http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTrk4X9ACtw

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So now, the decision:  I had intended to use that money for a virtual instrument, but which one?  Right now, I am considering:

• Garritan Jazz & Big Band 3
• Ultra Analog VA-1 from Applied Acoustics Systems
• Linplug’s Saxlab2
• Sonic Charge’s Synplant

Ultra Analog VA-1 is $199, so I need to save a little more, but I could easily buy any of the others right now.  I have also been eying Vocaloid Sonika, which I could buy right now (especially since she is now on sale!), although it could be somewhat difficult to use her voice overall compared with Vocaloid Miriam (the only Vocaloid voice I have used thus far).

Decisions…

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That said, @Finale_Music posted a link to a short but intriguing article (“are we in a post-authentic music world?”) speculating on the end of genres in music.  That resonated with me instantly for the simple reason that some of the music I create does not particularly fit well into any one genre – “Dark Glory” would be a good example of that.

And now, back to real life…

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That said, I have spent a good portion of the past 24 hours working on “Global Anticipation.”  This is an interesting piece with a somewhat Middle Eastern feel to it.  Right now, all instruments, including snare and clap, are from www.soundsforbeats.com – although I might replace some of the string instruments with their counterparts from Garritan World Instruments.

I quite like this one   This is definitely not complete yet – I am still very much in the composing stage, so the WIP preview here is still unmixed…

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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2. Global Celebration

That is exactly how “The Politician’s Wife” came to life.  Taking a shower suddenly prompted an idea for a melody line, and almost instantly, the lyrics sprouted in my mind.  About an hour later, the intro and the core of “The Politician’s Wife” were essentially completed, with the end of the composing and the Vocaloid Editor work completed in the morning and the mixing done during the early afternoon today.

This is a rather basic piece in terms of its composition: just a piano and a singer (Vocaloid Miriam).    I can easily envision this piece being performed as part of a musical about a politician’s downfall, or even in a lounge (perhaps with Bowie Grant at the piano?).

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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While this is certainly not nearly as complex as some of my more recent endeavors, “The Angel’s Return” is definitely one I like

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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• An observation that my (electronica) music sounds like it was influenced by Kraftwerk – extremely unexpected feedback, but one which certainly made me happy!
• Feedback stating that it was good that I was willing to take risks with my music.   Odd to me since it does not really feel like I am taking risks, but also a comment which made my day!
• A comment today on “Friday 5PM” that my piano performance was “mastery…” when the “performance” is actually 100% virtual.  That certainly provided me with a much-needed boost in the middle of a long and arduous day at the office

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It took quite a while for me to determine what was a fitting title for this one, and once I had a title in mind, I had a very difficult time trying to decide what would make for fitting cover art for it.  I looked around on deviantArt and on Fotolia for some ideas/inspiration, but nothing seemed to truly fit.  I ultimately sent a copy of the then-current version of “Dark Glory” to my artist friend in Germany, and to one of our mutual friends, in the hopes that one of them could help better pin down an appropriate cover art concept.

Ulrike came through, as she often does – with a very minor change to her original draft, the cover art was complete!  That was then the catalyst for me to finish mixing “Dark Glory” and ready it for release.

One of the interesting things about “Dark Glory” is that I was not particularly happy with my original (placeholder) kick, so I started brainstorming about how to change it and on a whim decided to try Taiko drums; fortunately, Garritan World Instruments has a number of such drums available, and I ultimately used three of them.  While in the mixing stage, I also added a few pads in Alchemy Player to add some texture in certain segments.  Otherwise, the vast majority of the instruments used are from www.soundsforbeats.com.

Overall, “Dark Glory” is definitely a favorite for me, and is certainly a piece I will be listening to a lot in 2012 (the year is still young)!  “Dark Glory” is will now available on Bandcamp.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHjpOzsQ9YI

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I fear that the English version of Hatsune Miku will be quite expensive, especially if a Vocaloid 3 voice, but from what I hear in the demo, the expense would be quite worthwhile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RvkowK3sig

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3. Great Commercial :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoqxeoP30-s

I can personally vouch for Groove 3 videos, especially the Reaper 3 Explained video.  I had just decided to jump from Music Maker to Reaper, and a few days later discovered Reaper 3 Explained and gave it a try.  I learned so much in that video series that I very quickly mixed “3AM on the Mulsanne” far faster than I would have if I had tried to learn Reaper entirely on my own.

Although it has admittedly been a while since I bought anything else from Groove 3, I do keep my eyes on the site and their occasional e-mails so that I can jump on new videos of interest, and I suggest that others do the same – the financial investment is definitely worthwhile!

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I decided to try my hand at bringing some of those 1995 compositions “up to date.”  The first of those is “I’ll Remember You,” which I entered relatively quickly into PrintMusic and began to tweak.  Vocaloid Miriam provided the limited vocals I had envisioned in 1995, and now, seventeen years later, “I’ll Remember You” finally feels truly complete.  With just the piano and limited vocals, it feels very Enyaesque to me, and I believe that adding the violin and the harp for the updated version really helps to flesh out the piece even more.

Ultimately, I decided to release both the 1995 and 2012 versions of “I’ll Remember You.”  Both are available as an album on Bandcamp.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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After completing and posting “The Call of the Challenge” and spending some time with the Computer Music issue which arrived earlier this week, I began experimenting with the Plastic Pop library from Applied Acoustics Systems and developed “Strange Friend.”  This is admittedly a rather simple piece, but the two presets, Epée and especially Marianen, give this piece a true character of its own.

For me, various visions come to mind with “Strange Friend,” most of them revolving around a young child’s imaginary friend; My Neighbor Totoro particularly fills my mind, especially revolving around the soot sprites in the attic.  Images of aliens also come to mind.

Thanks to the unique characteristics of both instruments used, the only audio processing needed were a cathedral reverb for the Epée, two instances of Blue Cat’s Widening Gain to better place each instrument in the stereo field, and volume automation at the end to ensure a good fade-out.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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This is a relatively simple piece featuring three trumpets from Garritan Personal Orchestra 4.  I have only ever used a single like instrument at a time in my previous compositions – in other words, only 1 trumpet, only 1 harp, etc. – because of the odd workflow I have developed over time to help combat the 24-staff limitation of PrintMusic.  This time, however, knowing from the start that the staff limitation would not be an issue, I initially wrote everything as chords (where appropriate) on one staff, then split those chords across three staffs.

Once I assigned a different trumpet player to each staff, that was when I truly realized just how different each player of an instrument in GPO4 can truly be.  Yes, they all play the assigned notes, and yes, they all sound similar, yet they also all sound rather distinct from each other.  Since I have not performed with other people in nearly twenty years (my performances since then have all been solo piano performances), I had not consciously considered the differences between players of the same instrument, even at the professional level required for the recording of the samples used in GPO4 and similar virtual instruments.

“The Call of the Challenge” is also unique in that it uses absolutely no audio processing in Reaper.  The reverb was applied in GPO4 itself while composing in PrintMusic, and was also captured when creating the initial audio files which would later be imported to Reaper.  Where Reaper became truly useful was for automating volume/dynamics changes, as I find that I can have much greater and more predictable control over instrument volume/dynamics in Reaper.

While it is still early in the year, I have a strong feeling that “The Call of the Challenge” will be one of my favorite compositions of 2012!

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

This is available for free download on SoundCloud!

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“Magic Awry” would probably do quite well as a unique ringtone.  It could perhaps also serve as the Red Alert alarm on an alien spacecraft.  Or, as originally envisioned, it could signal that a magical endeavor has gone wrong.

The sound source is the Junoesque preset from the Journeys sound library from Applied Acoustics Systems.  About a half-dozen effects were then applied in Reaper to achieve the particular sound of the ringtone/music/alarm.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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Since “The Highest Step” was effectively conceived with the 2010 Winter Olympics in mind, if I do pursue this rescoring/mixing project, my goal is to have it completed and released around the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGt25mv4-2Q

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In the time since the release of Siren by Veela, I have been working on “Digital Goddess,” which uses loops and tones from the pack.  This has been a rather fun and interesting project, and also presented me with some interesting challenges in terms of mixing.

In terms of instrumentation, “Digital Goddess” is rather simple overall, but still somewhat catchy as well.  In a way, it is reminiscent of 1980s music (especially the Sliceless Mix), although that was definitely not the original intent when I was composing.

As usual, this was composed in PrintMusic and mixed in Reaper.  As sometimes occurs, “Digital Goddess” also spawned a ringtone thanks to the (I believe) interesting piano line.  Between the instruments and drum kits from www.soundsforbeats.com and the voice of Veela, I believe that others will enjoy hearing “Digital Goddess” just as much as I have enjoyed creating it!

Digital Goddess

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Digital Goddess (Sliceless Mix)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Digital Goddess Piano Ringtone

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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While Prime Loops’ offerings are really intended for those who create music entirely in a DAW, Keep It Simple is also quite useful for composing in any format/medium.  I personally compose entirely in PrintMusic, and I find that to some extent, it forces me to keep things relatively simple.  The 24-staff limitation of PrintMusic requires that if I have a really complex piece in mind, then I need to seriously consider how I am using each staff in order to get everything to fit properly!  Since PrintMusic is inherently driven by notation, it is much more difficult (although not at all impossible) to add a lot of fillers such as sweeps and risers and even just a few quick sound effects – again, the program itself practically forces me to keep things rather simple in the composing stage.  The limit of 8 MIDI banks (of 16 channels each) can also force me to keep things simple, especially if I am using a VST plug-in which only supports a single channel, such as AAS Player to drive Angelicals.

This does not mean that PrintMusic cannot produce complex music.  “Global Expectations (Extended Mix)” is a very good example of this:  I very nearly hit the 24-staff limit, and I absolutely had to use some rather creative notation in order to get the sonic output I desired prior to mixing.

The mixing stage is where things can become truly complex: multiple reverbs, insane amounts of automation, adding sound effects and stutters and risers, etc.  I find, however, that keeping things relatively simple in PrintMusic allows the introduction of complexity during the mixing stage to have more of a purpose.  A good example is my current project, “Digital Goddess:”  While the project sounded rather good in PrintMusic, it was only as I was beginning the mixing process that I realized that it needed a little extra oomph at one point, and I was able to add (directly in the DAW) a subtle riser thanks to a sustained note in Steamworx combined with an automated pitch shifter which comes with Reaper.  Adding this in the mixing stage gave the riser a true purpose, instead of the riser being superfluous fluff.

Even when keeping things relatively simple as today’s Prime Loops blog post suggests, a lot can still be musically done which can keep the listener’s attention, but if nothing else, the simplicity early in the process can better determine how to make things more complex without overloading the listener’s mind and ears.

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1. Expensive is Not Always Better: I have yet to buy an effects plug-in.  Everything I use for mixing either came with the DAW or was freely available (either online or on the cover DVD with a given Computer Music issue).  By using only free and DAW-included plug-ins for mixing, I inherently had to discover, largely on my own, how to use those plug-ins to greatest advantage.  And best of all, the fact that I have not spent money on effects plug-ins means that I have been able to instead spend more money on virtual instruments
2. Always Mix at the Same Volume: This is likely a no-brainer, but it is important to ensure that when mixing, the speakers are always at the same level.  This is probably most important for those mixing at home on a computer system which is not dedicated to music/mixing – I certainly fall into this category.  I may mix early in the morning, then need to adjust the volume at some point during the day while watching YouTube videos, the need to adjust the volume again while using iTunes, and then return to mixing later in the day.
3. Experimentation: While this is perhaps a no-brainer, experimenting can lead to interesting results.  For example, I was working with EQ and trying to find the best frequency to boost to gain maximum sonic impact on a snare part, and I realized that by automating that frequency-finding process, I could create a subtle but effective rising or falling sweep when using a sustained instrument – this is now part of my regular mixing arsenal when I have a long sustained note in a slow-moving part of the music.
4. Watch the DAW-specific Tutorial Videos: Admittedly, there are not many mixing tutorial videos on YouTube featuring Reaper, and I have never seen one featuring Music Maker.  For that reason, when I first began mixing, I tended to skip videos on YouTube which by their titles were specific to Pro Tools, Ableton, and other DAWs.  Only later did I realize that even though a mixing tutorial might feature a specific DAW, the concept itself is usually DAW-independent.
5. Car Test: It is good to hear the music on speakers other than those used for mixing, and I also believe it is good to also hear the music in a “real world” environment.  For me, the car is an excellent venue on both accounts.  In my opinion, if the music sounds good despite the traffic/road noise and the inherent distraction of the pure act of driving, then the mix is likely successful.  In addition, at least in my car, if there are problems with the mix, the car’s speakers tend to make those issues more blatant, signaling the items or areas which need to be remedied when I am back at the computer again.
6. Turn Around: While the Car Test is useful, an even simpler thing to do, especially to test panning, is to simply turn around in the chair and face away from the speakers.  If the music still “makes sense,” primarily concerning the panned effects, then it is a sign that I am on the right path with the mix.
7. Listen through Walls and Doors: Strangely enough, another useful test for me is to start the playback of a mix, set it to continually loop the entire project, then go into another room and close the door.  The music itself will seem quieter, of course, but the sound waves having to navigate doors and walls and furniture en route to my ears will cause the frequencies to distort in various ways, and if the mix still sounds good, then I know that I am definitely on the right track.  The time I prefer to do this (and it is a very good thing that I live alone!) is overnight:  I will usually have already exported the project to a .wav file, then will have that file play on constant repeat all night long, at a volume low enough to not disturb the neighbors and to be softly heard through the closed bedroom door.  This way, I hear it while consciously thinking about the mix before falling asleep, and I also hear it first thing in the morning when my mind is rather fresh and not focused purely on the music.
8. Multiple Reverbs: When I first began mixing, I was leery of using more than one reverb – not just on a particular track, but on the entire project!  I now almost always have a reverb on each track, and occasionally two reverbs on the same track (one directly after the other in the effects chain).  This tactic can be very, very useful for placing instruments at various depths within the mix, and if necessary, they can be brought forward or pushed backward in the depth range via automation.  I may also have the individual tracks of similar instruments all route to a “group” track with its own reverb – for example, I may have a kick, a snare, and one or two toms on individual tracks with their own effects chains, but those tracks may all route to a Percussion track which might have its own effects, including reverb(s).
9. Routing: I have seen a number of tutorial videos which suggest that effects such as reverbs should be used on Send busses/tracks.  While that could be useful for multiple tracks which will ultimately use the same reverb, I prefer to from such tracks to and through a dedicated effects track, especially if I may need to automate one or more effects on that dedicated track.  Returning to the Percussion track example above, I make use of the Routing/Grouping Matrix in Reaper to direct the output of the kick, snare, and tom tracks directly to the Percussion track and not to the Master track.  The output from the Percussion track will go to the Master track, so the individual percussion instruments can still be heard in the final output of the project.  Since many effects plug-ins permit some level of dry/wet signal mixing, I still have control over just how much of an effect I want to use on the combined percussion audio signal.
10. Keep the Mind and Ears Open: I have now progressed to the point in my mixing that while I am in the composing stage in PrintMusic, I am also formulating a general mixing gameplan, and sometimes I will even make notes on the PrintMusic score about what mixing elements should be used in certain sections and/or on certain instruments.  However, once the mixing stage begins, I tend to let my mind run rampant.  A little experimentation may produce a nice effect on one instrument, and that same strategy can be repeated and tweaked with other instruments.  Perhaps I will discover and test a new effect plug-in while in the mixing stage and find that I like it.  Every mixing project is unique, so even though certain types of music may have similar mixing needs, for example, one must always be ready to improvise, experiment, etc., when mixing.  The ears are usually quite reliable at discerning when something is wrong, but they are also quite likely to rejoice when something is very, very right.

I am fairly certain that some people will find “fault” with some of these tips, but the good thing about mixing is that there is not necessarily one right way to achieve a certain result.  Fortunately, this is music, not astrophysics!

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