Day 463: More Peace, Less Understanding

Due to unruly children yesterday was a struggle just to get a piece up on the web before the day got

away from me.  Today everyone is being more cooperative, but I'm less sure about the piece.  Mixing issues and confusion about spectrums, but I suppose it gets the point across.

In another 36 days I guess I'll be done with this and I won't have to struggle like this for a little while.

Lyrics:
There is no tomorrow,
Only today.
You have to wish for what you want.
Why don't we play?

Day 194: In my house

An industrial style piece using patches by FGL.

Lyrics:
This roller coaster is going off the tracks.

Day 171: Normalcy

After routing and exploring and experimenting with new and different sounds for several days now I had to return to something "normal".  Here are guitars and percussion played on those guitars.  

Just for the record none of the sounds you hear were performed live, but I thought they were a pretty damn good approximation.

Day 116: Welcome to the Darkness

Inspired by Low's Songs for a Dead Pilot EP.  At least sonically.

Lyrics:
You've got to welcome them with open arms.
They control everything.
You've got to extend your hand, you don't have.
You've got to open your mouth for them.
You must wave your hands.
Welcome them with open arms.
Open Arms.
You've got to welcome them.

Day 104: Industrially Speaking

Everyone keeps secrets.  Some are big, some are small.  Sometimes you keep a secret because of an organization (an organizational secret I guess?), sometimes it's something only you know, or at least you think that (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, select, start).  This is a little bit about keeping secrets, but also about relationships.

Here I've dipped into the "everything is distorted on some level" bag of tricks.  What can I say other than I'm a sucker for it every time.

This is probably the only song you'll hear today with Sturm & Drang in the lyrics... so it's got that going for it.


Lyrics:
Come a little bit closer,
I've got something you should hear.

Look to the sky,
Now walk the steps,
Unto perfection, 
Unto the beginning of the end.

You are the wind and the rain,
You are the one who keeps me sane,
You are the breeze that blows thru me.

You are the holy ghost,
You are better than most,
You are the secret I keep closely.

Look to the sky,
Now walk the steps, 
Unto perfection,
Unto the new beginning.

Sturm and Drang and not much compasssion,
You said "You forgive me" after a fashion,
You are the only one,
Yes, you are the only one.

Crucifixes and crosses and demons,
You aren't the only one who can see them,
but we are not leaving you,
no we are not leaving you.


Look to the sky,
Now walk the steps,
Unto perfection, 
Unto the new beginning,
The beginning of the end.

Day 88: Pop is Modern

Once again, an experiment to do one thing went in a completely unexpected direction.  I started off using Neutron and trying to very subtly manipulate it to try and get a "usable" sound.  Something somewhat musical, but different.  Well, I was applying it to a tasty little bass guitar lick and stumbled on to what is a very close imitation of a very scratchy bowed cello.  So, to note, the sound at the beginning of this track is not a cello, or any other string instrument.  Just a sampled bass (from the Electric Bass Refill) run thru Neutron Particle Emitter.

After that, what was going to be an experimental track mutated into a modern pop/rock tune.

Lyrics:
You better hold on.
You wanted it, you got it.
You took it from me.

You're a holy terror,
You got holy fire,
You are wholly unholy,
Filled with desire.
I have nothing left
You took my best and threw it on the fire to die.

Ultimately, I was never going to take you back.
At least that's what you knew.
But, there is no war now.

You got a loaded mouth,
It's filled with lies.
You're sending out all your spies.
You can't try to trust,
It's too easy to kill.
You shouldn't see us as a total loss.
We're a total loss.

Begin at the Middle

This piece I'm currently working on, 303, is nothing to write home about. Pun not intended, but I guess it is something to write a blog about. I'm pretty terrible with names and the name is taken from the bass patch that I'm using - Fender 303. It comes from this bundle of sounds. I'm a bassist "professionally" (whatever that means) so I'm relatively picky when it comes to my bass sounds. I have to say that these sounds are pretty damn good. Rarely, when recording, will I write/play a keyboard bass part then not record a real part later. I find that it's usually not an issue with these sounds. Unless it's a "feel" thing and I just can't get the groove I want I'll often stick with the default patches, not changing them much outside of given parameters.

303 really started with the drums. Usually they're my go-to when I don't have anything else happening creatively. I've been a fan of jungle & drum'n'bass for many a-year and nothing gets my creativity going like a nice jungle beat. This song has very little to do w/that genre, but drums rule is my point. In looking for inspiration I started w/a basic beat, just kick & snare, tempo 110 BPM. I then began perusing through Redrum the kits that come with Reason. I ended up settling on the "Hardcore Kit 01". All the instrument names end with "_TRENT" which I can only assume it's a reference to Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor. This makes me happy - and the kit most definitely sounds like a good NIN kit.

The Fender 303 bass sound is not one I normally go for, but sometimes you have to try other flavors to see what you like. The E Minor riff that's driving the A section has definitely been done before, but it is, again, a good building point. Here lately I've really gotten into recording live guitar, so I'm hoping I'll get some great riffy parts laid down tomorrow, maybe a big ol' wall of sound.

At the beginning of the B section I've unintentionally used some instrument sounds that are very similar to sounds that could have been used in the NIN link above. Let me just say that it was completely unintentional. We are all influenced by other people and this is just a case of "This would probably sound interesting juxtaposed against what came before it." You'll just have to take my word for it that it's really a coincidence. I have an idea of how to transition back to industrial drums + guitar from the african tuned percussion, but it will have to wait until I have time to work at it. Here's a link to what is done so far.