Tuesday 29 January 2013

Entrance Me, You Do

Album - "Measure of Success"

Instrumental tune. The main theme emerged while playing on a Korg DW-8000 (which I still have). It is an 8-voice polyphonic synth, but there are a few presets in the bank that are monophonic using all 8 voices at once. In the monophonic mode, some of the presets are programmed such that a key will sound when it is pressed, as per usual. If a second key is pressed while still holding the 1st one, its sound will replace the first key, as expected. However, when the second key is released, the first key sounds again.

This property has the effect of multiplying the notes played and is what contributed to the feel of this tune. I was thinking about electronic dance-type music when I was working through the main melody. However, as the piece evolved during the recording process, my progressive rock roots took over. Not sure if that improved the piece or diluted it.





The tune was re-worked recently to exploit the melody a little more. I have a tendency not to linger on an idea very long. This sometimes prevents an idea from being taken to its logical extent. Need more patience perhaps.

The retro electronic-sounding base and arpeggio in the second half of the song is from a demo version of the Rapture Synth. The electric piano is a demo version of Lounge Lizard.



Friday 25 January 2013

Measure of Success

Album - "Measure of Success"

Written and recorded about 12-14yrs ago. Re-worked it recently to get the mixing a bit more balanced.



The title is obviously a play on words. A person hopes for a measure, or degree, of success in their activities. They also hope that the success is enough to be measured somehow.

I was thinking about these things when children came into my life. Benchmarks for 'success' start emerging when you bring little ones into the world. Other people may have opinions on how to best guide children. We may have our own uncertain ideals. Corporations have an interest in cultivating life-long consumers of our children through invasive advertising. The educational system has its agendas too.

How does one measure success in terms of providing guidance and happiness for another human life? That is basically what this song is about.

There is a lyric in the song that describes a family as making their way through life like vines growing toward a common light source. The picture sort of captures these ideas for me.



Picture modified from artwork from Star Wars Old Republic © Copyright Lucasfilm Entertainment Company.
http://desktop.freewallpaper4.me/view/original/5872/star-wars-the-old-republic-environment.jpg
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Saturday 19 January 2013

Thank You, I Love You

Album - "For Good"

Around the same time I wrote Superheroes, I also wrote this song. Love songs were never my thing, but the idea grew less troublesome after finding my significant other. The tune has a 70's vibe that has always appealed to me. The picture is somewhat representative of the intended feel.

There is a certain warmth present in much of the music from this era. No doubt it was as much a product of the instrumentation and recording equipment as it was the people playing.

I couldn't get the vocals right even after several tries - a difficulty that I have always struggled with.







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Monday 7 January 2013

Superhero

Album - "For Good"

A song I wrote a few years ago about comic book superheroes. Each verse is a loose reference to a specific Marvel or DC character. I had the concept in mind for years until finally writing the lyrics when the right music presented itself. A friend lent his skill on the guitar solo.

The tune was originally recorded when I was just learning the digital recording process using Cakewalk's Sonar program. There were several aspects of the recording that were unsatisfactory. After recently seeing the Avengers movie, I got the idea to have another go at re-mixing the tune. The results this time are a little better.

The drums were downloaded from the Dooley Drums website. After re-working them a bit, they seemed to fit the sound of his song better than any drum tracks I had previously used.

Maybe I'll have another look at some of the other tunes recorded during that period.










Comic book art property of Marvel and DC comics.
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