Caravan mission music recording

I did two new raw recordings, in theory for use in Caravan. I didn't really plan out these music selections; I just sort of played. The only constraint was the rough length (the non-combat part of Caravan is currently 6 or 7 minutes), and the combat part is expected to be from 6 or 7 to 15 minutes. I also didn't want it to be the same musical theme as from the tutorial, but a common element or two is still good.

It is raw and unprocessed but here they are:

Caravan Opening Theme: This ended up very slow and quite sad; I think there's hope in there but it takes some working up to. Not inappropriate for the mission, but it might be a little too slow. I was amused to realize a few minutes into recording it that I was playing in 6:4 time. It is not amusing in of itself, its more that I was amused that I didn't already know. :)

Caravan Combat Theme: This is supposed to be a pull from the same theme as above, but with a more pounding energy and constant tension. It bears some similarity to the tutorial's combat theme in the nature of the bass and the beat rhythm; that's alright I think.

I'll listen to them both for a while and decide if I'm gonna keep them.


Lots of Caravan and AI updates to talk about; but the current rule is that it waits for Caravan to have a successful full playthrough! Soon? SOON?! (hopefully)

EDIT: There's some funny resonances in the combat theme that are kind of painful and obviously not intended. I'll have to figure out how to fix those sometime, but I'm honestly not sure how.

2 new tracks

Did some new piano recording with the new microphone. It's not the most inspired work but it's alright:

w_tut_first_main.mp3
w_com2.mp3

Let me know if you think the recording quality is any improved. I personally think it's a lacking a bit in the bass department, so I'll adjust the mic setup next time to try and capture more of the low ranges.

Both recordings have some note misses that are obvious to me and a bit painful; not the best session I've ever had, but people tell me not to worry about that sort of thing and to record anyway :) :p

More Music

As an experiment in learning streaming technology, and having some fun with hanging the Kinect from the ceilng, I live-recorded some music on twitch. Despite the uncomfortableness I have about being on camera, here you are: http://twitch.tv/ventare

It's worth getting used to, in any case. Who knows, maybe someone'll like it :p

2 New Tracks

Recorded two new ones today: The first is along the lines of my normal fare, but I tried to give it more impactful energy. The first 3 minutes goes with no key changes; just jamming with rhythms instead of key changes and harmonies.

Medley 7 (Impact).

The second is completely different. I've occasionally been playing songs as if I was writing for the game soundtrack; trying to explore different emotional feels rather than musical complexity. This one's more backgroundy, a little ethereal, and with a little bit of cycling between angst and excitement.

Or something like that. It sounds silly when said out loud.

You know what I meant.

Eb Ethereal.

Finally setup another recording.

Just another simple track. I wanted to try mixing guitar and piano. The setup worked well, but it's strikingly obvious how much better my piano is than the guitar. Nonetheless it was fun. :)

Piano only version: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7072699/Piano/ox-8-piano.mp3
Mixed version: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7072699/Piano/ox-8-3.mp3

The basic pattern is an ABCB. The A is calm but building, B is energetic piano work with guitar backing, in C I let the piano take a background to see what I could mess around with on the guitar, and I finish with a bit more energetic piano stuff.

Another Medley

Another Medley. This one was recorded a few weeks ago, but it came out pretty nice. There are a few glaring mistakes, but aside from the obvious ones the playing is pretty good for me.

Of course it's the same style as the rest of my stuff. It's fun to play. :)

Medley 4

Enjoi.

Music! Music! Music! Smash!

Now, the introduction down there says that these here blag is for four topics: The World Project, which will inexorably get the most attention, Bunkspeed, Programming, and Music.

So let's get into that last one there. I've been playing unprofessionally for a long time. I composed a bit, though I don't hold much weight by most of my compositions. For the most part this aspect of my life fell by the wayside through college. The only exception was a single course in composition, in which I wrote a piano duet, and then later when I finally had a room for my parents' piano, which was gifted to me.

So I began playing again, just my own tinkering as usual. Rather than writing songs I seem to write basic melodies and chord progressions, and improvise around them. The basic pattern is always very simple, but they are fun to play, and Irene seems to like listening to it.

I've yet to really pin down how to describe the style of music I play. I may be too self-conscious about it to try and define it. So I'll leave that to others. On that note, here's the first decent recording I made. This one has some audio issues (especially near the beginning, it gets better as it gets louder), but stick with it and let me know what you think! This one is a medley of the 6 main rhythms I've been improvising upon.

Medley 1

I'll work on an embedded player eventually, but I'm not terribly experienced at that sort of thing.

Yet.

Anyway, I'll be making a point to keep recording. Let me know what you think!