ValveDriver

Satdap, thank your for the listen and the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It does kinda make the head move with the beat doesn't it?
Take care.
V.

Paul, how are you, friend? Well, I hope.
I will say that since I've been here, I have learned that the Valvedriver brand has definitely carved out a signature sound. It's been said that it does carry through in whichever genre I go with. Funny thing is, I can hear it, I can feel it, but I have no idea where exactly it comes from or even how to pinpoint it.
The choir bit in this track is from one of my favorite pieces, "Miserere mei, Deus". Although I'm not religious, (rather anti-religious, actually), it's still such a powerful piece. I had to use it.
I'm glad to hear that it sounds good on multiple systems To be honest, I've been pretty lazy about double checking on all my different tester systems. I just shoot it out there and hope for the best. lol.
Always good to hear from you, mister.
Take care.
Aaron.

Hello Glenn. I'm glad you stopped by. I always appreciate it when someone takes time for my work.
It's good that you had a hundred different images with this. When I make a track, I tend to try to paint with sound, hoping that it evokes something within the listeners mind, or heart. Your confirmation encourages me to continue.
Thank you again, Glenn.
Take care.
V.

Eric, thanks for stopping by to listen to this, man. Your opinion is an important one. So, I appreciate that you took time to for this, and I'm glad you liked it.

" I think you've just set a new bar for yourself brother. I can't wait to see where it goes from here !!! "
Yeah, I'm kind of curious about that too! I have a WIP folder that I should probably dig around in for any old starts that need a revisiting.
Thanks again, brother. I really do appreciate it.

Mr. Neo. I remember a time when I would get critiques from you, Evisma, Static Nomad, and all the other old timers. The fact that the critiques have lessened to few and far between just lets me know that I've finally gotten good. Finally.
In my synth based tracks, and even a few metal ones, I have always liked to add some form of dubstep synths. I like them too. When used right, they do have a particular attitude.
It's funny you mention angels and demons. That's more or less what this is about. As is most of my work. The conflict of good and evil. How the iniquity of man disguises itself in the clothing of righteousness. The title was taken from Psalms 51:5. "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me". I just tweaked the one word for the context of the song.
A little over a decade of darkness from the Valvedriver camp. And there's no sign of light on the horizon!
Thank you, Neo, for taking time. Your opinion is one that truly matters.
take care, brother.

Thank you. I appreciate it.
V.

Aaron, how ya doin?
I'm glad I could inspire you. It's always good to know that what you do makes others want to do bigger and better. For that, I thank you.
It took a lot of bad tracks to get to these good ones, as I'm sure you know. When I joined in 2012 I had some real ugly ones. But it was because the crowd back then were full of people who weren't afraid to leave constructive criticism. I'd say about 80% of what I know now, is because of those back then. I learned so much. I wish more members still did that. I mention it because, to me, that in itself is a great form of inspiration.
As far as collaborating on M. Squadd, get ahold of me over on Discord. Let me know exactly what you're looking for. We can discuss it over there.
Until then, take care.
Aaron.

Hiya, Rita.
Thank you! Cinematic seems the be the general consensus. For a long time I tried to get away from the cinematic sound, but as an artist before musician, I can't help but make images. In the case of music, I've learned that I basically just paint with sound. I start to see an image in my head as the track progresses, and then I just continue to create the soundtrack to whatever it is that I "see". So, Cinematic it is!
Thank you again!
Take care.
V.

I can guarantee you that any Trap that might be in there is purely coincidental. That's a genre I don't listen to, so I really am not familiar with it. But I can agree with cinematic and weird. People have always told me that my non-metal work is very "soundtracky".
Either way, thank you for listening and commenting. It's much appreciated.
Take care.
V.

Thanks, Robin. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Kay0s, thank you for listening and commenting. You started out on the right path with Black Sabbath. But Linkin Park, Alien And Farm and Velvet Underground are a miss. I like Lou Reed a little, but not enough to call my self a fan. The other two, not a fan at all. Now, if you had said, Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Ministry, and UFOMammut, you would have been straight on.
I appreciate you taking the time, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Take care.
V.

(condensed for space limit):
Mr. E.
"Thought for sure the synths would come in"
Metal is what I know best. The synth driven stuff was a pacifier until I figured out the metal. I still dick with synths, but not as much. "

2:20. I may have went a tad Mastodoniacal. It wasn't intentional, but as you well know, influences happen.
Vocals are Alan Watts. If you haven't, you should look into him. He's quite profound.
Originally, this was about life, but when I heard his speech, I had to use it. Not sure if he meant it the way I took it, or if he was using the bell to illustrate that...all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness...you know the rest
.
"You've improved since I last listened to your stuff."

That's good to hear, and thank you for saying so.
I hope to hear some new work from you soon, man. It's been far too long. Just dive the fuck in, and start swimmin'. Let the current carry you to a well earned NTB.
Take care, Mr. E.
Mr. V.

Thank you Rita, I appreciate that!
Take care.
V

Thanks, Paul. I appreciate the kind words.
Funny thing about the "wind" is that when I was making that, my original intent was to recreate the sound of an ultrasound picking up a heartbeat. But as I was tweaking the settings, I got distracted for a minute and when I got back to it, the "wind" sound was still playing and I really liked it, so I went with it. I guess the ultrasound thing will be for another project, huh?
Take care.
V.

Thanks, man. I'm glad you like it. Now that I've finished this, I can focus more on building a few riffs and whatnots for you to use in your projects. I was, as the cool kids these days say, hyper-focused on this bad-boy for a few weeks.

Oh yes. The WIP folder. It should be called the "Stopped-dead-in-it's-tracks,-never-to-be-seen-again,-and-if-it-is,-I'll-say-I'm-going-to-finish-it-someday,-then-throw-it-back-in-so-it-can-rot-in-the-dark" folder.
Typically, the only thing I have that could be considered a work flow is when I first start a new project, and I'm picking, assigning, and setting tones and effects on the instruments. Once that part is over, it's a total free-for-all. It's almost the equivalent of throwing a stack of papers in the air, and then sorting them out after they land.
Thanks for letting me know how it sounded on your system. I usually run mine through a few different ones, including the car. This one was a little elusive on finding that happy medium across them all. So, I appreciate the extra set of ears.

Thanks, man! I appreciate that. This was one of those where I'm thoroughly pleased with it. Usually there's something that I'm not happy with when I finish, but I'm sick of trying to work it out, so I just call it done and cast it out. This one didn't have that. The only issue I had was getting the bass/mid/treble frequencies balanced evenly across all my different sound systems. So, when you listen on your stereo, please, let me know how it sounded, and if I need to make any adjustments.
Alan Watts has some very profound, deep, and insightful words. Definitely an open minded individual.
Thank you again.
Take care.
Aaron.

Thank you John, I appreciate it, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Take care.
V.

Pseudo, thank you. I appreciate it. There are definitely a lot of similarities between metal and classical, but beyond the distortion, there are still so many differences. I like to think of it as if Metal is Classical's angry grandchild.
Thanks for the time and the comment. Again, I appreciate it.
Take care.
V

Nonube, thank you for taking the time to listen and comment.
I don't think metal is something I'm capable of not listening to for any extended time. I've been a metalhead since the cold war. The adults back then always said "It's just a phase. He'll grow out of it.". Nope. Never did.
As far as how long it took, a total working time of 19 hours and some change. I think at least a good third of that time was just getting the mix balanced.
Anyhow, thanks again. I appreciate it.
Take care.
v

Thank you Kay0s. I appreciate it!
Take care.
V.

Anthony, I'm glad you like this one. Thank you for taking the time to listen and comment. I appreciate it.

Take care.
V.