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Description:
This is an experiment inspired by Nolan asking about installing Crystal in GB in the forum last week. Aha, I've got Crystal, I thought, and that was the start.
Next thing I wanted to see what the sounds themselves could do. Therefor this piece is contructed by three tracks, each with just ONE (1) loooooong C note! Yeah, that's right. The rest is three different presets in Crystal - 1, 70 and 100 with added effects including loads of reverb and stuff. But I cheated a little by adding a little pitchbend in a few places. To add a tad of listenability I also included a fourth track with choir aahs from my Casio, only using two very similar C-based accords. The result is dynamic minimalism?!
This is for my "album" Covenant, soundtracks to the books by Stephen Donaldson about Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. The title refers to a place in the Land where a battle stood in the second book in the first trilogy.
Artwork is "Foul's Creche" from http://theland.antgear.com/ which is an entire different place from Doom's Retreat, but the image might inspire similar associations.
It's not very long, but please let me know what you think of it. Wish to add something to it? Just send me a note and I can send you the GB file or so...
Hardware:
PowerMac G5, Casio CTK-611
Software:
GarageBand 4, Crystal
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Doom's Retreat &mdash 10/04/08 - 04:57:47 AM
very much a sound track fo a si fi ..the lil hints of
that organ from behind into front is very much giving
the idea of the rising sun ...would suggest lil swirl
in the organ riffs but thats just me ..thnx alot for
sharin this scene !!!! [ Reply to This ]
Feter! &mdash 10/04/08 - 05:58:36 AM
Quick on the trigger as always! I'm glad this gave you some nice images of the rising sun. Earlier in the process it sounded a lot more spooky or scary, but I added 20 bpm (up to 140) and added the organ-like sound and that made all the difference. Thanks for your continued support!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
I really like this, H. &mdash 10/04/08 - 05:29:52 AM
Very cinematic, I see strange places, moonscapes, warm misty mountain tops or even caves. Or a post-battle scene as you describe. There's a lot in that 2:05!
Did you ever hear Bud's 'Phenomenon"? That is dynamic minimalism by accident, but you have gone that step further and created a beautiful soundscape, which demands to be expanded into a full blown piece.
And for the record - there's no cheating in making digital music - the tools are there for using!
All the best and thanks for sharing,
Jim [ Reply to This ]
Thank you Jim! &mdash 10/04/08 - 06:39:22 AM
You seem to get the same images that I do of this. I made the music and then tried to figure out what to call it and went for a place resembling what you describe here!
Don't think I had heard Phenomenon before, but I did now. Yes, really phenomenal and in a way similar to what I tried to do here deliberately. Thanks for leading me there!
The "cheating" was just that little step away from the original idea of just using one single note. Not the best way to do great music, I guess...
Maybe I will make a longer piece out of this. But it is frustrating not being able to listen to the last minute or so while editing, I must always start from the beginning or there is no sound at all :-(
Al the best!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
Yes! &mdash 10/04/08 - 05:31:04 AM
Great sound! Interesting use of Crystal. You've got it going on an Intel with GB 4? Didn't think it worked, or has it been updated? I must reinstall it. Totally cool synth. Check out the preset pack also, if you don't have it. Look on Greenoak's pages for details and follow the installation instructions carefully - you have to create a folder in your prefs and put them there. You get a whole lot more sounds - all for free!
Good stuff. You should definitely work on this, it has the makings of a very good dark ambient track. :-) [ Reply to This ]
Hi Dave! &mdash 10/04/08 - 06:51:51 AM
I am sorry to disappoint you, but a PowerMac G5 is not Intel. I installed Crystal and a few other synths after an article in Swdish MacWorld over a year ago, maybe two. Hardly tried them for real though, but doing this piece was fun and I'll probably try some more now. I am not sure I need any more presets at the moment - there are a lot already, but sure, "for free" tastes pretty good in my book ;-)
Glad you liked it anyway. I know it could go on a bit longer, but what ideas do you get for this? Solo synths? Vocals? Spoken word? Hints to direct my own associations are welcome!
Got to go listen to some of your stuff, seems I hadn't fav'd you as an artist so I believe I have missed a lot.
(Off topic: You from Liverpool, UK? I totally dig your cathedrals, both Anglican and Catholic - and with Hope Street connecting them with each other!)
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
Wonderful.. &mdash 10/04/08 - 06:14:43 AM
..I have to download chrystal, too.
As mentioned by feter before: Would be a great sc-fi track. Has some real nice old school touch, but I can't describe why...
Thank you for sharing.
Grettings from a cold but sunny autumn day in Germany!
Bernd [ Reply to This ]
Thank you Bernd! &mdash 10/04/08 - 07:01:25 AM
I must admit I only tried a few of the 128 presets that came with Crystal. These three used here seemed to do the job. From comments it seems there may be problems with Intel macs, if you've got that. I'm stuck with my trusty PM G5. I think it does quite well for its 3+ years...
Thanks for your note as well. I'm looking forward to some more music from you in the near future :-)
Greetings from a similar weathered Sweden!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
OK, so there's your experiment... &mdash 10/04/08 - 01:44:57 PM
time to turn this little snippet into something fully developed. Your idea of using a single note is great. Go for it. I heard a long ambient piece once that was a single dominant 7th chord without a third (so, I guess, EBD). The only variation was on the effects on each of the three notes, including volume modulation. One of the coolest ambient tracks ever. With your mastery of tone and effects, you could turn this into something really powerful. Great sounds, totally consistent with the theme and visuals. [ Reply to This ]
Thanks a lot! &mdash 10/04/08 - 04:30:07 PM
I am working with an extended version of this right now. We'll see, maybe it will turn into something completely different. I am testing another synth now, daHornet. Also some great presets to work with...
Talking of long nice ambient pieces, did you try Bud's Phenomenon that Jim talks of here above? A little too much distortion for my taste, but it's a powerful bit of "accidental" music!
Take care, see you around!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
Cinematic Sci-Fi! &mdash 10/04/08 - 02:45:30 PM
Great stuff man.
Makes me want to break out my Babylon 5 DVD's and watch some episodes!
Be well friend! [ Reply to This ]
Ha ha, &mdash 10/04/08 - 04:40:04 PM
Sorry about that ;-)
But seriously, isn't it Chris Franke of Tangerine Dream that has written at least some of the Babylon 5 soundtracks?! I should see the series for that reason if none other, but so far I haven't <:-|
Thanks for stopping bye and for your nice comment!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
Doom &mdash 10/04/08 - 05:13:32 PM
Great soundscape you've created. Experiments sometimes turn into the best stuff and I love your ideas behind this piece. I thought the sounds you chose, the way you chose to use Crystal was great - all worked very well together. I see this as a great intro to a long masterpiece. And I always love that your songs are truly soundtracks for what you have read. Gives great depth and background to the music. Thanks for another great piece, Henke! [ Reply to This ]
Thank you! &mdash 10/05/08 - 04:07:17 AM
I am really happy you liked this. Your comment means a lot to me. Actually I am adding to this in exactly the way you put it. This will more or less be the intro to a longer masterpiece ;-). It's promising so far, but a lot more to be done still...
Stay well!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
Nice work &mdash 10/04/08 - 08:12:29 PM
Kinda love what u have done here my friend... Very nice work.. Cheers [ Reply to This ]
Hej Kenta! &mdash 10/05/08 - 04:11:04 AM
Glad to see you around and happy you liked what you heard! Still, it's an experiment. Now down for some serious music-making :-)
Take care!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
pitchbend... or... &mdash 10/04/08 - 11:07:09 PM
pitch-blend? Cool effects do come out of just letting the crystal oscillate for awhile, huh? The piece ends on an odd chord, but perhaps you wanted it dangling there. This is very cool, that with very little number of instruments or notes, you can get such variety. I feel lost in a wash of synths! :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis [ Reply to This ]
Well, &mdash 10/05/08 - 04:19:01 AM
I always seem to loose my memory stick in the washing machine. Same syndrome perhaps;-) Anyway, I am happy the experiment went so well and that I found a well of new sounds in Crystal and other synths buried inside my GB installation. Who'd have thought?!
Glad to hear from you again, Eduard, seems it was some time ago. Hope all is well with you and yours!
/Henke
P.S. Maybe it does end on an odd chord, but then that's more or less what these books seems to be all about :-/ [ Reply to This ]
This is great. &mdash 10/05/08 - 02:40:15 PM
Thanks for sharing the background and your experimentations. I always end up 'cheating' when I set myself parameters, but I figure they're there to help you come up with great music, not to stifle you. This makes me listen to texture and timbre, rather than melody or harmonic progression, so it makes me stretch myself as a listener, too. I'm waiting to hear what you do to it after this. [ Reply to This ]
Well, thank you! &mdash 10/06/08 - 03:58:30 PM
I'm glad this was something of a "challange" for you as a listener. Your comment was most helpful to me. I have started on a longer version - with some more variation. I am also waiting to see what will become of it ;-)
Take care!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
Crystal Demo &mdash 10/06/08 - 12:58:01 PM
Thanks for a fine example of what to expect from crystal. Hard to believe it produces such sounds with the 3 notes you chose.
Cool stuff. [ Reply to This ]
Thanks! &mdash 10/06/08 - 03:53:33 PM
You wouldn't believe, I listened through all the 128 presets yesterday and man, there were some freaky ones! And still I downloaded the extras as prescribed by davajonah above. The only thing that wasn't there was that choir voice I was looking for ;-) So, a great software synth but maybe a bit tricky to tame to your needs...
Thanks for listening and commenting!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
Very mesmerizing. &mdash 10/06/08 - 04:01:01 PM
I listened to Phenomenon and I opened it in three windows, starting each one after a short delay. It blended together like other music usually doesn't.
I'm going to do this with your piece. I expect it to become more engrossing and powerful. Thanks. [ Reply to This ]
Thank you! &mdash 10/07/08 - 12:49:41 PM
Why, that worked like a Char(m)! Never thought it was possible... Phenomenon was great, really, but I thought a pity with the distortion towards the end. Might try three at a time with that one too. Thanks again for your kind comment!
BTW, BigFinish is my new fav and I thought you did very well on your part!
Take care!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
sheer beauty &mdash 10/06/08 - 04:16:28 PM
You think?! &mdash 10/07/08 - 12:52:24 PM
I am happy you liked it. I certainly loved your BIG project :-)
Thank you for listening and commenting and everything!
/Henke [ Reply to This ]
excellent &mdash 10/06/08 - 06:17:27 PM
love this and i am really glad that you put in the description regarding your techniques. i really wish that I could get crystal to work on my computer. this is just beautiful. i may take you up on the idea of a remix, probably wouldn't change anything but the synth sounds, just to see how it would work with other synths. really nice piece. [ Reply to This ]
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that organ from behind into front is very much giving
the idea of the rising sun ...would suggest lil swirl
in the organ riffs but thats just me ..thnx alot for
sharin this scene !!!!
[ Reply to This ]