starts out truly exceptional with totally unrelated micro pieces of music that flow well into each other but around 1:00 it remains with its current pattern for a minute before going into the next one which is rather harsh and electronical and ends in some sound effects. Basically - I thought this had some wonderful elements, it's just that the first minute gave me the impression of hearing melodious, very different pieces that followed each other - a magical musical tour indeed. The electronic parts for me broke that feeling. Nevertheless, some great elements and nice playing.
Tomorrow no more
--------------------------------------
Musically very nice. The sounds sound a bit cliche though. Nevertheless, I love that Bass solo around 2:20. The saxophone unfortunately sounds less than convincing, but that's more due to the fact that it's a hard instrument to make sound real on a keyboard. A nice track though - I'm definetely interested in your next tracks.
Snow On The Doorstep, SecondSkin:
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Great sounds, nice hooks, powerful driving beats. Not sure why you called it Snow On The Doorstep though...
Very expertly put together. Pity that you were too late in submitting, but I'm glad you did anyway."...Everything we see or seem is but a dream, within a dream."
MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/MarcJX8P
Virb: http://www.virb.com/marcjx8p
MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/MarcJX8P
Virb: http://www.virb.com/marcjx8p
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- KVRian
- 581 posts since 15 Dec, 2003 from Hangin' out with my 5 year old
Thanks for the kind words. As you probably know, I am selling my votes and this will almost certainly get you a top 5 (just kidding, Rob (phz)).Marc JX8P wrote:Snow On The Doorstep, SecondSkin:
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Great sounds, nice hooks, powerful driving beats. Not sure why you called it Snow On The Doorstep though... Very expertly put together. Pity that you were too late in submitting, but I'm glad you did anyway.
As far as the title goes, it was simply the name I gave the file when I first came up with the melody (probably 3 months ago). It sounded appropriate then, but now that it has gained a bassline and beats, not so much.
Just a question to anyone reading this: how do you name your project files before they become a real song???
And all life's fears
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
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- KVRian
- 637 posts since 5 Sep, 2001 from Hollywood, Ca. one block East of the Jack in the Box
I do it randomly. My hard drive is filled with crap like:"Gay song 26" and "Bad sounding drum thing 13".Just a question to anyone reading this: how do you name your project files before they become a real song???
...both of which are, of course, one day going to be huge hits.
-S.
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- KVRAF
- 2093 posts since 19 Jun, 2003 from UTM 18 317254E 4295335N (WGS84/NAD83)
Current events, random names, Ikea catalogs... One of my favorite sources of names is American Science and Surplus (also a good place to shop for neato gizmos). Rarely do any of the working titles make it to the final piece - although it's fun to try and make them stick. That song I posted last week called "Chatter" was called "Velvet Turd" for the longest time. ...Don't ask.SecondSkin wrote:Just a question to anyone reading this: how do you name your project files before they become a real song???
But I also version number everything like software so I can keep track of the latest iteration.
Wasn't "Gay song 26" already a hit for Blur?
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- KVRian
- 581 posts since 15 Dec, 2003 from Hangin' out with my 5 year old
Yeah, me too, but my creativity is often lacking for naming projects -- so I have several "dubhouse" variations ("dubbbbbhouse23", "dubbbyahouse19").Sleek Month wrote:I do it randomly. My hard drive is filled with crap like:"Gay song 26" and "Bad sounding drum thing 13".
You™ wrote:
Wasn't "Gay song 26" already a hit for Blur?
(I actually like the ikea catalog/ASandS ideas)
And all life's fears
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
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- KVRist
- 478 posts since 18 Mar, 2003 from Champaign, Illinois
You wrote:One of my favorite sources of names is American Science and Surplus
You're not kidding... some brilliant stuff in there... I'm always at a loss for good names... look forward to hearing The Size is Just Right, Puzzle Pieces, Hello Operator, and Plastic Graduates in the coming months... 
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- KVRian
- 637 posts since 5 Sep, 2001 from Hollywood, Ca. one block East of the Jack in the Box
Wasn't "Gay song 26" already a hit for Blur?
Yes, but I plagiarize freely. It sits happily on my hard drive by such hits as "Stairway to heaven/reverse chord order" and "Wonerwall/change chorus-avoid lawsuit 3".
-S.
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- KVRian
- 581 posts since 15 Dec, 2003 from Hangin' out with my 5 year old
My next project is goint to be "Beauteous Tool"!garret wrote:You wrote:One of my favorite sources of names is American Science and Surplus
And all life's fears
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
Can invade my ears
I can handle it
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- KVRAF
- 4878 posts since 13 Jun, 2002 from Montreal
Tnak Marc,Report, Beardedone:
--------------------------------------
This kind of music always makes me feel a bit stupid because I 'don't get it'... In truth, I do find it very interesting and impressive. It does however - and please don't take this too harshly - feel partly like a random pattern generator at work. It's all so rigid and tight and especially the drums feel too hectic, fighting the rest of the instruments for attantion. I do enjoy the brass lines though - very, very nice and impressive too!
I appreciate this because I do sometimes use the Fruity Randomizer to help me when I am devoid of ideas or just need a boost - I love the harmaonic choices - I then edit and cut out the junk and quantize and edit some more. This time I used it more than once and I guess it shows. Now I was aiming for something simulatneously tight and hectic and unplayable (for me at least). If it was playable I would not do it in a sequencer but do my best to play it. The brass is from SamplTank 2 XL btw.