Not just the sounds. I mean the space inside the loop that you explored in this song. It's like you opened it up to find out what was inside...who knew there was all this inside? I was rooting for the piano to win out at the end, and it did.

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this is one of the nicest comments I've had about any song of mine. I really liked using this loop and the theme for the song came to me quite quickly but I did spend a lot of time on the mix even though it is only bass, piano, drums and synth. I made some subtle changes to the loop changing the velocities to acheive the feeling that I wanted.
Thanks for listening.

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while listening to this is a very emotional experience. I really like that you took such a strong hand to the melody line - right there full of feeling. The way you handled the loop was straightforward yet in no way limiting. Nice work.

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I think the piano loop as it was first recorded has a certain emotional impact especially when slowed to 40 BPM. I'm glad that you felt I tapped into that feeling successfully.
thanks for your close listend and thoughtful comments.

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i agree about your spending time in the mixing department on this. it takes alot of those little things to make something work. nice piece!

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You will appreciate the fact that the opening of the song with the "chaos" sound effects are actually the same loop as the piano. I used the SFX "instrument" on it and it did exactly what I needed it to do at the beginning of the song. Fit with the contest too.

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I like the way you put such an odd melody line over a generally smooth bed. It definitely gives a feeling of returning to normalcy with a skewed perspective.

I thought that the melody was a bit loud at times, though that sort of fits with the theme of your piece. The drums might come up a click, but as it is, I think this piece still communicates your message and meets the goals of the l.i.o.l.i. challenge.

swell,
-g

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I thought long and hard about the mix on this and experimented with a lot of things. I did not want the bass and drums to dominate this piece so I mixed them lower than I would on many things on purpose. I felt the synth lead needed to be reall strong and at times biting for it to work well.

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That twisty feeling of going from a combat zone to civilian life. I can't even imagine what kind of relief it would be to come home safe. This is a cool entry, I enjoyed listening to it!

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I too can only imagine the feeling but I tried to imagine it and put it into this song.

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"Slippery." Don't know why. That's how the piece sounds to me. Once I got past the uniqueness of the sounds I was immediately struck by how thoughtful the melody is. You're controlling not only note selection but also the synth shape - which becomes as important as the notes themselves. You do ellicit the idea of memories interrupted, but not overwhelmed, by sharp flashes of light. An excellent rendition of your narrative premise.

You didn't list a midi controller under equipment, but I'm assuming this piece was played and not "penciled?" The expression sounds too "in the moment" to have been laid out one note at a time. I like the extreme range of the cutoff filter, coursing from soft and round to suddenly piercing. Mod wheel?

You may not have strayed far from the original loop, but this is certainly an original song and unique musical story!

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The melody line is penciled. I have been playing the "musical keyboard" on some of my pieces lately but this is not one of them. I do not remember the exact settings I used on the synth sound but I played around with it enough until I got the effect that I wanted. I actually took a loop of a single recurring note and added notes, subtracted notes, moved notes and modified notes until I had my melody. Tough way to work but probably easier than it was for Mozart to write a symphony while seated at the piano and writing everything down. Mozart also had the additional problems of trying to convince the musicians to play it the way he wrote it. My computer (for better or worse) plays everything exactly as I "write" it.

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...you might be eligible for an "alimar" award for you pencil performance on this one. Well done!

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very powerful emotive synth line. the tempo seems just right. i really like the way the synth sort of squelches now and then, almost like someone catching themselves and holding back the tears... nice

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The emotion of the loop played as a piano at a tempo of just 40 BPM struck me and the idea of the song "coming home" came to me right away. Worked hard to make the synth sound the way it does just to bring out that emotion. I'm glad it worked for you.

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What a haunting set of sounds, the thought that went into this is apparent, your spacial awareness and the depth and colour of sound is awesome, shame it wasnt a bit longer. Think i would've preferred a bit of a crescendo near the end as he embraces his loved ones, well done great production on this one

The Boxter

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I wanted the end to actually be against the cliche of the crescendo at the end to convey more of a feeling of peace and calm. Thanks for your comment.

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