Grant
March 27, 2016
Day 213: Sunday 27 March 2016
Cat Gut (Your Tongue):
Something a little different today, a piano based track that feels to me like a movie soundtrack.
I began today by experimenting with YouCompose, a generative music app that you can set to give you either a classical or a jazz form. I must admit I’m not too sure if this sort of thing is up my alley, but I thought it might be a good learning tool, or at least provide some material to build from or to pull apart.
So I set it to generate a 3 movement classical piece and then I fiddled with the instruments and parameters until I got something I kind of liked. Then I exported the midi files into Auria and assigned each of the 4 parts to a piano sound, because it sounded best that way.
Next I slowed each movement in TwistedWave and then added Dedalus and Crystalline.
The second movement was working the best so I decided to concentrate on that. I reversed it and added the three variations into Auria ie the uneffected slowed version, the effected slowed version, and the reversed effected slowed version.
Once I had these three in place I did some cutting and pasting to fine tune the composition a little more to my taste.
Grant
March 26, 2016
Day 212: Sat 26 March 2016
Home At Last:
An autobiographical not entirely serious piece of electronica 🙂
It’s how I feel after a small trip away; I’m such a hermit.
Luckily so is my wife. We are hermits together 🙂
Patterning is the drum app, Addictive Synth provides the arpeggio, Trudi reads the words (iSpeech TTS, TwistedWave, AudioShare, AltiSpace), my vocal is straight into a track in Auria, and the background is courtesy of iDensity.
Grant
March 26, 2016
Day 211: Friday 25 March 2016
Scratching At The Dawn:
Ambient Beatscape.
This is a combination of just two elements, both of which could be a track on its own I feel, but together they are better still.
First I made the beatscape using Patterning set to 20 bpm for a slow and sparse feel. Recorded into AudioShare with AUFX:Dub (using the Drifting Loop preset) while muting and unmuting parts.
Second I did a jam with Cube Synth using a similar technique ie recorded into AudioShare with AUFX:Dub; but this time I switched between three different bass patches in Cube Synth that I had made earlier.
Both times it took two or three attempts before I got a composition that I was happy with.
I made them one after the other and they felt like they belonged together so I loaded both into Auria and bingo!
Grant
March 24, 2016
Day 210: Thursday 24 2016
Tønsberg:
A soundscape.
Today’s track uses two instances of Shoom; two jams using the same sounds and scale. They were combined in Auria and both effected with Emo Chorus, Crystalline, AUFX:Dub, and Dedalus on a subgroup. Then I added the drums using Patterning.
Grant
March 24, 2016
Just a Quick Note
Hello guys and gals and non gender specific peeps, just a quick note to let you know that my beautiful wife and I will be away for the next few days and I’m not sure what the internet situation will be, so you may not hear from me till we get back.
But do not fear I will be taking my trusty iPad, so tracks will be made and posted on our return. Thanks of course to my supportive and long suffering wife (she truly is my better half),
As always thanks for listening and for your support.
Live long and prosper. Peace Out.
Love Grant
Grant
March 23, 2016
Day 209: Weds 23 March 2016
Disrythmia:
I’m not sure what to call this one, perhaps the generic term Electronica will suffice.
The various synth arpeggios are from Nave, one patch played 4 times in different octaves. The beat is from Patterning, one simple beat recorded three times with different drum kits. Arranged and mixed in Auria.
I have been drawn more and more to minimalism lately. This is an example of that.
Grant
March 22, 2016
Day 208: Tuesday 22 March 2016
Hobnailed Boot Shuffle:
A beatscape.
Patterning was used for the beats; several drum kits of my own were used and all recorded into Auria for mixing. Then an arpeggio from Addictive Synth was added. The result was imported to TwistedWave where it was slowed by 80% and lowered by 400 cents. Then that was loaded into Dedalus and slowed again. The result is therefore 20 bpm.
Oh yeah I like it slow!
Grant
March 21, 2016
Day 207: Monday 21 March 2016
Faux Classiqué:
https://soundcloud.com/grant-horsnell/faux-classique
Something a little different from me today. This sounds like an avantgarde or experimental Classical piece.
I hear cello, violins, treated piano, possibly bass flute or bassoon, with maybe overtones of oboe in there somewhere. Actually its all Shoom (still in beta) effected with Sliver, jammed into AudioShare, and then rearranged in Auria. It uses a whole tone scale which maybe contributes to the out-there vibe, but the Shoom sounds themselves led me down this path. I’m liking this synth more and more as I get to know it better. I’ll definitely be buying it when it comes out.
Grant
March 20, 2016
Day 206: Sunday 20 March 2016
Slight Returns Forecast:
Dark Ambient Beatscape, perhaps?
The arpeggio began in Addictive Synth and was textured and slowed in Dedalus before being joined in Auria by the beat; which is a version of the one used in yesterday’s track using iSpark, AudioShare, Dedalus, Muckraker, Caramel, Emo Chorus, AUFX:Dub, Nebulizer, and Sliver. I added another shortish Addictive Synth part which I then time stretched and treated with the inbuilt chorus. The final touch was the bell sound, for which I used FM4.
Grant
March 19, 2016
Day 205: Saturday 19 March 2016
These Beta Blockers Are Making Me Thirsty:
A Beatscape.
I used iSpark for the beat and Addictive Synth for the bass. Recorded with AudioShare and arranged in Auria. Effects used on the drums are: Dedalus, Muckraker, Caramel, Emo Chorus, AUFX:Dub, Nebulizer, and Sliver.
The initial beat from iSpark was 27.25 bars long at 60 bpm, I recorded it into AudioShare and then recorded versions of it using the different effects; I tried others but only used the ones I’ve listed. That left me with the original beat and six effected versions, I loaded all seven into Auria and did a little panning and mixing of volumes. Then I did some cutting and pasting and arranging and muting until I had this composition sketched out.
Finally I turned to Addictive Synth for the bass arpeggio which I kept short and simple. Incorporating it into the mix required a little more arranging.
Musing:
It is difficult when making music like this to know when to stop or what else might be required, we have so much potential at our finger tips. For example I could have carried on adding sounds and parts to my hearts content. But it does feel finished to me, so I’ve left it here.
Of course part of the nature of this endeavour (posting one track each day) is that I must work quickly and I don’t have the luxury of excruciating over tracks and decisions. Which perhaps is leading me to a certain type of composition and a certain type of working.
There is something to be said for working quickly; hopefully it means I’m working from the heart and the gut, and not giving my misgivings and sense of inadequacy time to impose it’s usual dictatorship on my actions.