the sky is an archaic construct and must be done away with!
mmmmm, so this is like some kind of trancy house, but mostly it's just me playing with portamento leads, chopping them up and stuff, as I tend to do
the result was an incredibly loose monophonic melody and stutter variation it's pretty cool, if you can follow its contour, though it's still rather strange and very heavy on the porta (also, I'm super biased and I think porta is AWESOME)
the additional harmonic support in the recapitulation frames it a bit more, so there's that
middle section is a bit more typically sonorous, and the chords are sooooo ostinato
the sky is an archaic construct and must be done away with!
mmmmm, so this is like some kind of trancy house, but mostly it's just me playing with portamento leads, chopping them up and stuff, as I tend to do
the result was an incredibly loose monophonic melody and stutter variation it's pretty cool, if you can follow its contour, though it's still rather strange and very heavy on the porta (also, I'm super biased and I think porta is AWESOME)
the additional harmonic support in the recapitulation frames it a bit more, so there's that
middle section is a bit more typically sonorous, and the chords are sooooo ostinato
also, WOODBLOX!!
this piece was very fun to makeharubiOcularNebula2020-10-06 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
It's sort of experimental - starts out barely harmonic, then when the other layers come in turns totally different.
Way too short of an idea, and probably too much high pass used, but hey it's at least a pretty interesting combo of sounds. Kinda warbly, kinda wispy. Waspy.clukwurkOcularNebula2020-08-23 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
This overcompressed mishmash was heavily 'inspired' by the middle section of the Venice level music from Timesplitters: Future Perfect, which in itself is a remix of the Clockwork Orange theme, which in itself is also a remix of Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary from like 300 years ago. How derivative.MedievalOcularNebula2020-08-21 | Remember Rogue Legacy?? Sooo, sometime around early 2013, this tune was made to be the intro music for the game (or one version of it), but Cellar Door Games didn't end up using it because it didn't quite fit the theme and there were some other issues as well. The harpsichord was a- ummm bold choice, really quite piercing, and you can hear the quality of a few of the instruments is a bit wack (and the pitch in some parts ranges too high and sounds really tinny). And so, into the unpolished/unfinished bin it went... UNTIL NOW.
ALSO, by complete coincidence, Rogue Legacy 2 is out in Early Access since like 2 days ago!! Of course, it's still in the early stages of development, but it looks like it resembles the original quite closely, and I really enjoyed playing through the first one, including New Game +, and New Game ++, though I never got a hang of the remix bosses. So anyway, check it out if rogue-lites are your cup of cocoa, jussayin.vulgOcularNebula2020-08-03 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
I'm pretty sure I was using this waveform in Massive called 'Vulgar', but instead of being vulgar it turned into a kinda quaint melody with some quirky chromaticism in the bass. Comfy.
That percussion loop though... honestly pretty lame, but oh well.lisandraOcularNebula2020-07-29 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
Oooohh, this one's wacky. Starts out simple enough with a piano based melody, then warps the flip out of it. All the additional layers completely change the feel, it's pretty much all over the place, yet feels incomplete. It's warped and warbled, sorta wishy-washy and faded. Anyway, I think I probably went overboard with all the weird fx - hence why I never figured out how to polish and finish this one up. It's pretty different, definitely were some cool ideas though.naitherOcularNebula2020-07-28 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
Just a little loop. Really scrounging for scraps at this point; this was under a minute long, so I added a crappy fade-out at the end. Bada-bing bada-boom (┛❍ᴥ❍)┛彡┻━┻purinOcularNebula2020-07-26 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
Edit: (Youtube audio re-normalization makes everything way quieter than it's supposed to be, maybe I'm an idiot and there's a way around it, but if you want to download the original mp3, check Newgrounds)
Guys, guys guys guys -
Let's all change the world
by becoming the subjective part
of the consequences of The Event.
Anyway, starts off a little lo-fi - I think I was using some default Sytrus synth. Then there's the crunchy jank transition in the middle with the crushed Alain Badiou voice sample. After that everything actually comes together pretty well, I think. Catchy. The saws are pretty cheesy though, but that's just how it be, you know?
Oh, and I had to just make it a bit longer by awkwardly looping the last section.
You're welcome : ^ )Baroquen Music Box - Revenge of the VoxOcularNebula2020-04-21 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
=$= THE VOX HAVE RETURNED =$=
Ok, so this was clearly supposed to be a sequel to Baroquen Music Box Re-Invention, but I kinda gave up on it as I didn't feel it was living up to the original. Just like all sequels ever.
The first melody in the original was so upbeat and hype with the syncopation, and this one doesn't really match it - it's a lot more straightforward and measured. The texture is also pretty empty - that's the unfinished factor.
Still, the gimmick is the same - lots of tempo automation. Again, probably not as much as in the original, but you get the idea. I took a pretty sweet premise that worked once before, and it just wasn't as inspiring the second time around.slipsOcularNebula2020-04-17 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
Not much to say about this one - it's really short and ends quite abruptly. Slidy portamento lead with some other simple sounds. Very unassuming.boomes aeonOcularNebula2020-04-10 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
This one's pretty minimal but with lots of delay and reverb on the main instrument to fill up space and create the illusion that there's more happening than there actually is. Clever.
Overall, I actually really like the feel - sorta calm and smooth, albeit simple. I just wish I made it longer, added some transitions, some sweepy effects or whatever, maybe some extra percussion, just to fill it out a bit more. Obviously there isn't a proper ending. That's going to be the case for most of these - just the lack of polish/length.minimanOcularNebula2020-04-09 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
This one was pretty excessive with the kicks/sidechain and altogether overcompressed; even though that was kinda the idea, it didn't really pan out. Also, the second half doesn't really add much.
But yeah, it's a short loop with a heavier electro style, that's it.
ヾ(*^▽゚) byebye!!addichordOcularNebula2020-04-07 | I managed to recover some .mp3s of my old unfinished projects, so I guess I'll be posting them here now.
2015 and earlier ~ vibes.
This one's just a pretty chill repetitive house-trance melody around some chords, but WATCH OUT!! Not all is as chill as it seems... until it is.
(Bonus fact: I think I was using Massive's Additive waveforms for the main synths and chords which is why it's called addichord ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
whispered words of wondrous worlds, what wakeful wish your will withholds?
I was a bit too enamored with this neat harmonic progression, so the entire piece basically builds upon it, and it alone
Lots of delay fx in this one, so if that ain't your cup of joe, then you probably drink decaf, OOOOOHHHH SNAP, careful with that coffee - wouldn't want to BURN yourself now, alright, enough of that
What else is there to say? May your wistful wishes come true (but only the wistful ones)
...but he is NO MAN, The Signalist is a being of pure electronic abstraction, and all the signals of the cosmos are subject to his will?! THE POWER!!!
anyway, I just finished this random song that's been lying around for a while now
the overall structure still feels kinda bad, very sectionalized, but hey, at least try to enjoy these couple of themes hereSunlit ThunderscapesOcularNebula2014-05-28 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/577625
so, on a more serious note, here's some music that isn't evocative of poop
using vibes with a bunch of delay to play with the evolving harmonies in this one
pretty chill, environmental, etc.
I'd say that the major sections generally outshine the minor ones, but oh well, gotta force that tonal contrast
P.S. probably won't be uploading anything else for a while. don't really have enough free time right now, since acquisition of money is very inefficient when you have no marketable skills!Salty KebabOcularNebula2014-05-28 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/577585
the idea here was to only use monomate for ALL of the sounds, and then touch them up with some camel plug-ins (CamelSpace, mostly (cuz it's the wackiest))
so, monomate is a very simple monophonic VSTi made by Tweakbench, who is basically just one guy who develops a bunch of plug-ins, many of which are retro sounding, super accessible mini-synths, which you can download for free if you're at all interested in old-school chiptune-ish sounds, or you can support him by buying a bundle that includes everything for $5 (It's Windows only, though). I'm not really affiliated with him, so I'm basically just advertising for fun, though I do also have a lot of respect for indie dudes doing their thang, so there's that
the piece itself is an interesting concoction
since I technically couldn't use chords, I have a bunch of arps and other layers that sorta fill up the harmony
some of the camel fx may be too extreme with disproportionate amounts of resonance and such, but oh well
just one instrument (some sort of vibes, as is my preference) playing some notes & rhythms & chords, there is some pretty cool interaction between all the voices in the part, since I didn't incorporate any realistic instrument restrictions
just a quick elaboration on a single phrase with harmony based around fifths
the filtered beginning is probably the most interesting thing here, and then the breakbeat sorta stuff comes in and it's like whatever
feels a little bit unfinished, but I couldn't really come up with anything else that would complement this theme appropriately, and this project has just been lying around for some time now, so HERE IT ISVon NeumannOcularNebula2013-11-26 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/557803
something akin to electro glitch house...?
using lots of Sylenth1 and Vengeance Minimal House samples here - both things I don't often use for some reason, and should definitely use more
the balance still seems a bit off to me, as I am used to making generally less in-your-face music, so there might be a bit too much emphasis on the high frequencies and also a bit too much loudness and obnoxiousness, but why don't we just attribute that to a stylistic choice and/or a property of the genre, roflmaolol
don't really have too much else to say about this one - it's pretty repetitive, but there are some filters n' flangers in there
the title is just a little tribute to one of the more impressive people of the 20th century, but I'm sure you can think of all sorts of creative ways to relate what you hear with what von Neumann was conceptually all about
check out those sweet fundamentals, mad respect bruh
jk, they aren't really pure sines because those are boring as shit and really difficult to make stand out in a mix (it's like 1/16 square and also has some tube and crush distortion for sum a da fuzzinezz (probably some other stuff too, idr))
if you've listened to some of my other music, you might know that I love arpeggiating vibraphone-ish isntruments, and using a sine pluck is pretty close to that smooth low-pass-ish goodness that I like (I like it even more than suffixing words with -ish)
trying to add appropriate complementary sounds is where it gets somewhat difficult, though
I layered a bunch of nexus saws to use in the upper frequency range (and yes, of course they have porta, why would I ever NOT use porta?), but the resulting concoction still clashes somewhat with all the smoother stuff going on
maybe there is too much Glitch involved
still, it makes a melodic lead, so what do you want, an apology? back off, son
I've entertained the idea of using a sine bass, as well, but sine is just so flat, I ended up using one of the nexus trance basses, which I like
overall, I'm still pretty happy with the way everything layers, the sines are always clearly audible, which was the intention
oh yeah, I always have trouble gauging how much melodic repetitiveness is acceptable, so I've been abusing techniques such as looping a 4 bar phrase an octave higher and other such vile things, feedback regarding this compositional degradation is very welcome
the ending includes a totally random modulation that makes you think there's more development coming, but leaves you with bitter disappointment as the song fades out, don't you just love it?
writing these descriptions makes me feel really ADHD, so I'll just wrap up here
stylistically and formulaically quite similar to a lot of my recent works, been doing a lot of laid back stuff
I have yet to make something radically different, house or otherwise, which is a task that's certainly somewhere on my priority list
The song sort of peters out toward the end, and I would have made a few additional changes, but there's a plug-in I use in this one that reverts all of its settings to default every time I open the project, so that was just annoying enough to make me want to stop working on it
It still holds its own, but there's an additional critique to be made that it sounds a bit too low-passed overall, and I haven't been able to find an effective way around that, given the foundation, so I guess I'll just attribute that quality to a stylistic decision! aawww yissreedzOcularNebula2013-11-10 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/555974
it's like you're in a really pleasant swamp
not too complex, with a surprising BPM of 180 or 90, depending on how you think about it
I guess you could call it downtempo
I've got a really really square structure with this piece, which is kind of annoying, as it may sound repetitive as a result, but otherwise it's got some sweet melodiesAzure ApexOcularNebula2013-11-10 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/555858
a sort of house song
going for progressive, as is probably usual by now, I guess
there's a part that's layered and pretty dense with sound toward the middle where everything sort of comes together that I like, though the rest is fairly fun as well
second half of the song takes a little bit of a thematic detour, and I don't return to the first motif, veering away from my standard ABA formulaSubterranean SocietyOcularNebula2013-11-07 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/555736
throwing together somewhat unlikely elements!
been sitting on this one in my inventory for a little while
it tries to set some sparse melodic stuff with chromatic elements against a techno/trance beat, and then force some piano in
hodge podge gigglety goo!
and oh my god Youtube video cropping will forever be the bane of my existence, and I will never ever figure it out because I don't think I care that much about the visualsHypnotic LullabytesOcularNebula2013-10-27 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/554473
let the gentle arps and polyrhythms lull you to sleep and/or hypnotize you
using lots of bell keys in this one, plus a long n' lazy porta "lead"
the rolling trance bass is very much present throughout this one, but I hope it still manages to be soothing, and if not that, then at least interesting in its compositionBouncy BitHouseOcularNebula2013-10-23 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/554044
is this a house? am I in a house?
the answers lie within
But, yeah, I'm sure you all remember those bouncy house castles, or whatever you call them. Ah, childhood! Those were always a good time, and I would still really enjoy going on one, if only I weren't so morbidly obese.
Let's talk shop for just a couple of sentences. The piano interlude is perhaps not entirely satisfactory. It does somewhat break character briefly, but introduces a theme that then gets a proper electro framing, which I like. Staccato plucks have always been a favorite of mine, so it's no surprise to see them here adorned with some glitchiness from everyone's favorite dBlue Glitch, though some parts could still use more presence. Honestly, everything could use more presence. What an elusive concept this "presence" is. If you're a producer, pitch in and tell me your thoughts on what accounts for the good sense of "presence" that is usually heard in a well made mix.
artwork is "Sunset in Barcelona" by Leonid Afremov
it's circa 2300; no flamenco guitar in here
In fact, as per usual, the title is rather irrelevant, though you could certainly make it work with the power of imagination! Future-Barcelona could pretty much be anything, so there you go
This one started out as a bit of a gimmick as I was experimenting with some arps and weird meters. It turned out decent enough, though I suppose its decency/accessibility was somewhat hindered by some of the creative choices I made
got some pretty smooth sounds, chord progression, you know, pretty much the whole miscellaneous shebang
CAUTION: RANT AHEAD
So, I do enjoy simple, conceptual sounds more often than not. Since a lot of my music is melodically driven, I tend to forego at least some of the "dressing" that is perhaps customary. While my music is usually not minimal (I suppose I'd view minimalism as an intentional and rigorous reduction of a medium to its fundamental elements) I do view some basic sounds as "sufficient" for carrying a melody or some melodic element of a phrase and hence make no further effort to add interest value to the sound itself, as that would possibly even distract from what I want the listener to focus on. In fact the melody carries itself (or should, at least).
Take the guitar-ish sound from the middle section, for instance. It is basically just a monophonic pluck with some porta (made in Massive). The important details are that its pluckiness comes from an enveloped low pass filter variant (I used Scream, which is surprisingly smooth if you null the resonance), which reduces some of the high frequency content, making the pluck somewhat smoother, and the porta is a legato type, which is basically the only kind I ever use, since it allows you to shape your melody in a micro way and make it more diverse (as opposed to all-glide or no-glide). It's simple. It's functional. It incorporates the needs of my melodic considerations into its design, but nothing more (there is some more, such as reverb and some amplification stuff, but those basically no brainers).
And that kind of approach appeals to me, because, mentally, I'm still in that stage where I often don't have the patience to engineer an entirely unique and complex sound from scratch, while also making sure it's capable of being used melodically.
If you've heard Knife Party's "Sleaze", the gated formant lead they use is a good example of a sound that relies solely on its own design to provide interest value. I shan't muse for too long about what precisely defines a melody, but I think it's relatively safe to say that "Sleaze" contains basically no melodic content in the traditional sense, and that doesn't in the least stop it from being great music, because it just has really nice structure, sound design, and it's innovative, in some respects. It's just not the sort of music I'm good at, or even capable, of producing.
I probably wouldn't mind being an electronic music guy in the 80s and/or 90s. Hell, even today's market pushes lots of software that emulates analogue sounds and whatnot. Must be some demand or interest in it, at least. But I feel like this is beside the point. Producers back then were doing the best they could with the tools available to them, and the same approach would equate to something totally different now. But, I'm emphasizing mere functionality.
But, speaking of maximum utility, Massive is such a great VST, and for more than just bass sounds, though it seems like a lot of its appeal comes from that. Or maybe there's just a lot of online content that's just like "Oh, how do I make deh Skrillex wobbles, gotta use Massive". Yeah, I've used Modern Talking... ONCE. Anyway, this is all just a stereotype. People know that Massive is dynamic.
Imagine traveling around a sparsely inhabited alien planet, much of the surface of which is covered by a dense, viscous fluid. You set sail in a magnificent vessel, crafted largely from organic materials found on one of the habitable islands with help from the natives. It seems crude in its design, but is highly functional, even allowing for complete submersion in the fluid, except in polar regions - a feature you intend to make full use of. The very appearance of the craft gives you a whiff of the peculiar culture that must have developed on these islands. The strange climate of this planet is fickle, and the many atmospheric phenomena you witness on your quest have a stark, raw beauty to them. Ion storms dissipate the soft phosphine clouds, tinting the sky a violent purple, as the harsh, overbearing light from the binary sun-stars illuminates the endless ripples your vessel leaves in the gooey substance in its wake. Diffuse aurorae blanket your field of vision at nights, and the discrete ones - an amateur artist's careless streaks on this mystical canvas of an alien sky - are much like the ones on Earth, but appear far more frequently here, often even during the daytime. You encounter few hostile creatures, among them a particularly aggressive flock of flightless xenobears, which you avoid by submerging, and a rather horny deep-sea creature that follows your ship for days, mistaking it for a mate, casually nudging and bumping it from various sides, however you quickly realize that the true danger of this planet lies in its erratic chemistry. During particularly humid days on the surface, the atmosphere gets so charged, that each heave of your ship sends a flurry of argon-blue sparks flying. But, who would willingly go on such a long and perilous voyage? Only a naive adventurer like yourself! Why, to forge knowledge of lands unknown, to lay eyes upon things unseen, to go where no man has gone before - can nothing spur a greater sense of discovery and wonderment? And as you eventually approach the conclusion of your journey, docking your ship at the makeshift harbor from which you began your travels, you sentimentally reflect that, despite all the foreign threats of this planet, all the endured hardships, all the wakeful nights of turbulence, you are ever so reluctant to flip the last page of this chapter of your life. But an adventurer's spirit never wanes, and, who knows, perhaps you'll be exploring another strange world in due time. Preferably, one with less gooey, sticky stuff all over the place. Ew. Totally gross.
this one may be a bit minimal in its arrangement (at least until the 2 minute mark, where the rest of the percussion comes in), but it has some nice melodies
another miscellaneous one, as it includes elements from various genres, this time with a bit of an odd chord progression for the first theme
I quite like using little subtle snippets of various synth sounds to complement an existing pattern/phrase
also have been using FabFilter Timeless 2 for a lot of the crazy delay effects in the last couple of things I did, it has quite a breadth of options, even though I've only just tapped into the presets (there are so many, for a delay plug-in)Lustrous AmalgamationOcularNebula2013-05-16 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/535606
the title is a little more than vaguely sexual (though, not necessarily), but now that I have your attention, listen to this song I wrote!
the samples were, surprisingly enough, a last-minute addition, but I am so GLaD that I took the extra step to include them!Thunderthorn TownOcularNebula2013-05-11 | to download song: http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/534930
in this (fifth, technically?) installment of the much anticipated "Eurorave" series, I finally stop using autOgun, as it is mostly terrible, and instead opt to have some warped sax in the middle section