Grant
October 29, 2015
Tip of the Week/Words of Wisdom/Things Some Bloke Said #1
Perhaps I’m being presumptous, but hey it’s my blog 🙂
Try it. You got a track sounding good? Slow it down by 80%. Magic!
What about the digital artifacts I hear you say?
I love them!
Try slowing things down a lot…a looot…a loooooot. (apologies to Jakob Haq from the Sound Test Room)
You never know when the magic is going to hit 🙂
Grant
October 29, 2015
Day 64: Thursday 29 Oct 2015
Encroaching Winter:
Abstract Beatscape with bass.
Another play with Alchemy. This app just seems to click with me; I get something interesting going almost immediately. One track is a minimal beatscape, two are almost abstract synths, and one is a bassline. I loaded the jam into Auria and rearranged the ending a little.
The Video:
This was fun. Procreate is my favourite drawing/painting app and one of it’s features is the ability to save a movie of your changes as you create a piece. So today I drew some fairly random stuff, using only black and white, working backwards and forwards in layers. Then I saved it as a video, loaded it into Pinnacle Studio and slowed it WAY down. Then I ran it through CinemaFXV for texture, Generate for extra movement, back to Pinnacle for titles, and back to CinemaFXV for more texture.
Grant
October 28, 2015
Day 63: Weds 28 Oct 2015
Haunted:
A Soundscape.
I began today by playing PhaseRings which I loaded into Auria, then added 3 drones from FM4. I wanted a percussive part so I loaded up Sunrizer, effected it with Flying Haggis and Emo Chorus, and cut out a bit. Next I took a recording from the other day done in Grain Science and cut out some interesting parts. Then I loaded up Thor and jammed a bit; Thor didn’t play nice with Auria (crackling and audio cut outs) so I loaded it into AudioShare and did some improvising, ran it through ApeDelay and Dedalus, slowed it down in TwistedWave, then trimmed out 4 hits. Finally I added a touch of MitoSynth.
Lots of collaging today, which you may have noticed I love doing 🙂
A big thank you to Jacob Haq from The Sound Test Room whose free patches for FM4, Sunrizer, and Thor were used today:
http://thesoundtestroom.com/32-sunrizer-spirit-presets/
http://thesoundtestroom.com/64-fm4-grit-presets/
http://thesoundtestroom.com/haq-attaq-71-64-bells-thor/
And also to Gareth J Farmer whose blip and bleep file was the basis of the Grain Science parts.
The Video:
I filmed while walking around Drammen a few months back with an 8mm app. I loaded some of those clips into Pinnacle Studio, I thought they had a similar atmosphere to the music.
Grant
October 27, 2015
Day 62: Tuesday 27 Oct 2015
Many More Flowers:
It started as a Beatscape,.. I added a Soundscape,.. it’s got some spoken words… and a bassline. So I don’t know quite what it is.
A Beatscape made in Patterning and effected with Dedalus and FLUX:FX till it was distorted and stuttering. Then a Soundscape made from a file imported into Dedalus and effected with FLUX:FX using the same settings. Both imported into Auria. Then a bassline added from iSem, and some words recorded using the inbuilt iPad mic into AudioShare with AUFX:PeakQ, AltiSpace, and AUFX:Dub. Then I did a little arranging and a little chiselling away until it arrived at this state.
The Video:
Assorted flower pictures were imported into Pinnacle Studio, arranged, and then effected with CinemaFXV.
Peace out.
Grant
October 26, 2015
Day 61: Monday 26 Oct 2015
Abandoned to the Wind (and to the Rain):
An Ambient Soundscape.
I began the day by playing with Geo Synth, another app that I’ve had for a while but never really used. So I spent half an hour or so acquainting myself with it, and came up with this slightly exotic slightly orchestral sounding thing. I loaded that into Auria and improvised a baseline using iFretless Bass. Next I opened Addictive Synth and made some abstract sounding patches which I recorded onto two tracks. Then I moved to Grain Science were I used two patches that I made during the week on two more tracks.
The Video:
Water splashing into a fountain, filmed a few months back. I ran it twice through CinemaFXV for a total of 6 filters. Then once more to get a negative version. Then I loaded both versions into Pinnacle Studio for arrangement, titles etc.
Only 7 apps today 🙂
Minimal.
Grant
October 25, 2015
Day 60: Sunday 25 Oct 2015
Sunday Alchemy:
An Ambient Soundscape.
If in doubt play with Alchemy. I’ve had a mixed day today; iPulsaret, iDensity, Dedalus, TwistedWave, the AUFX suite…whenever I thought I was on to something I got a big fat zero. Finally, after hours, I had a piece that I felt was an okay Soundscape. Then I took a break and had a play with Alchemy, still don’t know it very well, just had a bit of a mess around…wham! Within half an hour I had a good piece. Combined it with my ok soundscape, and voila. Sunday Alchemy.
The Video:
I used a video I made last week and didn’t use. I think I used Generate on that. Opened it in Pinnacle Studio and slowed it down, ran to through CinemaFXV to make it Black & White, and to up the contrast.
Grant
October 24, 2015
Day 59: Saturday 24 Oct 2015
Reprise: A Self Portrait In Three Parts:
Part One: Hermits Dilemma 0.00 – 5.31
Part Two: Procrastinate 5.31 – 9.29
Part Three: Nothing But The Bones 9.29 – 14.41
I got ambitious today, three tracks in one. I decided to present them in one track rather than as a playlist. Let me know which you think is better.
Two Soundscapes and a Beatscape with vocals.
It was a long and complicated journey, so today I’m just going to give you a list of the apps involved, because it’s late and I’m tired. I’m happy to answer any questions that you might have though 🙂
The apps in order of appearance were:
AudioShare, iKaossilator, Flux:FX, AUFX:Space, AUFX:Dub, Auria, Addictive Synth, Cyclops, Sector, TTS iSpeech, Figure, Dedalus, Fieldscape, Borderlands Granular, Turnado, AUFX:PeakQ, Caramel, and Grain Science.
The Video:
This music video is all about the music. So it’s very simple, mainly static on black; to let you concentrate on your ears, while at the same time keeping your eyes involved.
Pinnacle Studio and CinemaFXV were all that I used.
See you spoon and Peace Out.
Grant
October 23, 2015
Day 58: Friday 23 Oct 2015
Cafe Conundrum:
A Soundscape.
Todays track is my second play with the new app Fieldscaper.
While sitting in my favourite cafe I did three recordings of the ambient noise, one into each of the oscillators. I applied a different preset to each oscillator and recorded it into AudioShare while adjusting parameters. I then did it again but with AUFX:Space and AUFX:Dub in the effect chain. Next I reversed this file in Twisted Wave. And finally, now that I thought I’d got the hang of, I went for a new longer take.
Now I had four files, all variations of the same theme. I loaded all four into Auria for final arrangement.
The Video:
An artwork that I made with Procreate and iColorama was run through Generate three times using different filters, then all three plus the original were loaded into PicFrame. Then Pinnacle Studio for the arrangement and finally CinemaFXV twice for the textures.
Grant
October 22, 2015
Day 57: Supplementary Post
Perspective: A Drama In Three Parts:
Musing:
Each track I make is a journey; there are usually twists and turns (often wrong turns), there are decisions made, decisions rescinded, backflips, and surprises. I never know when I start where I’m going to end up.
Sometimes the result is close to the initial idea or intention. Sometimes the work takes on a life of it’s own and I have to hold on for dear life while it works itself out. Often I have nothing in mind, but just begin and try to keep myself alert for the possibilities and signs of life that unfold.
I am anthropomorphising I know. So be it.
The creative process does seem to be out of my control; but I’m too much an atheist to attribute it to spirits, or muses, or being receptive to some god or other. Perhaps it’s something to do with Freud’s Subconscious, or Jung’s Collective Subconscious, or perhaps I’m being all Zen, or attuning myself to the Tao. Whatever. Take your pick, or use your own metaphor. It’s great fun! It’s the stuff of life!
Anyway…takes a breath…
Todays track had three way stations on it’s journey, three moments of clarity, almost like shrines along a pilgrimage: one near the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end. As it should be I suppose.
If you so choose, come journey with me.
The Tracks:
Part One is the original Beatscape that started it all.
Part Two is how I clothed the Beatscape but with the Beatscape removed.
Part Three is the resolution, the arrival, the conclusion.
Cube Synth, Patterning, iFretless Bass, Dedalus, Emo Chorus.
Grant
October 22, 2015
Day 57: Thursday 22 Oct 2015
Mountains Never Meet:
Ambient.
AÂ sparse bassline from iFretless Bass, sitting on a bed of ambient synth drones from Cube Synth, garnished with a finely grated beatscape from Patterning.
Bon Apetit.
The Video:
A series of abstract pictures made with Procreate and iColorama, blended in Pinnacle Studio and drizzled in Generate.