Beautiful and moving theme, Alexander. Lovely sounding piano (LABS Autograph?), great bass and sounds in the background. Awesome production. Bravo!

Deep Quintet Strings is the world's first string library with 9-way Round Robin legato, capturing the realism and beauty of these concert instruments at an unprecedented level. Repetition is such a key component of musical phrasing, but playing repeated notes here doesn't mean you'll be hearing the same sample over and over again.  Each Quintet note is fresh and organic, with no trace of the robotic "machine gun effect."

Featuring two Violins, one Viola and two Cellos, Deep Quintet Strings allows you to solo, mute or pan between each of the instruments whenever and however you like. You can even move between close and distant mic positions, which gives you complete flexibility to shape this String Quintet and its studio environment.

We stand for only the best in musicianship, and Quintet Strings has all the intricacy and expertise you would expect from us, putting fully dynamic and moving performances at your command. Recorded in a controlled studio environment, Deep Quintet Strings was produced with incredible attention to detail and without compromise.

From nimble notes and nervous vibratos, to long sweetly evolving arcs, we've provided natural and nuanced articulations to convey a wide emotional spectrum.  Over the years, we've developed techniques to capture the passion of a full performance in every note, and you can feel it here under your fingertips.  Get lost in the intensity of Deep Quintet Strings today.

https://8dio.com/products/quintet-strings

8Dio Deep Quintet Strings "Farewell" By Nicolas Stackhouse

Music by Alexander Stratonov from "Inglorious Officers: Russian Torturers in Kherson" investigative documentary soundtrack.

240 people have been recognized as victims in the case of the torture chamber of the Kherson Temporary Detention Center. On March 9, 2022, the Russian occupying forces seized the facility and turned it into a place of illegal detention of Ukrainians. People who passed through the temporary detention center say that the screams of people being tortured during interrogations could be heard around the clock. Outside of interrogations, prisoners were physically and mentally tortured by guards. It took journalists more than 14 months to identify them. The documentary tells what happens when convoys and police officers from Russia are sent on a business trip to the occupied territories and given freedom of action.

For the full story, watch the investigative documentary "Inglorious Officers: Russian Torturers in Kherson": https://youtu.be/Sp0bg_4GdNI

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbUjLLHnIC0NLS0rEgYTJtKURe956zuOs

Listen on BandCamp: https://ephtrackx.bandcamp.com/album/inglorious-officers-russian-torturers-in-kherson-original-documentary-soundtrack

© JSC UA: PBC 2024

If you want to support my work, just buy me a cup of coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/ephtrackx

They Won't Break Us

❤️❤️❤️ Thank You all so much for over 2000 plays of this collab track! ❤️❤️❤️

On may 2024 (so it's passed 6 months...) @belial-pelegrim presented to the world Taffeta 189 which can be found here >> https://soundcloud.com/belial-pelegrim/taffeta-189. A masterfully crafted piece from his unfinished story-driven musical series.
From the very beginning, this track fascinated me to such an extent that a melody immediately appeared in my head. In a burst of self-confidence, I asked the Master for the file of this song so that I could put my melodic ideas into it, just like I did with Donak RV's song https://soundcloud.com/r-u-r-pl/duo-melodica-rur-nylon-guitar-remix. And the strangest thing is, he willingly agreed to my idea!
So I tried it and here we are. It's been a while since then, but I think I've finally finished it. I sincerely hope that you will like the effect of this cooperation.

If you are intrigued by this song and you haven't heard the music of @belial-pelegrim yet, and you would like to listen to more (I assure you, it's really worth it!), please visit his profile for more!

To add my two cents to this track, I used the following plugins:
Free Spitfire LABS - Electric Piano - Chorus
Free Spitfire BBC SO Discover - Trumpets, Flutes and Oboes
Free Native Instruments Kontakt 8 Player
Free Heavyocity Foundations - Staccato Strings
Replika XT effect
Free iZotope Ozone 11 EQ
ujam UFX Reverb - which I got for free during the promotion after the publication of this plugin
and also received for free from Novation for their 30th anniversary - iZotope Ozone 9 Elements

Taffeta 189 (R.U.R.'s Melodic Mix)

I am very proud to announce that this track was part of @belial-pelegrim's podcast for Bricolage Records, and I really appreciate it. You can listen to this fantastic mix of musical art from many SoundCloud artists here: https://www.mixcloud.com/BricolageG5/bricolage-podcast-111-belial-pelegrim/

Thank You so much for over 1400 plays! ❤️

Something terrifying is coming to our house for dinner.
Will it eat WITH US or will it eat US? 😱😉

The spooky season has started and I took up the challenge of creating a slightly disturbing atmosphere in my music. It was another quick production. Here is the result. Certified A.I. Free production.

To craft this piece I've used mostly patches from built-in Ableton Live synth: Drift with little help of, also Live's, Instrument Rack's patches and (the premiere in my compositions) free plug-in from Sonuscore (@sonuscore), The Orchestra Elements - STRINGS Full Sustain patch.
https://www.sonuscore.com/shop/the-orchestra-elements/
Samples used:
Impact Layered Reversed, FX Dark Impact, Kick Reverse Bghn, E-Piano Reversed Cmin7, Crash Dry Session Hard 2, Crash Bluesbreak from Ableton Lives's Core Library.
Drum MIDI Loops:
709 Kit groove 11-128bpm
709 Kit groove 10-128bpm
both from Ableton Live's Pack "Singularities"

Thanks go to my friend/test driver/ideas giver: ꝁ𐌰v̷̷v̷̷ꝁ𐌰 @grzegorzkawka and my reviewer @bartosz-podborowski-179897410

I sincerely hope that You may like it at least a little bit. Let me know in the comments 😊 Thank You very much in advance for all Your plays, likes and shares 🙏💛

Picture in thumbnail: darksouls1 @ Pixabay

Something Scary is Coming for Dinner

Ukrainian Field Notes - 20 November 2024 
Produced for Resonance FM by Gianmarco Del Re

Tracklist:

Alexander Stratonov - Traces of Ember
Hockins - Arzamas On Fire
Juli Riot - Bozhevillia
Zahvat - Bouquet for Olha
Septim - Cyber Thoughts
Phite Noise - Hydrogen
Myroslav Trofymuk aka. AЙKTRONER - 31.03.24
Kirik & Sidletskyi - area of passive recreation

Ukrainian Field Notes - 20 November 2024

UFN - from Ukrainian Field Notes Volume II

❤️❤️ Thank You so much for over 2000 plays! ❤️❤️

Little improvisation made after watching Fracture Sounds "Hemisphere" trailer and turned into track. The ad set the emotional state and choice of instruments. NO A.I. INVOLVED!

What I played sounded so melancholic that it reminded me of the thoughts I had while walking with my wife. Every playground we passed was empty. It contrasted with times when our son was little - finding a free swing for a toddler bordered on a miracle. Now it's a miracle to see children swinging on them. Could the "Universe 25" experiment have predicted everything that is happening now?

I played it in one take, then did some editing and added cello, harmonics, bass and ambient sounds. I used only three instruments: two from free Spitfire LABS libraries: Ambient Guitars and Cello Moods. Bass is sub patch from Native Instruments Massive.
I used one sample from the BBC Sound Effects library: Children: Playing - Fushun: Children playing in snow.

The genotype of this song definitely includes two of my favorite This Mortal Coil songs, "The Jeweller" and "Tarantula".

I secretly hope that You may like it. Let me know in the comments what You think about the music and what lies in its heart.

Thanks go to my testdriver kavvka ••ꝁ𐌰v̷̷v̷̷ꝁ𐌰•• @grzegorzkawka who always gives me courage and accurately points out the elements that need improvement.

Picture from Pexels by Robin McPherson: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-metal-swing-908970/

A Miracle I'd Like to See

NO A.I. INVOLVED
It all started in late 2022 while driving. I heard a song on the radio that inspired me to create this piece. I only heard it once, I don't know the author(s) or the title of this song.

After creating the core/mockup of the song, I presented it to Brian Butts (@brian-butts-565934842), which is amazing multi instrumentalist, and asked if he would record a guitar solo similar in idea to the solo from "The Break in Tranquility" https://soundcloud.com/r-u-r-pl/the-break-in-tranquility, which I had previously asked him to review. He agreed to this willingly and that's how my first ever collab was created.

I actually regret a little that this song is a bit too slow, but trying to speed it up caused Brian's solo to fall apart, and my skills don't yet allow me to properly edit it.

This song was lying in my "drawer" for over 2 years. I wasn't fully satisfied with what I did and its sound. I wasn't able to come up with a good Bridge and make it a full-fledged song. In the end I decided to release it as is. I only modified some parts to maintain the feeling of the progression of the arrangement.

Sorry Brian, my friend, that it took so long, but my perfectionism https://w.wiki/9XhH makes me constantly dissatisfied with what I do and often prevents me from finishing the songs.

Thanks to my friend ••kavvka •• (@grzegorzkawka), for his constant support, patiently listening to subsequent versions and lots of good advice.

To craft this piece I used
Ableton Live Standard
Ableton Live's Simpler
NI Massive
Spitfire Originals Epic Strings
Spitfire Originals Epic Brass & Woodwinds
iZotope Ozone 9 Elements
Impact Soundworks Shreddage 3 Stratus Free (only when the guitar enters)
Arturia Filter MS-20
Valhalla Supermassive (Free)
iZotope Ozone Imager (Free)

I also used 3 MIDI drum loops from free libraries in Ableton LIVE.

Thanks for listening. I hope You'll enjoy.

Picture in thumbnail made by me in Photoshop using a source Designed by Freepik: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/still-life-with-scales-justice_33123996.htm

...And Justice for D-Punks

I did not use AI support at any stage in the creation of this piece.

When I started composing this piece in December, after buying Spitfire Originals Intimate Strings on sale, I had these thoughts: If this is what the future is going to look like, I didn't sign up for it. Although in my youth I read and watched a lot of SF films presenting both utopia and dystopia, I always preferred the bright future. However, what I see on TV, on YouTube and outside my window is starting to resemble the latter...

Despite this, I hope you like the piece at least a little bit

To make this track I used:
Ableton Live 11 Standard
Spitfire Originals Intimate Strings
Spitfire Originals Cinematic Percussion
Spitfire BBC SO Discover (free)
Soundpaint 1928 Vintage Steinway Grand Piano (free)
Arturia Augmented Voices
Arturia Augmented Mallets Play (free)
Strezov Sampling Afflatus Minimalist Violins Legato Freebie (free for Kontakt Player)

Beside plug-ins I used 3 samples:
Two from BBC Sample Library:
- Rioting - Riot in Belfast - with breaking glass, rubber bullets, distant cries and chants
- Chatter - Club atmosphere, busy mixed chatter at mealtime (mid-distance) - 1981 (1C25,reprocessed)
and from Freesample.org
Real War - Marines in Firefight Gunbattle (Raw audio) by qubodup

Picture in cover: Freepik

Future Perfect?

EDIT 2025-07-16: I am very happy to announce that thanks to this piece I won first place in this competition! 😍🥂🥳

EDIT 2025-07-07: I reuploaded track because I've messed a little in "original" part. Now "my part" is much more different from the original

No AI was involved in creation of this track.

Track made for Spitfire LABS Discord competition.

At the beginning (up to 0:18) and at the end (from 2:23) – a short fragment of the theme song for the AppleTV+ series "Severance" by Theodore Shapiro which can be heard in its entirety at the link below. I highly recommend it! The opening credits of this series, as well as the entire series, are worth seeing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmS3m0OG-Ug
Yes, I know, I've bite off more than I can chew, but whatever... I guess it's worth tackling such a great and catchy musical theme ;)

The idea was to "Write a short piece (1-2 mins) that starts with a recognizable melody in it’s original form, and then take that melody and reinvent it in your own style. Use one or more of the first 10 LABS packs that were released for this, but feel free to incorporate any other tools you’d like."

To made this track I used:
Ableton Live 11 Standard
Spitfire LABS Libraries:
(Original Theme)
Soft Piano
(Reimagined Theme)
Amplified Chello Quartet
Strings
Electric Piano
Intimate Piano
Lap Steel
Wurli
Beside LABS I used:
Strezov Diamond Jazz Trio Freebie
and two MIDI loops (both from Ableton Live packs)
Gravity Werks Kit - 105 bpm and
Shaker Chance 126 bpm

Picture in thumbnail is a part of original poster from the show: http://www.impawards.com/tv/severance_ver2_xlg.html

Severed ("Severance" Theme Reimagined for Spitfire LABS competition)

So what now?

The pieces are set,
The board is occupied,
The main actors have taken their positions.

The inevitable is coming,
Fear fills hearts and minds.

Will what many predict come to pass,
Or will fate turn in our favor?

The core of our beings has been seized by the machine.
The art that defined us is being smothered by a flood of perfect artificiality.

Simulation of emotions, simulation of art, simulation of humanity.
Where do we belong?

Where is my place?

And what now?

--------


This is a piece I improvised on March 23, 2025. I was surprised at how well it turned out. However, I didn't know what to do with it. I couldn't think of anything more, so I'm publishing it as is, with minor tweaks (I literally added six notes in three places).

With this piece I am starting a series in which I will be posting rather uncomplicated, short pieces, created out of the need of the moment, under the impression of something specific.

To compose it I used only 3 plugins/sounds
Spitfire LABS Autograph Grand (piano) (free)
Spitfire Originals Intimate Strings x2 (in octave)
And one patch from truly amazing synth from Arturia: Pigments

I hope you like it at least a little bit.

Picture Freepik: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/woman-portrait-with-blue-lights-visual-effects_26813733.htm

And What Now?

I started making music in the early 2000s, mostly in the trip-hop genre. I played bass guitar in alternative rock band "acloneofmyown" (2005-2015) and electric guitar in post-hardcore band "The Sky is Red" (2006-2009).

Since 2022 I've started producing solo music and soundtracks for documentaries in various genres - from piano and neo-classical to electronic ambient.

They Won't Break Us

ephtrackx

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