Taking Two

Hey, thanks for listening! I could probably manage to upload a loop made with that sound. I uploaded this as "creative commons" on soundcloud, so it's kind of a free for all. That specific sound plays a few different patterns in the song. I appreciate the listen!

Thank you for the kind comment and the listen! I had some fun with 8 bit games, but 16 bit is definitely where my heart lies. I'm happy it brought back memories of old games for you. I miss the old games, but at the same time I'm glad they don't rule my life like they did when I was younger. Appreciate you stopping by!

You pretty much summed up the song there! Intense and weird are aspects I like to include in most of my songs. I appreciate the listen and comment! Thank you!

Hey friend, thanks for taking a listen! To be honest, this synth didn't take all that long to put together... especially since I didn't decorate it or label any controls. Learning what goes into synthesis is definitely a good start to getting a unique sound, so you should keep at it! Now that my hardware collection is ready to bury me alive in the studio, I guess I'm developing my own sound, but at the same time I've been trying to force myself into not doing the same thing twice, hardware or not. Like with software synths, I don't save presets any more unless it is absolutely necessary when working on a song (like making a clone of a sound to change some parameters while keeping the original). That way, my signature is more based on composition and style of synthesis/sampling rather than being based on using the same sounds in lots of songs. I have used Zebra a bit in the past, and if I remember right it has some good features... though I think it was fairly processor heavy for my tastes. Sampling is definitely my method of choice these days. I really appreciate the comments on the track! I guess I haven't heard a song quite like this before either, so that can't be bad! Thanks again!

Thank you? Strange comment for sure...

I've found a lot of comfort in making pretty uptempo stuff lately, it's just satisfying. I appreciate you giving some feedback! I guess I was a bit confused by your statement - "we don't hear enough of that energy in the "solo"" ... care to elaborate? It does have a fairly robotic vibe to it, I hear dat! Thank you for the listen and fave!

Hey friend, thank you for the comment on the song! I guess the synth is a bit hard to explain to someone who is used to traditional instruments or software. Firstly, I should say, it is not a step sequencer. In this song, it is used as a sample source basically, except the kick loop was spat out of the synth pretty much as is. It would be possible to play a melody with the synth, provided you have a control voltage source, such as a CV keyboard. This would not conform to traditions either though, as the VCO response is essentially linear. To play a tradition scale, for example, would not work with a standard 1v/Octave keyboard, as the scale is exponential. Feeding the CV input with a keyboard or sequencer would be more well suited to microtonal work. This is not really a modular synth, as it only has jacks for output and pitch control voltage... The CV jack makes it compatible with modular CV signals in a way that mimics any other linear VCO module. So I will reiterate, the synth was built as a portable standalone sound source. I took the samples I wanted and used them as I would any other sample, thus allowing me to use the sounds in a more traditional manner than would be possible otherwise. I have never ran across a VST modular which I enjoyed making sounds on, and they have been notoriously CPU heavy as well. I've been really enjoying making sample based music lately, and the more samples one has, the more possibilities there are. I am especially fond of one shots, which is part of why I like to build and sample my own gear. Personally, I try to layer as little as possible, especially of things playing the same sequence. It makes mixing much less straightforward. I suppose that's where minimal comes in. Thank you for your questions and comments! I appreciate it!

Thanks man. I guess the synth isn't technically 8 bit, but it has that sort of sound. Those old games did have some cool soundtracks! I appreciate you listening and leaving a comment!

Hello, thank you for the honest comment! I'm thinking that the negative harmonics of square wave synthesis are not for all sets of ears. I find the high frequencies in this song quite pleasing, though I could hear why some would not. I appreciate you taking a short listen!

Thank you RPS for your nice comment! Maybe that should be my motto - "Different, in a damn good way." ha ha!! I really dig sampling and playing things that built, I'm starting to feel an intimate connection with my instruments which I hasn't really with bought instruments. Really happy you enjoyed listening! Thank you again!

Thank you for the kind feedback! I'm just in love with sampling gear that I build from scratch lately. Happy it sounds unique to you! Appreciate it man!

Thanks for taking a listen to this one! Had a lot of fun limiting my sound source. To quote Kosmo Kramer - "I really enjoy depriving myself of things." Sometimes it's nice to design sounds with no thought of computers or MIDI sequences, and just see what happens with the sounds. Appreciate the comment!

Hey Neomorpheus, good to hear from you on this track! There are logic chips involved in the construction of this synth, so I guess it could be classed as chiptune. I always think of chiptune as involving the sound generating chips from old games such as gameboy and atari stuff, but I think the way it is perceived is changing. I'm glad the melodies sound like they are evolving, because underneath it all it's pretty simple. I guess it's high pitched in a way, I think it's more the span of the harmonics, as the fundamental pitches are not all that high in relation to the human hearing spectrum. Put your hands in the air! Am I right?! Thank you for the listen and comment my friend!

Hey, sorry I didn't reply publicly until today, I've gotten behind on replies due to my projects mostly. I know what you mean regarding the "WANT SOMETHING" idea. Honestly, I'm almost disappointed when people don't want something. I don't mind thinking that someone is just commenting on my track so they can get a comment back. Sometimes the person's songs aren't my kind of thing, but I return the favor any way. Sometimes though, I end up hearing something excellent that I may not have otherwise. Not sure about other sites, I guess I use Soundcloud on occasion... but there, things get some attention for about a day or two, and then nothing. Here, as long as one stays active and involved, then you will most likely get a lot of good feedback. I appreciate your comment, even though it confused me slightly. Thank you!

Hey, thank you very much for listening! I really dig square wave FM synthesis, and hope to do more with this sort of build. Trip away, my friend!

Thank you friend for the nice comment! Pretty much all of my stuff is strange, so I don't take it the wrong way. Happy that you wanted to hear it again! It's a bit short, so it's understandable. Appreciate it!

Hey Ed, totally appreciate the kind comment, especially on a song that is not up your alley! I guess I've just been trying to hone my sampling chops lately, and this was a good opportunity... limiting my sound source and doing what I could with it. I love building stuff, and it seems like I create a new instrument about as often as I put out a song any more. Thank you for stopping by!

Thank you again! It's always nice to have someone come back for more, especially if it isn't something fresh. Appreciate it man!

Thank you for listening! If you knew me in "real" life, you'd definitely know that I was a weird one... so it makes sense that my music would reflect that. It's been so long since I played a video game that I barely remember what the songs sounded like, but I appreciate the comparison. I appreciate your comment!

Hey Wayne, I appreciate the feedback! I don't know if I can lay claim to playing the music on this synth, more like creating the sounds, but I know what you mean (and not all my instruments are like that). I'm not sure if I even have any albums with stuff like this on it, but I wouldn't mind finding some! I wanted it to be a fun song, so that makes me happy. Thank you very much for taking a listen!

Mario on an acid trip? You sure we haven't met before? I'm definitely more of a mario than a luigi, and the acid trip is a given. Up to this point, every piece of synth gear has been one off, and to tell you the truth, I'm not fully sure how I built most of it. Have schematics drawn for some prototypes, but I don't usually update after I get them running as desired. This synth is fun for it's simplicity. Was watching Hoarders a couple days ago and say a guy with a Sega Genesis and a Super Nintendo, and it made me long for those long nights of playing... though what I really miss is Stun Runner. Thanks for the kind comment!

Hey friend, thank you very much for the comment! How you describe the progression of the song is pretty much what I intended... like you are moved to accept what you're hearing after the initial shock. Wasn't going for a very sub heavy kick sound, just grabbed a sample I thought sounded good. It's great to hear from you!

Hey, thank you for the listen and comment! I'm usually about 3 weeks behind in replying lately, but I felt this needed a response right away during lunch. I found it interesting that you mention chip tune, analog synths, and sylenth all in the same comment. All of those things are totally different things. Real chip tune is made from digital sound producing chips which were included in old school games and toys. Analog synths are solid state circuits built with creative sound possibilities in mind. Sylenth is a software synthesizer. I definitely did not use Sylenth, in fact mentioned in the description that all sounds in this track come from the "Breaking Blue" synth which I recently built. No VST synths were used. The synth is built from a combination of digital logic, solid state devices, and passive components - So really doesn't fall into any of the categories you mentioned. Chip tune would be the closest because of the logic involved, and of course the sound of the track. Didn't mean to write a book here, just wanted to clarify. Thank you very much for checking out the track!

Thank man! I appreciate the fact that you're open to a lot of different styles of music. Interesting you mention NES, eventually it will become apparent why. Thank you very much for the kind review!

Hey Ark, good to see you around! Thank you for the kind comment! The synth is fun to sample and mess around with, and it makes me happy that the sounds had an effect on the listeners. Appreciate it!

Hey there, thank you for the kind comment! I don't really listen to this genre either I guess, as I've never heard a song that quite fit the aesthetics before. It seems to have had a polarizing effect on the listeners though, so I guess I succeeded in that respect. I really appreciate you stopping by to listen and leave your words!

Thank you Pete for another great comment! I've never had much luck with trying to sound like other artists, and it seems like other people have as much trouble making my sort of sounds, so I guess it works out. Makes me happy you found it joyful, as that's the effect it had on my while making it. Appreciate the positive vibrations!

Hey friend, thank you for the kind comment! It was fun making use of some of the early recordings of the synth, just as test if nothing else. Happy that you enjoyed listening!

Thanks bud! Had fun trying the synth out on this one! Been sitting there ever since pretty much, as I've been "tuning" my modular and circuit bending lately. It will get used again though. Glad you could stand the annoying sounds! Appreciate the comment and listen!

Hey thanks for the comment buddy! I know what you mean about 8 bit sounds not fitting in with all tracks... I guess I try not to think of those sort of sounds any differently than others. Since they all originated from the one synth, I think there isn't really a compatibility problem in this song. The toughest thing to coax from the synth was an acceptable snare replacement, as there is no noise generator, but higher speed FM helped a bit. I appreciate you stopping by!

Hey thanks friend! I'm happy that some people can get into this style of music. Thinking that people aren't used to interacting square waves in a very raw form, but it's definitely some of my favorite types of sounds. Good to hear from you!