October 19, 2015
The Lies Behind:
Beatscape with vocals.
Today I began with a drum jam from the 3rd of October… in Patterning… using a drum kit that I created; which I recorded into AudioShare with Dedalus and Caramel in the effect chain.
This drum kit has already featured twice, but this jam was particularly good; so good in fact that I could have happily presented it as is.
But I envisioned more.
So, at first I added a Soundscape that I had previously made in Dedalus, I added both files to Auria and rearranged them.
Then I recorded myself reading a lyric from a song I had written somewhere in the mid 90’s.
I then ran this file through Sector, Borderlands, and Turnado.
The two best results of these experiments were then fed back into Auria and arranged to best advantage.
I hope you like it.
The Video:
I made several jpegs of parts of the lyrics in iColorama, combined them in Pinnacle Studio and ran that through Glitch Machine twice and Generate once. I then imported those back into Pinnacle for arrangement.
October 16, 2015
Nigel Notwithstanding:
A Soundscape.
Continuing My Fugue Machine project, which is really taking on a life of it’s own.
To recap I am using one pattern in Fugue Machine and treating it in varying ways to see what I come up with. The great thing about Fugue Machine is it has 4 playheads that run over the notes you set up; at varying speeds and with other varying parameters. So you already have a subtly changing landscape of notes and harmonies.
I have named the pattern ‘Nigel’ and henceforth that shall be the identifying tag of all tracks associated with the project. I shall even go back to the four tracks already posted and include Nigel in the titles so we can identify them.
Today I continued and refined the approach taken in yesterdays post i.e. Nigel controlled four synths that I set up in Audiobus using MiMix as the mixer, and recorded a jam while I manipulated the levels and pans of each sound. Today I also manipulated some of the individual synth parameters. I also spent more time constructing and matching my own patches.
As a side note this has exposed a real weakness in my iPad and electronic music making. I really have not spent enough with my synths: working out how they work, making my own patches, building my own sonic world. This must change.
Anyway today I used Alchemy, Addictive Synth, Magellan, and Animoog. The only synth that used an included patch was Alchemy.
I really feel that I’m getting somewhere with this.
Hope you like it.
The Video:
I have also been using the same starting vid for each of these tracks. Today I messed with it in my usual suite of apps: Pinnacle Studio, Generate, PicFrame, and CinemaFXV.
Peace Out.
See You Spoon.
October 13, 2015
Nigel Separates The Wheat From The Chaff:
A Soundscape.
Continuing my Fugue Machine series. This is day three of using one sequence in varying ways.
Today I slowed it to 80 bpm and used Cyclop and FM4 as the Synths. I chose these apps as I wanted to move away from the ambient and towards the abstract. I used the same technique as Day 46; recording several patches in AudioShare and layering and arranging them in Auria.
The Video:
I’m still using the same source video as the last two days. Pinnacle Studio and Cinema FXV were all that were used today.
October 12, 2015
Nigel Trans Lucid:
Ambient.
Today I had two objectives: to continue my exploration of Fugue Machine, and to calm my lovely wife Lene who has had a hard day at work.
To accomplish the second goal (the most important), I have made a calming ambient piece, to help her breathe.
To accomplish the first goal I have used the same pattern as yesterday, but with different sounds.
In fact I think I will use this opportunity to explore not only this app, but also my relationship to texture, melody, and harmony. For the next few days I am going to use this same patch in Fugue Machine, this same sequence of notes; to generate my tracks.
Each day I will use different apps and different sounds, and possibly some differing techniques. Let’s see how it unfolds.
Today I slowed the sequence from 110 bpm to 80 bpm. I used Addictive Synth; one of the built in patches ‘Sidereal’, which I altered slightly. I also altered parameters as I recorded, beginning with only the noise section of the patch and slowly blending in and out the oscillators. Finally I loaded this into Auria and added a file I had already recorded from FM4.
Over the next few days I will repeat this experiment. Fingers crossed!
The Video:
I have also reused the original video from yesterday, processing it in Generate and CinemaFXV to try and match todays mood, and compiling with Pinnacle Studio.
October 11, 2015
Nigel Waves Through The Ether:
Ambient.
More Ambient than I usually get. Today I played some more with Fugue Machine, I fed it to Addictive Synth and recorded it 3 times into AudioShare using different patches. I then repeated the process using Mitosynth.
Next I imported all 6 files into Auria and arranged them as you find here.
The Video:
A few weeks ago I filmed the wheat blowing in the wind near my house, it was just days before the harvest. I used Pinnacle Studio and Generate to put together this result.
October 9, 2015
Scowl:
A Soundscape, A Synthscape, A Noisescape.
Today I began with the Title and tried to make a track that fitted it, and then a video that suited too.
It is entirely made with AnalogKit. In fact it is entirely made with projects created by Red Sky Lullaby, the very talented Stuart Kilbride; I used three of his creations: Randomness Cubed, Lemon Cello, and Beat Studio. All recorded into AudioShare with AltiSpace and AUFX:Dub in the effect chain, and assembled/collaged in Auria.
The Video:
I took 7 pics from my ‘template’ collection and turned them into 15 second movies using Pinnacle Studio, then I loaded them into Vidibox and made a couple of 1 minute movies. Next I ran these through Glitch Wizard and then loaded all four into Pinnacle for arranging, and finally into CinemaFXV for the scratches.
October 8, 2015
I Got Nothing:
A Beatscape with vocal.
I began today’s track with a recording of my voice into the iPads built in mike. I then loaded that file into Sector and recorded it twice through different projects. I liked both and thought I’d try to layer them, so into Auria it was; they worked well together but needed more…
I have been going through my AudioShare files with a view to organise them in some sort of useable way, as well as make space on my iPad; an important and constant concern…
And…as I sat back and considered this piece, I remembered a file from April that I had recorded using iKaossilator, Dedalus, and Soundscaper…
So, I imported that into the Auria project, did a little rearranging and cropping, and voila!
The Video:
Pinnacle Studio, Generate. PicFrame, CinemaFXV.
PS Musing…
I am aware that a formula is developing here; and that the videos sometimes match well with the music and sometimes..less well.
Time constraints are a factor here, but I hope to meld the two together more consistently.
October 6, 2015
A Penny For Your Thoughts:
An Ambient Soudscape.
Todays track is a child of Day 37’s Shamblin’, because I began with an earlier jam version of what eventually became the backbone of that track.
It used Arpeggist, Addictive Synth, Sunrizer, Mimix, and AudioShare.
I loaded that into Auria and added a little bit of Thor; using one of Jacob Haq’s Bell Presets which can be found here: giving away 64 Bell presets.
Then a dash of sound from Dedalus with the whole AUFX suite.
The Video:
Artwork done with PicFrame, loaded into Pinnacle Studio, processed three times in Generate, combined in PicFrame, processed in CinemaFXV 🙂
October 5, 2015
Dance Macabre:
A Soundscape.
Today I fired up Figure in AudioShare and loaded Caramel and Dedalus into the effect slots. My aim was to give the Figure sounds a little less of an electro dance, and more of an industrial sort of vibe. I did four jams with this setup, changing sounds etc slightly each time.
I was happy with these Beatscapes but realised that I was more in a Soundscape mood, so I imported one of these into Borderlands. Then I added one of the feedback recordings I had done in Dedalus a few days ago; and then a heavily processed Drone that I had made last week using Arpeggist, Addictive Synth, iMini, TwistedWave, Dedalus, Borderlands, and a breaking glass recording.
I made three recordings jamming with these files.
The last one hit the spot; all that was needed was a little AUFX:Dub applied occasionally.
The Video:
I could see what sort of video I wanted in my minds eye but it was a little tricky to achieve 🙂
I filmed myself dancing using VideoPro and trimmed off the walking in and out of shot in Pinnacle Studio. Then I processed these files multiple times in Generate and Glitch Wizard, and loaded these into a couple of layouts in Vidibox.
However I just used some of the Generate and Glitch Wizard files in the end; sequencing them with titles and a transition or two in Pinnacle. And then the all important CinemaFXV to tie it all together.
October 4, 2015
Last One Standing:
A Soundscape.
iSem, AudioShare, Auria, TwistedWave, Dedalus, AUFX:Dub, AUFX:Space, DM1, Diode-108, Elastic Drums, Caramel, iDensity, Turnado, Addictive Synth…were all a part of todays journey.
Which left me with this track, one more unfinished track, and the makings of two more. That’s what I call a productive day!
The video:
Generate, Pinnacle Studio, Cinema FXV.