work listening to this, and it's making me want to go home and record. this is really pretty, I love the echoing bass line with the strings in the background. It's so deceptively simple (as in minimalist), but draws you right in and unfolds slowly if you are paying attention. I'm always amazed that some people find ambient to be background music; maybe as a musician I just always hope that people notice the details, so I'm on the look out for them myself. anyways, this is a great track.

[ Reply to This ]

almost forgot, I am way into the longer mixes. keep putting them up.

[ Reply to This ]

I also listen to MJ stuff when I first get into work. It usually starts my day off OK.

I'm happy that you noticed the minimalist approach. I did have another two oscillators to work with but declined, as they didn't add anything of any significance.

Normally I listen through laptop speakers whilst I'm mixing stuff but I had a soccer game on tv and so had my bins on, and this made me want to master the track some more. Hopefully it worked OK.

This was the 6th mix (last night) with this idea so I may put the others up here sometime. They all have varied rhythms, percussion levels and other instruments/voices with each mix, to vary things and see how different things work together, but at up to 17 minutes per mix, I must admit that the soccer became my focus. (AND the English team won, so joy there).

Take care.

Paul.



[ Reply to This ]

through a dry country, through small villages with white-walled villages parched under the sun, separated by tracts of near-treeless scrub land obscured by the occasional cloud of dust blown by the hot gusts of wind. As for the composition, it is quite surprising to me the high level of interest generated by the melodic line of the bass especially considering the length of the song - and this is a GOOD thing. It holds a lot of attention itself, perhaps because of enough irregularity in the rhythm to hold many delightful small surprises, and enough regularity to hold the piece together with continuity. The flourishes are so tasteful, and these additional surprise elements really round out the piece (and let my imagination know of the changes that occur on my 'walk'.

Paul, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing!
Keep well,
Doug

[ Reply to This ]

Thanks for your insightful comments once again.

The always-changing parts are there to add variety to the piece and are part of the reason why I am using these type of soft synths to compose. They allow all manner of personal changes and variations based on sound programming principles/algorithms. I can leave everything to repeat the same rhythm but to me it would not add anything but would take something away.

Then the actual instruments can be left as they originally are created or they can be changed, either subtlely or with more gusto.

All in all I'll be experimenting and composing more with this and similar setup for a little while yet. The possibilities are almost endless.

Take care.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]

I feel like I'm in the outback drifting over the plain. I like the minimal. evocations. we have a lot of Indian music here in Iowa. I don't notice that much in your piece. which is a relief. I love the tabla, but not the way Indians use it so much.

[ Reply to This ]

The picture that you describe, whilst listening to my mix, sounds terrific. I can almost step into your minds eye view from here.

The instruments I use aren't necessarily going to be played or sound as they originally were intended, so I'm happy that you liked the Table, etc., just the way I arranged them. It gives me encouragement to 'play' more with my mixes.

Take care.

Paul.

[ Reply to This ]