hey folks
Please check this out, since we watched a little of The Bob Moog movie, i thought i would share this nice link from one of the panels at Moogfest. Also if you have an ipad or an iphone be sure to check out Animoog, which is really a nice synth for IOS, apparently it also works on blackberry too
http://www.moogmusic.com/products/Apps
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Three Pillars of Sound Design: Bringing the Thunder
“There ain’t half been some clever bastards.” -Ian Dury The epigraph to Designing Sound.
Designing Sound, by Andy Farnell, is an extremely detailed analysis of sound design, the components of sound, and of how sound waves interact within the environment. Looking into this Pandora’s box, dedicated to sound design within the Pure Data language environment, opens myriad doors of deep, complex, and detailed information. The first door of this vast book opens to, the Three Pillars of Sound Design.
The first pillar is the Physical phenomenon of sound. These are the physical “vibrations within materials that involve an exchange of energy. These are subjects of mechanics, material dynamics, oscillators, and acoustics.”
The second pillar is Mathematical. Mathematics are an essential part for understanding how digital computers can be used to mimic real-world dynamic. Algorithms and equations concerning mass, distance, energy etc, are used to to determine certain parameters for coding various sounds by Andy Farnell in his examples.
Finally, the third pillar is the Psychological. Since sound is a human sense, how we interpret and perceive sound is integral to the design process. The subjective nature of psychoacoustics cannot dictate the coding of digital sound but it must be observed to attain a satisfactory result.
These three pillars support the process of design and the technique of sound design.
Shaping sound requires a process of deconstruction, analysis of its physical basis, and our experience of them. The Three Pillars guides our digital coding into sounds with the desired meaning and intention.
I want to share a Pd file for Thunder, from the book, as an example of the Three Pillars at work, and as somewhere to start with effects for Dr. Faustus.
Designing Sound, by Andy Farnell, is an extremely detailed analysis of sound design, the components of sound, and of how sound waves interact within the environment. Looking into this Pandora’s box, dedicated to sound design within the Pure Data language environment, opens myriad doors of deep, complex, and detailed information. The first door of this vast book opens to, the Three Pillars of Sound Design.
The first pillar is the Physical phenomenon of sound. These are the physical “vibrations within materials that involve an exchange of energy. These are subjects of mechanics, material dynamics, oscillators, and acoustics.”
The second pillar is Mathematical. Mathematics are an essential part for understanding how digital computers can be used to mimic real-world dynamic. Algorithms and equations concerning mass, distance, energy etc, are used to to determine certain parameters for coding various sounds by Andy Farnell in his examples.
Finally, the third pillar is the Psychological. Since sound is a human sense, how we interpret and perceive sound is integral to the design process. The subjective nature of psychoacoustics cannot dictate the coding of digital sound but it must be observed to attain a satisfactory result.
These three pillars support the process of design and the technique of sound design.
Shaping sound requires a process of deconstruction, analysis of its physical basis, and our experience of them. The Three Pillars guides our digital coding into sounds with the desired meaning and intention.
I want to share a Pd file for Thunder, from the book, as an example of the Three Pillars at work, and as somewhere to start with effects for Dr. Faustus.
Max and Cecilia
I've been messing around with Max (since I stole that textbook) and I'm really loving the program. So far, I've only done really basic code stuff, but that's not what I'm excited about. Coming from Pd, Max felt like a breath of fresh air. The UI is so clean and the organization of objects is painless. Even the creation of new "lines" and objects is simplified thanks to the auto-fill program (like in NetBeans or multiple other IDEs; it can really spoil you). Again, I've only done simple stuff so far, but it all felt so easy compared to Pd where I felt I would've been struggling. I think I'm going to stick with Max.
As for the Cecilia stuff, I have two things. The first one is a manipulated version of the loop "Glitch Ambience" I made. It didn't really turn out the way I wanted (the first version I made crashed before I could save it), but I'm still happy I was able to get something out of it. I built up the Intensity grains in Cecilia to get that chaotic sound near the end (although I wish it could've been a bit messier). I also had the Depth oscillate to make it sound like the song was just leaving and then it immediately comes back. I also added a Phaser, Harmonizer and Dead Resonance. I think those complimented the sound of the swinging really well, and the glitches and water sounds already sounded ghostly and messed up enough.
The next Cecilia project is actually my favorite. I didn't do much; just meddled with the default "StochGrain" in Cecilia, but I think it turned out really pretty. Not much thought went into manipulating the sound, I just changed it depending on whether I liked it or not. I did add Delay and Distortion, though.
As for the Cecilia stuff, I have two things. The first one is a manipulated version of the loop "Glitch Ambience" I made. It didn't really turn out the way I wanted (the first version I made crashed before I could save it), but I'm still happy I was able to get something out of it. I built up the Intensity grains in Cecilia to get that chaotic sound near the end (although I wish it could've been a bit messier). I also had the Depth oscillate to make it sound like the song was just leaving and then it immediately comes back. I also added a Phaser, Harmonizer and Dead Resonance. I think those complimented the sound of the swinging really well, and the glitches and water sounds already sounded ghostly and messed up enough.
The next Cecilia project is actually my favorite. I didn't do much; just meddled with the default "StochGrain" in Cecilia, but I think it turned out really pretty. Not much thought went into manipulating the sound, I just changed it depending on whether I liked it or not. I did add Delay and Distortion, though.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
My reading
The fundamentals
of sound design was not overlooked in “Electronic Music and Sound Design”. This
book starts from the bottom with basics by helping you understand the sound
design/Max language. This industry standard software can be a complex language
of sound design at first. The book had a couple of glossaries to make sure that
the dialogue used throughout the book was understood. What I really appreciate
is how Alessandro and Maurizio covered the principles and practice of digital
synthesis. I didn’t know much about it but now have a better understanding because
the writing was clear. I’ve only gotten through the chapter on synthesis. I chose
to explore this chapter because I know I will used a lot of these principles
and tips for our production play. I am not worried about learning the software
(max), I am more concerned with why I’m actually using it as my sound design
tool.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Reply to Queen - The Making Of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' [Greatest Video Hits 1]
o
Doodling can be a spark to your sound. Felt the
same way about the producer playing the piano like a drummer.
o
Quick precision keys was a element Freddy
Mercury used often. There’s is a lot of depth and it was place with precision.
This had to make the tune and harmony difficult. Choir was used more as a
instrument to work with the depth of sound.
o
Design scheme was similar to the Beatles but
their track was more complex so the were able to take things further with the
better available technology. For example the “bells effect”.
Pierre Schaeffer and Acoustomatic Sound in film.
Pierre Schaeffer was a French composer and theoretician. In 1942 he became involved with a studio that was responsible for the first radio broadcasts in liberated Paris. From there he began experimenting with radiophonic techniques. In addition to being influenced by the techniques of radio broadcasting, he was also guided by cinema, the techniques of recording, and montage. These became the basis of musique concréte, for which Schaeffer is credited for developing.
Musique concréte, as Patrick mentioned in class, is a form of electroacoustic music. A form of music that is derived of sounds from voices, instruments in addition to electronic synthesizers and/or any recorded sound.
Another principle element of musique concréte is acoustomatic sound. Acoustomatic sound, as defined by Pierre Schaffer in 1966, refers to a sound that one hears without seeing the causes behind it. This a very common practice in film and is used in two different ways. One way is to allow a viewer to see the image that will emanate the sound as the sound is gradually revealed. This process can also be reversed. You hear the sound and then its source becomes revealed. In both cases sound and source become identified with each other, or “acousmatized”. The second method veils the source of a sound for a prolonged period of time which creates tension and a disorienting effect; the image is “de-acousmatized”. The French film sound theorist Michel Chion wrote that “the opposition between visualised and acousmatic provides a basis for the fundamental audiovisual notion of offscreen space".
These concepts seem almost obvious to us now as we have been effected by them in practically every movie we have ever seen. But as we take them for granted its important to realize that while cinema and sound recording technologies developed in the early twentieth century these were ground breaking concepts. The notion of acoustomatic sound may be helpful to us as we begin designing sounds for Dr. Faustus.
Musique concréte, as Patrick mentioned in class, is a form of electroacoustic music. A form of music that is derived of sounds from voices, instruments in addition to electronic synthesizers and/or any recorded sound.
Another principle element of musique concréte is acoustomatic sound. Acoustomatic sound, as defined by Pierre Schaffer in 1966, refers to a sound that one hears without seeing the causes behind it. This a very common practice in film and is used in two different ways. One way is to allow a viewer to see the image that will emanate the sound as the sound is gradually revealed. This process can also be reversed. You hear the sound and then its source becomes revealed. In both cases sound and source become identified with each other, or “acousmatized”. The second method veils the source of a sound for a prolonged period of time which creates tension and a disorienting effect; the image is “de-acousmatized”. The French film sound theorist Michel Chion wrote that “the opposition between visualised and acousmatic provides a basis for the fundamental audiovisual notion of offscreen space".
These concepts seem almost obvious to us now as we have been effected by them in practically every movie we have ever seen. But as we take them for granted its important to realize that while cinema and sound recording technologies developed in the early twentieth century these were ground breaking concepts. The notion of acoustomatic sound may be helpful to us as we begin designing sounds for Dr. Faustus.
Granular Synthesis
I wanted to take a look at granular synthesis; mostly because I didn't really understand what it meant. The relatively small amount of research I ended up doing really did help me rap my head around the concept.
From what I could understand, granular synthesis is a sort of small-scale synthesis. It tries find the smallest inkling of a sound and manipulate it (like a grain, as we talked about in class). The idea behind it seems to be taking the whole idea of sound and breaking it up to its bare components. In doing so, you're able to form completely new audio from the ground up. There's a huge amount of customization to be had; customization that is limited simply by one's own patience and understanding.
There's a debate regarding where the idea of granular synthesis came from. It's widely claimed that Dennis Gabor was the father of granular synthesis, due to his research leading to the conceptualization of the subject. However, a man named Iannis Xenakis played an equally important role as he was the one who developed said concept. He proposed that all sounds are building blocks; elementary pieces put into place to create a complex whole. That seems obvious to us now, but it was most likely a very different way of seeing the aural world at the time.
It's said that Curtis Roads was the first to utilize a granular synthesis engine.
All of this is intriguing to me. Obviously because I'm learning it for the first time, but also because I never really did see sound as a bunch of bits and pieces. I always saw it as an instrument and technique to be perfected rather than an architectural form. I can't say I'm a big fan of what I've embedded above, but I think it is a great showcase for that raw form. Not sure if granular synthesis is the simplest way to get the sound I want to achieve, but it certainly helps me understand those sounds a bit better.
From what I could understand, granular synthesis is a sort of small-scale synthesis. It tries find the smallest inkling of a sound and manipulate it (like a grain, as we talked about in class). The idea behind it seems to be taking the whole idea of sound and breaking it up to its bare components. In doing so, you're able to form completely new audio from the ground up. There's a huge amount of customization to be had; customization that is limited simply by one's own patience and understanding.
There's a debate regarding where the idea of granular synthesis came from. It's widely claimed that Dennis Gabor was the father of granular synthesis, due to his research leading to the conceptualization of the subject. However, a man named Iannis Xenakis played an equally important role as he was the one who developed said concept. He proposed that all sounds are building blocks; elementary pieces put into place to create a complex whole. That seems obvious to us now, but it was most likely a very different way of seeing the aural world at the time.
It's said that Curtis Roads was the first to utilize a granular synthesis engine.
All of this is intriguing to me. Obviously because I'm learning it for the first time, but also because I never really did see sound as a bunch of bits and pieces. I always saw it as an instrument and technique to be perfected rather than an architectural form. I can't say I'm a big fan of what I've embedded above, but I think it is a great showcase for that raw form. Not sure if granular synthesis is the simplest way to get the sound I want to achieve, but it certainly helps me understand those sounds a bit better.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Ubu.com=Time Evaporator
Ubu.com is a serious distraction and overwhelming with the vast amount of content. I used the sound page of Terry Riley as a point of entry into this amazing resource.
Terry Riley is an minimalist classical composer and my first introduction to him came from his piece In C. I later learned that he made use of synthesizers and tape loops as well. Now thanks to ubu.com I can listen to his "remix" of a Junior Wells song from 1965.
" 'Bird of Paradise' is an early example of "plunderphonics," with heavy R&B soul jams, pop tunes, classical music, and who knows what else cut and looped with noise and effects, making them nearly unrecognizable by playing with different speeds and sonorities. Riley made something truly original. When it can be found, the groove itself becomes infectious, but just as it does, it is transformed into something else."
Another musician I searched for was Sun Ra. He is one of my jazz staples and I have always found his music to be fascinating. What is important for us is that he was one of the first, not only jazz musicians, but musicians to use synthesizers. Most notably the Moog synthesizer. He is a pioneer of music who is worth checking out. There are some documentaries of him that are great introductions if you have some time to check it out.
Terry Riley is an minimalist classical composer and my first introduction to him came from his piece In C. I later learned that he made use of synthesizers and tape loops as well. Now thanks to ubu.com I can listen to his "remix" of a Junior Wells song from 1965.
" 'Bird of Paradise' is an early example of "plunderphonics," with heavy R&B soul jams, pop tunes, classical music, and who knows what else cut and looped with noise and effects, making them nearly unrecognizable by playing with different speeds and sonorities. Riley made something truly original. When it can be found, the groove itself becomes infectious, but just as it does, it is transformed into something else."
Another musician I searched for was Sun Ra. He is one of my jazz staples and I have always found his music to be fascinating. What is important for us is that he was one of the first, not only jazz musicians, but musicians to use synthesizers. Most notably the Moog synthesizer. He is a pioneer of music who is worth checking out. There are some documentaries of him that are great introductions if you have some time to check it out.
Loop Comments
Loop Comments: This is a general comment to everyone( and for myself). I wish that you all had posted a little more information about your loops. For instance, what processing you may have used after collecting them from Freesounds, if any of the samples were taken from your own collection, and maybe an idea of how many samples you used. It will be nice to have a view into your individual processes, even if it was accidental experimentation, in making the loops, and having that information will allow the sounds we create easier to critique.
Having said that I was impressed with everyone's output. We all seemed to have at least one loop that had a dark and edgy mood to it. This bodes well for our project Dr. Faustus.
Angelo-
Loop 1 has a modern art museum piece feel. I liked, what sounded to me like the voice of a Sifu guiding students through a martial arts drill being looped. For me, the space age sound was contrasting too much with the “drill sargent”. But again, that is just me. It was my favorite of your loops. Loop 2 brought a new age tribal sound into the mix. Your samples complemented each other and sounded natural looped together. Loop 3 brings out the Girltalk. This would be a nice intro to song with a positive message/ party theme.
Darius-
Your first loop has a dark contemplative mood. And although it never reaches silence this loop makes use of hushed moments to make a statement. Loop 2 feels like the sound of concentrated aggression even though the tempo is moderate. This could be used as a soundtrack for a scene of a boxer getting psyched up for a bout. I say that because the bell sample sounds like it’s from a boxing ring. I find that both these loops are two sides of the same coin in that they create similar tense moods from different angles.
Kevin-
“Bassier Beat” sounds claustrophobic(in a good way) and has a lot of bottled up energy. I can hear some faint voices buried underneath and that adds to the overriding mood I feel from listening to it. “Glitch Ambiance” has a Múm feel to it. The toy piano, snap crackle pop sound mixed with the burbling background works well. Having just recently flown in and out of Copenhagen, I enjoyed the surprise ending. “Dark” is just that, dark. The gradual building up of the sounds adds heightened tension to the loop.
Having said that I was impressed with everyone's output. We all seemed to have at least one loop that had a dark and edgy mood to it. This bodes well for our project Dr. Faustus.
Angelo-
Loop 1 has a modern art museum piece feel. I liked, what sounded to me like the voice of a Sifu guiding students through a martial arts drill being looped. For me, the space age sound was contrasting too much with the “drill sargent”. But again, that is just me. It was my favorite of your loops. Loop 2 brought a new age tribal sound into the mix. Your samples complemented each other and sounded natural looped together. Loop 3 brings out the Girltalk. This would be a nice intro to song with a positive message/ party theme.
Darius-
Your first loop has a dark contemplative mood. And although it never reaches silence this loop makes use of hushed moments to make a statement. Loop 2 feels like the sound of concentrated aggression even though the tempo is moderate. This could be used as a soundtrack for a scene of a boxer getting psyched up for a bout. I say that because the bell sample sounds like it’s from a boxing ring. I find that both these loops are two sides of the same coin in that they create similar tense moods from different angles.
Kevin-
“Bassier Beat” sounds claustrophobic(in a good way) and has a lot of bottled up energy. I can hear some faint voices buried underneath and that adds to the overriding mood I feel from listening to it. “Glitch Ambiance” has a Múm feel to it. The toy piano, snap crackle pop sound mixed with the burbling background works well. Having just recently flown in and out of Copenhagen, I enjoyed the surprise ending. “Dark” is just that, dark. The gradual building up of the sounds adds heightened tension to the loop.
COMMENTS ON CLASSMATES LOOPS and UBUweb
Angelo — The Sounds you collected fit well
together in loops 1 and 2. Each loop had a mysterious feel to them. I can see
Loop 2 being used in a commercial advertising perfume with an Indian influence.
Loop 3 has a happy feel to it. Loop 3 has a higher tempo relative to the first
two loops. The vocals used throughout your loops definitely creates an
emotional mood that is recognizable.
Muzak II (user624352967) — Your first
loop has a musical feel. I feel as if you are a fan of dubstep and musical
rhythm. If this is true, you did a nice job with having a versatile collection
of sounds. However, I would have liked to hear more sounds in loop 2 and 3. I
could only catch about three or four sound distinctions in “Dark”. Loop 2 was
best to me because it didn’t have any recognizable sound other than the vocals.
TDoughty — I like how you handle the
beginnings and ends of your loops by being selective with what is the first or
last sound you hear. For example the ocean sound in “Ocean Chains”. Wish you
would have left the names of your loops untitled. Giving them names limits your
audience interpretation. With the titles there, my mind wonder to the subject
of the sound and I lose the mysteriousness of the sound because I already have
a sense of it before I listen to it. The second loop had a few nice transitions
to stir up the mood and felling. Improvising by adding the two tones instead of
using cords was creative and they worked cohesively.
SOUND
DESIGNERS FROM UBUWEB
Dj Food
from ubuweb, caught my attention just by the name. It was surprising to hear
how well his sound was put together. It makes me wonder what makes a “sound
designer” a sound designer. Are Djs more of sound designers or producers? Is their
much of a difference? I’m asking questions be cause I honestly don’t know but
wonder about these things. His pop edgy sounds like a typical Dj but he showed
attention to detail by combining sounds and artists a normal djs wound think
about integrating.
Monday, August 26, 2013
pd Floss Manual- Building a Simple Synthesizer
I know we are getting entrenched into Cecilia now, but I wanted to mention that the FLOSS Manual for pd is very informative. The Simple Synth tutorial helps to demystify pd and break down the main components of a synthesizer. Oscillators, frequency modulation, amplitude, filters, etc.
Power of Sonics - Pt. 2
Our job was to find loops from freesound.org and create and process a newly compiled loop from it. Here are mine:
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Gloom Loops
These are my first stabs into integrating very simple pd patches with some "freesounds", my own field recordings, and some basic effects( phaser, echo, amplify, fade, tempo change) in Audacity.
Ocean Chains uses clips from Freesounds. The ocean waves file was run through the Grain patch in pd and is playing under the waves, this accounts for the echoing bits. I processed the moans with the vocoder in pd as well.
Horizon Chant has a vocoder processed sound clip from the Firesign Theatre, followed by a piano fill with its grained partner playing under it. The rest are loops of beats and Aleister Crowley chanting some goobledy-gook. Under that I have two tones recorded from the mini-moog. Since I couldn't play a chord I recorded two tones and ran them together. More Freesounds.
Frog Moog Wind uses some of my field recordings of California frogs that have been put through the vocoder, again. I also used the moog for this one.
Ocean Chains uses clips from Freesounds. The ocean waves file was run through the Grain patch in pd and is playing under the waves, this accounts for the echoing bits. I processed the moans with the vocoder in pd as well.
Horizon Chant has a vocoder processed sound clip from the Firesign Theatre, followed by a piano fill with its grained partner playing under it. The rest are loops of beats and Aleister Crowley chanting some goobledy-gook. Under that I have two tones recorded from the mini-moog. Since I couldn't play a chord I recorded two tones and ran them together. More Freesounds.
Frog Moog Wind uses some of my field recordings of California frogs that have been put through the vocoder, again. I also used the moog for this one.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Power of Sonics
Mirrors - Justin Timberlake
Instantly, a very open electronic fanfare captivates me and introduces the song. The grittiness of the synths are well tamed through the way the stereo space is used and this just pulls me right into the song by setting up, aurally, the environment and atmosphere that the music takes place in. The going back and forth between acoustic/electric instruments (Xylophone, Strings, Electric Guitar) and synths between verse and chorus, respectively, keeps my momentum and interest of the song fresh by recreating each soundscape at each transition. The transition into the extended outro brings a lot of consonance and makes me feel like this story is coming to a close, but then brings me into a bridge-esque scenery with chanting vocals, delicate piano playing lounge-style lines that begs for nostalgia, with support of the bass. The vocal layering used gives Justin's voice an amazing choral tint that just makes me want to join the choir. The lyrics are quite heavy, almost bringing me to tears upon seeing how the visuals played along with it in its music video. This serenade quickly makes me miss my girl just by the thoroughness and how relatable the story is. A very well-produced and written song.
Instantly, a very open electronic fanfare captivates me and introduces the song. The grittiness of the synths are well tamed through the way the stereo space is used and this just pulls me right into the song by setting up, aurally, the environment and atmosphere that the music takes place in. The going back and forth between acoustic/electric instruments (Xylophone, Strings, Electric Guitar) and synths between verse and chorus, respectively, keeps my momentum and interest of the song fresh by recreating each soundscape at each transition. The transition into the extended outro brings a lot of consonance and makes me feel like this story is coming to a close, but then brings me into a bridge-esque scenery with chanting vocals, delicate piano playing lounge-style lines that begs for nostalgia, with support of the bass. The vocal layering used gives Justin's voice an amazing choral tint that just makes me want to join the choir. The lyrics are quite heavy, almost bringing me to tears upon seeing how the visuals played along with it in its music video. This serenade quickly makes me miss my girl just by the thoroughness and how relatable the story is. A very well-produced and written song.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Muzak
Off the top of my head, I can list four groups that I've been listening to a lot recently. It's kinda mixed, and I'm gonna to start out with the easier ones:
Now, Now
These guys are awesome. It's just a three-piece, but they make a lot of sound for such a small number. Overall, they convey a very ethereal quality with their stuff. The angelic vocals really give off a sort of sadness and nostalgia for something that isn't quite clear. Most of the tracks on the album end up being really mellow and soothing, while still retaining a sense of darkness. But the more poppy tracks like "Prehistoric" and "Threads" really kick you out of that melancholic stupor.
Shakey Graves
I just found this guy and think his style is pretty cool. It's nothing mind-blowing; very folky and very lo-fi. However, there's so much energy in his work, and the sort of old-timey intonation to his voice make the tracks feel like your listening to some sort of rustic, bluegrass tune. And then there's "Business Lunch". I really can't stop listening to this track. The gravelly bass voice makes it feel like some old railroad song, but the softer hums and arpeggios give it a modern, indie feel. I feel conflicted. But it's so easy to tap your feet to the slight electronic beat and near nonsensical lyrics that you don't think about it too much.
Death Grips
Shakey Graves
I just found this guy and think his style is pretty cool. It's nothing mind-blowing; very folky and very lo-fi. However, there's so much energy in his work, and the sort of old-timey intonation to his voice make the tracks feel like your listening to some sort of rustic, bluegrass tune. And then there's "Business Lunch". I really can't stop listening to this track. The gravelly bass voice makes it feel like some old railroad song, but the softer hums and arpeggios give it a modern, indie feel. I feel conflicted. But it's so easy to tap your feet to the slight electronic beat and near nonsensical lyrics that you don't think about it too much.
Death Grips
Okay, now it gets weird. Death Grips is, plain and simple, a great hip-hop/rap duo (could be trio now; not sure). The album starts with my favorite track on the album, "Get Got", which I feel adequately represents the work as a whole. It's scary. I mean, not at first. Surprisingly, the songs can be really catchy and fist-pumpingly mad. It's when you really look into the album that it starts revealing all of its little secrets. The sirens in "Fever (Aye Aye)". The revelations in "I've Seen Footage". All over, the production is manic and slightly over the top, but never repetitive. The same could be said about the vocals. They're really hard to get past (they're not unlike an angry hobo screaming into your ear), but when you do and you realize what this guy's saying, the album really kicks you in the teeth. You start feeling the very schizophrenia the front man keeps yelling about, but you can't stop banging your head.
Deafheaven
Deafheaven
Deafheaven can be a bit difficult to get into. Maybe not as difficult as Death Grips, but they're very different. They sort of take shoe-gaze rock and black metal and try to meld them together. If you know what those genres are, you probably understand how difficult that might be. But something about this album works for me. I think the vocal tracks can be a bit long, but their pacing isn't unearned. When the album ratchets up, it really blows your hair back. And while the dichotomy of black metal and post rock can be a bit weird, it works fairly often. Really, though, it's the instrumentals that get to me. "Windows" is amazing, and there aren't really any lyrics; just a recording of what seems to be a drug deal and a preacher going on about God. But the layer of synths and piano really add this layer of mystery that just make me want to study the track. Or just sit back and listen to the story unfold, whatever that may be.
So, that's what I've been digging recently. Give it a listen.
So, that's what I've been digging recently. Give it a listen.
Feeling the sound
https://soundcloud.com/araabmuzik/araab-muzik-streetz-tonight
As a Hip-Hop/Rap fan I connect with this instrumental because of its tempo and percussion sounds. It feels more upbeat than the average Hip-Hop/Rap sound. There are a few changes that occur in tempo and slight changes in sound uses to change the feel of the track. Anything more upbeat should normally make me want to be active and have my blood pumping but the sounds used by the producer are relaxing to me. Primarily the soft spoken sample of the woman you hear. The producer designed the sample to feel dreamy. This adds a balance to the up tempo sound without the sample of her the sound would make me feel more energetic and excitement. At "1.11secs" into the songs the mood switches from dreamy to more electric with the increase tempo of percussion and the less dreamy effects to the voice sample. this is when the track sounds completely like Rave music and loses it Hip-Hop/Electronica Hybrid feel.
Darius
As a Hip-Hop/Rap fan I connect with this instrumental because of its tempo and percussion sounds. It feels more upbeat than the average Hip-Hop/Rap sound. There are a few changes that occur in tempo and slight changes in sound uses to change the feel of the track. Anything more upbeat should normally make me want to be active and have my blood pumping but the sounds used by the producer are relaxing to me. Primarily the soft spoken sample of the woman you hear. The producer designed the sample to feel dreamy. This adds a balance to the up tempo sound without the sample of her the sound would make me feel more energetic and excitement. At "1.11secs" into the songs the mood switches from dreamy to more electric with the increase tempo of percussion and the less dreamy effects to the voice sample. this is when the track sounds completely like Rave music and loses it Hip-Hop/Electronica Hybrid feel.
Darius
CAN
I love it when people bring up "krautrock" groups of which Can is one of my favorite. The Future Days and Ege Bamyasi are prog-rock masterpieces with of course Mr. Damo Suzuki singing.
Music: Staples and Tendencies
Like many folks, the music that I trend towards adjusts with the rhythm of the day. Currently, I find myself choosing Thelonious Monk, Pluramon, Tom Zé, and Jacaszek.
Thelonious swings with elastic introspection. I can’t think of anyone else who can elicit a meditative bounce using minimal notes than he can. T.M. is one of the main jazz staples for me.
If I am in a processing or grinding out mode I have been selecting Pluramon’s Render Bandits, which is/was a German group performing post-prog rock/ IDM with heavy dub-like bass and glitch and electronic treatments thrown in. It’s like Nabukazu Takemura remixing Can.
I like intimate classical music( soloists and quartets) and the trend of some composers to integrate ambient treatments into chamber music. Jacaszek, from Poland, is my current favorite among these composers. He could have composed the soundtrack to any Andrei Tarkovsky movie.
My wife is Brazilian, so I also listen to a lot of Brazilian music. Tom Zé is a genius-trickster. He turned samba on its head by giving it a post-modern look in the mirror.
Thelonious swings with elastic introspection. I can’t think of anyone else who can elicit a meditative bounce using minimal notes than he can. T.M. is one of the main jazz staples for me.
If I am in a processing or grinding out mode I have been selecting Pluramon’s Render Bandits, which is/was a German group performing post-prog rock/ IDM with heavy dub-like bass and glitch and electronic treatments thrown in. It’s like Nabukazu Takemura remixing Can.
I like intimate classical music( soloists and quartets) and the trend of some composers to integrate ambient treatments into chamber music. Jacaszek, from Poland, is my current favorite among these composers. He could have composed the soundtrack to any Andrei Tarkovsky movie.
My wife is Brazilian, so I also listen to a lot of Brazilian music. Tom Zé is a genius-trickster. He turned samba on its head by giving it a post-modern look in the mirror.
Please find the links to the software i mentioned below. We will use them to get familiar with some basic elements of sound before we move onto Ableton, Reaktor and Supercollider for Sound Design.
Please install them and bring your laptops to class and we will go over some very basics to get familiar with Types of waveforms, Oscillators, and ways to create sounds with simple functions. Also please tell me what you are listening to and what you are into right now so i may get to know what you are into musically.
http://puredata.info/downloads
http://cycling74.com/downloads/
Please install them and bring your laptops to class and we will go over some very basics to get familiar with Types of waveforms, Oscillators, and ways to create sounds with simple functions. Also please tell me what you are listening to and what you are into right now so i may get to know what you are into musically.
http://puredata.info/downloads
http://cycling74.com/downloads/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)