Composition Challenge #5 - Voting

steamabacus · November 2014

Yes, I'm happy to put together a 'making of..' overview, too.

The beauty of these challenges for me is that I'm taken outside of my usual comfort zones. I mean, 'The 80s'!! That decade contains everything I detest, musically. Whatever next? Country & Western??

daveww · November 2014

Country and Western lol. The worst for me would compose something reminiscent of the "sing something simple" radio show or the "black and white minstrels" which my parents had on every Sunday at around tea time inthe 60s! That really dates me but I was probably around 10 at the time and my ears still bear the scars.

I'd be really interested to learn how everyone made their recordings from start to finish. I'm also very happy to go through mine but that won't take me very long and I'm sure I couldn't teach the rest of you guys much.

TTony · November 2014

daveww said:

The worst for me would compose something reminiscent of the "sing something simple"

Charlie Chester.

I was there in those days too.

Antique_Guitars · November 2014

Might have to do a cover of something really shit for a future challenge, I'd like to see what people can make out of complete turd.

TTony · November 2014

Antique_Guitars said:

I'd like to see what people can make out of complete turd.

You might not ....

Antique_Guitars · November 2014

TTony;418414" said:
Antique_Guitars said:

I'd like to see what people can make out of complete turd.

You might not ....

It will be beautiful

littlegreenman · November 2014

I'd be happy to explain how I go about these sorts of things. Once I understand it, I'll let you all know!

I'll be along to comment/ vote and waffle at the weekend when I finally get some time off work and aren't imminently heading to bed.

Fretwired · November 2014

@TTony - 5 points - this track put a smile on my face .. very 80s

@steamabacus - 3 points - this reminded me of listening to Satriani's Flying in a blue dream at the close of the 1980s

@Lev - 1 point - like the Nile Rogers Chic groove

This was really hard .. there wasn't a duff track this month. I'd have given the above three 5 points each and I liked the @LittleGreenMan track - excellent guitar playing. I thought it more 90s than 80s but that is nit picking.

Lev · November 2014

Here's my explanation of how my track came together if anyone needs an insomnia cure....

The Thought Process

Unfortunately I’m old enough to remember the 80’s very well. I was 6 in 1980 and 16 by the end of the decade so it’s safe to say 80’s music was the foundation of my musical experiences. The great thing about the 80’s for me is that pop music always had great guitar playing in it. The songs may have been keyboard and synth based but then out of nowhere a killer guitar solo would come in, I loved that. At the time I didn't know who was playing these solos but I later discovered Alan Murphy, Steve Lukather, Dann Huff and the very rarely mentioned John McCurry. So that was my approach to this task, attempt to create a pop song but have the guitar solo become the main event in the song. I also wanted to nod the cap to Nile Rogers so I needed to have some clean funk rhythms is there also.

The Creative Process

I started out trying to find the most 80’s drum beat and sound possible so I used AIR Ignite Software Instruments (came free with my Alesis Q49 keyboard). Once I had a beat I started jamming some bass over the top (I’m not a bass player by any means but managed to lay down a basic bass pattern). At that point I added some clean Nile Rogers type funk guitar over the top. That was pretty much my first session and I left it for a few days after that. When I took it up again I started adding keyboard parts, I always loved the keyboards on Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love so that was what I was going for with the keyboards. Again I can’t really play much beyond basic chords but I’m getting pretty good at editing using a midi editor to get the desired result.

Next I wanted to break up the bass/funk guitar line with some heavier distorted power chords. I always loved the reverse dive bomb into a power chord sound that Alan Murphy did on Go West’s We Close our Eyes so I tried to add something like that. I am hopeless with a whammy bar so I used my digictech expression factory to create the same effect. While I had that plugged into my chain I started trying out some lead ideas using a shorter interval whammy settings and I started to really get some Alan Murphy type sounds for the solo. I’m pretty sure I had my Hardwire CM2 on for the solo to give extra sustain into a Zoom G3.

So I was on the home straight with this when I had the idea of adding a vocal sample. I searched through the free samples on Music Radar which were mostly awful but the ‘Get up on your feet and Boogie’ seemed usable at least but it was in the wrong key and the bpm didn't quite match. So I re-recorded everything again to match the vocal sample (what I had recorded up to then was just a rough sketch anyway so it wasn't that big a deal). In the end the project had about 16 tracks which is about 10 more than any project I had done before. I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to mastering so I just added compression and changed EQ and stereo pan on various tracks until it sounded ok to my ears. This challenge was a big learning curve for me, I've never recorded anything with so many elements before, it was quite frustrating at times and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the end result. There are parts I’m quite proud of but other element that make me cringe a bit but that’s the way it goes, at some point you just have to stop tinkering and leave it.

The Gear

Guitars: Fender US Dlx HSS Strat (all distorted parts and clean rhythm), Fender Baja Tele (funky break down at the end), Squire VM Jaguar Bass

Effects: Digitech Expression Factory, Digitech CM2 Hardwire Overdrive, Zoom G3

Interface: Zoom G3 (various amp models and effects used)

Software Instruments: AIR Ignite Instruments

Keyboard: Alesis Q49

DAW: Reaper

Fretwired · November 2014

@Lev ... very interesting. Might write one of my own.

steamabacus · November 2014

Thanks for the explanation, @Lev .

TTony · November 2014

Fretwired said:

Might write one of my own.

Given what you produce, I'd be really interested in how you do it!

Thanks @Lev - so you use the guitar > fx > g3 > Reaper? I need to get myself sorted with Reaper ...

Lev · November 2014

Thanks @Lev - so you use the guitar > fx > g3 > Reaper? I need to get myself sorted with Reaper ...

Yep that's the setup but the majority of times I don't use FX into the G3 but on this occasion I really wanted the whammy effect from my digitech unit. The general consensus is that the G3 doesn't work well with dirt pedals but again when I need some over the top saturated drive the Hardwire CM2 seems to work well with it.

I've tried a few different DAW's like Cubase, Ableton and Audacity but Reaper seemed to have the best functionality vs learning curve ratio. I find it pretty intuitive.

Grunfeld · November 2014

5 @thecolourbox

3 @Fretwired

1 @littlegreenman

thecolorbox -- sounded a bit like the Comsat Angels or Psychedelic Furs (very cool imo) till the chorus, which is on its own, and I love it!

Fretwired -- if I didn't know better I'd have said you just nicked an outtake from an old Kraftwerk or Yazoo album. Very authentic 80s sounds.

littlegreenman -- some kind of Prince meets The Cocteau Twins vibe going on there! Like it.

Lev -- really liked your piece and it was odd that every element you've got there sounded 80s but the overall thing sounded contemporary, so not at all bad ;-)

Everyone else -- nice work!

littlegreenman · November 2014

Bloody hard to rate all the different stuff here!

@dindude - Great intro and some proper 80's guitar stuff. Loved the pinch harmonics.
@thecolourbox - Has the 80's all over it. Devo and Talking Heads vibe, and the "beep-boops" are inspired.
@TTony - Utterly synthtastic, took me back to arcade days, circa 80-something!
@lev - Holy crap! Pretty much takes the whole decade and sticks in a biscuit!
@steamabacus - The Police and Zappa in one tune? That's the 80's real life guys nailed shut!
@Fretwired - Yello and Kraftwerk? That's the 80's computer guys done like it was yesterday

@daveww - Was waiting for the vocals to come in, superb hook.

So, my votes are:

1st - @lev - somehow made 2:30 sound a whole lot longer, which is a good thing
2nd - @steamabacus - reggae (Police) and Zappa, will always be a win for me.
3rd - @Fretwired - Classic early synth stuff, brilliantly reworked.

littlegreenman · November 2014

OK, so how do I go about a challenge?

It all depends on the challenge tbh. 80's to me was school, which meant a load of fashion I wasn't part of. Until the late 80's when Satch and Vai became apparent to me I liked 2 things musically: Twin Peaks and Prince.

So for this one I kind of combined an essence of the classic Twin Peaks theme with the bass line and bits of Purple Rain and When Doves Cry with the chords. And a bit of Satch at the end, hopefully with a nod to Not of this Earth. At least that was the intention.

KIT:
Solo Guitar - My JS1000 into a Blackstar Dist-X (emulated out) > DD6> Line 6 Podfarm Analog Delay > Cab Sim > Sonar
Clean Guitar - JS1000 > DD6 > Line 6 Podfarm Analog Delay > Cab Sim > Sonar (short digital delay into a chorus and then into a double time analogue delay to get the shimmer)
Bass - Warwick Fortress 1 > EBS MultiComp > EBS MicroBass preamp > Cab Sim > Sonar w/ added phaser in the mix
Drums - FXpansion BFD2 with a bit of treatment on various kit pieces from either BFD or the "Classic Kjaerhaus" collection, specifically "Phil's 80's Toms".

Mastering for me always just involves balancing the levels, I don't use compression or any squashing to get my mix louder. It is what it is when I did it. You need it loud? Turn it up

Nomad · November 2014

My votes...

1. Fretwired - Strom. Reminds me of a Peter Baumann album I should have somewhere.

2. Lev - Murphs Boogie. An engaging blend of Duran Duran and funk soul.

3. SteamAabacus - Alesis Amore. It's got Zappa written all over it.

Fretwired's entry was an easy pick for 1st for me (great analogue synth sounds, nice little incidental noises, and the vocal is spot on), but it was much tougher to choose the 2nd and 3rd places - had to go up and down the tunes several times to narrow it down.

thecolourbox · November 2014

Here’s mine, sort of spoils any kind of mystique about the song but hopefully it is informative. I like to think when I steal ideas, I’m more stealing the essence of them and trying to move them further on to be something else. If that makes sense =]

Creative Process
I was never older than 2.5 years during the 80s so I came from a retrospective point of view

So I started my entry around the same time I went to see the Horrors in concert, which influenced a couple of things. The recurring synth that I use as a bassline mostly but for the intro in counterpoint is stolen completely from their song Sheena is a Parasite, except played on 8 bit synth instead of bass. So also the title comes from there too, there are a few songs with similar titles, the Ramones Sheena is a Punk Rocker, somebody else did Sheena is in a goth band or similar, so I was just nicking that as a lyrical idea. Not so much to do with Sheena Easton intentionally, but yes, the cap fits =]

I always think of high frequency reverb and swooshy drums for 80s music, so that had to be in there. I like old video game music (Chiptune I think they call it) so I used an 8 bit style synth to get that kind of mechanical synth stuff going on.

The verse riff I was trying to go for a bit of a Police feel, chorus on the guitar. The lyrics to the verse are adapted from a list of stupid phrases and Americanisms I keep at work for when I hear something that makes me laugh. “Reach out” being a favourite, it always makes me sing Depeche Mode. I don’t have a great voice but did my best at a bit of new romantic type drawling, bit of Morrissey. I recorded the vocals kneeling down to make me sound a little short of breath and (hopefully) give the impression of a disinterested type voice.

The chorus tune was actually meant to sound a bit like the last couple of Strokes albums. I think actually the chords and suspension notes ended up quite similar to “You Talk Way Too Much” by the Strokes as well. The guitar I was kind of going for a bit of a Cure type tone there.

For the instrumental break, again the drum rhythm was nicked from a Strokes song middle section, I forget which song. I was going for Brian May style harmony, no idea where the tune came from, I just did it to fit the chords to be honest.

The last noise is a test card style stereo set up test noise, which happened to be in the same key as I was playing in.

Gear & Technique
Software – Cubase, free VST 8 bit Nintendo style synth sound, free VST drum machine sim.
Instruments etc – Squier Tele, Zoom g3 (Bassman amp model, compressor, chorus, light hall verb, for the solo I think I added the MXR distortion model and intelligent harmonizer), Samson podcast style usb condenser mic
For the vocals, I added an autotuned octave up track with more verb on it so it sounds like I’ve sang it again a lot higher in the back ground. The normal pitch one is slightly distorted through a guitar amp model, then everything compressed.
I input the synths and drums with the Piano Roll method, as mentioned before.
Downloaded the test card set up thing off Youtube, ahem

Bellycaster · November 2014

Lev, Some Nice Nile Rodgers and Alan Murphy influence in there.

Littlegreenman, beautiful melody with perfectly executed melodic soloing.

Steamabacus, very cool syncopated beat and some Andy Summers Vibes and a great message at the end.

Fretwired, nice Krautsynth Avant-Garde Feel.

Dindude, top notch all out Guitar Frenzy.

Thecolourbox, that was very "Depeche Mode meets Joy Division meets KLF" I liked it.

TTony, nice fusion of John Carpenter and Soft Cell with some tasty Guitar.

Daveww, I got a touch of Roxy Music Lead Guitar mixed with nuances of New Wave Early 80's.

Shit, I've got to pick 3 now.

So hard to choose, BUT......

Lev 5 Points

Littlegreenman 3 points, not overtly 80's, but that sound spans all decades!

Steamabacus 1 Point.

steamabacus · November 2014

Here's my recording process ...

Guitar -
Lag Jet JM200 with Seymour Duncan STK-S1 Classic Stacks and SH-12 Screamin’ Demon humbucker (coil split on this recording).
DI’d into a Behringer Desk through my effects boards into a Blackstar HT-5 and split into stereo - left channel is the HT-5’s emulated output, right channel is an Award-Session JD-10 preamp (w. speaker simulation) into a MicroFX compressor. Extra chorus and flanging added from an Alesis Quadraverb on the desk’s auxiliary send. Reverb added from a Lexicon MPX200, again on one of the desk’s aux sends.

Bass -
Squier Standard Precision Bass (Jazz Bass neck, P/J pickup configuration) with Tonerider TRP1 (P) and Seymour Duncan SJB-3 Quarterpounder (J) pickups.
DI’d through a Trace Acoustic TAC-1 Dual Compressor and processed using Amplitube 3 VST plug-in.

Drums -
Addictive Drums VST plug-in.

Keys -
Novation BassStation VST plug-in

DAW -
Cubase SX

Computer -
Old Windows XP machine, Focusrite Sapphire 6 audio interface. Steam powered.

I have the luxury of a permanently set up studio (although it also doubles as office, workshop, reception room, spare bedroom, etc, etc) which means I can throw a couple of switches, plug in and be playing in moments. As I live in a flat, I play at pretty quiet levels DI’d into the desk and monitored through a hifi amp and speakers. I have a minidisc recorder set up so that I can record ideas without even powering up the studio computer. Most of the time I’ll play over a looper and record onto MD rather than go through the rigmarole of computer recording. These Challenges are a bit of a kick-up-the-arse to switch the computer on and record something a bit more elaborate.

I started with the idea of ‘The Police backing Frank Zappa’, coming up with the basic two chord vamp that underlies the whole piece. I found a preset reggae drum groove in Addictive drums and selected a suitable sounding kit, dragging the pattern from AD into Cubase’s drum editor so I could tweak and edit the drums later. I then recorded 8 bar loops of the rhythm guitar vamp and a one chord reggae skank behind that - these were initially intended just as guide parts but they ended up being used as they were.

So, after my first session I had a basic 8 bar groove with drums and two rhythm guitar parts. I ended that session by looping the groove on the computer and jamming some guitar over the top, recording my ideas onto the minidisc recorder. This is the recording of the rough idea of the tune I had after that first session.

On the second session, I concentrated on coming up with an arrangement with some variation on the basic two chord groove. I came up with three different kick drum patterns to add variety and movement and also a simple keyboard melody using the BassStation VST instument. I also did some cut-and-pasting of the rhythm guitar parts for variety, dropping one guitar out at times, simplifying the two chord vamp to a single chord under what would become the guitar solo, etc. I also tweaked the drum parts to emphasise the sections - a ride splash here, a hi-hat variation there, etc.

The next step was to come up with some bass parts, initially worked out on guitar and then transferred to (and practiced on!) the bass itself. I recorded direct through my TAC-1 compressor without any ’live’ amp modelling (my computer is too slow to get the latency on Amplitube low enough for that). When they were all recorded, I processed the bass parts using Amplitube’s basic bass amp (I just have the bare-bones free edition) and finally mixed that down to an audio track (to save processing power for the final mix).

Once I had the basic backing track down, I had a couple of sessions recording the lead guitar parts and came up with the Zappa sample for the end (which took a fair amount of time to ‘clean up’ with noise reduction, gating and compression). I did a lot of the mixing as I went along during this phase.

Finally, and with the deadline approaching rapidly, I recorded a quick first take guitar solo and then tweaked the final mix. I used the Focusrite eq, compressor and reverb plug-ins (that came free with my Sapphire 6 audio interface) to ‘glue’ the parts together until I was happy with the mix.

Finally, I used an old version of T-Racks 24 mastering software (that I’ve used for years) for subtle limiting and eq to give the mix a ‘final polish’.

daveww · November 2014

@Steamabacus @thecolourbox @littlegreenman @Lev big thanks for sharing how you made and recorded your tracks. I've got a fair bit of understanding from each of these and it's inspired me to try to new ideas and software inthe future. I didn't even know what a VST was..

That also for the kind comments on my track.

For the record my set up and method was as follows:

Guitar - home built bitsocaster with tone rider hot classics
Amp - Yamaha THR10 (mic'd up)
DAW - Ipad GarageBand
Itrack Dock - for the mic input from the amp into my iPad mini

Came up with a chord progression that meant 80s to me. I'm not into electronic music then or now so my influence was the sort of poppy/rock guitar stuff that was around at the time. Messed around on my acoustic until I came up with this.
Next I found some 80s style drum from Drumbreat+ app on my ipad. Cut, paste and loped into the first track
Recorded my chord progression by micing the amp. This had to be adjusted a bit as I couldn't find drums to fit properly and if there's a way to edit I haven't found it.
Added some simple arpeggios over the chords onto the next track
Went to smart bass in garageband and played some bass lines on the screen
Recorded some one take lead onto another track
Finally adjusted the track volumes, added some echo and reverb..

I quite like using the iPad and iTrack Dock and having something ready set-up that I can just swicth on and use but I will probably buy Auria or Cubasis, Audiobus and a Launch Key midi keyboard to mess on with in the future. I'm a bit skint at the minute though so may have to wait a while..