I long tack of 3 parts including samples of storms in Lancrigg woods, Ambrose Pescud, mixed with more formal strings and a great vocal, as I recall,done in one take by Taz (David Gibson) straight after a steep walk up to the bothay in the woods where it was recorded... Good work ;)
(copyright : MUsic : MIke Fearon. Lyrics : David Gibson alias Taz)

LOST BETWEEN WORLDS

THe nights you catch the last train.. this was be from around 91 - 92..  Jo Tordoff was the girl catching the last train back to Edinburgh on a regular basis.. I recorded this on a Sunday eve after driving back from the station. Borrowing Philip Leech's keyboard at the time (not Johnny Tomlinson's for once!) and used all the cheesy samples I could including thunder and train wheels. Also playing a keyboard "flute" solo to finish..... Much has been learned since then! much has also been forgotten...

The Nights You Catch The Last Train

This was me warming up with an off the cuff bit of playing getting ready to jam  with Taz. Must be  a good 5-6 years after the lost between worlds track was recorded. Visiting from Wales, the fire that was just about keeping us fro freezing also puts in the odd audio appearance..

Warm Up Solo ;)

I recorded this track at nab cottage while looking after the place for Tim and Liz while they were in India.. must be around 1996.. Great work again from Taz on vocals and lyrics written to the pre formed and already recorded backing. One of my favourite songs to have recorded and written, thanks Taz..
(copyright music: Mike Fearon. Lyrics ; David Gibson alias; Taz)

SHE'S GONE MIX 1

A quick remix (practice) of some old audio... not the best quality, but a good reference for us for the song... better versions to come :)

Wayne Scurrah's song :THE DISTANCE

Old Friends

Piece for week one of MMYL : process :

Sunday 26th, 11.30 am : I deliberately want to work in a literal sense to the picture, I like creating sound to visuals. This is most definitely “conscious choice”. Spent an hour or so with location recordings I had made and tried blending with samples. Sampler full of bugs and ruining my work flow. Don’t punch it, try something else. - resolved bt playing in F sharp and eliminating the key transpose issue I was having. 
I like the drones created from my field recordings, but they go nowhere. Wanting to make “sense” of this in relation to picture. another 30 work mins - looking at picture, getting no where.  1.40pm I realise it will help if I list the features I see in the picture in a more relative way to the way I’m trying to work… I THINK I have two sounds that sum up the feel of the picture, but they remain constant and I don’t feel like it tells a story within the picture ( another thing I consciously want from the audio) so I go looking to make a list of the detail/possible story within the picture, in no order) :

Duality of sky and reflection on the wet sand
Lonely figure?
End of the day “feel”
Sun hover
mini cosmos of picture on this side of the figure 
Hover of clouds set on a deeper richer bed than the sky clouds
Contrast of cold colours vs richer warm sunlight
distance
disturbed beauty
Figures observational point of view vs my perspective
how to introduce these concepts without is sounding shite?

I read the last comment as my usual overseeing concern that structures the way I place and eq/effect sounds and is out of place from the rest of my thoughts when looking closer at the pic, like I popped out of the focus to bring in something that isn’t an observation of the pic, but of my job of writing/engineering this. I’m about to re approach the piece and am happy that my list gives me a set of ideas to make sounds for that remains directly involved with the pic, I feel more confident with this approach. I may even stop looking at the pic and just work form my list..

1st decision, I’ll send the stereo l and right of this sound to separate stereo busses panned hard l and hard r to effect differently and represent to duality with one slightly richer (whatever that means!) I continue to represent the listed elements over the next hour, stopping editing when I feel like the sound represents the image of the lines of description.

I should have tamed the sub from the wind noise in one of the field recorded sounds i time stretched, to late! it’s done and it’s up!

“Beach Sky ” © Mike Fearon 2016

Week 1 :  "Beach Sky"

Well, not so easy this time!! Finished 2 hours before deadline and didn't stop deleting (sorry,recycling....) my previous attempts till 6 hours ago. Used this pic for reference and my stolen sound was the bell from Arvo Part - Cantus (a tribute to Benjamin Britten)I didn't really make it my own or do anything to that sound as I liked it as it was.. while on the subject of the dangers of religion/death.... I hate this piece. But.. thanks to  Mike Monday,at least I have a piece to hate :)
The drums are a recording (edited by me) of a friend; Kevin, playing the lambeg.. the last recording/playing before the "decommissioning" of the particular drum, which dated back over 100 years. He'd been a child of the troubles in Ireland, growing up in Derry and the depth of meaning of this drum in his life was made clear to me in conversation with him. I wish I could give as much meaning to my rushed, unfinished piece, but even if it wasn't rushed or unfinished, i don't think I could come close to that. Russell Mills' picture was the inspiration/direction for the sound. The bible being one of three of an unfinished idea that would also include other religious books. The title "Hold"  was Russ's title of the finished art work.

WEEK 2 : "HOLD" (the deep uncertainty of knowing)

(WEEK 4)The dark road

Week 8 - using 4 parts only to make a piece. So, 4 parts and about 10,000 effects ;)

mikefearon

Popular tracks