Seven Centuries - StaticNomad

Thanks a lot for the comment. I think I still haven't got round to answering some of your other comments elsewhere. My apologies.

Not too busy? Ha, I do sometimes go overboard with that so have to mix very carefully and remove clutter. Always good to hear it's not too busy as I like things to be busy and constantly interesting and progressive. But not cluttered. Unless it's just for a short time, for effect.

"I think I would recognize your music anywhere."

That's excellent and probably one of the main things I set out to do when I started producing my own music 20 years ago.

Thanks again!

Hello, Orlando.

Yes, I tend to appreciate my tracks more once I’ve uploaded them. I tend to get fed up of them because I spend quite a while carefully investigating if there’s anything more I can do, from fixing anything in the mix to perhaps spinning a new track out of certain elements.

So, once they’re uploaded I can listen again as if it was made by someone else, rather than thinking about the track in a studio context and why it isn’t better.

Yes, the intro may well be the best section. Fairly clean, smooth stuff there and quite a few layers, but carefully placed. There’s more going on under that lead violin sound than you might think.

“you never know what kind of sound is waiting behind the next corner.”

Excellent. That’s what I hope comes across in lots of my tracks.

“cello which brings along middle eastern influences” is my favourite bit of cello playing in this. I tried to get in more but my playing is still rather limited.

“it seems you've put quite alot of effort into it”

I sure did! I don’t think any of my tracks ever sound like I’ve knocked them out quickly. They’re generally detailed, lengthy labours of love (and frustration).

Yes, production is good but could be better in places but that’s just me being picky and rarely satisfied with anything I make.

Thanks for the decent feedback.

Just a little))

Greetings, Mr TheNyctopian. I like the idea of a “pilgrimage into the mystical realm”. Can I do this physically anywhere (eg on foot) or solely through music playing and production?

Yes, I’ve listened to a fair bit of Future Sound Of London, especially the Lifeforms and Papua New Guinea albums. And also the later Amorphous Androgynous stuff, which I think is essentially the same guys.

I do like a calm aural experience but also one where the intensity and excitement levels get raised at certain points. I wanted this one to be a bit more exciting but couldn’t manage it so eventually gave up and stuck it online.

Thanks for your words and your enjoyment of my mystical journey.

Salut, Monsieur Le Bleep.

I'm happy you found the introduction wonderful. I worked very carefully on it. I really like the appearance of the waveform - it shows how the volume gradually rises and has a very balanced look.

Yes, definitely a more tribal feel from the drums and certainly more ethnic/Eastern. I like that kind of feel but don't want to do it in every single track.

Yes, it does stay chilled out later on but I'm also trying to make it heavier though I failed to make it as heavy as I wanted.

I spent about two months making most of this and then two more months listening again and again, just changing small things, trying to somehow make things better. I'm still not happy with the final result but I don't know if I can do any better so I have now given up.

Thanks again for the thoughts.

Seven centuries of greetings, Mr Membranous Fold.

I thought of you a fair bit when making this because of the sine wave foundation. Made me think of you sitting there, fiddling about with basic waveforms.

I don't initially find this celestial. I find it interesting but a bit cold. It gets much warmer and more sensual when the violin lead enters a while later.

You're totally right about me and my drums. I sure do rely on them too much as a means of badassery. Jo Q certainly has influenced me and she's usually my inspiration for drumless stuff as she does so much of it in a very complete and satisfying way. And I don't just mean calm, ambient type of stuff, as in the first 3 mins of this. But I'm such a slave to the groove and a bit lost without it so drums really do inspire me and conveniently hide my playing mistakes and edits. I feel I'd have to become a much better musician to become good at playing without a solid beat.

"Kind of a glitchy snare roll thing."

Yes, that's from a loop I'm manipulating.

"Nice use of the glitch."

Just a freeze stutter effect on a banjo sound. Seems quite effective, memorable and appreciated by others here.

"the classic Nomad cello sound" is rather boring and unadventurous. I have a patch saved in my 20-year-old Boss effects unit and I mostly use that for each track, with very little variation. Yes, basically just chorus, delay and reverb. Perhaps some different EQ occasionally , which usually comes from plugins.

"Oh...wait..5:50-6:08. It sounds like there may be some clipping."

I sure hope not. You can probably tell that I'm trying to progress the track there and make it heavier and darker. I bring in a crunchy, distorted second version of the violin sound to add grit. Maybe that seems like clipping?

"Your drums in this one are a bit more restrained and subdued."

Kind of. There's still a lot of detail and variety and layering.

"8:56- here's where we start the waves of blooming pads. Both synth and choral."

Yes. The cello and violin have gone entirely so it's just a little extra, more expansive synthy section before the return to the intro sounds.

"It seems as if you have matured as an artist."

Ha, it might seem like it but I certainly haven't. I'm going backwards. This track is just what someone who used to be very productive and musically creative has recently been able to come up with.

Thanks for the Nice!!! review.

Double comment from you so I'll just say you may as well check out some of my other replies for a bit more info on this track.

I would have loved to have got some Toolesque guitar in some of the tribal drumming sections!

Yo.

That glitchy synth is a sample-based banjo part put through a stutter effect. Good fun and fairly memorable.

"and then you break out the cello for a nice multi track Eastern thing"

My favourite cello riff in this. Kind of Eastern, with lots of movement. Fun to play.

"The bass plays a repeating pattern"

It does. Kind of the same thing throughout though there is a bit of variation when the track opens out later on and switches to the key of D (from C). I'm pleased with how the sine wave bass arp sits nicely under the strings and synths in the first few mins. Then I fatten it up for the groove based sections and it all seems to work nicely. There is another bass synth that takes over in a couple of different sections but I think the sine wave part may still be playing, lower in the mix.

"you may even have two drum tracks going here"

Yes, layered loops, as I often do. Plus programmed acoustic kits. Not sure about the panning but there is certainly some movement. Might be on the loops.

"You don't skimp or play it safe when it come to the percussion"

I don't but I'd also like to do more minimal drum tracks though I'm also always trying to get a unique overall drum track for each piece of music, as difficult as that is. Lots of albums have the exact same drum sound throughout.

"it almost sounds like a complete string orchestra"

Not sure why as there's mostly just one sample-based violin, though there are some played cello layers at various points, eg in the intro as the track builds in complexity and volume.

"a very fat groove of strings there for several bars as everything starts to speed up"

Aha, in that heavier, darker string section, I have the violin split into two channels, one with distortion on it, just to give more buzzy crunch. And there are higher cello flourishes to add emphasis.

"the reprise of the mystical opening tones to take it out."

Well I had to end it somehow and I find those mystical sine wave tones quite pleasant to listen to on a loop. I could've gone on with that for a while!

"the best artists are rarely satisfied with their material."

Well I'm certainly no great artist but I am a bit different, hopefully unique. And I am indeed rarely satisfied, especially these days as I sometimes feel like an ex-musician, quite disconnected from playing and listening to music.

"I'm waiting to hear some more guitar works hopefully."

Won't be happening anytime soon! Lost all my fluidity, ideas, phrasing, joy and so on on the instrument.

"Maybe some neo-sych or some Psy-trance."

I'd like to make some Tri trance (feat. lead triangle throughout) or Cry trance (sad, weepy, emotional trance for a raver's funeral).

I'd love to make some Eastern Sludge or stoner but guitar playing will be required! Or distorted cello.

Thanks again for the comprehensive comments.

nice comment!!

Nice comment!

No, it's not as good as I was hoping. I wanted it to be more powerful and epic. I'll give you a few, specific examples:

6:08 tribal drums I really like. They gave me the idea to do some heavy, Tool-like guitar playing. I used to be a decent guitarist but I rarely even play the instrument these days so I couldn't add the riffs I had in my head.

8:00 this heavier section feels like it should be much heavier and contain a cool guitar solo. But I'm not up to laying down any sort of guitar solo these days so I had to do without.

Glad you enjoyed my lengthy, twisting, turning journey. I make a lot of tracks like that. Yes, like a movie soundtrack. Intro is perhaps reminiscent of a Mongolian dawn.

Yes, a nice slow burn, building up to more powerful stuff. Just not powerful enough.

Hearing it played live would be cool but would need quite a few musicians. Probably two violins and two cellos, a few synth players and a couple of drummers.

Thanks for enjoying my flow. Always a very important thing when composing!