Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Bandcamp: alankeystewart.bandcamp.com/track/periodic-piece
From Periodic Videos "Piecing Together the Periodic Table Jigsaw"
I created this music for Periodic Videos epic jigsaw video. Brady sent me a draft of the video and I began compsoing by listening to the audio whilst sketching out ideas on the piano.
The piano that you hear was all recorded semi-live, that is, I played almost every note as the Periodic Video audio played through my headphones. I'd considered splitting the video into chunks so I could record the music in several takes but soon discovered this was actually more difficult. Recording in one take meant I didn't lose the flow of the music.
Such a prospect would've filled me with fear a year ago. I used to record everything live using Audacity. Making a mistake meant scrapping the take and starting again. I like to think it was good for discipline and playing accurately. I still feel like I'm "cheating" when I use Studio One - which allows for note by note editing of a performance. I try not to do too much of that. It's weridly addictive - scrolling through the MIDI track and making tiny, inconsequential adjustments here and there and I'm conscious of wasting hours on making inconsequential changes. I focussed instead on fixing true mistakes - moments when I'd hit a bad note or messed up timing.
Once the piano was all sorted I could start adding other (MIDI) instruments. There's a cello, a bass, some percussion and some synths. There's also a nice reverse bass drum hit near the start with a super long (reversed) reverb tail to create that swell effect.
Bandcamp: alankeystewart.bandcamp.com/track/periodic-piece
From Periodic Videos "Piecing Together the Periodic Table Jigsaw"
I created this music for Periodic Videos epic jigsaw video. Brady sent me a draft of the video and I began compsoing by listening to the audio whilst sketching out ideas on the piano.
The piano that you hear was all recorded semi-live, that is, I played almost every note as the Periodic Video audio played through my headphones. I'd considered splitting the video into chunks so I could record the music in several takes but soon discovered this was actually more difficult. Recording in one take meant I didn't lose the flow of the music.
Such a prospect would've filled me with fear a year ago. I used to record everything live using Audacity. Making a mistake meant scrapping the take and starting again. I like to think it was good for discipline and playing accurately. I still feel like I'm "cheating" when I use Studio One - which allows for note by note editing of a performance. I try not to do too much of that. It's weridly addictive - scrolling through the MIDI track and making tiny, inconsequential adjustments here and there and I'm conscious of wasting hours on making inconsequential changes. I focussed instead on fixing true mistakes - moments when I'd hit a bad note or messed up timing.
Once the piano was all sorted I could start adding other (MIDI) instruments. There's a cello, a bass, some percussion and some synths. There's also a nice reverse bass drum hit near the start with a super long (reversed) reverb tail to create that swell effect.
