Spivkurl

Hello, thank you for the good comment! Apologies for taking so long to respond, but I've been working like crazy to finish this to my satisfaction. The update is here now. You were right about the pulse synth... the detune was intentional, but has been removed, and in the process I realized that this synth has gone WAY out of tune... like it was in the key of F instead of C! Thank you for bringing it up! Also repatched and improved the scaling of the modular bass, so that helps. I appreciate it!

Hey thank you Elena! I'm happy you enjoyed it! If you thought it was crazy before, then you're in for a surprise with the vocal mix update... more than just vocals added. I appreciate the comment!

Hey Ed, thank you for your listen and the kind comment! I'm happy that you enjoyed the trip! Your words make me happy. I'm no expert, but I'm finally feeling some understanding of what goes on inside the circuits I build, and that feels good. I'm in the middle of updating this song, taking the reactions I received here into account. I have recorded the bass part with a new modular patch; better tuned and more bass. Weakened and killed the detune on the Korg DW synth. Building up some live instrument recordings and stuff. Got all the lyrics written. Haven't advanced a song after release like this for while. Thank you for listening my friend!

Hi my friend! I appreciate your visit today! It's interesting you mention Aminor, as aside from scale calibration and maybe a bent Korg, this was composed in C major, which you I'm sure know uses the exact same notes. That explains the tetris comparison, and probably the slight detuning makes it sound a bit more minor than it should. Happy that you can find a substitute (synergy) for coffee in my music. Sometimes I find it nice to deprive myself of things (like Kramer!) and yesterday I went all day without coffee, by the evening my head was aching and my jaw hurt, so I know how the need for stimulation goes. I think I had heard that Alicia Keys thing before, but had forgotten... it's a humorous play on her name! Thank you very much for listening!

I have been compared with Mark Mothersbaugh at times, and I can't complain about the comparison. I was a bit old for Rugrats, as it started when I was 12, but I did watch it on occassion. The music was probably the best part for me, even though I'm not a huge Mothersbaugh fan. I appreciate the listen and comment!

Hey LSD, thanks for the comment and listen! I think of Nintendo as being cool and retro, so your words make sense. I am in the process of fixing and developing this song. Things keep getting in the way, but I'll update it pretty soon. Had to reinvent the modular patch, but it seems to be working out, and has a better low end presence like a bass should. Thanks again!

Hey breo, whassup?! I like this mid-bass sound as well, and I hope I can re-create it to help with the image of the tuning. Those patch cables don't have much memory capacity!! ha ha. That's cool you have a zoom machine! I've been using the RT-123 since about 2002, and my wife and I liked it so much we bought a second one. Now I use one as a MIDI module and one in my modular setup for envelope follower application and such. Has some cool kits on that machine, and the groove mode is pretty nice for the era. I appreciate the listen and comment!

Hello, thank you for listening and commenting! Can you come back and give me specific time segments where you felt that the notes were not in key? I guess I will beg to differ until you give me more information. I really would value your reply though, as maybe I have made a mistake somewhere. Thank you in advance!

Hi Domenico! Good to have you listen to this song and leave a comment! I agree they are weird sounds in this, it was very much a work out for the modular synth. Trying out the new MIDI to CV converter. Wanted the whole track to have sort of vintage synthesis feel, but with my own signature sound design and MIDI control. I have written a bit of lyrics for this, but not a complete song yet. I will probably be redoing some sounds in this and then trying to add vocals. Thank you for your continued support!

Hey buddy! Thank you for the listen and comment! I have always been obsessed with things that give a time warp effect in the listener (and also not just within the realm of music, but life and art in general). I have new equipment to work with, so that always encourages me to take new steps in my music. Also working in other mediums such as electronic design and fabric gives me inspiration. As I mentioned in my reply to TheHumps, I may be redoing some parts of this to fix the intonation and adding vocals if I can finish my lyric writing for it. Then it will be even better I think. I thought that this might be one that you would enjoy, as some aspects remind me of late 70's early 80's stuff - like the pitched down snare in parts seemed very dark punk to me, a'la Joy Division/The Cure. Thank you much for your comment!

Hey Wayne, thank you for stopping by! I hadn't thought of it, but you are right about the comparison with that Cure song. I guess my feeling was more along the lines of Joy Division/New Order sort of stuff, but early Cure is definitely only a stone's throw away from that style. I agree this needs vocals, and I have a little bit of lyrics written for it. Have a whole list of things to get done, and recording vocals is not on there sadly... so we'll see if it gets done. I'd like to maybe redo the patches on this one, as people have complained about tuning/detuning issues. I did a recalibration of my main VCO, and I should be able to adjust the korg melody as well. This would probably make the vocals easier. The only unfortunate thing is the bass part was done on the modular, and while I can control it with the same MIDI info, I will need to set up the patch again from memory... ha ha... so probably this will change shape. I appreciate the comment my friend!

Hey there, thank you for the listen and comment! I wasn't consciously going for a video game sound, but I agree it has that vibe. Interesting you mention mario in a strip club, as this song is meant to have undertones of sexuality. All I know is that I'd like to hear Peter Hook play the bass line for this one. Thanks again!

Hey, thanks for listening and commenting! I have heard that hacker/miss kittin song before, and I always liked it. Haven't heard it in a while though, so thank you for linking to it! Have always had a sour taste in my mouth when listening to throbbing gristle, but maybe I should give them another chance. I saw some thread on synthdiy list about Vince Clarke releasing a MIDI to CV module recently, and it seems to have been released just after I bought a competing product. Funny. The drums in this are definitely analog style, though they are Zoom and samples, though I can't say what the samples were created on. Glad you liked them either way! One of the recent comments on this song told me things were out of tune here, and while I don't technically care, I did spend most of yesterday in a psychedelic VCO calibration trance. We'll see how that turns out, ha ha. She didn't mention what parts were out of tune, so maybe it could be the bent Korg as well. Appreciate you leaving your words!

Hey Alex, thank you for your comment, and apologies for taking so long to respond. I've been deep in circuit design for the past week, so... you know... It is interesting to hear your interpretation of the bassline. I hadn't thought of any similarities to "Year For a Year," but I think I can understand the parallels. It seems that my bass creation has become a big part of my signature sound lately. That's cool you are thinking on grabbing some hardware! I looked up the minibrute, but didn't get much for technical information. It seems like the big difference technically is that microkorg is *mostly* virtual analog, save for the filters which are analog... while the minibrute is *mostly* analog, though I at a glance I couldn't find anything which said what aspects were analog or not. I've never used an Arturia hardware synth, so I'm not sure what kind of signature sound they have. Korg stuff definitely has a sound of it's own, which I can usually pick out of a song right away... for example many of Crucethus's tracks have a good amount of korg sound to them. I have two korg synths, so I guess I've become accustomed to the sounds they make. The filters and the digital FM waveforms both contribute to the uniqueness to my ears. Let me know when you decide what to get, I'd like to hear what you do with it! I'm thinking the 2:04 sounds you speak of are the FX hits I built on the microkorg. I used the sample and hold function of the LFO heavily to create that sound. The S+H and the korg is not as versatile as what I designed for my modular, as it's mostly just a random control source, where the modular one samples any control input based on any clock source, and outputs correspondingly. I'm happy this is a favorite for you, especially considering it was mostly just a "workout." The module I mounted two days ago will add a lot of capability, so keep your ears open! Thanks much!

Thank ER for the nice additional comment! I couldn't help but notice that you had been listening to this song on almost a daily basis, and that made me happy. It's not something I see very often any more, and that made me think, reluctantly, of 40A's belief that people don't come here for the tracks. There are still some real music lovers out there though, and not just people trying to get rich with the next hip hop/dubstep crossover loop song... ha ha. I really appreciate your support in every aspect!

Everything may have been said, but you weren't here for it, so it doesn't count! Good to hear from you man! I will try to find that track of yours. That proecliptix loop is I beleive the only looperman loop I have used twice. I totally dig your voice and your style of tracks, don't beat yourself up too much! My voice almost died in the process of getting a good take on this one, so I understand it's not easy. Makes me happy to receive your comment!

Thank you very much for the comment and the listen! Appreciate it!

Hey, thank you for the continued conversation! I always appreciate when people are willing to discuss things openly. You are right about the weird noise stuff, but at the same time, most of my really weird noise stuff never sees the light of day any more.

We differ when it comes to commenting tracks in a way. I comment on almost every song I hear, whether I think it's great or not. Usually I will try to find at least one thing about the song that I like, and let them know. Then I can feel free to give them suggestions or criticism. Just kind of how I was taught to criticize I guess.

To have you say this may be better than "nightr8" is pleasing to hear, as I could really take or leave that song now. As far as picking a favorite, it is very hard for me, and wasn't really the intention for the remix opportunity. Without actually going back to listen to them all, the ones that come to mind instantly are ValveDriver's mashup with my song "Skim" as well as ShemZee's cover version. Never had anyone actually do a cover of one of my songs, so it made me happy! Overall, I am not happy with the modern rubbish sounds I used in the song, so it makes sense that I would enjoy the versions that relied less on those.

Totally agree with you regarding the "coincidences." Things happen every day which are more shockingly related or synchronous. It's nice to hear your views on that thread.

I don't think you have accused me of ripping off anyone else either, so no worries there. I just used it as an example. I hear what you mean about being strapped for new riffs in old age too. I guess I rely more heavily on sounds as opposed to riffs, so finding new ways to make sounds is my fall back plan.

When I got angry on facebook, I went and did several takes on the vocals... each take, my voice degraded even further. I used the results as a stepping stone for singing it how I wanted the next day. A sip of vodka soothed the throat.

I guess it would be cool to hear remixes of this, but I don't know if I'll do that. I don't want another nightr8 on my hands right now. Any way, this song is really short on faves and likes both here and soundcloud.

Thanks again for the comments!

Hey RogueAi, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! I agree this one is a bit more reminiscent of early eighties stuff. Been enjoying that sort of music for quite a while. I've been trying to keep my reverbs even more dry than usual lately, so happy you could hear that in this track. Appreciate you stopping by!

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!

Hey StaticNomad! It actually surprises me, and makes me happy at the same time that you enjoyed listening to this one! The "taking lotsa drugs and strugglin" thing is mostly a historical re-enactment, as well as a loose observation of every day interactions with other humans. On the contrary, I am relatively sober lately, which is a bit embarrassing considering what I do partake in. That this can be considered a classic Spivkurl vibe to your ears is pleasing, and also disconcerting, as I have been treading new ground in my composition and sound design. The beat is highly influenced by the MrFunk loop, with some good continuity added from the proecliptix loop. I enhanced the snare part with some detailed sequencing in a new layer, yes you told me so, ha ha! I'm pretty happy with the bass part on this one as well. By the effected vocals, I'm assuming you mean my "dance" sample sequences. I found them to be a great hook for the song, and I love the "losing my voice" quality of them. I'm glad you like the main synth lead part. I enhanced the variety of it late in composition with some cloning of the instrument and adjustment of different aspects to suit the feel of different sections. Your regular mention of Hot Chip, as well as Crucethus's mentions of John Foxx were brought to mind when getting involved in the "blatant melody theft" thread in the forums. Along the lines of, if someone hears similarities between "A" and "B", does it mean that "B" copied, plagiarised, or were influenced by "A"... not necessarily! (I know you know that, just had a thought) Not necessarily, as I had never heard a Hot Chip song until you brought up their music, and likewise had never hear a John Foxx song until Cruce mentioned his music. I just found it relevant, though didn't want to mention it in the thread, asit is already way out of hand. Happy you like the vocals too, as it was a real challenge. If it weren't for getting really angry on facebook, I don't think I could have put the right emotion into the singing. I think the final synth flourish is the icing on the cake, and I'm proud of the composition value of it. Your "overall" conclusion is good to read, and it makes me feel like I am making improvements and reaching goals that I set for myself, so thank you. I am giving away the wave version of this, so maybe no commercial value any more, heh. I really appreciate your thoughtful contributions here on the site!

Hey there, thank you for our kind and constructive comment! The drums really drove the inspiration for this track, so much thanks go to MrFunk and Proecliptix for that. As a bit of inspiration from staticnomad, I did a bit of layering with my own drum sounds to enhance the rhythm. Happy with how the snare ended up. I'm glad you hear a mid 80's vibe in there too. I think that era is all but forgotten, and with good reason I suppose. I appreciate it more all the time though. I guess I wanted a pretty thin guitar presence in this, since it's mostly going on when the chorus vocals are there. Didn't want to take away the focus you know. As far as reverb goes, I didn't know if you meant on the guitar or as a whole. I've been going for a pretty dry sound lately, so it was pretty intentional. I really appreciate the feedback!

Hey Dan, great to hear your feedback here and on soundcloud! That burpy thing is my voice through the 100 proof mic I built, then sampled in a simple way. It was from the first test of the mic, when I said "dance." I'm pretty happy with "I'm different" part as well. It took a while to get it right, but work out with a change to a Bb chord structure for the bridge into the outro. It's nice to hear your words. I actually feel like I'm moving on to being a composer as opposed to just a musician. I'm getting a feel for scales and chords now and how they interrelate. Thank you for the listen and fave!

Hey DJTO, I appreciate you stopping by! Seems like you listed almost every part of the song as something you love, so that's good news to me! I think that finally the music I like to listen to, and the music that I make, are starting to merge in a way. I'm not too fond of things I made a couple of years ago, but at least I can be fond of what I made a couple weeks ago! Thank you very much!

Hello again, thanks for the reply! I think you have linked to that first one before on one of my tracks, and while it is a good song, top of the pops kind of makes me cringe with the poor lip sync work and all. That uvox one you linked to is pretty cool though! I can see where you get the comparison, and I think it pleases me, as I've been trying to get closer to a "one man band" ability in my music... and since John Foxx had bands to do it all for him, it's a compliment. It's funny, I really dig a lot of Eno's solo stuff, but when he got his hands in other people's work it wasn't usually my thing. My favorites are "Another Green World" and "Nerve Net", I used to listen to those SO MUCH! I think the main collaboration of his that I like is David Bowie's "Lodger", another that I listened to quite a bit. I'm not much for ambient listening, so his more ambient world music influenced stuff was not my preference. Anyway, thank you for the comment and continuing conversation!