Another 2024 final master of a track first started in 2019, first finished in 2020.  From the album “Someone Else’s Story”. 

It’s rare that I sit down an actual idea and plan vs. Just tinkering around with sounds and samples until something starts to gel.
But in this case, I had a mission.  To write a song that started with a baroque sound before morphing through classical periods from Romanticism to early 20th century, before stopping off for a quick step into prog before going into banging dance tune,

And so that’s what this is.

Some great samples from Loopcloud helped create a chorus and some US Miami rapping.  
Spitfire helped with a lot of the orchestration - especially with the British Drama sets and their subtle brass and woodwind adding to the strings.  
A lot of the rest of the orchestra (e.g. brass, timpani, percussion) comes from standard Kontakt samples or instruments. 
Most of the synths are soft-synths here from Arturia, Kontakt, and some Omnisphere thrown in for proper analog bass sounds. 

I thought about doing an extended mix.  But I realised that I like the brevity of the actual song (once you’ve got through the whiz through time of the intro… hahaha).

Give Me Something

A remake from 2018.
most of this track was actually originally played live and multi-tracked into logic.  so the remake is really just a tweak / remastering of the levels.  it could do with a brush up still.  but hey.  a classic electronic tune in 3 or 4 different movements.

Title refers to something that might well be on the 5th round now as i write this in October 2024

Better Third Time Around

The title track from the 2018/19 album 'Walk On By' - written in Malaysia (KL & Langkawi), UK, Singapore and Germany.

Reworked and remastered at the end of 2022.
And now new cover art for it's Soundcloud debut in October 2024.

Walk On By (Watch Me)

The title track from the album of the same name.  First started in 2019.  Over 50 different mixdowns in the files....  and it even took me 10-12 attempts to lock this one down for uploading to Soundcloud.  Thanks to the Infeceterd Mushroom pusher on Waves for finally helping me get some punch and breathing space on the track without losing the drums or bass or vocals at any one time.  (I've written elsewhere about my struggles to master more high energy, up-tempo EDM style tracks.

it's a full on dance / EDM track with some dubstep and jazz undertones.    i was experiementing quite a bit with vocals 'in the round' (i.e. repeating the same phrases one after another, y'know like frere jaques in school!).  works quite well in the chorus i reckon.
i did try to make a more extended mix, but it just didn't work, so went back to the shorter version.

the title of the track (and indeed the album) refer to the fact that often, however much you try, it feels like someone else is writing your story and not you.  kinda 'main character energy' where sometimes stolen the director's chair.  this feeling happens to me a lot. haha

Someone Else's Story

The title track from the album, retweaked in 2023.  finally up here on soundcloud in 2024.  The original was a pretty good mix..  but the arrangement was a bit random and repetitive.  so tightened that up.  
it's rare that every single sample in a track has a proper meaning.  but this one does.  many many words reflecting my life back in 2017 when this was written.  many still valid today.
ah.  the fear of falling.  

Opportunity Disaster II

Retweak in 2023 of the track from the Opportunity / Disaster remastering.   
this one could either have had a complete overhaul, or just a nip and tuck on the arrangement and mix.  i choose the latter.  
sometimes i listen to this one and think there's some cool stuff going on.  sometimes it just sounds like I was messing around in a loopcycle.
probably both. 

Polly Was Here II

A remake of the track from 2017 (original futher down the tracklisting here... and like all those recordings then - very quiet!  and full of mistakes)
this was certainly one of the tracks from Opportunity / Disaster I was looking foward to reworking.  I'd rushed it beforehand to get it up, no doubt to try and impress someone (and no doubt failing!!!)

Not The Baker's Dozen II

2023 remake of the 2017 track from Disposable Designs.  with added trancey / ravey bits and better groove.  

Take Your Clothes Off II

a reworking of the remix of the title track from the 2017 album Disposable Designs.  
there's a bit too much goin on here.  I should probably go back in and tighten it up.  for now, its loud, proud and in yer face.  with a bass line inspired by jah wobble, but played by me on the keys.

Disposable Designs (MVP Remix) II

Originally on the 2009 album 'It's always a bit more work than you think' - from live recordings of me & Dave Nicholls on guitars, bass, keys.   can't remember who did what.  but the guitar playing is good - so it must be Dave.  the 2009 version was a great arrangement, but a terrible mixdown.  reworked here, with some vocals - but by and large the track is very simliar to what it originally was.  
when the guitars come in after the breakdown....  goosebump moment!! haha.

Turn It Off And On Again II

30+ years of writing music.  now back to lots of hardware to complement the soft synths.  And of course, the compulsion to add the kitchen sink, fridge and oven is still there!

Kit:
Logic 
Cubase
Ableton Live
Reason
Expose
Loopcloud
Arturia V collection, Pigments
Arturia microfreak, minifreak, matrixbrute, minibrute, Spark 
Roland boutique Juno, Jupiter, JP3, 808 and 909
Arturia Audiofuse
Focusrite Scarlett
Roland Jupiter Xm, JD-Xi, Gaia SH-01 MDC-1 Dance Module
Korg Modwave, microKorg, MicroKorg XL, korg ER-1, korg 05RW, kaoss pad
Novation ultranova, mininova, a-station, Circuit Tracks
Access Virus-b
Beringher Deep Mind 12, UB-Xa, TD-3, Crave, MS-1
Nord Stage EX
Sequential Prophet 2000
Waldorf Pulse
M-audio Venom
Native instruments kontakt, massive, reaktor, FM8, battery, guitar rig, traktor, maschine, absynth, and the rest of the ultimate collection 
Spectrasonics Omnisphere
Spitfire Albion 
Aria orchestra 
Softube Parallels
Waves Gold and a lot of their plug ins. Abbey Road TG, brauer motion, butch vig vocals, ovox, flow motion
Isotope ozone
Sugar Bytes effectrix, looperator, turnado, factory, cyclop, obscurium 
Audio damage dubstation, panstation
AAS lounge lizard, strum, chromophone
UVI relay 
Fender Stratocaster 
Schecfer Diamond Electric 
Line6 Pod Guitar Mukti Effects 
Boss guitar multi effects and various other pedals 
Peavey Bass 
Yamaha DTX electronic drum kit 
Alesia drum pads 
Stanton turntables

New tracks tagged #audio damage