ZeroZeroZero

Upon reflection I'm really seeing the Truth in this. I was reviewing some quick phone recordings of tracks I did during the quarantine and I was amazed at how quickly and distinctly my life energies were made present. Like all these subtle parts of me from that time (feelings, expectations, etc) were in the music and I had forgotten about them until I saw the video. It was striking. It makes me consider if one can really decide what one puts into their music? I assume that putting together an album (like the above first post) must have SOME type of road map, but that is an assumption on my part. Those albums are a high bar in my opinion and it's easy to think that when falling short in the pursuit of making art at such a level that I might be "missing something". But this can start to sound like whining to me and I don't go there. I'm just really curious to hear from composers with top level experience (especially the ones using tools like computers that are basically infinitely abled, like you find in electronic music) what all they do to to keep things sounding cohesive enough to be called an album. I would honestly be amazed if it was secondary to the song creation process itself and more of a byproduct. Anyway, I hope this conversation more fertile than futile.

I like your music. Thanks for sharing!

I've been obsessed with this music for like 2 years. It's masterfully done.

I've set a few conditions for myself like this. Such as exactly what you described above. Then also certain hardware choices etc. My Interest is really in compositional choices and restraints. Musical forms and any other number of musical variables one might assign to oneself as parameters. For those of us with experience and who find value in such a methodology. As technology doesn't restrict us the way it used to I've noticed a tendency to think that "this makes anything possible" yet in practice there are actually only a handful of identifiable compositional approaches I end up taking (unconsciously) when working without formal intention. So my thoughts have turned back to the music that inspires me and I wonder how much intention was being put into it upfront (sans gear and method based restrictions) and if there was perhaps however many sub layers of logic to it and how they interact to bring about cohesive musical playgrounds as opposed to idiosyncratic pieces. Or if not, also. For instance *for the next 3 months I'll use rhythms and song forms lifted from seventies funk *I'll use the harmonic language of Debussy how and where I can *Use conciously restricted pallet of sounds or instruments *I'll use a mix approach from 60's psyc rock Then track the results like a chemist or researcher. Hopefully synthesizing something with breadth greater than the "song". Maybe in some years I could find territory that I could uniquely occupy. Or maybe I'm lost in my mentations wasting precious creative energy.

I like the "just do it" attitude this answer embodies. I really think there's something to that. This is why I ask experienced members to chime in though(not that you're not, just that's my line of thinking). There must be real practical aspects of the craft at play and I'm wondering how much the pro's are cogitating on that level. Or is what I'm looking at purely byproduct, and a waste of time to develop personal theories towards this aspect. I'm an INTP and can't seem to escape the need to theorize about almost every such thing.

right on There must be something about the cultural movement pictured that people find value in. I keep seeing it crop up around me. Also I appreciate the thoughtful responses in this thread. Quality. ?

This is what I have been doing and my results are so disparate. Thus now I'm thinking maybe with intention I can try to identify some quantifiable boundaries (in musical form, equipment, methods) that would be helpful. Maybe I'm balking at the length of such a path as having to experiment my way through it can seem daunting. I'm considering how it might be fortuitous to discuss why and how people consciously choose (or otherwise) to set up those boundaries. Although this ^ is also true and I'm thankful for your sharing. Would you elaborate on this?

Something that's been turning around in my head for a while. what kind of parameters are addressed when trying to keep cohesion on an album level. Some examples So I take it as naturally occurring (from experience) that inside of any musical (or any artistic) form an artist chooses to work in, their idiosyncrasies will naturally present themselves in terms of their "voice" or what have you. But, I can't help wondering what kinds of considerations are going into keeping the tracks that one writes in some sort of stylistic bounds enough to constitute cohesion on the album or larger level. The above albums as examples due to their distinctness and contrast. Also as using the aforementioned as opposed to some of Richards stuff as I think Tom's is much more rooted in traditional musical orthodoxy and this is why it's so easy to get the "sounds like Aphex" feedback the further you go from the more maybe standard forms. People who have accomplished or are working on this would you mind sharing? How can or does one consider this? Strict rules about timbre, song form, and mixing? Perhaps people use other albums as templates to apply their visions of music over? Or perhaps for you it happens naturally through sheer quantity of output and recognition of patterns? I'd love to hear from some of the more experienced members. Suggestions for possible reading on this topic?

I think I've resolved for me to just be more intentional whenever I get into my studio. The Problem of missing all these little goodies like potential samples, takes, instrumental playings and the like would probably be resolved easiest by just remembering to always hit record. Probably quicker than editing out all the fluff.

wow, thanks for deep diving! Yeah the sound of it is absolutely great. Why it's hard to imagine going backwards in terms of quality for this one feature. Sometimes diligence is the only way forward! There's also stuff like this https://maxforlive.com/library/device/7331/auto-record Which if I wanted to keep the laptop open and running... I don't. But it's an option also

@J3FF3R00 Have you used that zoom unit? I am currently using a Sound Devices Mix-pre 10m and it's got a great sound.

There's an idea! I'm just so sporadic sometimes. Like I leave my gear all set up and it's hardware only. I'll be on my way to bed. stop off and hit play, jam through some mutes and like THERE IT WAS. I'll get a process dialed in at some point.

I like to keep a recording box hanging off my mixing desk. only problem is I keep missing the record button when I come back from a break or what have you and lose that un repeatable take. Or I forget to turn off record and I have these huge files to deal with. I emailed the makers of mine but we will see how far that gets me. Anyone know of something with good audio quality AND sound activated recording?

what a cool vid. Yeah I was stagnating because I wouldn't want to drag my entire setup out to do a gig, but then wouldn't want to simplify my tunes (I really enjoy heavily edited and intentionally complex stuff) just to stem them out or whatever. I'm realizing though I could mix live "jams" with dj elements. They don't have to be one and the same. This is great advice! thanks.

wow. I'm actually surprised to hear that. Nice work!

Totally! a "quaver" is not what it's about. but mental cognizance of your melody and the subdivision (however your daw or medium forms that information) goes a long way. Hence the person earlier in the thread talking about their tracker language and it's relevance to their process. As it concerns the sounds in your head in this topic I've found Sononym to be a great app to use if your internal musical imaginings are timbre information more than pitch and tempo based. it's a AI sample manager thing ( seems to be a trend as I've heard of a few of these) that I've tried and I love the idea of. Seems to work great for me to though I'm still in the trail period. Experience, practice, reflection!

interesting samples. Quality sounds good. did you mix and master it from the PolyEnd outs?

Love that ^ I'll try just that method on my next session I'll say some about lifetimes. Let me qualify it by saying I have spent 10 years (almost to the day) training under a Daoist priest and my experiences in this regard are my personal direct experiences. The Daoist framework helps to bring them into view. Humans could be said to have various types of ancestrally inherited, personally acquired, and spiritually bestowed patterns of energy. For instance I was raised as an orphan and didn't meet any of my biological family until my thirties. However as a child I was quite musically gifted. I could learn almost any instrument that was put before me at like 1/10 the speed of anyone else I was around. I had no idea how I was able to do this. Found out later in my thirties upon meeting my biological family that I came from 5 generations of musical family members. Teachers and players all of them the known way up. This I would view as ancestrally inherited. Though in type there are many! And they are both "good" and "bad". Personally acquired patterns are also diverse and have to do with how you choose to spend or not (being unconscious and habitual is a type of choice don't you know) your mental and life energies. These build shapes and patterns that can carry through lifetimes. It's difficult to give more personal examples of this without being just that. overly personal! ahah. But deciding to learn something or work to accomplish something would be the example of this. And talking about truly spiritual matters is not something I'm quite ready to do on a public forum at this point. ? I think this is where learning to read music at even the most basic level is valuable. for instance how easy is it to visualize the words you speak as you're speaking? Not that hard. For me even though with rhythm I can visualize the notes my trouble is in remembering it for long enough to come back form that imaginary realm. By the time I move my mind to some kind of physical interface it's drifting away like a dream. In fact some of the music I've lost FROM DREAMS is the most amazing stuff I think I've ever heard. it Just haunts me that It was so close. haha

A few things from my experience. Think of the very foundations of being musical and always strengthen them. Music should flow out of you as soon as that is your intention (and even when it's not). I practice on my wife (insert: "can I also practice on your wife too" joke here) I make a lot of our mundane talk around the house a song I sing to her. Just to increase the breadth of that melodic generation from my inside. An interesting note (no pun intended) is that sometimes I just steal a various melody from an obscure source and to my slight dismay these are usually the instances she asks "did you just make that up" with a nod of approval and I have to laugh to myself. haha suppose I have some more work to do. Another thing I've found for myself is that If I spend say longer than 5-7 hours doing and intently listening to music, my mind will start to generate it without prompt. Especially in sleep and around sleeps borders. Sort of like when you do a repetitive task (say pulling weeds) it's all you can see as you close your eyes at night. The hope is that we sit down to open the spout and it comes out. I also think we strengthen that by doing it. Possibly even through various lifetimes. If you could manufacture it. Someone would have already. like that video above with the hard drive, though that comes with it's own stuff to chew on.

This is one of those topics that has really pestered me. I trained my instrument to a very high degree, then fell in love with electronic music. I even have dream journals where I'm watching someone playing a apc40 on stage and I'm pissed it just a bunch of flashing buttons. I honestly haven't really come to much of a conclusion at this point, I think this pretty much has the spirit of the matter correct. Though I have yet to decide a standard method for myself and am finding trouble doing so.

"Google is providing financial, technological, and engineering support to a range of startups through Gradient Ventures, a venture capital arm that Google launched in 2017 to nurture companies deploying AI in a range of fields." https://theintercept.com/2019/07/23/google-ai-gradient-ventures/ A sheriff launched an algorithm to predict who might commit a crime. Dozens of people said they were harassed by deputies for no reason. https://www.businessinsider.com/predictive-policing-algorithm-monitors-harasses-families-report-2020-9

Bingo! ... Sad bingo =(

I've visited the steinvord tracks a couple times through the years. The energies in them are different in quality than either RDJ's or Toms' stuff. Richards tracks I usually sense a lot of intents like desire for "interesting", some "sentimental" but not syrupy, just, acknowledgment of beauty and it just gets more of like "concentration" when the complexity and intensity are up on the track. but typically pretty neutral actually. Tom I sense a lot of "mental melt" like psychedelic abstraction and a conscious fascination with that place. With his melodic aspects being more "surreal vibe" and "epic" types of emotional intent. Though the quality of intent always comes across as clear and distinct/intentional. He's very present in his music. Both times I've randomly listened to steinvord the quality of the energy was much murkier. pushy. overdoing it. and in ways quite negative. The music itself is quite an amazing spectacle and really skillful, but the energy is distinctly different to anything I've ever perceived from RDJ or TOM.

Vord-strom's Rack

I like it