Using Squarp Pyramid to control Genmdm and MIDINES

Gennes 1

Wisdom is like the air we breath... we can easily forget it's importance, take it for granted.... but we must seek it... it's necessary for life. And some wisdom is of higher quality than others, and is usually dependent on the environment you are in. Four Shruthi-1 synthesizers and a Korg Volca Beats controlled by a Squarp Pyramid Polyrhythmic Sequencer.

Wisdom (Air)

Knowledge is power and can be used and abused. It's necessary for good. But can be used by evil. Knowledge demand a purpose. It forces us to adapt. We can choose to adapt in a way that is helpful to all mankind or can use the knowledge for whatever selfish purpose we have at the moment.

Knowledge (Earth)

Work validates us. It proves our plans and theories false or true. It forces us to hone our technique. It is the painful act of growth and survival. It is an energy that creates and destroys all at once. It is life.

Sequenced by Squarp Pyramid Polyrhythmic Sequencer. Drums by Volca Beats. Synths by four separate Mutable Instruments Shruth-1 synthesizers.

Work (Fire)

Things we can't prove enter our minds whether we seek them or not. Speculation on the divine, the afterlife and the soul persist in every human culture. We shouldn't be ashamed of the power of those ideas. But we should be wary. Let's seek bravely seek things beyond our understanding. Let us prevent fear from turning us away, or keeping us tied to one set of thoughts regarding it.

Squarp Pyramid Polyrhythmic Sequencer controlling Volca Beats and Shruthi-1. Mastered in Presonus Studio.

Soul (Water)

Stick to your goals. It's hard. Everything in live worth doing is hard. Learn to enjoy the difficulty. Have faith in your ability as you rack up the successes.

Squarp Pyramid Sequencer playing four Shruthi-1 synthesizers and a Volca Beats running through a compression pedal.

Perseverance

Another synth jam between ideas. Life can be tough. But when you survive it, it can be invigorating.

Journey Jam 3

Journey Jam 4

Another simple synth jam, using arp and chance on the Squarp Pyramid

Journey Jam 5

Small synth jam testing out new mobile setup

Journey Jam 6

Another track with my new mobile synth station

Seeking

Another short synth jam from my mobile synth battlestation

Journey Jam 7

Shruthi-1 x 3, Volca Beats, sequenced by Squarp Pyramid

Waves

My wife told me to make my tracks more calm and peaceful and less stressful, so this is my attempt! Shruthi x3 with a Volca Beats. Squarp Pyramid sequencing it all. Music sure is fun to make.

Chosen

Using the random, arp, and scale midi effects on the Squarp Pyramid to make some randomly generated melodies and bass lines.

Journey Jam 8

Another track using my four Shruthi-1 synthesizers and a Volca Beats, sequenced by the Squarp Pyramid. This time the Volca Beats has the snare mod.

Mont Blanc

From the album (coming soon) "Instant Love" by Daniel Lowe. "Midnight Love" is the "Japanese Mix" of the single "Instant Love"

Collaboration between the talented Daniel Low of South Bend Indiana and Rowland Rose of Granger Indiana. A few Shruthi-1 synthesizers were used, and a Volca Beats. Mixed and Mastered in Presonus Studio One 3.

Midnight Love - Daniel Lowe & Rowland Rose

Highlights from an album created when I was in college, with the help of bandmate Kyle Gee. The vocals make me cringe in retro-spect (sometimes in content, mostly in performance) so these highlights are all taken from the non-vocal parts. Luckily this still gives a good musical overview of the album. It was called "I Embody The Loss". The lyrics cynically lamented failed relationships, unmet desires, and lashed out at the meaninglessness of life. It's safe to say that period of our lives was a hard one.

A lot of my current music output is synth-heavy and experimental. But I used to make stuff with my old Japanese fender-ripoff guitar passed down from my Father. That along with a bass guitar I purchased myself and plenty of drum samples. All synths were plugins, free ones or ones that came with FLStudio. Though a Korg Electribe EA-1 appeared once in a while.

I may do more Back in Time volumes. I could showcase my Brazen Soul content, my independent unreleased stuff from college, my flash game music... we'll see. Probably not my very early stuff from high school... that stuff has not dated well :)

Back in Time Vol. 1 | 2005-2006

These are excerpts and shortened versions of the 5 tracks I made as Brazen Soul while living in Chicago. They were an attempt to hone the industrial rock sound I had going. These are versions without lyrics. I did eventually make a full album as Brazen Soul a couple years later. But that I will put in another volume.

By the time I had finished these tracks, I was realizing that my time in Chicago was getting nowhere fast. This was a sort of last hurrah before caching in my chips and heading home to start anew. There were several reasons my time in Chicago wasn't successful. But even 10 years later it's still something I haven't fully wrapped my head around. Suffice to say, I was in a prison locked from the inside. My tormentors were disguised as healers, my mind withered in self-imposed isolation. Maybe that comes through in these tracks, maybe not. There was a darkness in many of the things I created from 2001 to 2009. But also some energy and resolve.

Back in Time Vol. 2 | 2006 - 2007

Excerpts and shortened versions of tracks from the Brazen Soul album "Indulgence." This music was a self-indulgent experiment into weird sounds, dropping most guitar and bass.

When I listen to these tracks, I remember how even though my life was improving, I still had many vestiges of the past remaining... things slowing me down in my pursuit of a good life. A emotion that sticks out for me... angry panic. I felt like my improvements had hit a brick wall and my habits were keeping me from going further. And indeed they were. I would make a giant leap forward less than a year after finishing this.

My descriptions of these Back in Time volumes are so personal because I was very solitary for about a decade. I wish my thoughts on the inspirations for this music could be more broad and society-wide, or at least about relationships. But really they were naval gazing.

Back in Time Vol. 3 | 2010 - 2011

Excerpts and shortened versions of various unreleased tracks, mostly one-offs. There's a pretty broad range of times and places these were created... at my Mom's house, my Dad's barn, my various college dorm rooms, even some at a college tech office. There is less of a theme here. It's more of a nostalgic free for all. And hopefully some interesting beats and melodies to those listening.

Some of these tracks were made for games, others for web sites, most just for myself or some dreamed up release that never materialized.

Back in Time Vol. 4 | 2001 - 2005

These are 10 custom patches I made for the Futuresonus Parva synthesizer. Download them here: https://community.futureson.us/t/10-new-patches-by-rowland-rose/814/1

Custom Parva Presets B30 - 39

These pieces are named after cities on my ever evolving fantasy world.

The Futuresonus Parva plays a central role in each... with other instruments by Logic.

These tracks showcase the influence synthwave has had on me recently... though I'd say their structure is much like my Goddess of the Earth EP... concrete blocks of a song interchanged playfully, with steady buildup and variation. Somewhere between meditative and cinematic... much like 80's and 90's era video game tracks, which were made to loop endlessly and occupy the back of your mind, but still provide energy and variation. Videogamewave?

Heliut

Melonarke

This is an 8-voice Futuresonus Parva synthesizer running in multi-mode controlled by a Squarp Pyramid. This was made while on vacation in Thompsonville MI summer of 2017. I just got around to recording it and adding some reverb and compression.

Journey Jam 9

Cieva is a legendary city in Melonarke. It embodies the hopes and ideals of the Midland cultures. It's people were said to be half-Gods sent here to help us learn the skills necessary for civilization. It hasn't been seen in over 1000 years, and is generally thought to be a myth.

Mutable Instruments Shruthi-1 with ir3109 filter, 8 voice Futuresonus Parva, Logic Pro X

Cieva

Brooding, then victorious, then adventurous.

The Hunt - Sevennineteen & Rowland Rose

Tokyo-Noise provides a four-track synth soundscape and I build upon that foundation with three synths and drums.

Rowland Rose

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