One-Synth-Challenge 17 ... de la Mancha's 'Basic64'

[Z3R0T0N1N]

this is really well done!
love the drums, and your melodic work is excellent. I'm enjoying listening to this very much. The quality of the composition and sound design is so high.

I had some fun with this.

http://mickrippon.com/mp3/mickrippon_rainbowtrain.play

Basic64 was a tricky VST to work with. The presets sounded like rayguns rather than instrumental!

Artistically I wanted to make it Basic64-sounding as I could; I wanted to make it obvious I was using this VST. So I kept it light on the effects and chose a very musical retro game genre.

Technical Details

- Written using Renoise 2.5
- XRNS here: http://mickrippon.com/xrns/mickrippon_rainbowtrain.xrns
- All 10 instruments are an instance of Basic64 (obviously)
- All Internal Renoise FX, limited to
1. EQ5/10
2. mpReverb2
3. Delay
4. Bus Compressor
- Some automation was used to change some of the parameters inside the VST and to change the stereo presence of the bass in the breakdown. Some panning automation. I automated EQ(2k) as well for one bar in the melody.

- I avoided the Renoise filters because I thought that may have been cheating!


Anyway, hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun writing it.

Regards,
Mick

[V'ger]

hi gaiz: noob question-
I am guessing automating parameters is a bit much for these comps, but that automating, say track volume for mixing purposes is fine.

I would say lay on the automation. The point is to squeeze as much from the synths as possible. LFO's basically automate paramater so that's a big part of a synth. Just saw a talk by Rob Hubbard of C64 fame how they squeezed every last bit out of the poor chip with clever tricks like panning 'automation' etc to get what they wanted, so imo automation should be encouraged. Non-automated stuff usually sound stale anyway.

[V'ger]

V'ger, really nice work scoping out the Google sites and the Archive.org site. The list you set up on the left side of the Google site is EXACTLY what I was looking for, personally; you have the time remaining for the current OSC and can also look ahead to the following ones. For example, I either forgot - or didn't realize - that Sonata was up next! Much easier to find out what's coming up by looking in this one location rather than searching through the various comp threads, looking for that. Very cool. The Archive site is also very nice from the standpoint of loading, downloading, playing, etc., as you mentioned, but the links from the Google site to the 4shared site (or wherever) seem quite straightforward also.

Cheers Been also missing a site with the features you mentioned since I first discovered this comp, so good to finally get one. Let me know if any ideas for it.

[objectman]

Y'know what - this thread alone is bloody hard to find, so V'ger's site is great. Now to find the link to it in so many posts. I'll stick it in my delicious when I get it - or can someone whack it in their sig?

Because I'm not really a muso (started in late '07) I've decided to go all "fine art" on this comp. I've been working on a tune which was basically almost completely randomly drawn in to 5 Midi channels of Live with the intention of ignoring any kind of "technique" or "scale". Just a 4/4 beat for some kind of sense & unity.

We're only allowed to use completely free VST stuff, right? How hard core are we on policing this? Live has a million post-production reverbs and compressors for example. We can use any of these? Or are we (should we be) limited to only 3rd party VSTs and leave our hosts' toys out of it.

I don't wanna make work for anyone, I just think maybe we're being naughty when limitations might actually be better for our tracks. So instead of using Live's post-production suites, I'm ONLY allowed to use FREE post-production VSTs. I dunno. Thoughts? or am I tapping an anthill here? As long as we're having fun?

[Steplton]

I don't wanna make work for anyone, I just think maybe we're being naughty when limitations might actually be better for our tracks. So instead of using Live's post-production suites, I'm ONLY allowed to use FREE post-production VSTs. I dunno. Thoughts? or am I tapping an anthill here? As long as we're having fun?

Commercial postproduction for Basic 64? Well, well, well...

[objectman]

There's a heap of bands that have released good chip music commercially (is that what you mean, Steplton?). I'm just wondering where the line in the sand is. If it's all just a bit of fun then fine, but if there's a mote of seriousness / sense of fair play, rules of a competition do have to be clear otherwise it's not really a competition is it? It's a virtual stage. Which is also fine. The other KVR competition allows anyone to submit pretty much anything (with a time limitation) and I personally don't think the pieces are half as good as this one. The prizes are bigger, but the whole "poverty being the mother of invention" is the charm of this competition ... don't we think?

[V'ger]

We're only allowed to use completely free VST stuff, right? How hard core are we on policing this? Live has a million post-production reverbs and compressors for example. We can use any of these? Or are we (should we be) limited to only 3rd party VSTs and leave our hosts' toys out of it.

Yea only EQ is allowed from host, rest has to be 3rd party, freeware and easily available to all. (meaning f.i. M30 reverb that was once free doesn't count as it isn't anymore) Exception has been made to the donationware Ambience reverb, as the developer is AWOL and can't be reached or donated to.

I don't think any track that has broken this rule will be disallowed per se, I guess the voting will reflect it more than anything.

About the site, I will put it in the sig once it's completely finished.

[abstractcats]

How hard core are we on policing this? )

One OSC contestant used a non freeware pluging once...the funeral was sooo lovely... but it was a closed casket.......next question ??

[Mac of BIOnighT]

One OSC contestant used a non freeware pluging once...

I wonder who that was...

[objectman]

Thanks for clearing that up. I think voting will reflect the rules. So we're all Big Brother. Good. That's the way BB works best. Just like Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon http://www.hks.harvard.edu/sdn/sdnimage ... pticon.jpg

[PurpleCatfishBettie]

It's going to be fun, listening to all of the OSC Basic 64 tracks.

[glokraw]

How hard core are we on policing this? )

One OSC contestant used a non freeware pluging once...the funeral was sooo lovely... but it was a closed casket.......next question ??

Ol' Dan'l Boone always used to check the wind before an important 'vote'
The locals an townfolk did mostly follow the rules.

[tattiemannie]

Hey guys, thought I better say hello again

Just got back from Donegal about an hour ago, absolutely frazzled ...so I'm just having a catch up on what's been going on .... Oh ... and it looks like I have a couple of messages ...phew!! ...

.... so anyway, I'll hopefully manage to post before bedtime if there are any outstanding issues, otherwise, I'll catch you all tomorrow ...

... keep those tracks coming

[V'ger]

Donegal is in Ireland right? Were you playing or just holidaying there?

Been listening to the submissions so far, and impressed. Nice work guys.

Working on my own track, but bit of a dilemma if should make it sound like old chip tunes or just go for the cleaner sounds etc. Probably a mix as it looks atm.

And the OSC website is now finished! Don't want to hijack this thread about it, but would welcome any ideas, corrections etc. If anyone could make a better header that would be good. The link to the site is anyway now in my sig.

Seems also possible that archive.org will allow us a joint page for uploading submissions in the future, would you be interested in changing to that? It means logging in, but the signup there is hassle free which is more than can be said for downloading from 4shared, no? This is what looks like (from last comp): http://www.archive.org/details/KvrOsc16Texture

[muLperi]

Just uploaded track called FightForLove.