For the Crow Hill Company composing challenge, October 2024.

The prompt was to write a sorrowful piece using the free Attic Grand VST instrument from the Crow Hill Vaults series, as it was being removed from the list of available instruments.

The story here is that Attic Grand is a spacecraft - perhaps a bit like Voyager 1 - about to lose contact with Earth. As the batteries fail and the signal strength drops, this is the last we hear from it.

Attic Grand final transmission: Impromptu in A minor

Got by the Thing that Gets

For the Crow Hill Company composing challenge, August 2024.

The task was to re-score a video trailer for the Crow Hill "Concussion" percussion library. 

When I watched the challenge announcement video on YouTube, the list of suggested videos next to it were all related to metalwork or power tools; I took this as a prompt to make this track. 


Sixty Grit Abrasive

On a still, freezing night, the frost slowly forms.
(the title is borrowed from Coleridge's `Frost at Midnight`)

For the Crow Hill Company composing challenge, December 2024 - the prompt was to write a wintry piece featuring the latest Crow Hill Vaults instrument, "Wavering Choir".

'The Frost performs its secret ministry'

Photo: Granada, Spain, 2024.

Started with the drum loop, some Rhodes and bass and grew from there. Gentle piece I guess with a chill wee guitar solo at the end.

As ever, if you get a chance listen to this the whole way through 😉 🙏

Drums: NI Kontakt sample pack, through Baby Audio IHNY-2 compressor. 
Bass: Sandberg Elektra 4-string strung with flats through NI Guitar Rig.
Guitars: PRS CE 24 and Godin Montreal Semi-Acoustic into NI Guitar Rig and Archetype Mateus Asato.
Keys: various NI and Arturia keys. 
Voices: Crow Hill Dot Allison.
Strings: Crow Hill Small String Gestures.
Mastering: Ozone 11 Standard.
DAW: Ableton 12.

Bandcamp

Consequences

Made with the Crow Hill Company's Mallet Piano.

Fearful Symmetry

Photo: coffee cupping/tasting, Piura, Peru, 2015.

Started out with the bassline against the drum sample at the beginning of the track and seemed to need a second section / theme. Most notable as I dug out my Jim Dunlop wah for the first time in a number of years for this one as well.

Hope you enjoy - as ever please listen all the way through = good karma.

Drums and percussion: NI Kontakt sample pack through Baby Audio IHNY-2 compressor and NI Transient Master.
Bass: Sandberg Elektra 4-string with flats through NI Guitar Rig + separate DI channel with Klanghelm MJUCJR compressor and stock Ableton EQ.
Guitars: Godin Montreal Semi-Acoustic with flats into NI Guitar Rig and Archetype Mateus Asato + Jim Dunlop wah. 
Keys: lots of synths for the pad build section with various NI and Arturia keys (mainly Juno). Some Crow Hill Dulcet Voice and Cosmos. Also some Spitfire BlankFor and UAD PolyMax. Rhodes is NI as well.
Mastering: Ozone 11.
DAW: Ableton 12.

Source

A pervasive mood of unrest.

For the Crow Hill Company composing challenge, January 2025 - the prompt was to write a piece with some experimental elements, featuring the latest Crow Hill Vaults instrument, "Mallet Piano".


Up in Arms

Photo: small-holding, Djimma, Ethiopia, 2011.

SC seems to be adding some distortion to bass/kick which sounds fine in WAV, hopefully won't be an issue for Spotify etc. It sounds fine on Bandcamp as well and it's free to listen there https://ubomusic.bandcamp.com/track/in-retrospect - thanks.

Pretty laid back, this started out with bass and drums and seemed to need go somewhere. The simple piano melody in the middle section is a grouping of 5-notes but off-set by 1/16 and then various delays added.

Drums: NI Kontakt sample pack.
Bass: Sandberg Elektra 4-string with flats through NI Guitar Rig.
Guitars: Godin Montreal Semi-Acoustic with flats and a Suhr Custom Classic both into Archetype Mateus Asato.
Keys: various NI and Arturia keys. Spitfire piano with Crow Hill Piano Rack.
Strings: Crow Hill Small String Gestures.
Mastering: Ozone 11 Standard.
DAW: Ableton 12.

In Retrospect

Yearning Shapeshifter (Crow Hill)

instrumental | soundscape | future_guitar

Guitarist & 33.3^% of Glasgow's finest power-trio, Imperfect Product. Work in Ableton, record guitars and bass. Member of Music for Cars collective.

All here, in reality, are works in progress and are therefore apt to change at any time. If you have a use for something you hear here please just ask.

 .ooO -------------------------------------- Ooo.

ChatGTP said of AI Music...
'Creative AI tools can be seen as sophisticated plagiarism software, as they do not produce genuinely original content but rather emulate and modify existing works by artists subtly enough to circumvent copyright laws'

Sometimes it takes a dispassionate, independent view to actually see the truth of it ...

 .ooO -------------------------------------- Ooo.

There are links to XiiixxiQ below. Your mileage may vary as to whether it decides to work on your system or not. It only runs on a Mac because I really don't have time to do all the necessary work to make it compatible with anything other than my 2015 MacBook Pro :-(. It is still being developed (for my own use) and improved, and I may yet get round to doing another release if I can find the time to tidy it all up.

Maxwell Harrison Ratzky is an American-born musician and composer best known for his extensive work with various bands throughout the U.S. and U.K. He's established himself as a sought after multi-instrumentalist, performing and recording with artists such as Halsey, EERA, Kitten, Psychic Love, Overjoy, Veronica Bianqui, and We Should Be Dead. As a composer he's written works for film, media, and the concert hall. 

Proficient in guitar, piano, bass, and percussion, Ratzky's style is often described as haunting and restrained; emphasising dark tones and colours. As a guitarist, he's known for using effects pedals to achieve unique sound worlds and for advocating a less is more approach.

A graduate of the prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in England, Ratzky also studied composition at London’s Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance with composers Soosan Lolavar, Deirdre Gribbin, and Dominic Murcott.

He splits his time between London and Los Angeles.

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