tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42250607951892603352024-02-19T18:34:09.674-08:00Curious Inversions<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/us/88x31.png"/></a>Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-31864489517031242582017-01-03T09:56:00.001-08:002017-01-03T09:56:20.379-08:00Apologies...but I am, alas, moving this to Facebook, where I am more likely to actually keep things up to date.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/curiousinversions">Meet me there</a>, if you do not fear the evil empire.<br /><br />Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-13110745886076950042015-12-13T17:45:00.001-08:002015-12-14T05:40:33.634-08:00Stone on StoneI've completed the next installment in the journey of Curious Inversions. ...It ended up 12 tracks, at about 55 minutes of music. And even if I do say so myself, it's something special: delicate and textured. Cover art is never an easy thing to settle, but at the moment, I'm planning on using a photo that's cc-by-nc licensed <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/teamcu29">from a Flickr user</a>. ...I'm satisfied with how it looks, but we'll see.<br />
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Now we're at the part where you sit on the album for several months before anyone can hear it. I am told "sometime next year" is what we're looking at (on <a href="http://kahvi.org/">Kahvi</a>). ...that's the downside of releasing through a label. And, yes, I realize I could self-publish, but the meager "reach" that Curious Inversions gets via netlabels would be profoundly smaller if it were just my own music on, say, Soundcloud, and then I would have to deal with download restrictions and the like. So it goes.<br />
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I'm actually moderately proud of this album, though, so the wait will be a long one for me!</div>
Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-14647690868697266392015-11-30T06:46:00.000-08:002015-12-14T05:50:27.547-08:00Updates<h2>
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Another Release</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwg5OxfI-0ZNV61jI9HxRImv1fbjtujBvuQqCzFvvdMYzbUpZl9IymYoUdBlF-tl4pcVSlz2lh1TjV19etPbDcAiSN9eiCZZYFcoz6n8jDXOw5GH24nSoa-QQ5AnTVnF-G2JfvlBXZtvA/s1600/sd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwg5OxfI-0ZNV61jI9HxRImv1fbjtujBvuQqCzFvvdMYzbUpZl9IymYoUdBlF-tl4pcVSlz2lh1TjV19etPbDcAiSN9eiCZZYFcoz6n8jDXOw5GH24nSoa-QQ5AnTVnF-G2JfvlBXZtvA/s1600/sd.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely cover by <a href="http://www.m-azing.nl/">Mario Smit</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.kahvi.org/releases.php?release_number=358" style="font-weight: normal;">Standard Deviations</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> was released a while ago on Kahvi Collective. Two albums from one artist on one netlabel in a year!? Is that even <i>possible</i>?! So it seems.</span><br />
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Work in Progress</h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm currently working on another album. I am not sure where this album will land, label-wise. I'm currently checking out a few new netlabels, and talking to the folks at Kahvi about it (though it's a bit ridiculous to release three albums in a year at one site). </span><br />
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Musical Direction</h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Part of me hates to admit this, as I've resisted it from the start, but: I am inching closer and closer toward an "analog" sound. I've long tried to keep Curious Inversions (and Introspective before it) more digital than analog. But... that is where I'm headed, for better or worse. I prefer the sound, now: it has grown on me over the years. You'll still hear some digital aspects in my music (you can have my PPG Wave when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers), but by and large: it's mostly (virtual) analog, now. VA is getting quite good, ITB!</span><br />
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Speaking of Gear...</h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Yes, Curious Inversions is still produced entirely ITB. I own an Ultranova (which I virtually stole in a blowout sale at $200—how could I not?), but ATM it's sitting beside my desk, unused even as a controller. I'm producing almost all of my music these days (from Schoolyard Crows on) with an Ableton Push... which I quite like. (Particularly now that you can use the strip as a modwheel, and the aftertouch isn't so... touchy!)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeCAxzCVgosvOglOhMgqMTdlDOVRH3UeY-2DAIWtTk5Tes4iZSjO5RI0I_Np06wEQqFUgnLlaCI8iSPa4CPxbXnZnWRrmpQmi2URFs0H-JxWIMoxQlnOqAHR282ujThofnJ25m2MI6RMe/s1600/bz.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeCAxzCVgosvOglOhMgqMTdlDOVRH3UeY-2DAIWtTk5Tes4iZSjO5RI0I_Np06wEQqFUgnLlaCI8iSPa4CPxbXnZnWRrmpQmi2URFs0H-JxWIMoxQlnOqAHR282ujThofnJ25m2MI6RMe/s320/bz.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;">In terms of synths, I have been converging quite distinctly on U-he synths. ...with a few inclusions: I quite like the sound of Monark and (when I'm feeling digital again) Prism. And, as mentioned, I'll never stop using Wave 3.V, even if it means keeping around a dedicated PC for it. :) Diva, Zebra (Dark Horse preferred) and Bazille make up 80% of the synths I'm using these days. I pull up Serum now and again (particularly for a drum synth, at which it </span><i style="font-weight: normal;">excels</i><span style="font-weight: normal;">), and of course you will hear from Omnisphere and Trilian. Too much money sunk into those to ignore them. ;) But that's about it, now. Noticeably absent of late are Absynth, Massive, ElectraX, D-CAM (though I was impressed with Strobe 2), and Largo. In the end, U-he's stuff is more stable, more flexible, easier to use, and [gasp] sounds better. I have many "seed" sounds left to use from each of those synths, so you will continue to hear them in the future, but not for bread-and-butter.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwX6RZQpy7wZ4yPXaAmOebcs3FWijMXnDFXtvDXsZrW0H1gCil8jMyPDm8MTbLkTkuGsX13nnMRMmM4FxHS4gigPKPx6IFRjjeSWJUD64MunBodnDYhUGdTfG0Mg1aGCNAb0HvpU5b8X-/s1600/sd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwX6RZQpy7wZ4yPXaAmOebcs3FWijMXnDFXtvDXsZrW0H1gCil8jMyPDm8MTbLkTkuGsX13nnMRMmM4FxHS4gigPKPx6IFRjjeSWJUD64MunBodnDYhUGdTfG0Mg1aGCNAb0HvpU5b8X-/s400/sd.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Drums are almost entirely handled, now, by the <i>brilliant</i> <a href="http://www.wavealchemy.co.uk/synth-drums/pid100/">Wave Alchemy Synth Drums</a> package. I haven't found a need for anything else, since installing that (though you will hear remnants of other attempts in this latest album, you won't hear any more, going forward.) I bought and enjoyed several other packages (including Spark), but, in the end, they lost out to the modular-analog sounds. They are <i>lovely. </i>The only exception here is the aforementioned Serum, which I use to liven up some snares on occasion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">My effects haven't changed: I'm still relying heavily on Timeless, Saturn, Aether, and the built-in effects of Live and the synths. I'm fooling around with Molekular and Guitar Rig, but I haven't been overly impressed so far. [shrug]</span></div>
Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-29351436604751763732015-04-18T06:07:00.002-07:002015-04-18T06:10:53.855-07:00Schoolyard Crows<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7CmdKE0qsgkCPvXRS2KJrTf_nML_MDwpDvFMFn6RL3dZ5aR-hgl-eQ8ooVlkB2Pfb0mAz9SJIhLyQHqsQSJ_KLQw10rVt8yvYXDaIanu8sw8q4aoXFY3vDqBcuFSQGMCKyKi-r5SRHYL/s1600/cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7CmdKE0qsgkCPvXRS2KJrTf_nML_MDwpDvFMFn6RL3dZ5aR-hgl-eQ8ooVlkB2Pfb0mAz9SJIhLyQHqsQSJ_KLQw10rVt8yvYXDaIanu8sw8q4aoXFY3vDqBcuFSQGMCKyKi-r5SRHYL/s1600/cover-art.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>In case you missed it, I (finally) released a new album called <a href="http://kahvi.org/releases.php?release_number=353">Schoolyard Crows</a> over at Kahvi. (And, note: I did the album artwork myself, on a Cintiq with Photoshop CS.)<br />
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This was a bit of a whirlwind album. ...I'd had a handful of tracks that I was <i>kinda</i> saving for an album, and then Nik (of Kahvi) asked me for a single track to release as part of their <a href="http://www.kahvi.org/releases.php?release_number=351">Christmas package</a>. (...which I did; you'll find the track "Thread on the Water" there, it's not bad.)<br />
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That motivated me to do more work... I ended up almost completely re-writing the tracks I'd had waiting around, and I quickly added a series of new tracks. ...And I continued to add tracks to the release between the time when Nik said "yup, I'll release this" and when it was finally pushed. :) ...Interestingly, I actually think those last-minute tracks are some of the best on the album.<br />
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Anyway, this was produced with quite a different set of tools than listed below. It was a combination of Maschine, Omnisphere, Trilian, Diva, D-CAM, and Electra 2 for the most part, with effects almost entirely handled by Timeless, Pro-C, Saturn, and 2CAudio Aether (and Live's built-in limiter). For hardware, it was almost <i>entirely </i>done on an Ableton Push, which I quite like, modulo a few quirks (which should be addressed with the next release of Live, so I'm holding on). ...I do own a Novation Ultranova at this point (I couldn't afford the Virus that I wanted--money has been tight), and a Maschine Mikro, but they saw limited use on this album as controllers; I didn't use the Ultranova as a sound-source at all.<br />
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I am moderately pleased with the results, now that a few months have passed since finishing the album. It's a bit busier than I envisioned, and shortly before release, I realized how HEAVY the bass was on the whole thing (I master with Sennheisers, and they are <i>so clear</i> in the bass that I didn't notice the problem). ...I'll watch that from now on.<br />
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I've also written some "easy" Berlin School, which you can grab over at <a href="https://soundcloud.com/jrice">Soundcloud</a>, but I can't promise it will stay up forever. Those tracks were just an exercise is writing music for the sake of writing music... I wasn't really going back and editing anything, I was just letting it flow in pseudo-realtime. They are listenable tracks, but would need serious work for professional release.<br />
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I <i>have</i> started work on another album, but only just. ...I need a little more time to digest Schoolyard Crows and think about where I'm headed, musically.<br />
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But not another five years. :DJeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-48101278726454930852012-06-27T10:19:00.000-07:002012-06-29T15:07:02.691-07:00Why Are You So Petrified of Silence?Yes, yes, I've been silent. But not idle. Not at all. So here's an update.<br />
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My music is in a state of metamorphosis. I'm... <i>playing</i> a lot. In the background. Recording a little, but nothing worth posting (I have much to learn). My style is changing, becoming much more rhythmic. In fact, I've been using my Alesis Control Pad almost as often as my ReMote. I think this is born of a change in listening habits: Hybrid, Max Cooper, Booka Shade, Boris Brejcha, Deru, Yimino, Thom Yorke, Trentemøller... and a relative increase in spins for old friends like Vibrasphere, Sasha's stranger side projects, Massive Attack, and Aes Dana. And, yes, I still listen to an uncomfortable amount of Nine Inch Nails. ...he's just got such an acute sense of rhythm, tonality, mood and texture. He's brilliant. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. :)<br />
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And now for the abjectly gear-headed update:<br />
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I've <i>slowly</i> acquired a few additional synths in the past few years; namely <b>U-he Diva</b> and <b>Tone2 ElextraX</b>... and those two have changed the way I think about music, really: they have helped attract me to purity of sound instead of adding a bajillion layers to make things interesting. They're both beautiful, in their own way. But I'll go into that in another post. I <i>will</i> add that I've narrowed my overall pool of synths as a result: those two plus <b>Omnisphere </b>(for which I recently <a href="http://www.kvraudio.com/product/omnisphere-by-spectrasonics/reviews/3676">wrote a review</a>), <b>Absynth</b>, and <b>D-CAM</b>. Yes, of course, I occasionally reach for <b>Komplete</b> or <b>Largo</b> for the occasional <i>click</i>, <i>boom</i>, <i>klang</i>, or <i>tinkle</i>... but rarely, now.<br />
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I've also been spending quite a lot of time at the local hardware stores... and I've decided that hardware <i>does</i> sound better. ...But I suspect much of that (not all) has to do with better D/A than comes standard on my iMac, so I'm planning on "upgrading" my D/A ... in the form of a <b>Virus TI Snow</b>. Yes, yes, I could have gone with an Ultranova, but I figure the sound of the Virus (which I am quite fond of--I used to own one, sort of) would be worth twice the price. ...I also hear the D/A is better on the Virus. Go figure. Yes, I'm selling out and joining the ranks of the Virus-lovers.<br />
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I also need (heh: "need") to pick up a <b>Korg Wavedrum</b> to assist in the percussive, rhythmic department. But beyond that, there is only one more thing on my Christmas list. A secret weapon, even: something to further turn my software into hardware (to a degree). ...I'm choosing not to mention it, even. :D<br />
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Of course, I am presently--as I have long been--<i>very</i> poor. ...But without going into the messy specifics of the problem (which would just piss me off anyway): my budget should slowly start crawling out of the abyss at the end of this year. So the expansion of the studio, barring any serendipitous boons or frustrating travesties, shall begin in 2013. ...apocalypse notwithstanding.<br />
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I am rather excited about music, though. That's a safe assertion.<br />
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"Watch this space," as they say.Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-63623138551472304252011-10-04T15:16:00.000-07:002011-10-04T15:16:55.408-07:00GrowthMy. It's been so long since I've posted here that Blogger has changed entirely since my last visit.<br />
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I've not been ignoring music... I am quietly honing skills, synths, and patch-libraries behind the scenes. In the news: I updated Largo from 1.0 to 1.5 (it's<b> awesome</b>), I bought Gladiator (it's quite good), and I bought Sylenth1 (also awesome). I ditched Morphine and SynthMaster. And I've spent a whole lot of time re-learning my scales (useful) and organizing/editing my patches.<br />
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For now, that's all. No music written, really, other than the equivalent of "thumbnail sketches" (of which I've done quite a bit). But it sure feels like music is coming.Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-53739224414303410212011-01-27T12:56:00.001-08:002011-01-27T12:56:10.498-08:00Keyboard TrackingOn synths where the keys light up as they're being played, you can't see the "black" keys being pressed clearly (if at all).<br />
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...Why don't synth makers <i>lighten</i> the dark keys the same way they darken the light keys?<br />
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[shakes head]Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-30953543017954912922011-01-22T12:11:00.000-08:002011-01-22T12:11:04.230-08:00My Studio, January 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYupAC7bcE_Nlx_1bpqA1tj1bYNmI55DcY6OSXRbDB02bkZ-c2jCoEJmi_p1N7-mIomBqQ0fZKvtpBAQeUGw_t11bNTvj2KuwGC-hsx_aQp4bAl5vvcytHROA5b_th4o0QHqj16TOnnJJJ/s1600/Absynth.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYupAC7bcE_Nlx_1bpqA1tj1bYNmI55DcY6OSXRbDB02bkZ-c2jCoEJmi_p1N7-mIomBqQ0fZKvtpBAQeUGw_t11bNTvj2KuwGC-hsx_aQp4bAl5vvcytHROA5b_th4o0QHqj16TOnnJJJ/s320/Absynth.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div>...Obviously, this doesn't include Ableton Live, nor the effects that I use (mostly just Ambience, the Blue Tubes reverb, and Live's built-in effects).</div><div><br />
</div><div>And, honestly, I have not been impressed with SynthMaster. It keeps crashing on me and refuses to render its audio, sometimes. :\ I may abandon it and write it off as a loss.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Synths I'm thinking about picking up right now are ChronoX and Drumaxx. Nothing else, at the moment. I think after getting those two, I'll be heading toward the world of hardware synths.</div>Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-40806034069302063542011-01-12T13:13:00.000-08:002011-01-12T13:13:57.498-08:00Yeah, I was bitten by the Synth bug again.So, yeah. I made it a few years without being struck by synth-lust... but here we are again.<br />
<br />
I realize now, though, that hardware synths aren't so much about the sounds. Between Omnisphere, Surge, Massive, Absynth, FM8, and Predator*... there really isn't much sonic territory beyond my capabilities. And I love them all dearly.<br />
<br />
But they are not hardware synths.<br />
<br />
After much consideration, I decided that hardware isn't about the sounds, really: the sounds might be marginally better than a soft-synth, but my level of skill with sound--though I consider it well-trained--is not to the point where I can tell if a track was made with a $2000 Access Virus or with Rob Papen's $200 Predator, barring the "signature" sounds and presets of each. It seems silly to me to spend ten times as much for perhaps a 5% improvement in sound quality. And I prefer the interface on soft synths: I can get a sound out much faster.<br />
<br />
But softsynths, while attractive on-screen, lack something in charisma that only hardware can provide.<br />
<br />
And though the ReMOTE 49SL has a really nice keyboard... the knobs kinda suck, and the LCD feedback isn't quite as useful or cool as I'd hoped it would be. And it's lacking a bit in... sex. I guess I'm just not fond of that grey grid look over the interface.<br />
<br />
There's also a small but non-neglible sense of "collecting" involved with synths. A greater sense of ownership. ...of identity, even.<br />
<br />
Plus they look awesome. And they're fun.<br />
<br />
Fun is a key concept when looking for what synths to invest in. Perhaps better, though, is the idea of enjoyability. How much would you enjoy owning a given synth? ...Balance that against cost, and you might find that while an Roland Jupiter 8 might be a joy to own, for 1/16th the cost, a Korg Radias--perhaps less enjoyable to own--is a much bigger bang for your buck.<br />
<br />
So that's what I'm looking for. Enjoyable synths. For reasonable prices.<br />
<br />
Of course, as usual, this is all an exercise in futility for me, since my synth budget right now is around $50 a month, and I have a few more soft-synths to buy** before I'm satiated there.<br />
<br />
Still, a large part of the fun here is thinking about it. And though it may be three years before I buy my first piece of gear, I'm enjoying the process of thinking about it. Quite a bit. :)<br />
<br />
Which synths would you say brought you the most joy to own?<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">* For the record, I also presently own SynthMaster 2, Stylus RMX, Morphine, and MicroTonic. And I like/use them all, too. Just meant to emphasize the synths with which the sonic palate expands.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">** Largo, Drumaxx, ChronoX, and an update for my aging version of Absynth. Maybe Albino, Zebra, and Gladiator. Not sure.</span>Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-21432770101512652952010-11-02T08:07:00.000-07:002010-11-02T08:07:00.163-07:00Vision Take Two<ul><li><b>Novation</b> controllers, because they are the best controllers available for reasonable money.</li>
<li><b>Blue</b> microphones, because they are elegant, functional, and unique.</li>
<li><b>M-Audio</b> monitors and interfaces, because they're cheap and they work.</li>
<li><b>Spectrasonics</b> synths, because they sound better than anything else, and are really flexible.</li>
<li><b>Tone2</b> filters, because they sound better than any others, and the software has a superb interface.</li>
<li><b>Massive</b>, because it's got one of the best interfaces to modulation I've seen, combined with a huge, wavetabliciously digital sound.</li>
<li><b>Vember Surge</b>, because I love it: the WT sound, the interface, the modulations, the "I'm digital, now deal with it" attitude.</li>
<li><b>Audjoo Helix</b>, because it sounds awesome, uses WTs, and takes so little CPU.</li>
<li><b>Rapture</b>, because of it's uniquely digital sound.</li>
<li><b>MicroTonic</b>, because it sounds great doing the "electronic percussion" thing.</li>
<li><b>Drumaxx</b>, because it sounds great doing the physically-modeled percussion thing.</li>
<li><b>Ableton Live</b>, because it has a great workflow, decent mastering tools, and an elegant interface.</li>
</ul><div>...This "plan" will be setting aside some truly incredible synths, some of which I already own, but... I like the message this setup sends, I love the sounds, and I think this will be enough to keep me inspired for a long time.</div>Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-73956166451890320162010-11-01T17:50:00.000-07:002010-11-01T17:50:13.636-07:00MessagesI made a post on a Synthtopia article where I mentioned, loosely, that we don't buy synths because of the sounds they make, but because of the message they send just by using them. This is a combination of the state of mind they put us in to use, the "type" of sound they make and how that influences our music, and, of course, directly in how we "advertise" the synths we use.<br />
<br />
I started wondering about the "message" of the synths I was touting in the last post... and even about the synths I'm presently using. And keeping that in mind, I'm (once again) not sure I like the selection of synths I've come to. :)<br />
<br />
Synths that tell a clearer story of who I am are... mostly wavetable synths like Massive, Surge, Helix, and Rapture... but also the kind of "fringe-awesome" synths like Rhino, Zebra, and Blue. I also think there are some synths who's sound lends itself to the updated-Berlin-school sound that I'm looking for: Predator and Albino 3 leap to mind. And for drums, Microtonic and Drumaxx speak my language pretty loudly.<br />
<br />
There are other synths that I don't "mind" the message much: Omnisphere is incredible (if a bit over-inflated), RMX similarly works because of its electronica slant. FM8, Morphine, and Absynth aren't quite my "bag" in terms of lining up perfectly, but they're not too far off-target, either.<br />
<br />
The whole of Komplete, though, kind of rubs me the wrong way. It's massive in a bad way. Hmmmn. Perhaps I need to spend some time thinking about my message. :)Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-58970175411981028092010-10-28T09:10:00.000-07:002010-11-01T12:00:44.556-07:00Studio UpdateHere's what I want my music-production studio to look like (bold means I don't own it yet):<br /><ul><li>ReMote (controller 1)</li><li><b>LaunchPad</b> (controller 2)</li><li>iMac (computer)</li><li>Studiophile DX4 (monitors)</li><li>HD555 (headphones)</li><li>Blue Yeti (mic)</li><li><b>Ableton Live</b> (mixer) [I am stuck at version 6, want to upgrade]</li><li><b>Snapper</b> (editor)</li><li>Omnisphere (rompler 1, modular 1)</li><li><b>Surge</b> (wavetable 1)</li><li><b>Komplete</b> (wavetable 2, fm, effects, modular 2, rompler 2)</li><li>Rapture (digital)</li><li>Morphine (additive)</li><li><b>Helix</b> (wavetable 3. Hey... I <i>love</i> WTs!)</li><li>Stylus RMX (drum loops)</li><li>MicroTonic (synth drums 1)</li><li><b>Drumaxx</b> (synth drums 2)</li><li><b>FabFilter Creative Package</b> (analog sound 1, delay/phase/flange/filter)</li><li>Predator (analog sound 2)</li><li><b>Albino </b>(hybrid sound)</li><li><b>Zebra</b> (modular 3)</li></ul><div>...So the "elegant" solution here is a concept of <i>patronage</i>. I like and support and use hardware from <b>Apple</b>, <b>Novation</b>, <b>M-Audio,</b> <b>Sennheiser,</b> <b>Blue</b>; and software from <b>Spectrasonics</b>, <b>Native Instruments</b>, <b>FabFilter</b><b>, </b>and to a lesser extent, <b>Image Line;</b> and three of my favorite synth developers: <b>Claes Johanson</b>, <b>René Ceballos</b>, <b>Magnus Lindström,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Urs Heckman,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Rob Papen</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">*</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">. ...and quite possibly </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Jonas Norbergs</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">, though it's a little early to say. :)</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">It's also worth mentioning that I'm clearly trying to be "a software guy". I love Access, Elektron and Waldorf hardware, but I cannot justify the cost for it, since this is only a hobby for me. :)</span></b></div><div><b></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I won't be getting all of the products from all of these sources, of course. I don't need everything. But these are the ones I watch, the ones I support, and the ones whose stuff I use most (and most proudly).</div><div><br /><br /></div><div>So there.</div>Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-87085770770982901282009-06-21T08:54:00.000-07:002009-06-21T08:54:09.311-07:00I *Actually* Bought SomethingI've been having a conversation with <a href="http://sayersweb.com/music/">Sayer</a> in email, lately. I found his site while looking for shots of stuios (gear porn, anyone?), and he had a <i>fascinating</i> story to go with his pictures, so I emailed him to thank him for posting it. It's definitely entertaining, I recommend it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, we got to talking, and he mentioned that he'd found a deal at Noa Musik (gone now) where you could buy NI's "Synths" package for the price of a single synth. This includes Massive, FM8, Absynth, and Pro-53. ...Obviously, this was <i>way</i> too valuable to pass up, so I bought one.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I bought this for Massive. Since the reviews I wrote (back a few posts), I've done many, many hours of research on probably a hundred different synths, and Massive keeps coming up in the top three. A few days before, I had decided that Massive and Surge overlapped too much to bother with both, so I was going to get Surge, since I liked the interface a little better, and it seemed to nail the classic synth sounds a little better.<br />
<br />
...But getting FM8 for free was a deal-breaker. FM8 just has some really amazingly-clear bell sounds, nice synth stabs, and smooth pads. ...Plus some great effects.<br />
<br />
Having Absynth added also made me re-evaluate it. I maintain that it sounds a little thin and plasticy. But it is incredibly flexible, and there's an insane depth to it. ...Part of the reason I'd avoided it: either you jump in head-first, or you pass on it. Now I have an excuse to jump. :) I'm happy to have this, despite my reservations.<br />
<br />
Pro-53? Meh. It can't compete with Predator, period. I haven't even bothered installing it, truth be told. Maybe someday when I'm bored, I'll cycle through the presets, port them to Predator, and get rid of it. :) Something tells me I won't be able to resell it, which is a shame, 'cause I really don't need it. Maybe I'll give it away to someone. [shrug]<br />
<br />
Anyway, this is my first purchase in a <i>really</i> long time, and it was an excellent one. I regret not buying Surge yet... now I might not have to, and that makes me a little sad, 'cause it was a great match for my style and I'd love to support Vember: they're a great little company. And I'm frustrated that I can't upgrade Atmosphere to Omnisphere yet, either... but I think of the three options, this was the best choice.<br />
<br />
...I'm also a little sad that this delays the purchase of Maschine. ...But that's a story for another post. :)Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-25903669072457423902009-06-21T08:37:00.000-07:002009-06-21T08:37:30.682-07:00Keyboard QualityMy son was at a game last night, so I had a couple of hours to kill. I ended up popping into the Albuquerque Guitar Center for some of that time, just to see what they had in stock.<br />
<br />
It was all the "mass market" stuff, mostly workstation synths. I was hoping they would have a Radias, but no dice.<br />
<br />
What I have to post about, though, is just how awful the keyboard quality was. Lately, I've been getting more and more disappointed in my KeyStation Pro 88's feel... it just isn't nearly as satisfying as my old Yamaha EX5.<br />
<br />
Only the Motif keyboards were acceptable to me, and even the synth-action model was pretty crappy. Of course, the Motif I liked was $3500, which is a bit more than I'm willing to pay for a nice keyboard and AWM synthesis.<br />
<br />
Worst offender of the bunch were the Rolands, particularly the Juno, which reminded me of Will Smith in MIB: "I feel like I'm gunna break this damn thing!" (For the record, it sounded okay.)<br />
<br />
Okay, actually, the Korg MicroX was pretty barftastic, too, but you kinda expect that from a mini-keyboard. ...It was a big step down from the MicroKorg, though.<br />
<br />
<br />
There was one weighted keyboard (I forget which, I think it was a Korg M-series, maybe it was the Fantom) that had a particularly loud, deep "THOK!" everytime you hit a key. Annoying. (Even thought it was a reasonable feel, you could never use one in a studio.)<br />
<br />
<br />
So I went over to the digital pianos. ...They were better. But still not <i>good</i>! I didn't see how anyone accustomed to a half-decent piano could stand playing any of these. Light, plasticy, and a little too fast. ...Fortunately for me, I'm <i>not</i> used to a nice piano, so to my touch, they were a step up from the KeyStation. Still, that's $600 I don't have, and I sure as hell don't need the piano sounds they come with. : )<br />
<br />
Very very disappointing. I can't imagine why keyboard quality is so hard to get right, especially with <b>such</b> nice keyboards just ten years ago from all the major players. Perhaps they are trying to make a feel that's (barely) playable, but feels cheap, so the user will think "at least they didn't waste any more money on the keys, I wouldn't want to pay for that!" Is this market research speaking? Are most buyers ignoring the feel of the keys on synths these days?<br />
<br />
I maintain that a person is far better off buying a vintage synth, if only to use it as a controller for software synths, than buying any of the shitty, over-priced marketing ploys the major synth-makers are shipping these days. For example, you can buy a clean DX7 for $300 and Omnisphere for another $475, and still have $1200 to spend on a kick-ass computer to host it, and you've spent less than you would have on a mid-line Motif, and you've got just about as good a set of sound (better in some cases, but with a little less diversity, maybe). ...And now you've got a classy computer, too. ; )<br />
<br />
/me doesn't get it.Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-82546217640047041132009-06-10T08:05:00.000-07:002009-06-10T09:28:29.712-07:00Great Price-Per-Controller ShootoutLast night I had the totally crazy idea to ask the question: what's the cheapest way to get some synthy knob action going on? Put another way, <b>how do synths rank on a price-per-knob basis?</b><br /><br />Perhaps this has been done before, and if so, it's <i>certainly</i> been done better, 'cause I only spent a few hours last night digging up pictures of the synths, manually counting the controllers, and using my on-going list of E-Bay prices (from early June 2009), which are totally subject to change. ...But here are the results (take them with a huge grain of salt):<br /><br /><ul><li><b>AN200:</b> 18/0+ controllers @ $250 = <b>$13.51/controller</b></li><li><b>APC40:</b> 27/0+ controllers @ $400 = <b>$14.55/controller</b></li><li><b>Andromeda:</b> 73/3+ controllers @ $2300 = <b>$30.07/controller</b></li><li><b>DX200:</b> 18/0+ controllers @ $250 = <b>$13.51/controller</b></li><li><b>DarkStar XP2:</b> 15/3 controllers @ $180 = <b>$10.00/controller</b></li><li><b>EMX-1:</b> 22/0+ controllers @ $350 = <b>$15.56/controller</b></li><li><b>Electribe ES:</b> 10/0 controllers @ $190 = <b>$19.00/controller</b></li><li><b>Indigo:</b> 31/2+ controllers @ $750 = <b>$22.39/controller</b></li><li><b>Ion:</b> 31/3+ controllers @ $500 = <b>$14.49/controller</b></li><li><b>JD-800:</b> 60/2+ controllers @ $550 = <b>$8.80/controller</b></li><li><b>JP-8080:</b> 28/14 controllers @ $500 = <b>$11.00/controller</b></li><li><b>KS-5:</b> 33/2+ controllers @ $450 = <b>$12.68/controller</b></li><li><b>KS-Rack:</b> 33/0 controllers @ $400 = <b>$12.00/controller</b></li><li><b>Karma:</b> 15/2+ controllers @ $500 = <b>$28.57/controller</b></li><li><b>KeyStation Pro 88:</b> 33/2+ controllers @ $260 = <b>$7.32/controller</b></li><li><b>MS2000R:</b> 34/0 controllers @ $340 = <b>$10.00/controller</b></li><li><b>Microwave XT:</b> 46/2 controllers @ $600 = <b>$12.00/controller</b></li><li><b>Mono/Poly:</b> 41/2+ controllers @ $820 = <b>$18.85/controller</b></li><li><b>Nova II XL:</b> 21/2+ controllers @ $850 = <b>$36.17/controller</b></li><li><b>Ohm 64:</b> 29/0+ controllers @ $600 = <b>$20.34/controller</b></li><li><b>PolyEvolver:</b> 67/2+ controllers @ $1600 = <b>$23.02/controller</b></li><li><b>Q-Phoenix:</b> 58/2+ controllers @ $2300 = <b>$38.02/controller</b></li><li><b>Q-Rack:</b> 30/0 controllers @ $800 = <b>$26.00/controller</b></li><li><b>RM1x:</b> 13/0+ controllers @ $200 = <b>$14.81/controller</b></li><li><b>Radias:</b> 40/0 controllers @ $900 = <b>$22.00/controller</b></li><li><b>ReMote Zero:</b> 24/0 controllers @ $230 = <b>$9.00/controller</b></li><li><b>SH-32:</b> 26/0+ controllers @ $225 = <b>$8.49/controller</b></li><li><b>SuperNova (rack):</b> 20/0 controllers @ $560 = <b>$28.00/controller</b></li><li><b>SuperNova II (rack):</b> 28/0 controllers @ $675 = <b>$24.00/controller</b></li><li><b>Supernova (kb):</b> 43/2+ controllers @ $1000 = <b>$21.98/controller</b></li><li><b>Virus A:</b> 32/0 controllers @ $425 = <b>$13.00/controller</b></li><li><b>X-Station:</b> 40/0+ controllers @ $350 = <b>$8.64/controller</b></li><li><b>XL-7:</b> 18/1+ controllers @ $350 = <b>$17.95/controller</b></li><li><b>Z1:</b> 24/4+ controllers @ $480 = <b>$16.84/controller</b></li></ul><br /><br /><b>NOTES:</b><br /><ul><li>The "+" indicates that the box has either a keyboard or pads... kinda-sorta counting this as an extra "controller". I counted it for half a knob. ...Guess I'm biased towards my weighted controller's keyboard! :D</li><li>I counted wheels and ribbons as controllers. X-Y pads and joysticks counted for two (since, really, that's what they are).</li><li>I was really subjective about which boards to include. ...I generally went for the cheapest version that had some non-trivial number of controllers (for example, skipping the Micro-Q, but not going with the "full" Q). There were some exceptions in the cases that I really liked the keyboard version. ; )</li><li>Prices are also somewhat subjective. I really tried to put a value in that represented what I would be willing to pay, given the E-Bay market: I skip the cheapest (don't trust them), and wouldn't bid on the most expensive. ...When there were only a few data-points, though, I took a rough average.</li><li>This may have simply been an exercise to justify the purchase of a JD-800, which I've wanted since it was first released when I was a young lad, and they ran those "what does this button do?" adverts that showed a submarine launching a SAM.</li></ul>...If you have better information on controllers, please comment. If you have better information on prices, please comment. If you have ideas for other synths that should be weighed, measured, and likely found wanting, please comment. True to my geekery, I wrote a program to calculate this, so I can fix things quickly and update this post. :)Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-27802155850163049762009-06-04T08:03:00.000-07:002009-06-04T08:03:53.425-07:00Google SquaredNeat little tool for research. What you do is type attributes at the top, then the names of things you want to look at on the left. It's like a spreadsheet.<br />
<br />
...But it automatically populates the data!<br />
<br />
...You can fill in the cell that are missing, yourself, but for the most part, it's automatic and very cool. <a href="http://www.google.com/squared/table/agAJLwyrBVxKMyN0VFmi-ebA">Here's an example of some synths</a> I'm looking at:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5eIO3FFoFlJkJY7WLU3ExYKw1wNmDIFuXPiUwHdJ_pvQUfdx32cBCZgnyG6_OkARb7jArhcL0Mcq89BDXE3D1xDetNQxdWhzAtuBP9RezJlvuNXCQvd3lSIkZgBHMDINVLv9OvOlwa7Y/s1600-h/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5eIO3FFoFlJkJY7WLU3ExYKw1wNmDIFuXPiUwHdJ_pvQUfdx32cBCZgnyG6_OkARb7jArhcL0Mcq89BDXE3D1xDetNQxdWhzAtuBP9RezJlvuNXCQvd3lSIkZgBHMDINVLv9OvOlwa7Y/s400/Picture+1.png" /></a></div>Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-71144598452097408372009-06-01T20:12:00.000-07:002009-06-01T20:12:30.751-07:00Predator WaveformsPredator's got a bunch of waveforms available for OSC sources. Some of them have reasonable labels, but others are misleading... and other names are just useless. ...I mean, I understand the need to keep things brief to save space, but it's not very helpful for the sound programmer.<br />
<br />
So I spent some quality time with one of my favourite synths, and checked out all of the raw sources, dry, sometimes using a steep filter to check cutoff points and the like, as well as checking out the spectrum using an analyzer... I wish I had an oscilloscope, but don't. Anyway, I doubt any of you care much, but thought I might as well write down my thoughts about the available waveforms in Predator. So, here they are. It's a bit raw, sorry (and not always in order)... there was a whole lot to type. I've bolded the waveforms I think are actually worth using.<br />
<br />
The disclaimers: 1) These are personal thoughts, your mileage (and opinion) may vary. 2) Yes, I know "any sound can be used to good purpose". Such comments will be summarily dismissed. 3) I tend to favor the bright sounds over the LP'ed sounds, simply because they work better with a fast filter, which I tend to use. Of course the LP'ed versions are nice for when you want to use, say, a comb filter or something. See disclaimer (2).<br />
<ul><li><b>triangle</b> is actually quite nice.</li>
<li><b>rez1</b> and rez3 (both fine) are same: a saw w/ extra high organ tones.</li>
<li>rez2 is LP'ed, a bit organish.</li>
<li><b>halfsine</b> is like a soft saw; great... akin to a triangle on other synths. </li>
<li><b>saw</b> is actually kind of thin, compared to saw2.</li>
<li><b>square</b> is very soft, almost bell-like. Nice.</li>
<li><b>sinesaw</b> is a saw w/ more power in the fundamental. Quite usable.</li>
<li>sinesqr is a more typical square (since Predator's square is kind of soft)</li>
<li>sinerez is almost harpsichordy, a hollow ü sound.</li>
<li><b>sawsqr</b> is quite analog. Use it.</li>
<li>sawrez is what I expected from rez... lots of highs. A little annoying, but cuts.</li>
<li><b>sqrrez</b> is the same, but "fuller" ... I like it, use for leads.</li>
<li>wnoise is slightly pink: missing lows.</li>
<li>pnoise isn't very pink. It's LP'ed white, at 5Khz.</li>
<li>harmc1 is a sine!</li>
<li><b>harmc2</b> is great... a low, siney organ, c/ replace sine patches nicely. Pure.</li>
<li><b>harmc3</b> and <b>4</b> are similar, adding new harmonics, of course.</li>
<li><b>saw2</b> is beefier than saw. Preferred. </li>
<li><b>saw3</b> is kinda hollow... w/ go well w/ a square.</li>
<li>saw4 is LP'ed at 4KHz.</li>
<li>saw5 is <i>slightly</i> LP'ed. Kinda digital.</li>
<li>sqr2 is slightyl LP'ed.</li>
<li><b>sqr3</b> is LP'ed <i>and</i> rez'd a bit... very digital, C-64 style.</li>
<li>sqr4 is <i>extremely</i> LowPassed, like 200Hz?</li>
<li><b>sqr5</b> has some extra harmonics, so... a little beefier. Usable.</li>
<li>triang2 is LP'ed.</li>
<li><b>triang3</b> is a frakkin' glockenspiel sample. :)</li>
<li>glass is very thin. Don't like it.</li>
<li><b>hollow</b> is what I expected glass to sound like. <i>Does</i> emphasize some hollow harmonics, though. Buzzy in Bass.</li>
<li>octave is church organ material, but see organ3</li>
<li>overton is... well... buzzy harmonics w/ <i>no</i> Fundamental. I don't like it, but guess it c/b good in chord hits.</li>
<li>rez4 is a nasal buzz.</li>
<li><b>rez5</b> is a full set of harmonics. c/b combined w/ other organ sounds for more tone.</li>
<li><b>digix</b> is a nice LP'ed digital bell sound.</li>
<li>organ1 is pipeorgany. LP'ed version of octave with more beef. The two combine well, minus the phasing that occurs.'</li>
<li>organ2 is more... mid. Like a cheesy icerink organ.</li>
<li><b>organ3</b> is bright.</li>
<li>chorga is a LP'ed version of 3. Not really great, though. :\</li>
<li>whistle is a very high 4th. Not recommended, sounds like a phone tone.</li>
<li>vocal* aren't great, either. Dull PPG sounds. 'o' is recognizable, but not good.<br />
</li>
<li>vox01 is nasal, but potentially usable. An ESQ sound.</li>
<li><b>vox02</b> is a better "ahh", some digital PPG plink to it. Pluckable.</li>
<li>vox03 even more nasal. Brighter.</li>
<li><b>vox04</b> thicker, bass-heavy. Usable.</li>
<li><b>vox05</b> missing bass, but a nice, thin "aah", prolly good for pads.</li>
<li><b>vox06 </b>PPG Bell like.</li>
<li>vox07 Very thin, high, harpsichordy sound. Not great.</li>
<li>vox08 Like 01, w/ more in the mids</li>
<li><b>vox09</b> Nice, velvety nylon sound.</li>
<li>spec01 LP'ed pianoish sound.</li>
<li>spec02 dull digital harpsichord sound (mix with vox07 up an 8ve to prove it)</li>
<li><b>spec03</b> is PPG territory, vaguely organish, but more complex.</li>
<li><i>[from here on out, assume every name starts with "spec". I'll add the prefix to the good ones, to make them stand out more, though.]</i></li>
<li>04 Is a digital nylon sound, slightly nasal. See 26.</li>
<li>05 HP'ed, higher 04. Skip.</li>
<li>06 Seriously LP'ed 04. Maybe for digital basses, but not recommended otherwise.</li>
<li>07 a dull 8ve up square. Skip.</li>
<li>08 LP pluck; skip.</li>
<li>09 Bright digital sound. Usable, but 10 is better.</li>
<li><b>spec10</b> Better! Bigger bass w/o being just LP'ed. Use this.</li>
<li><b>spec11</b> Upright bass sound. A thick sine. Quite usable. Note it creates a strong click when triggered.</li>
<li><b>spec12</b> Another harpsichord sound, usable. Also see 22 if you need bass.</li>
<li>13 HP harpsi... a very old, very small harpsi. :)</li>
<li><b>spec14</b> digital bass pluck. Okay, usable.</li>
<li>15 whistle, but lower.</li>
<li>16 Bass harpsi, kind of an "eee" sound.</li>
<li>17 A clockwork plcuk/bell sound, thin, small. Skip.</li>
<li>18 Loud, bass, hollow sound. Kinda phone-like, too.</li>
<li><b>spec19</b> Very nice bell/grandfather clock tone. not as bright as 31, but more natural.</li>
<li>20 Inharmonic bell tone. Skip.</li>
<li>21 4th. Skip.</li>
<li>22 Bass version of 12.</li>
<li><b>spec23</b> EP/Bell sound.</li>
<li>24 LP'ed bellish. Skip.</li>
<li>25 Thin brass.</li>
<li><b>spec26</b> Nylonish. Like an 8ve down 04 w/ more highs.</li>
<li>27 Sinai-like, but buzzy and insect-like.</li>
<li><b>spec28</b> Fuzzy, saw-like bass. Recommended, esp. for big saw sounds. :)</li>
<li>29 Nasal pluck.</li>
<li>30 FM bell, nasal and skippable.</li>
<li><b>spec31</b> a nice bell tone, brighter than 19 (but more digital because of it)</li>
<li>32 HP'ed skipper.</li>
<li>33 LP'ed bell/sqr. Skip.</li>
<li>34 LP hollow buzzy crap.</li>
<li><b>spec35</b> Lo-fi C-64 saw. Usable in some cases...<br />
</li>
<li>36 Seriously LP'ed 35.</li>
<li><b>spec37</b> Really high saw, also a lo-fi feel. Usable.</li>
<li>38 Slight LP 37.</li>
<li>39 Even higher tones on 37.</li>
<li>40 Very LP 37.</li>
<li>41 Very LP bass saw.</li>
<li>42 Even more LP, even more bass.</li>
<li>43 Even more! Sheesh.</li>
<li>44 LP square.</li>
<li><i>[I got bored here and skipped the notes on ones I didn't like]</i></li>
<li><b>spec52</b> Really bright digital plucked sound</li>
<li><b>spec55</b> Another harpsichord sound. <br />
</li>
<li><b>spec64</b> Digibell-ish.</li>
<li><b>spec65</b> PPGish</li>
</ul>...Well, I hope <i>someone</i> gets some use out of that! ; )Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-34955717053739648842009-06-01T19:27:00.000-07:002009-06-01T19:27:40.802-07:00ReleasesI'm looking for a venue where I can release my music... quickly. Like, on a scale of a few days/weeks, rather than a few months. I'd like to have more of a flow.<br />
<br />
For the moment, I am trying out <a href="http://soundcloud.com/jrice">SoundCloud</a>. I've also tried using <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyRice">Twitter</a>, actually... there's a new bit.ly-style site that handles sound, so I can post tracks as I work on them... and I've gotten to like the silly little TonePad iPhone app, so I can post uploaded codes there, too. :)<br />
<br />
Anyway, if interested, please check 'em out.Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-44417734300291170312009-04-11T12:24:00.000-07:002009-04-11T12:24:23.242-07:00Synth ReviewsI went on another synth binge recently and decided to check out some of the more prominent synths available for OS X, whether I had triend them before or not.<br />
<br />
I don't think it's worthwhile to go into long, detailed, fluffy tirades like you'll find on most review sites; this aims to be more pragmatic, if self-serving.<br />
<br />
<b>Albino 3 </b>[***+]<b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pro-sounds.net/images/Anim1_Top_491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="http://www.pro-sounds.net/images/Anim1_Top_491.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b> </b>(Note, I used Albino 2 quite a bit, before my whole studio was stolen.) I still really like <a href="http://www.linplug.com/Instruments/Albino_3/albino_3.htm">this synth</a>; I can move around in it very quickly, I like the sound, it's got some good filter flexibility, and the "digital" oscs make some beautiful wavetabley sounds that you can "tone down" ("warm up"?) by setting one side to digital and the other to a typical VA waeform and going 80% toward the VA side: this is the "zone" I really like sounds to be in, and I don't have other synths that can get to that place this easily.<br />
<br />
That said, I own Predator and, despite the less flexible OSCs / Filters there, the overall sound of Predator serves me well enough, and I don't think shelling out $250 for something that ultimately sounds <i>so</i> similar is worthwhile.<br />
<br />
It's a great synth, and one of the first that I would recommend to others. But for my situation, I'll pass. Again. ...but I admit, some part of me really misses this and wants it back.<br />
<br />
<b>Alchemy</b> [**]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.camelaudio.com/images/Alchemy-Medium2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="http://www.camelaudio.com/images/Alchemy-Medium2.jpg" width="200" /></a>I must admit, I was really hot to trot in trying out <a href="http://www.camelaudio.com/Alchemy.php">this synth</a>. I really loved White Noise's Additive Synth, back in the day, for the ability to 'draw' sounds, and Alchemy (properly) mixes in VA to make things cleaner. It sounded good in the video demos. And it has the coolest name for a VST I've seen yet. ...but I grabbed the demo, I gave it its due, and I deleted it. It was <i>too complex</i>. It lacks that magic ingredient of "character"... or, if it had it, I didn't like it. Pass.<br />
<br />
<b>Battery</b> [**+]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://static.kvraudio.com/i/s/battery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://static.kvraudio.com/i/s/battery.jpg" width="200" /></a>Kinda hard to argue why I need <a href="http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=battery_us">this</a>, given that I have Stylus RMX, but I find that RMX lacks some... oh... I dunno, maybe it's just the workflow--I'd like to be able to apply effects to individual drum parts instead of having to process entire sets... I find it more restrictive; just not what I was used to with tracking drums (which is what I am most comfortable with). I'm also just getting more interested in percussion, and Battery brings some of that back, rather than having to rely on loops. ...There's nothing about Battery that I particularly liked, though... it's just a different tool for drums, and one I don't have. I may pass on it and just stick with RMX and add a simpler drum synth like MicroTonic. I haven't made up my mind.<b> </b>That said, it's currently half-off the price. THAT said, it might be half-off because they are about to come out with a better alternative, or discontinue it. Soooooo...<b> <br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>Blue </b>[***+]<b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.robpapen.com/images/stories/RP_BLUE_screenshot_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://www.robpapen.com/images/stories/RP_BLUE_screenshot_250.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I've tried <a href="http://www.robpapen.com/blue.html">Blue</a> a few times in the past, and have always come away with the same impression: it's nice, but not something I need. It's <i>mostly</i> about the FM synthesis, which I tend not to like (but read the FM8 review, below), which may be part of the problem. But I also own Predator, so I have a lot of those "Rob Papen" sounds already, and don't feel I need more. It's also a little greedy in terms of CPU.<b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>Fab Filter Twin</b> [****]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://rekkerd.org/img/articles/fabfilter_twin2_modulation.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://rekkerd.org/img/articles/fabfilter_twin2_modulation.png" width="420" /></a>What a <a href="http://www.fabfilter.com/products/twin.php">fantastic synth</a>! A tiny little interface (probably a bit too small for my tastes) which just feels nice to work in (nice animations, good colors, clear workflow): all to the good. But the filters! They are the second best filter I've heard in software (the best being impOscar's dirty little bastard), and as a result, this synth strikes me as a "must have", and very much worth the $170 price tag. I've heard others compare its sound to a Virus, which I don't think is fair (having owned a Virus): the filter is nice, but not <i>that</i> nice. This strikes me as a bit more like a Nord: cleaner, with some oompf. It's now on my shopping list. Did I say "fantastic" yet? It's fantastic!<br />
<br />
<b>FM8</b> [****]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.native-instruments.com/typo3temp/pics/0ddbfd7eb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="http://www.native-instruments.com/typo3temp/pics/0ddbfd7eb1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Okay, if you've talked to me about synths, then you know I have a deep-set hatred for FM synthesis, in general. But I looked at this again with a completely open mind, and found that... yeah, I hate <i>most</i> FM sounds. But others--pads and bells and some "fake" analog styles--can sound wonderful, and have a level of expression that isn't easy in the world of VA. Again, it's that balance of VA warmth and power with digital details. In the end, I found myself <i>really</i> liking <a href="http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=fm8">FM8</a>, if only for the presets (I couldn't program FM to save my life).<br />
<br />
<b>Massive</b> [*****]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.kvraudio.com/i/b/massive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://static.kvraudio.com/i/b/massive.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>I passed on <a href="http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=massive">Massive</a> the last time I used it. It is billed as this great big, fat, tower-of-sound with no equal, and I was completely underwhelmed with it, excepting a few kick-ass bass sounds that my music is too wimpy to handle anyway. I didn't bother digging into the interface much, because it's unclear and makes very poor use of space. I totally misunderstood Massive. I approached it this week with an open mind, however, and found it is not some VA-killer... it's a <i>wavetable</i> synth with an amazing ability to scan its tables and come up with some digital brilliance. Who knew? To my mind, this is absolutely the best wavetable synth one can afford, Microwaves notwithstanding. Absolutely a must-own synth, especially for me. It's capable of exactly the kinds of sounds I want in my music: digital details with analog power. I can't believe I've overlooked this for so long. <br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Must. Have. ...It's just a question of which to get first, this or Surge. ...And, yeah, they are similar in capabilities, but I think both are worth owning. ...particularly for the style of music I am attempting to capture.<br />
<br />
<b>MicroTonic </b>[***+]<b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://cdn.soniccharge.com/images/MTThumbnail.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://cdn.soniccharge.com/images/MTThumbnail.png" width="200" /></a>A drum synth. I miss my drum synths! I did <i>Gewesen</i> with drum synths (free ones, at that!), and I loved the sound of the percussion on that album. I want it back. <a href="http://www.soniccharge.com/mtonic">Microtonic</a> seems to deliver, and in a slick package with low CPU use. I need a <i>little</i> more time with it to see if it could work within my workflow... that damn nag message keeps me from using it any more than for a few minutes of checking out the sounds (which are very nice).<br />
<br />
<b>Minimonsta </b>[****]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.gforcesoftware.com/images/instruments/small_ins/ins_minimonsta.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://www.gforcesoftware.com/images/instruments/small_ins/ins_minimonsta.png" width="200" /></a>I really like <a href="http://www.gforcesoftware.com/ins_minimonsta.php">this synth</a>. It's smooth, it's powerful, it's versitile, and unless you go nuts, it's reasonable on CPU-usage. But as I continued to play with it, I couldn't help but think that this is the perfect synth for Boards of Canada, and less the kind of synth that I personally want to use. It's a great VSTi, sounds <i>great</i>, and if money weren't so tight, this would be a quick purchase for me. But it's got to be lower-priority, at least for now.<br />
<br />
<b>Moog Modular V</b> [***]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/mmv3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/mmv3.jpg" width="200" /></a>I <i>really</i> thought I was going to fall in love with <a href="http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products/moogmodularv/intro.html">this synth</a>. ...But after using it for a few hours, I realized that A) I just wouldn't use it that often, for the style I write, and B) it really didn't sound as big and warm as I thought, especially compared to Minimonsta. ...or really, anything, run through a good compressor with a little saturation. Plus, I'm just not a hardware modular guy, so I find the interface tedious and the CPU overhead obnoxious.<br />
<br />
<b>Omnisphere</b> [****]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wiretotheear.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/omnisphere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://www.wiretotheear.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/omnisphere.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Okay, so there is no demo of <a href="http://www.spectrasonics.net/instruments/omnisphere.html">this</a> that one can download and try... I only mention it because I watched a few more videos (aside from the official ones), and it does seem like it's worth the price to upgrade Atmosphere (which I own) to this guy. ...When I have the money. : ) It intimidates me, though. Atmosphere is already big... this is ginormous.<br />
<br />
<b>Surge</b> [*****]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vemberaudio.se/images/surge_150.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://vemberaudio.se/images/surge_150.png" width="420" /></a>Yeah, <a href="http://vemberaudio.se/surge.php">this synth</a> has been on my shopping list for over a year now (hey, I'm poor), but I gave it another spin, and feel just as psyched about it now as I did then. See the review of Massive, above, for exactly why: it's a wavetable/VA hybrid, with some real punch and nice details. I like the interface of Surge, too... it's very different, but the way they handle the mod matrix works <i>really</i> well for me (though I do wish a few more were hardwired). I find I can tweak patches with almost the same ease as Albino and Predator. A great synth... a real classic, and it appears to have been overlooked by the masses... which is just another reason I must own it in my book (I love those synths on the fringe).<br />
<br />
<b>...And Others...</b><br />
<br />
I considered some other synths, but didn't grab the demos for various reasons. <a href="http://www.arturia.com/evolution/">Arturia</a>'s stuff, for example: I'd just rather have <i>tomorrow's</i> classics than <i>yesterday's.</i> <a href="http://www.steinbergcanada.com/products/instruments/xphrase.htm">Xphrase</a> came to mind, but it's really all about the arp, and I don't use arps. Ever. I thought about <a href="http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=kontakt3">Kontakt</a> and <a href="http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=reaktor5&L=1">Reaktor</a>, but those just seem to be deeper than I want to go.Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-76669082951244130832009-01-23T13:47:00.000-08:002009-01-23T13:48:58.134-08:00Coolest Controller... EVER!<div style="text-align: left;">By the time I have money to spend on music again, perhaps this will actually have been released:</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="302" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2433260&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2433260&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="302"></embed></object></div>Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-71264575109190233042009-01-19T20:33:00.001-08:002009-01-19T20:33:41.754-08:00SynthsOkay, I promised I wasn't interested in new synths... but I admit, my curiosity is piqued many times over by the NAMM announcements.<br><br>I've long, long wanted a good Waldorf softsynth (and came -> this <- close to purchasing <a href="http://messe.harmony-central.com/Musikmesse05/Content/TerraTec/PR/Komplexer.html">Komplexer</a> because of it*), so the coolest release for me is Waldorf's <a href="http://waldorfmusic.de/en/products/largo">largo</a>. I will be watching this closely... but I must admit, my lust for Waldorf has tapered off in recent years (because of Access).<br> <br>The new <a href="http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products/minimoogv/minimoogv-2.0.html">Minimoog V2</a> looks wicked... and is another synth that was on my very-very short list when I was in the market.<br><br>The <a href="http://www.synthsquad.com/">D.CAM</a> trio sounds like it may be worth looking into... if it really sounds as good as they claim it will. But I'm not sure that will be worth looking into if...<br> <br><a href="http://namm09.musicradar.com/blog/computer-music-gforce-imposcar-2-see-it-hear-it-pull-funny-faces/">ImpOSCar 2</a> pans out. I actually sold my copy of impOSCar 1, but if they put more features into it with the same great filter, I might want it back. Maybe.<br> <br><br>I could end up with one or two of those in my studio... in a few years (got some big-ticket items to buy, first).<br><br><br><font size="1"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">* Quite glad I didn't; support for it has completely disappeared.</span></font><br> Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-24577500860494020942009-01-07T07:07:00.001-08:002009-01-07T08:48:18.843-08:00Repeat-1I think many artists share my mania of having to rate everything in one's music collection.<br /><br />Just wanted to say, the "repeat 1" option in most players (iTunes is what I use) serves a wonderful purpose here. Just turn it on and play the first un-rated track in your collection. It forces you to manually queue the next track, and while you're at it, you have ever reason to <i>rate</i> the damn song.<br /><br />At the moment, I'm going through some <a href="http://www.selffish.org/">Selffish</a>* <a href="http://www.thinner.cc/pages/releases/releases_detail.php?id=thn023"></a>tracks from the <a href="http://www.thinner.cc/pages/home.php">Thinner</a> label. Yeah, I know: old school. I'd had these before, but I wasn't into minimal techno back then. Lately, I can't seem to get enough of the stuff. And <a href="http://www.thinner.cc/pages/releases/releases_detail.php?id=thn023">this</a> release is one of the best.<br /><br />Also, I grabbed a boatload of Goa (yes, <i>Goa</i>) from <a href="http://www.psypix.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=163">Psypix</a>, a site I <i>heartily</i> recommend. Some of these sets are truly awesome.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />* Be warned: this link resizes your browswer. I <b>hate</b> that. Shame on Selffish. Also, that's <i>really</i> how he spells the name, with two 'f's.</span>Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-42890389233471313602008-12-22T09:49:00.001-08:002008-12-22T09:49:18.034-08:00GearYou know, I just posted about how I don't have gear-lust anymore.<br><br>That's true. But it doesn't mean I don't have gear goals. : )<br><br>I have a massive (!) amount of debt. I am making good progress removing it, but it will be a good three to five years before I am actually earning what I'm earning, rather than dumping 60% of it into fixing past mistakes.<br> <br>When I get there, though, I may "upgrade" my studio. The plan, at present, is to buy a Virus TI, and a Machinedrum. I'll continue to use Ableton Live. I'll hang on to Stylus RMX for the drum-sample-ish loops, but I'll stop using most other soft-synths. And that's it. ...I mean, if I find the TI isn't giving me adequate voices, I'll get a second one. ...But the point is those are the the best tools I've experienced for music-making, and I would love to dig my heals in and master them.<br> <br>...Not to say that will be the end. I'm sure Access and Elektron and Abelton will continue to make new products in the same vein, and I'll happily upgrade if they are true improvements. The point is more that I'd really like to have a minimal studio, but an <i>excellent</i> one.<br> Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-11949873919925699192008-12-19T10:38:00.000-08:002008-12-19T10:41:04.990-08:00Best Demo I've SeenBest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demo_%28computer_programming%29">demo</a> I've ever seen:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center></center><center></center><center><object height="380" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://capped.micksam7.com/playeralt.swf?vid=andromeda_orb-stargazer" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://capped.micksam7.com/playeralt.swf?vid=andromeda_orb-stargazer" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#000000" allowFullScreen="true" width="640" height="380" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></center><br />
<br />
...You are, of course, watching a movie, but it was <b>rendered in realtime</b>, folks.<br />
<br />
Awe-inspiring.Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-10055110763866126392008-12-17T19:57:00.001-08:002008-12-17T19:57:54.893-08:00Pre-release...Shhh... this is a secret, just for readers of this blog. <font size="1">(...and, I guess, anyone who stumbles on it...)</font><br><br>I've <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/CuriousInversions...ofControlpre-releaseEp">posted a "pre-release"</a> of my upcoming EP on the Archive. It's called <b>"...Of Control"</b>, a play on my artist name ("inversion of control" is a term used in software design. One of the tracks includes a sample of me reading the definition of the term, though it's pretty muffled and difficult to pick out.)<br> <br>It's only three of the four tracks, and I reserve the right to make more changes before the actual release date. They are also relatively low-quality files, and there is no album-art associated with them.<br><br> ...But it will give you an idea of what the final product will be like.<br><br>I'm proud of these tracks. I put a <i>lot</i> of work into them (a <b>lot</b> of work!), and just felt like I really had to "get them out there", sooner than later. In fact, I've completed entire <i>albums</i> faster than I've written any one of these tracks. ...Well, early albums, anyway. : ) While you may not like the style of this music, I hope you will at least find these tracks reasonably well-mastered, deeply textured, and filled with interesting details.<br> <br>Enjoy.<br> Jeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.com1