Archive for the Beatscape category
Grant
January 2, 2016
Day 129: Saturday 2 Jan 2016
The Tale Of Musca Domestica:
Another Beatscape with Spoken Word.
I started this, as I often do, by taking a piece from yesterday’s track and building on that. I began with the beat from yesterday which was made with iMaschine, FLUX:FX, and TwistedWave. I ran it through Sector, twice with different settings, and then ran each through TwistedWave and slowed them by 50% and lowered them by 400 cents. Then I ran both of those through TwistedWave again, with the same settings.
Next I added both versions into Auria. It sounded like Mt Etna exploding 🙂
Cool, but what to add? What direction to go?
Now the project took an unexpected turn, as sometimes happens.
I decided to try adding a slow pulsing arpeggio, so I loaded up Addictive Synth; the result was so good it required reshaping the whole track. So I carved into the first files, opening room for the arpeggio to breathe.
Then I added a simple bass drum track, for emphasis, using Dm1. Then repeated it with a different sound.
And finally I added the lyrics. I read the poem into AudioShare with AltiSpace, added them to Auria and arranged them about the track.
Grant
December 30, 2015
Day 125: Tuesday 29 Dec 2015
Four Out Of Five Sad Pandas…:
A Beatscape with some minimal Spoken Word.
I began this with a slow beat in ElasticDrums which I then slowed by half and lowered in TwistedWave. Both versions were then added to Auria though only a little of the first was used.
Next I made a bass/drum sort of arpeggio in Addictive Synth which I slowed and added, again only using it occasionally.
Finally I spoke a line into AudioShare with AUFX:Space and added it to the mix. A little cutting and dicing and there you have it.
Grant
December 22, 2015
Day 118: Tuesday 22 Dec 2015
About Face:
A Beatscape with Spoken Word.
I began today in Patterning where I made a beat and recorded it into AudioShare with Dedalus, using my usual technique of jamming while muting and soloing the different parts to make a composition. I then ran it through AUFX:Dub adding a little spice here and there. Then I did it again with a different setting in Dub. Then a third time but with FLUX:FX this time.
Then I put it into Auria and added a bassline courtesy of Addictive Synth, also with Flux:FX.
I also added a Theremin style lead part using Addictive Synth.
Next I wrote a vocal line and typed it into iSpeech TTS. From there I followed my usual procedure and effected it with AUFX:Space and slowed it down in TwistedWave, and then distributed it around the timeline in Auria.
For a final touch I recorded myself adding an additional line or two.
Grant
December 21, 2015
Day 117: Monday 21 Dec 2015
Do It:
A Beatscape with vocals.
Today’s track used two files that I had prepared earlier: The vocal line from ‘For What They Did’  from yesterday (done using iSpeech TTS, AUFX:Space, and TwistedWave), and a beatscape from October (done using Audiobus, Mimex, AudioShare, Dedalus, AUFX:Space, Arpeggist, Addictive Synth, and iMini).
I ran the vocals through Turnado and Sector, and the beatscape through FLUX:FX before loading all three into Auria for mixing and arranging.
Grant
December 19, 2015
Day 115: Saturday 19 Dec 2015
It Beats Me:
A Beatscape.
I began with DM1 and jammed it into AudioShare. Then I effected it with Reverb TFN and AUFX:Dub, and again with FLUX:FX before mixing them all in Auria. Finally I added two tracks of an abstract patch in Addictive Synth.
Grant
December 16, 2015
Day 112: Weds 16 Dec 2015
Quantum:
A Beatscape.
I haven’t use iKaossilator in ages so I thought I’d revisit. The set that was already loaded was one I used to make a track back in August, pre Trackaday. You can see and hear it here if you’d like:
https://youtu.be/7kRcY2UIbH8?list=PLa0nkDL_1SkyyVisbN5e0OuS_efQQl5zZ.
I still really like its cool, chill vibe so I thought I’d try resetting it.
I began by jamming iKaossilator into AudioShare with Dedalus in the effect chain. Then I slowed it in TwistedWave by 80% giving a bpm of 48. I also lowered it by 100 cents because…reasons.
I loaded it into Auria and added a simple drumbeat from DM1 which I cut up and arranged.
Grant
December 15, 2015
Day 111: Tuesday 15 Dec
Oldowan Dreaming:
An Ambient Beatscape.
I began this by making a new beat in Patterning using my own drum kit. Once I had it set up I jammed it into AudioShare with Dedalus; for this jam I concentrated on one of the sparser elements of the beat.
Then I loaded that into Auria with a small part of an old unfinished track that I did in Rebirth. I arranged these elements and then added: some jangling bells (kindly provided by Jason Donnelly from the iPad Musicians Group), some PhaseRings, and another old piece that I did on guitar so many years ago that I don’t remember the apps used (but I slowed it using TwistedWave).
Grant
December 15, 2015
Day 110: Mon 14 Dec 2015
Hunter & Hunted:
An Ambient Drone Beatscape piece with Spoken Word. How’s that for a mix.
Wow, this one took all day!
Bear with me while I go through my thinking and process.
I began with FM1 (I love FM synthesis and for some reason haven’t used it much of late). I played around trying out patches and fiddling and jamming until I found a bass drone that I loved and a melody that went with it. I jammed this into Auria along with a simple drum beat that I cooked up in DM1 for the occasion.
(It took 4 or 5 goes until I got it right but let’s never speak of that again).
Next I cut these up and arranged them in a pleasing way…
It was okay, but it wasn’t yet a ‘thing’.
I decided to duplicate the drum beat to effect it but I accidentally misplaced it on the timeline…AWESOME sound…(ok let’s pretend I meant to do that and move on)…
Duplicate the beat again re original intention 🙂
SO… now I’ve got a slow bass drone and three mixed and panned tracks of drums that sound good…but not great…not yet a ‘thing’…
How about I load the bass drone into TwistedWave and raise it by an octave…and by another octave…and by another fifth…
…yeah I’m liking it.
But I’m not Loving it.
Where is the ‘thing’?
I went back to DM1 and added a bass drum only version of the drum beat for emphasis…
Nearer…
My wonderful wife suggested I try PhaseRings…what a great idea!
I jammed two tracks and panned them hard left and right…
Nearly there…
Finally I reached into my folder of poems and lyrics, which I have read into AudioShare with AltiSpace, and chose one that I thought would fit. I put it into TwistedWave and slowed it by 86%, and then spent AGES fitting it into the track.
Oh, and there was some other drum arranging too…
It became one of my most complicated tracks to make so far, but I’m really happy with it.
Enjoy.
Grant
December 11, 2015
Day 107: Friday 11 Dec 2015
Here I Stand:
A Beatscape with spoken word.
The fifth and (so far) final instalment in the ‘Parallel Lines” series.
As well as the words which I recorded into AudioShare with AltiSpace, I used a beat from iElectribe which I put into Sector. I also ran the words through Sector, and combined everything together in Auria.
Grant
December 10, 2015
Day 106: Thursday 10 Dec 2015
Recitation (Parallel Lines):
A Beatscape with vocals, or a Vocalscape with beats, I’m not sure.
The fourth in a series of tracks based around these words. Here you can hear the full lyric for the first time.