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[Music] Maker's Thread.

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Posts

  • Ronin356Ronin356 Nowhere MORegistered User regular
    Someday, I will be a singer in my own doom metal band.

    Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time - like to have a friend takes time.
    Georgia O'Keeffe
    Be sure to like my Comic Book "Last Words" on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Last-Words-The-Comic-Book/458405034287767
    and Magenta the Witchgirl!: http://www.drunkduck.com/Magenta_the_Witchgirl/



  • evocurioevocurio Registered User regular
    Hola. Dropping by with a new track I did over Global Game Jam 2018 for what essentially boils down to a beatmania/guitar hero game. The narrative is themed after "one with everything," and the sounds were chosen to reflect as such. Enjoy :)

  • nightmarennynightmarenny Registered User regular
    evocurio wrote: »
    Hola. Dropping by with a new track I did over Global Game Jam 2018 for what essentially boils down to a beatmania/guitar hero game. The narrative is themed after "one with everything," and the sounds were chosen to reflect as such. Enjoy :)


    Tracks awesome Evo.

    May I ask how you were able to do music for a GGJ game? I'm working my way towards writing score for games and film so I'd love a chance to practice my skills in that way.

    Quire.jpg
  • KhavallKhavall British ColumbiaRegistered User regular
    Ooh, I can answer this one a little, since I've done a few.

    Go to a game jam and introduce yourself as a composer! It's literally that simple. You might even be able to join 2-3 teams if you feel confident in your prolific-ness in terms of just being able to write a bunch of music in a short period of time. Most groups will be fine with someone adding music to their games.

  • evocurioevocurio Registered User regular
    Thanks @nightmarenny , glad you dig it :)

    Regarding the game jams, Khavall's explanation pretty much covers it all: sign up and show up. GGJ isn't the end all, there's plenty happening throughout the year (http://www.indiegamejams.com/).

  • hemmelighthemmelight Registered User regular
    edited January 2018
    Hey, duders. Been a few months, I kinda forgot about this thread. :?

    I really like 'One With Everything', @evocurio! Not sure if you've answered this in another post, but what are you using for your string sounds on that?

    Here's a quick thing I did just for practice. Only using the stock Logic string sounds (not the new Studio Strings in 10.4, my Macbook is too old to upgrade, sadly) and a basic Hall IR for reverb. Please excuse some weird MIDI notes. Just wanted to see if I could push something out real quick. :)

    hemmelight on
  • evocurioevocurio Registered User regular
    @hemmelight hey thanks for the listen! The strings were done using the solo viola and solo cello from the Kontakt 5 library. TBH I'm not a big fan of these VSTs, I'll need to do some experimental equalizing.

    On the contrary, I'm kinda digging the strings in your Bouncy Pizz. The piece has some good "first stage forest theme" vibes. Was there a reason why you ditched the cello mid way through? I feel like having it (muted) in the background could give the piece a good sense of dimension and movement.

  • hemmelighthemmelight Registered User regular
    @evocurio It's funny you mentioned a forest theme - I've just recently started playing FFXIV and spending a lot of time in Gridania, so I guess it's rubbed off on me!

    Thanks for your comment on the cello - I left it out of the middle section as I thought it might sound too repetitive, and I liked the focus it put on the violin line. I think you're right, though. In hindsight, I should have just lowered the velocity on the notes to soften it and push it back a tad.

  • evocurioevocurio Registered User regular
    Hullo.

    This was a fun piece written for a hard-boiled character. Enjoy, and thanks for the listen!

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    Just catching up after a couple months on listening to your tunes. I really like the stuff you've all been posting.

    On a related note, do you guys know if it's possible to replace a track in Soundcloud? I know you can update the cover image, meta details, etc, but I'm wondering if you can replace the audio. I ask because I'm often tweaking mixes.

    Also, I keep reading that "OMG Soundcloud is doomed!!!". Are you guys worried about losing your recordings? Are you actively looking for alternatives to Soundcloud? I'm not looking to monetize, but I'm curious what the best alternatives out there are -- but I feel that they have to at least 1) Have a way to embed (like here on the forums), and 2) have players that can play right within Facebook, Twitter, etc.

  • evocurioevocurio Registered User regular
    @Rothgarr from what I remember, file replacement is only possible through the pay-wall.

    I recommend taking a look at Fanburst, I believe they have very similar features as far as embedded players go.

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    What the heck, here's something I started working on this week:

  • Marty81Marty81 Registered User regular
    I...uhm...wow. :o

    I basically never come to this forum because I thought it was just for visual artists and I have no talent in that arena. I was just idly browsing all the forums today while I was on the phone and came across this thread. I am so glad to see there's a music makers thread here! I knew there were a few other PA'ers who were into making music but I didn't know there was a dedicated place to talk about it. That's cool! I'm making my way back through the tunes posted here (half of which are gone now, sadly), and while I do that I'll drop this here for critique.

    compo.thasauce.net/files/Dex_-_A_Strange_New_World(MnP87).mp3

    I've been doing video game remix competitions off and on for the last year or so to get better at making music on the computer, and this is the best I've come up with so far. It's a remix of a Metroid Prime piece. The hi hats are too splashy at the beginning, and there isn't as much separation in the mix toward the end as I would like, but overall I think it came out pretty well, and doing the piece gave me ideas for how to do better next time.

  • metaghostmetaghost An intriguing odor A delicate touchRegistered User regular


    So, this is a weird little song that my buddy and I started about 18 months ago. He was in town for a couple days and we decided to just record some of his raps/poems to basic loops and then we would flesh things out, rather than the typical process of me making strange beats and sending them to him for raps. However, we both got busy and we each dealt with a lot of grieving as relationships ended and family members died. So I worked on this in fits and spurts, and it's ultimately a patchwork of what might be described as "tonally ambiguous noodling".

    But hopefully folks can still vibe with it.

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    Just catching up on some listening...

    @hemmelight and @nightmarenny and @evocurio I really enjoyed those "game soundtrack" sounding pieces.


    @haidukdemon If the goal was to melt my face off, mission accomplished!


    @Marty81 I REALLY liked that tune. What are you using for your sounds? I wrote this tune in a similar genre back in 2003 and I had a blast doing it.


    @metaghost Rap is admittedly not my thing, but I did enjoy the music.

  • Marty81Marty81 Registered User regular
    Rothgarr wrote: »
    @Marty81 I REALLY liked that tune. What are you using for your sounds? I wrote this tune in a similar genre back in 2003 and I had a blast doing it.

    Nice. Yeah I definitely hear the similarities, and I had a lot of fun doing my piece too. It's a neat genre, huh? I don't know what to call it, and I don't think I ever heard anything similar before I did my track. I particularly liked your synth sounds and the ending. As for my sounds, I've been collecting VST instruments for a while now. The guitar and bass were AME and ABP from Ample Sound. Drums are Superior Drummer 2. Cello is Best Service Emotional Cello. Synths are Air Music Hybrid (got it for $1 on Black Friday) and Synth1.

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    Marty81 wrote: »

    Nice. Yeah I definitely hear the similarities, and I had a lot of fun doing my piece too. It's a neat genre, huh? I don't know what to call it, and I don't think I ever heard anything similar before I did my track. I particularly liked your synth sounds and the ending. As for my sounds, I've been collecting VST instruments for a while now. The guitar and bass were AME and ABP from Ample Sound. Drums are Superior Drummer 2. Cello is Best Service Emotional Cello. Synths are Air Music Hybrid (got it for $1 on Black Friday) and Synth1.

    Yikes, I just checked out the cost of Ample Metal Eclipse II. It seems like it costs hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars depending on which components you buy. That's WAY over my budget!

  • metaghostmetaghost An intriguing odor A delicate touchRegistered User regular
    Rothgarr wrote: »
    Marty81 wrote: »

    Nice. Yeah I definitely hear the similarities, and I had a lot of fun doing my piece too. It's a neat genre, huh? I don't know what to call it, and I don't think I ever heard anything similar before I did my track. I particularly liked your synth sounds and the ending. As for my sounds, I've been collecting VST instruments for a while now. The guitar and bass were AME and ABP from Ample Sound. Drums are Superior Drummer 2. Cello is Best Service Emotional Cello. Synths are Air Music Hybrid (got it for $1 on Black Friday) and Synth1.

    Yikes, I just checked out the cost of Ample Metal Eclipse II. It seems like it costs hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars depending on which components you buy. That's WAY over my budget!

    I'm curious as to why they have a VST for the ESP Eclipse specifically; an Eclipse was my first electric guitar, bought at a huge discount from my guitar teacher in high school, who I presume was also a fence for stolen and Chinese-knockoff instruments. I never really knew to much about it, other than they were like... Ibanez' attempt at a Les Paul?

    Incidentally, Ample has a free VST for what they call "Clouddrum", but is also known as the Hang Drum, a kinda of inverted Steel Drum you can with your hands. A very soothing sound that always reminds be of "Corridors of Time".

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    There also appear to be so many modules that I'm not ever sure which to get. I'm basically just looking for a good "metal" guitar VST.

  • Marty81Marty81 Registered User regular
    Rothgarr wrote: »
    Marty81 wrote: »

    Nice. Yeah I definitely hear the similarities, and I had a lot of fun doing my piece too. It's a neat genre, huh? I don't know what to call it, and I don't think I ever heard anything similar before I did my track. I particularly liked your synth sounds and the ending. As for my sounds, I've been collecting VST instruments for a while now. The guitar and bass were AME and ABP from Ample Sound. Drums are Superior Drummer 2. Cello is Best Service Emotional Cello. Synths are Air Music Hybrid (got it for $1 on Black Friday) and Synth1.

    Yikes, I just checked out the cost of Ample Metal Eclipse II. It seems like it costs hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars depending on which components you buy. That's WAY over my budget!

    Those "components" are all different guitars. Nobody would need all of them. All that was in that track was AME, which goes for about $120 iirc and goes on sale a few times per year for under $100. Other decent metal guitar vsts, from what I have heard, are the guitars from the shreddage 2 series and electri6ity. These are all clean sounds so you'll have to amp them up. Fortunately many good free amp sims exist.

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    Nice! I'll be on the lookout for a sale.

    I never used any external modules with Reason. I'll have to make sure they work.

  • metaghostmetaghost An intriguing odor A delicate touchRegistered User regular
    Rothgarr wrote: »
    Nice! I'll be on the lookout for a sale.

    I never used any external modules with Reason. I'll have to make sure they work.

    Reason 9 + 10 have VST support, though VSTs seem to making things somewhat unstable and have a much greater drain on DSP, necessitating greater latency.

  • hemmelighthemmelight Registered User regular
    Messed around today trying to get a 'Fez-like' pad sound.

    Stumbled upon what I think sounds quite like the track 'Compass'. I only used stock Logic stuff (Retro Synth with SilverVerb and a FuzzFace clone added).

    I didn't obsess over making it perfect (or even play all the notes) but I still think it's neat. :)

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    edited March 2018
    hemmelight wrote: »
    Messed around today trying to get a 'Fez-like' pad sound.

    Stumbled upon what I think sounds quite like the track 'Compass'. I only used stock Logic stuff (Retro Synth with SilverVerb and a FuzzFace clone added).

    I didn't obsess over making it perfect (or even play all the notes) but I still think it's neat. :)

    I tried finding a link to the original, but couldn't necessarily find one. What I did find didn't sound much like a distorted pad. I think your sound is actually way cooler. Maybe I listened to the wrong "Fez"

    Rothgarr on
  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    Wrote a new song. I never created a video for any of my tunes before, but this time I made one after the kids went to sleep. Here's the song/video in all it's goofiness:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXFhV6QSmp4

  • hemmelighthemmelight Registered User regular
    @Rothgarr Thanks, mang! Here's a link to the original track I mentioned: http://music.disasterpeace.com/track/compass

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    hemmelight wrote: »
    @Rothgarr Thanks, mang! Here's a link to the original track I mentioned: http://music.disasterpeace.com/track/compass

    Ohhhh, NOW I hear the similarity. Well done!

  • Space PickleSpace Pickle Registered User regular
    I recorded a few weird originals last month and just finished mixing them. Any time taken to listen is appreciated. :)

  • ElaroElaro Apologetic Registered User regular
    Can somebody or manybodies help me wrestle out an explanation for the mathemodeon? Let's go on twitch.tv at some point, I'll stream myself explaining my invention, and you guys can ask any question you like regarding it.

    Otherwise it's going to just be me going "uhh... explainexplainexplain, uhh..." and I'm probably going to forget explaining some critically important detail that would've made everyone want to try it out.

    If you're interested, DM me.

    Children's rights are human rights.
  • Marty81Marty81 Registered User regular
    Rothgarr wrote: »
    Wrote a new song. I never created a video for any of my tunes before, but this time I made one after the kids went to sleep. Here's the song/video in all it's goofiness:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXFhV6QSmp4

    Nice! Well done. The only criticism I have is I was hoping for a little more in the breakdown at 1:55, like a new little higher-pitched synth part. It looks like you're a pretty good keyboard drummer. Why were you asking me about metal guitar VSTs up above when it looks like you've got a perfectly serviceable real guitar? I think you're going to get better sounding stuff if you play the parts live on a real instrument.
    I recorded a few weird originals last month and just finished mixing them. Any time taken to listen is appreciated. :)


    Down on the Hillcrest - You've got a nice voice and this is a nice chill song, but it felt a little repetitive at parts during the long instrumental break.
    Pink and Orange Socks - Oooh, this has a nice pick-me-up tempo and vibe after the last one, and never feels boring from start to end. I really dig this one. Are those real drums?
    Snake Mix - Also a good tune, but doesn't stand out to me as much as the previous song on a first listen.

    Your music really reminds me of a band, probably from the 60's or 70's, in a good way, but I'm having a hard time remembering the name. If I think of it I'll come back and edit.

  • RothgarrRothgarr Registered User regular
    Marty81 wrote: »
    Nice! Well done.

    Thanks man!
    Marty81 wrote: »
    The only criticism I have is I was hoping for a little more in the breakdown at 1:55, like a new little higher-pitched synth part.

    Good advice. I think ALL my songs sound like they are missing "one part" because I write all my songs with the thought that one day there will be vocals -- so I intentionally leave them a little thin. But in all the years I've been doing this for hobby it's never happened so I should probably rethink that...
    Marty81 wrote: »
    Why were you asking me about metal guitar VSTs up above when it looks like you've got a perfectly serviceable real guitar? I think you're going to get better sounding stuff if you play the parts live on a real instrument.

    I can play a couple power chords, but that's it. I don't get a lot of enjoyment from playing guitar -- honestly, I really would just rather use keyboards and have less gear.

  • metaghostmetaghost An intriguing odor A delicate touchRegistered User regular
    Marty81 wrote: »
    I recorded a few weird originals last month and just finished mixing them. Any time taken to listen is appreciated. :)


    Down on the Hillcrest - You've got a nice voice and this is a nice chill song, but it felt a little repetitive at parts during the long instrumental break.
    Pink and Orange Socks - Oooh, this has a nice pick-me-up tempo and vibe after the last one, and never feels boring from start to end. I really dig this one. Are those real drums?
    Snake Mix - Also a good tune, but doesn't stand out to me as much as the previous song on a first listen.

    Your music really reminds me of a band, probably from the 60's or 70's, in a good way, but I'm having a hard time remembering the name. If I think of it I'll come back and edit.

    The vocals sound on Hillcrest sound a bit like John Wetton, and the song as a whole has a bit of a "King Crimson ballad" vibe to it. The other tracks maybe remind you a bit of Love?

  • Space PickleSpace Pickle Registered User regular
    edited March 2018
    br6p88wib1b8.jpg
    Marty81 wrote: »
    Rothgarr wrote: »
    Wrote a new song. I never created a video for any of my tunes before, but this time I made one after the kids went to sleep. Here's the song/video in all it's goofiness:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXFhV6QSmp4

    Nice! Well done. The only criticism I have is I was hoping for a little more in the breakdown at 1:55, like a new little higher-pitched synth part. It looks like you're a pretty good keyboard drummer. Why were you asking me about metal guitar VSTs up above when it looks like you've got a perfectly serviceable real guitar? I think you're going to get better sounding stuff if you play the parts live on a real instrument.
    I recorded a few weird originals last month and just finished mixing them. Any time taken to listen is appreciated. :)


    Down on the Hillcrest - You've got a nice voice and this is a nice chill song, but it felt a little repetitive at parts during the long instrumental break.
    Pink and Orange Socks - Oooh, this has a nice pick-me-up tempo and vibe after the last one, and never feels boring from start to end. I really dig this one. Are those real drums?
    Snake Mix - Also a good tune, but doesn't stand out to me as much as the previous song on a first listen.

    Your music really reminds me of a band, probably from the 60's or 70's, in a good way, but I'm having a hard time remembering the name. If I think of it I'll come back and edit.

    Yep, real drums. This was the most beat-up, crappy kit I've ever seen but we got it sounding OK in the end (I've attached a picture for you to laugh at). Also, not my voice, it was the drummer who decided to make up some lyrics and sing. :)

    Thanks again for listening!

    Space Pickle on
  • SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    I don't know what any of this music stuff is, but I just wanted to say I'm happy ya'll are pretty active in here! It's great to see!

  • Marty81Marty81 Registered User regular
    evocurio wrote: »
    Hullo.

    This was a fun piece written for a hard-boiled character. Enjoy, and thanks for the listen!


    Neat, I get a Phoenix Wright investigation-phase vibe out of this one.
    hemmelight wrote: »
    Hey, duders. Been a few months, I kinda forgot about this thread. :?

    I really like 'One With Everything', @evocurio! Not sure if you've answered this in another post, but what are you using for your string sounds on that?

    Here's a quick thing I did just for practice. Only using the stock Logic string sounds (not the new Studio Strings in 10.4, my Macbook is too old to upgrade, sadly) and a basic Hall IR for reverb. Please excuse some weird MIDI notes. Just wanted to see if I could push something out real quick. :)


    Those strings aren't bad, especially for stock sounds! They could use some more variation on the high sustains (can you add vibrato with the mod wheel or something?) but I think they're quite serviceable.

    evocurio wrote: »
    Hola. Dropping by with a new track I did over Global Game Jam 2018 for what essentially boils down to a beatmania/guitar hero game. The narrative is themed after "one with everything," and the sounds were chosen to reflect as such. Enjoy :)


    I really like the Middle Eastern vibe on this one, although the percussion at the beginning could use some more variation (it sounds like the same sample played over and over again) and I think the EQ is a bit off - there's too much low end.

  • hemmelighthemmelight Registered User regular
    @Rothgarr and @Marty81: Thanks for listening. :)

    The stock Logic strings (EXS24 based ones) are a bit weird to work with; in that the louder the velocity, the more vibrato is applied. Not sure if you can control vibrato with the mod wheel. I'll do some further work on it anyway, as I like the idea so far!

  • Space PickleSpace Pickle Registered User regular
    While we're at it, here's a tune I wrote and recorded last spring but took a long time to get mixed. It's pop.

  • KhavallKhavall British ColumbiaRegistered User regular
    Allright, I had some weird audio issues in the video, but my new system is up and running.

    Basically it's an extension of the thing I was working on a few months ago. The idea is that it takes in the emotional dimensions of Valence(aka Pleasantness), Arousal(aka Energy), and Tension(aka.... uh.... tension). It then is constantly generating music that (hopefully) matches the dimensions.

    For some reason when I record it it adds in the weird gurgly stutters, but those don't actually happen. It might be some sort of sample rate.. thing going on with OBS, especially since the synthesizer is just built right into Unity.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u_khAq0700&feature=youtu.be

    There's still a lot of tweaking to do with it, but it's starting to come together and, you know, work?

    It is specifically not trying to do any sort of melodic generation, instead it's focused on being able to create constant music based on the incoming affect. It doesn't even really do phrases or anything yet, because I'm still trying to figure out how to balance the need for reactivity and longitudinal sense.

    The big differences in this system compared to others to is that it's a: Incredibly, almost hilariously lightweight. The idea is that once it's "good enough" that tweaking the music isn't the main thing I need to focus on, I'll be able to basically make it a plug-in and just plop it into a game, send the emotion values as though it's an FMOD file or whatever, and it'll pipe out music without causing any lag.
    b: Its version of music theory is sort of a scattershot collection of heuristics and probabilities rather than a set of rules. I found that most systems that try to generate towards affect will be really strict about "Well if the valence is low then ONLY MINOR CHORDS with SEVENTHS AND NINTHS" which, like, isn't really how music works? This one instead will go "Eh, the valence is low so if I have a chance, I'll probably move towards scales that are minor or diminished, but only as far as it would make sense"

  • hemmelighthemmelight Registered User regular
    edited March 2018
    Here's a real dumb thing I made, trying to sound like a 90's platformer 'end-of-level' reward screen. Thanks Apple for your massive sound effects library - this is my first attempt at manipulating an audio file to make the 'coins' sound. :P

    hemmelight on
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