Finally finished my 2 contrsating soundtracks for Scoring for Film.
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Swarm Harmony 1.1
Ok, so there were a few issues with the patch I uploaded. However I have fixed the bugs as well as correcting some issues with the harmonies.
You can also now load audio files instead of relying on audio inputs.
The download link is here, enjoy.
http://www.mediafire.com/?1mgvbvomspeybrd
You can also now load audio files instead of relying on audio inputs.
The download link is here, enjoy.
http://www.mediafire.com/?1mgvbvomspeybrd
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Swarm Harmony
Swarm Harmony 1.0 is now available for download via the following link.
http://www.mediafire.com/?79si7ulf5rnjzhu
If you don't have Max MSP then you'll need Max MSP Runtime in order to use it. You can get that here.
http://cycling74.com/downloads/runtime/
I've added some new features to the patch that I'll try my best to explain, though its really designed with intuition in mind.
Pitch
The harmonies are modified using the Frequency Spread control. With the Frequency Spread at 0 all harmonies will produce the same pitch. As this is increased, each will spread by a factor of 2x.
This factor is controlled by the next fader and ranges from 0 to 4 with the button to the left resetting it to the default of 2.
Amplitude
The amplitude control is unchanged from the original design, allowing you to change the Amp. Spread, Harmony Gain and Output level.
There is, however, now the option to mute individual harmonies including the original signal.
The patch currently only works in mono and I see no reason to change that considering what I use it for. However if I get some requests for a mono-stereo version then I'll most likely oblige. Anyone looking for a full stereo version would be better off just loading the patch twice.
http://www.mediafire.com/?79si7ulf5rnjzhu
If you don't have Max MSP then you'll need Max MSP Runtime in order to use it. You can get that here.
http://cycling74.com/downloads/runtime/
I've added some new features to the patch that I'll try my best to explain, though its really designed with intuition in mind.
Pitch
The harmonies are modified using the Frequency Spread control. With the Frequency Spread at 0 all harmonies will produce the same pitch. As this is increased, each will spread by a factor of 2x.
This factor is controlled by the next fader and ranges from 0 to 4 with the button to the left resetting it to the default of 2.
Amplitude
The amplitude control is unchanged from the original design, allowing you to change the Amp. Spread, Harmony Gain and Output level.
There is, however, now the option to mute individual harmonies including the original signal.
The patch currently only works in mono and I see no reason to change that considering what I use it for. However if I get some requests for a mono-stereo version then I'll most likely oblige. Anyone looking for a full stereo version would be better off just loading the patch twice.
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Sunday in the studio. (8ch)
Vocal editing today. Decided to pull apart vocal takes from previous projects to make some new instruments for CC3 and my individual project. Primarily using vocals from Katie Wilders I have vocal recordings from when we were in college and some she sent me more than a year ago that I did nothing with and feel massively guilty about. Pretty boring session all in all but it should sound great when I'm done.
In other news, i'll be uploading my swarm harmony patch as soon as I make it a little more user friendly and add a couple of new features. I'll try to make this the done thing for finished Max patches as although I am by no means a particularly gifted Max MSP user, I know a lot of people who don't use it at all and sharing is caring :).
x
In other news, i'll be uploading my swarm harmony patch as soon as I make it a little more user friendly and add a couple of new features. I'll try to make this the done thing for finished Max patches as although I am by no means a particularly gifted Max MSP user, I know a lot of people who don't use it at all and sharing is caring :).
x
Friday, 9 November 2012
Friday in the studio (8ch)
More work on my computer composition today. Going slow but I have a definitive idea on how I want to continue now.
My main problem up until this point has been how to structure a 10 minute long piece. Pop music conventions go out the window from the get go and I have very little knowledge of classical forms and structure. Since I have a few small elements I can play with in various contexts I think I will usea system of abstracts: Each new section must contain at least 1 recurring element and each recurring section must provide at least 1 new element. This is a good way of working with intuitive structure (the kind you make up as you go along) and stops you from falling into the trap of going round in circles.
Also experimented with using demolition noise as a control signal for the Roland 100M in EMS5. I found that I had a to run 2 channels into the modulator inputs just to get a significant reaction and even then I feel I could have gotten much the same effect with white noise and some amplitude modulation.
Will keep you posted. x
My main problem up until this point has been how to structure a 10 minute long piece. Pop music conventions go out the window from the get go and I have very little knowledge of classical forms and structure. Since I have a few small elements I can play with in various contexts I think I will usea system of abstracts: Each new section must contain at least 1 recurring element and each recurring section must provide at least 1 new element. This is a good way of working with intuitive structure (the kind you make up as you go along) and stops you from falling into the trap of going round in circles.
Also experimented with using demolition noise as a control signal for the Roland 100M in EMS5. I found that I had a to run 2 channels into the modulator inputs just to get a significant reaction and even then I feel I could have gotten much the same effect with white noise and some amplitude modulation.
Will keep you posted. x
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Scoring for Film - Contrasting Sountracks Assignment
So we have been given an assignment in our Scoring for Film module to create 2 contrasting soundtracks for the same 1 minute clip. We had the choice of 3 films and I chose to use the 2005 remake of War of the Worlds, primarily because I wanted an excuse to use my theremin.
The soundtracks will contrast in a number of ways but my primary focus is on the size of the arrangement. By juxtaposing in this way I lay the groundwork for a variety of other variations which lend themselves to one side of the other. For instance, traditional orchestral instrumentation lends itself more easily to a larger soundtrack than subtle granulations and sound effects.
The minimal soundtrack comes more naturally to me so I did this one first. Enjoy.
The soundtracks will contrast in a number of ways but my primary focus is on the size of the arrangement. By juxtaposing in this way I lay the groundwork for a variety of other variations which lend themselves to one side of the other. For instance, traditional orchestral instrumentation lends itself more easily to a larger soundtrack than subtle granulations and sound effects.
The minimal soundtrack comes more naturally to me so I did this one first. Enjoy.
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Swarm Harmony
So a couple days ago, I discovered a synth called The Swarmatron, which Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross used on the soundtrack for The Social Network. The video of them talking about it can be seen here.
Naturally I wanted to emulate this sound so I did what any poor student what do and sought to rip it off. Since i did not possess the skills to make one I instead opted to use Max MSP to emulate the basic desirable functions.
I decided to use my Theremin as the oscilator because it has a better tone than anything I can create in Max and its important that the user be able to manipulate pitch and harmony simultaneously. As a result of this I created the harmonies using pitch-shifters, which I made with the help of this video.
Finaly I created the ratios needed for the divsion of pitch and amplitude amongst the harmonies and "hey-presto!", one swarm harmony patch.
It does produce a lot of artifacts though so thats definitely somthing i'll have to work on, though i quite like that it sounds like its been recorded onto vinyl. Anyway, i'll upload a demo as soon as i work out the best way of routing the audio through everything.
x
Naturally I wanted to emulate this sound so I did what any poor student what do and sought to rip it off. Since i did not possess the skills to make one I instead opted to use Max MSP to emulate the basic desirable functions.
I decided to use my Theremin as the oscilator because it has a better tone than anything I can create in Max and its important that the user be able to manipulate pitch and harmony simultaneously. As a result of this I created the harmonies using pitch-shifters, which I made with the help of this video.
Finaly I created the ratios needed for the divsion of pitch and amplitude amongst the harmonies and "hey-presto!", one swarm harmony patch.
It does produce a lot of artifacts though so thats definitely somthing i'll have to work on, though i quite like that it sounds like its been recorded onto vinyl. Anyway, i'll upload a demo as soon as i work out the best way of routing the audio through everything.
x
Sunday, 4 November 2012
8 channel studio fun.
So my computer composition is progressing nicely. Still nowhere near long enough but its getting plenty detailed. Running granular rain on stereo-octo atm as I can't get cecilia 4's brassage module to work in 8 channel. I'll let you know if I find a solution to that.
Monday, 29 October 2012
New stuff
Going to start posting for all my studio sessions and important music activities. Kinda realised that the blogging format doesn't work when I only post finished products so I'm going to start posting demos and samples up too so you guys get a better picture of what I'm up to.
Anyway here's a couple of images from Saturday's recording session for Tom's computer composition. Enjoy. :P
Anyway here's a couple of images from Saturday's recording session for Tom's computer composition. Enjoy. :P
Monday, 8 October 2012
Excerpt from Niels Lyhne
While this is a professional blog, I felt this excerpt to be very beautiful and worth sharing.
"Now, as he sat there at the window, the longing awoke again. He longed for thousands of trembling dreams, for images of cool sensitivity: pastel colors, fleeting scents, and fine music from tensely stretched, tautly stretched streams of silvery strings; and then silence, into the innermost heart of silence, where the waves of air never carried a single scrap of sound, where everything rested to death in the still glow of reddish colors and the expectant warmth of fiery fragrance. He did not long for this, but it emerged from the other and drowned it, until he turned away from it and recaptured his self."
Niels Lyhne by Jens Peter Jacobsen
"Now, as he sat there at the window, the longing awoke again. He longed for thousands of trembling dreams, for images of cool sensitivity: pastel colors, fleeting scents, and fine music from tensely stretched, tautly stretched streams of silvery strings; and then silence, into the innermost heart of silence, where the waves of air never carried a single scrap of sound, where everything rested to death in the still glow of reddish colors and the expectant warmth of fiery fragrance. He did not long for this, but it emerged from the other and drowned it, until he turned away from it and recaptured his self."
Niels Lyhne by Jens Peter Jacobsen
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Scoring for Film
This is a basic summary of our group presentation for Scoring for Film. The task was to do a group analysis of a brief clip from a film and present our findings of the group as a presentation.
-------------------
The Godfather.
(The hospital scene 1.01.25 - 1.09.56)
The extract we are examining is 1.06.42 - 1.08.12
The music (non-diagetic) is introduced at the start of the scene, and is used as the theme as the main entering the hospital. The strings are sustained pad for the piano chords. the piano dictates harmonic pace, using rubato to enhance suspense. This rubato is then continually stretched up untill the moment when the car stops, creating the illusion of time slowing as the tension in the characters increases.
There is a delay of around 2 seconds between the visual relief of the characters and said relief being portrayed through the soundtrack.
When the music changes at 1.07.45, we hear an instrumental change wherein piano becoming a woodwind (clarinet), the strings more active and lower register strings are introduced (double bass and cello). the sirens are accentuated by muted trumpets. the music is representative of both characters emotions. In that it shows both the relief of Michael and the fear of Enzo (the baker)
The harmony (phrygian dominant mode?) utilizes the b2nd chord at edits of tension. for instance, a close up of the man and when the car stops. the chord major 3rd chord is used for comforting or relieving moments, such as when the Michaels places a reassuring hand on Enzo and when the car leaves.
The original soundtrack was mono, however the remastered version is in stereo in 1991 when converted for compact disc, assuming that the orchestra was recorded as a whole, as would have been typical, we can assume it impossible to seperate the various instruments in a stereo field and therefore even in this remasered stereo version of the film the music would still have been mono.
The relevant extract in this video is from 5.20 - 6.45.
-------------------
The Godfather.
(The hospital scene 1.01.25 - 1.09.56)
The extract we are examining is 1.06.42 - 1.08.12
The music (non-diagetic) is introduced at the start of the scene, and is used as the theme as the main entering the hospital. The strings are sustained pad for the piano chords. the piano dictates harmonic pace, using rubato to enhance suspense. This rubato is then continually stretched up untill the moment when the car stops, creating the illusion of time slowing as the tension in the characters increases.
There is a delay of around 2 seconds between the visual relief of the characters and said relief being portrayed through the soundtrack.
When the music changes at 1.07.45, we hear an instrumental change wherein piano becoming a woodwind (clarinet), the strings more active and lower register strings are introduced (double bass and cello). the sirens are accentuated by muted trumpets. the music is representative of both characters emotions. In that it shows both the relief of Michael and the fear of Enzo (the baker)
The harmony (phrygian dominant mode?) utilizes the b2nd chord at edits of tension. for instance, a close up of the man and when the car stops. the chord major 3rd chord is used for comforting or relieving moments, such as when the Michaels places a reassuring hand on Enzo and when the car leaves.
The original soundtrack was mono, however the remastered version is in stereo in 1991 when converted for compact disc, assuming that the orchestra was recorded as a whole, as would have been typical, we can assume it impossible to seperate the various instruments in a stereo field and therefore even in this remasered stereo version of the film the music would still have been mono.
The relevant extract in this video is from 5.20 - 6.45.
Fire (demo)
Another mini track just uploaded. Something i was working on in the week leading up to the start of term.
Monday, 1 October 2012
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
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