WEEK 2: LDT

The Diabolical Plans of Monseiur Diabolical


Tempo 80 BPM

LDT: Novation Bass Station, Novation XioSynth, Yamaha AN200, Sherman Filter Bank, Zoom MRS8, assembled with Sound Forge and Acid Pro

WEEK 2: LDT [Update]

Diabolical Structures

The "framework" I pieced together from the supplied samples to act as some sort of guide collapsed last night under the weight of my frustration. A frustration usually reserved for dealing with all things Microsoft. The sort of frustration that might result in Grover-like arm waving and screaming. In any event at about 10:30 pm I simply gave up in dispair.



















This evening I attacked the situation from a different direction. Instead of using the framework I began with laying down various drum tracks at 40, 80 and 160 BPM. I used my Yamaha AN200 and ran it through the Sherman Filter Bank and the results mirrored the sound of last nights frustration. I recorded five tracks of this, setting the Sherman on full blast for complete sonic destruction of the drum loops.



















Once I'd expended all myself with this process I'd managed to create an unlistenable assault of squashed beats and shrill frequencies that proved to be as totally useless as my ill fated framework.

So.... I loaded up a blank project and began again using the Novation Bass Station and the AN200 as a MIDI slave.



















And lo, it came to pass that my Muse, Space Walk Shirely herself stopped by and granted me a little idea that just might do the trick.

WEEK 2: LDT [Render 02]

Contributions Contributed

Now I have received plenty of samples and the process begins of trimming and arranging things into some sort of framework upon which I can hang some sort of final idea. I now also remember why I enjoy playing and recording over the tedious effort of dragging and dropping samples and loops.

The MP3 posted today is an assembly of some of the various parts, some of which have been messed with extensively in Sound Forge. What you hear doesn't include a signal beep or bump produced by me, its all either Eric or Darren. I have transfered this same track from a Wav format rendering to the Zoom format and have uploaded it into my MRS8 where upon I will begin the process of further editing and recording various additional bits and bobs.

I will keep you posted on the results if and when they happen.

WEEK 2: LDT [Render 01]

LDT: Escape Traveler Guitar with Roland GK2 pick-up, Boss WP-20G Wave Processor (pads), Yamaha AN200 (drums), assembled in Acid Pro and Sound Forge

Eric sent me quite a few samples to play with. One batch consisted of some voice things, and the other some guitar sounds. Once I had downloaded them I took them straight into Acid Pro without any normalization or tweaking in Sound Forge. I arranged them in a grid with various parts coming in and out then looked for some drums that were recorded at 80 BPM. I found three tracks I recorded recently for something else and dropped those in to the song for a basic start. I also pulled two pads from the same source that were created with the Boss WP-20G Wave Processor and added those. Then I began to arrange and tighten up what was there. I doubled one of Eric's guitar tracks and dropped its pitch by an octave. I also dropped both of the Wave Processor pads by an octave. One drum bit was recorded at 160 BPM so I dropped that by an octave and brought the beats down to 80 per minute. At that point I added volume envelopes to mix what was there.

The intent of this first render is not to influence Darren's contributions or even give any sort of idea of how the final result will sound. This process which is sort of standard for me is to organize in my mind what is there, and to provide something to listen over the course of the next day or so on my iPod. Normally I would listen to the first render for a week or two before going at it more however in this case 24 hours will have to do. Once I've received Darren's parts I will add them to the sonic stew, mix and let simmer until I have absorbed it enough to add what is needed to finish it off.

WEEK 2: S o n i c b r a t [contributor]

Tempo: 80 Bpm
Key: D

Samples created on KORG Triton ST88, GlitchedDrums created using a church bell sample and gunshot sample, glitched using Reaktor 5; normal drums created using Reaktor 5 Grooveboxes... I've kept it dry and uneffected so that LDT may chop it up and screw up my samples as he like... All yours, LDT.

WEEK 2: Eric [contributor]

Tempo is 80BPM
Samples are not top high quality (I still have to work this out ;-)

WEEK 2: LDT [Introduction]

Some Thoughts on Sample Based Music

I first began using Acid Pro as a system of music making in 2000 about six months

after leaving Canada. At the time my only other instrument was an acoustic guitar that I'd bought in my travels. Acid Pro gave me the ability to paste in small pieces of sound or music and build complex sequences. Originally I used the loops that were provided with Acid Pro and would mess with them as much as possible in order to make them my own. Later I began to record my own loops using various software synths. As I began to acquire more hardware and I moved away from doing music with looped samples. I began to use Acid Pro exclusively as a means of mixing tracks that I'd recorded on my small digital eight track recorder and rendering a final mix in Wav format to be tweaked and mastered in Sound Forge.

The use of samples (to be provided by Eric and Darren) to create a track is in some ways a return to the roots of my computer based recording process. I have yet to hear what exactly they will send me and I have no idea whether I will use their loops exclusively, add more of my own or if I will throw in some tracks recorded on my digital eight track. I will however post at least two versions of what will come as a way of showing the process in some greater detail.

For my week as the featured artist I have requested that the others provide tracks with a BPM count of 80 BPM in the key of D. Look for their contributions over the next several days and my efforts to follow on Thursday and Saturday.

LDT

WEEK 1: s o n i c b r a t

MECHANICAL DREAM



PLEASE LISTEN WITH A HEADPHONES FOR FULL EFFECTS...

Gears used: Doepfer A-100 modular system; Juno-106; KORG Triton ST88
Softwares: Plogue Bidule; Reaktor 5
Samples: Provided by LDT and Eric (refer to previous posts)

A glitchy experimental electronic IDM piece... well, I tried many versions and somehow the samples provided by LDT and Eric seem to work best this way.

All drums are glitched and spliced on Reaktor 5 using the drum samples LDT provided, no other drums were used... eq and ring mod applied. Ambient sounds are created by really really screwing up LDT's synth sounds and Eric's distorting (clipping) guitar samples, thereby creating loops of the clicky buzzy background.

I added some mild sound designs using KORG Triton, glitching Doepfer A-100 sound samples I've created using Reaktor 5 and using a little of Plogue Bidule for additional synthesis. At the end, I added a bass tone using JUNO-106 to juice it up a little... that's it.

See if you can spot the original samples. Not for easy ears, be warned...

WEEK 1: s o n i c b r a t [First Impression]

As the musician of the week, I have received all samples contributions from Eric and LDT and I am excited about cutting a track out from these samples plus my own input. I actually like the clipping and imperfections in Eric's tracks which were accidentally recorded as such. I think it gives a fuzzy unstable feel to it. LDT's drums and eerie tones are inspiring for me. I don't know what I will be coming up with, but stay tune as I work on the track, which will be posted up by this weekend. I've some ideas, but I won't know how they turn out till they are materialized. Till next update...

WEEK 1: Eric [contributor]

Tempo is 100BPM but some loop clips have been recorded with another length
Key is A

These are my first contributions to the Phase II for SonicBrat.
Alas, there are digital clipping in some of the audio samples (PROTECT YOUR LOUDSPEAKER !). I didn't hear them when I was recording under AmbiLoop, strange ...

WEEK 1: LDT [contributor]

Sample contributions by LDT:
Yamaha AN200, Zoom MRS8, normalized in Sound Forge.



Tempo: 100bpm
Key: A

All samples uploaded created by and copyright of LDT.

COMMONTONES PHASE II

Three musicians...
Three minds...
One song...

A weekly affair between the trio. Their first music making effort as an entity rather than solitude contributions. They will be working on a single piece weekly, a song a week, for the entire month of July. This is their next step, something they had in mind for a long time... and finally materializing. This is only the beginning.

PHASE DESCRIPTION:

In PHASE II, one musician will be appointed the "musician of the week" at the beginning of each week. This renders the other two "contributors". At the beginning of each week, the "contributors" will provide short audio samples of their own creations, anything goes (sounds, guitar, synth, etc), uploading to COMMONTONES. The "musician of the week" will collect these samples, and over the course of the week, compose and arrange a piece with the samples, plus his own input. The song will be uploaded here at the end of each week in the month.

This makes three songs, in three weeks, with the trio taking turns to be the "musician of the week". In the final week (week 4), all three will be contributing at the beginning of the week, and all three will be cutting a track from all the samples provided. Rendering three songs by the end of the week and loading them up on COMMONTONES. At the end of the project, there will be 6 songs in total.

Please join us in this journey of creating music on cyber-space.

--------------------------------------------------------------
PHASE SCHEDULE:

WEEK 1:
Musician of the week - Sonicbrat
Contributors - Eric, LDT

WEEK 2:
Musician of the week - LDT
Contributors - Eric, Sonicbrat

WEEK 3:
Musician of the week - Eric
Contributors - LDT, Sonicbrat

WEEK 4:
Musicians of the week - ALL
Contributors - ALL

DAY 31: s o n i c b r a t

"NOTHINGNESS"


Tempo: NA
Colour: Black

Humbucker, Alesis Ineko, Roland XP10, an antique bell, faulty connections and cables.

Looking back at the 31 days, it's been such a journey... A song a day. Sounds crazy but we did it. Thank you Eric and LDT.

DAY 31 : Eric

This is the last day.
Phase 1 over.

Thanx for listening.

DAY 31: LDT

"My Ghost Sits Here"


Tempo: 80 bpm
Color : which ever you like

LDT: Novation XioSynth, Electro Harmonix LPB 2ube, Zoom MRS8, assembled in Sound Forge and Acid Pro. Feel free to comment.

DAY 30 : Eric

Tempo : 118
Color : blue LED



I finally managed to use my Monome as a note sequencer thanx to the MonoChrome VST plugin in FL-Studio host.
It's nice but not all that I dreamt.

DAY 30: s o n i c b r a t

"REVISITING"


Surging deeper and deeper
Lost in an abyss of eternity
Can you hear my silent cry?

Tempo: 70 Bpm
Colour: Shadowy

KORG Triton ST88. A simple song today... short but reflective of my mood. Feel free to comment.

DAY 30: LDT

"Last River"


Tempo : 40 bpm
color: some

LDT: Novation XioSynth, Electro Harmonix LPB 2ube, Zoom MRS8, assembled in Sound Forge and Acid Pro. Feel free to comment.

DAY 30 : Eric

Tempo : unknown
Color : neon red

Loose improvizations. I apologize for the false notes and the bad sound. It was taken with my Olympus voice recorder, it seems that I put it too close to the amp speaker.
It seems that Sonic and I both have the envy of taking the axe ;-)

Anyway I like this kind of bad sound sometimes...

DAY 29: s o n i c b r a t

"STASIS"


As I sat there alone
And people passing by in slow motion
The tug, the change of decision, the look
The hide, the disappointment, the sting
Seemed amplified ten-fold...I'll take it all in
Alone...

Tempo: NA
Colour: Nothingness

Humbucker, Alesis Ineko, Reaktor 5 and some sound designs... It's a noisy droney clicky track, I didn't have enough time to touch it up, so as is... It's been a ride, a few more days to go.