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Hello everyone,
Well after getting back from an amazing 3 weeks in Canada, I've now finally finished the track I started before the holiday. (I still have a lot of forum catching-up to do!)
I began with Vocality, which I'd been meaning to try for a while, but after struggling for inspiration I tried asking a couple of questions - "What do you think?" and "How about now", and these words became a core part of the track
Other than the PCMSynth used for the vocal samples, the remaining tracks consist of a FMSynth bassline with pattern automation, a couple of Beatboxes, a couple of Subsynths for lead & arpegio-style melodies, and a pad/melody sound made up of a panned Padsynth & FMSynth, for some stereo separation.
The sounds used are either tweaked presets or my own creations, drum hits are various samples I've accumulated, and there is plenty of song automation used throughout!
This is a nice tune to wake up to...... good work
Thanks Jason, I guess that was posted about 6am for you, that is an early start!
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Nice to see you back, how was your "trip" ?
Heh, I get up at 4:30am and since I work at home, turn the coffee on and by 5am I am writting code.
Kindof a "housey" feel, I like the bassline (the rhythm) you have in it.
Mike
Hi Mike, yeah it was an incredible trip thanks! Just could not get over how spectacular the rocky mountain scenery was, I took a lot of photos - this is one of my favourites https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2007965/Emerald%20Lake.jpg
4.30am?! Wow. I am definitely not a morning person, luckily I don't need to get up until 7.30am in the week for work, and I'll happily sleep in 'till 10 at the weekends!
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Oh yeah, the rocky mts. are some really surreal scenery. I love nature and it gives so much renewed inspiration. I guess that is why I live on a Mt. in New Hampshire. haha. :)
We are getting ready for the 5 foot snow packs and -30f degree temps coming. The New Hampshire Mts. are so much different then the newer Rockies. These mts. over here are more shaped and rolly since they are a lot older.
Still the fall here is amazing up north with all the granite. :)
Mike
Sounds impressive & a little scary!
I guess the Rocky Mountains are perhaps closer to the 'norm' for you then, whereas for me, living slap bang in the middle of England (Leicester), they are like nothing I've ever seen.
I have climbed England's highest mountain, Skafell Pike. But at 3200ft, it's nothing compared to what we saw in Canada - the highest we travelled over there was 7486ft on Sulphur Mountain in Banff!
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Well I was originally from Seattle so, the Cascades and Rockies were at my back door.
I have to say, when I came to New Hampshire and the White Mts., I was a little under impressed because I was used to the vastness of the Cascades, volcanoes and such but I have lived here now since 1998 and I really have found a beauty in these older Mts and HUGE ledge boulders everywhere from the 1000's of year old glaciers that tilled through here in the last ice age.
Mike
Oh really? Well our trip began in Toronto, we stayed in Jasper & Banff along the way, and then travelled on the Rocky Mountaineer train ending with a couple of nights in Vancouver and a couple in Victoria before flying home - so fairly close to Seattle by the end!
I learnt a little bit about glaciers on the trip too (we also visited the Athabasca glacier) so whenever people back here ask about the surreal turquoise blue lakes I've been reciting the 'rock-flour' explanation of why only glacial water makes the lake that colour!
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Im an early bird myself... 5-5:30 in the mornings.... Yeah Mike I keep forgetting where you are..... So you probably getting ready for snow-ins and all that.... U have backup generators for electric etc???
Well, I have a Honda snow blower(with tracks :) ) and a plow on my 4-wheeler. Also have a nice wood stove down where I work.
The electric company is pretty good about clearing lines, considering where we are, we don't get that many power outages other than some of the huge nor-easters that come through in the winter, can get like 3 feet of snow in less than 24 hours with one of those storms.
Mike
Nice mix of genres, hints of dubstep bass, very trancey keys and distorted leads. Crisp housey beats. Excellent work
https://soundcloud.com/james-muir
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Cheers James, I would like to have a go at creating a 'proper' dubstep track one of these days, but find it very hard to get out of the '4 on the floor' mentality! Maybe I'll have another go with the next track...
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I don't like modern dubstep but like it when elements are appropriated for other genres
So keep doing what you're doing 
Drum and bass, House/Techno/Trance and Hip-hop all have a groove that moves the feet, dubstep is just breakdown after breakdown, interupting the flow. It lacks soul imo - a triumph of form over function.
*gets off his soapbox
*
Maybe I'm just getting old!
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Heh,
If I were to add, I would say that Dubstep is as Thrash Metal is to Metallica. It just went to the extreme and lost the actual musical roots the original had.
This is just my opinion but, nature seems to provide a good blue print for things that naturally evelove and loud crap ends up dying in a ditch.
Mike
It's heavy metal reborn for suburban kids, music for teenagers to annoy their parents with (and there should always be a place for parent baiting noise - it's part of growing up).
Just don't make me listen to it
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Dan - I'm giving it a 2nd (and 3rd and 4th listen)...and I love it...just a thought though, have you considered trying it with beefed up drums to match that squelchy booming bassline?
https://soundcloud.com/james-muir
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Dan, 4 on the floor done well to me is very tribal. There is nothing wrong with it IMHO. Where is dies is the frekin compressed pad or noise pulsating on the 4 on the floor.
I remember being out of techno/trance for a couple years 2005-2009, listened mainly to my old Sasha and DJ John Kelly, etc stuff. Then I got back on and listened to di.fm trance. I was like, wow this new stuff is pretty good, until I heard it over and over and over and over again. Now compressors on bass drums with noise or pads overdone almost makes me puke and think POP.
Mike
Dan, how long did it take you to put this together, I like James have had a couple other listens and really hear a cohesion.
Very good sequencing, nothing is really overdone and the reverb on everything is perfect on my speakers, no tin can, just light and as James said, lush.
Mike
Yeah it's super! Very professionally done :D
Well as the 'wow-wow' basslines are my favourite element of the dubstep genre, and I'm much more comfortable composing with a 4-on-the-floor rhythm, I'll most likely continue with what I'm doing then!
James - thanks again! I hadn't thought of trying it with more beefy drums... once I feel the track's finished I tend to draw a line under it, and begin working on the next one. If you have anything in particular in mind though, feel free to have a play!
Mike & IzMeJeremy - thankyou for the kind words! I began this track on the 13th September, and it's the only thing I've been working on until now (minus the 3 weeks in Canada) Not really sure the exact duration - I will have maybe one 2 hour session a week working on a track, and then due to the portablity of Caustic, grab a few 30 minute sessions here and there to continue working when I find the time
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