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ectogemia

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    Cool/interesting chord progs, scales, cadences, etc.

    in Music Composition & Production

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    A lot of learning how to write music is experimenting, but not every possible idea is going to come to one person. So I thought I'd start a list of nice-sounding patterns I've found recently which are sorta out of the ordinary major/minor, I-IV-V sort of thing and aren't exactly things you'd find in a typical music theory book. Got anything to contribute? If we can get enough fresh, organized ideas coming in, I'll start updating the OP to catalog them.

    VI-VII-I cadence

    Ex. C E G - D F# A - E G# D (root position voicings)

    or G C E - A D F# - G# B E (cooler voicings)

    I stumbled upon this while I was improvising a while ago, but as cool as I thought I was for finding it, I realized that it's in video games ALL OVER THE PLACE, so it's probably just a pattern beaten mercilessly into my brain over the years that made its way out through my keyboard one day. I heard two of them in two separate tracks within 10 seconds of one another in Diddy Kong Racing the other day. Really common sound in VGM.

    VGM example:

    fuck it...

    The Nobuo Suspension

    Basically, this is playing a sus4 with a root which is normally a minor chord in a major scale (ii, iii, or vi) and resolving the 4 into a MAJOR third of that chord rather than the minor third which lies in the original major scale. Lots of potential for modulation, major/minor key changes, or just general cool effect.

    Seems to sound best with the vi chord of a major scale. Actually, it's a major version of the vi chord, so a VI, but it starts as a sus4 chord before resolving into the major third instead of the minor third, so it's ambiguous while it's suspended which makes the C# resolution particularly surprising to the ear. Really, really neat-sounding way to transition into new parts or modulate into a new key.

    Ex. Key of C Major

    vi = A C E --> Amin

    VI = A C# E --> AMaj

    VIsus4 = A D E --> Asus4

    So play a progression in C, but for the second-to-last chord in a phrase, play A D E (Asus4) before resolving the D into a C# to play your final chord, A C# E (Amaj). Now move into a new key containing A C# and E or stay in the old one, your choice :P

    This works well enough with any sus4 chord which has only notes of the original key.

    Nobuo Uematsu uses this all the time, and it's pretty common in JRPGs in general I think because it has really grandiose sound to it.

    VGM example:

    -- happens at 0:20

    Mixolydian Pentatonic

    I've been experimenting with modes a lot recently, and I've stumbled across some cool scales and melodic patterns. This is possibly my favorite. Dunno if there's another name for it, but I think this one works.

    Ex. 1-3-4-5-b7

    or C-E-F-G-Bb

    It has a really cool virtuoso prog sound, sorta like something Steve Vai would play. Works nicely over chords in the Mixolydian mode. So flat your 7 in a major scale, make chords from that altered scale, and you're good to go.

    VGM example:

    -- The first several bars

    Lydian Pentatonic

    Another useful modal pentatonic scale. Pentatonic scales are awesome for writing the bulk of rock solos. These two "outside" pentatonic scales let you abuse that strong pentatonic sound without coming across as cliche with the standard major pentatonic and minor/blues pentatonics.

    Ex. 1-2-#4-5-6

    or C-D-F#-G-A

    VGM example:

    -- The first several bars

    Risk of Rain - Surface Tension

    in ReMix Requests

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    I will very, very likely remix something from Risk of Rain at some point. I'm in love with that soundtrack, so much so that I even emailed ChrisChris to gush over it.

    But it'll be a while :P I have a ton on my plate right now. Probably 6 months or more.

    is probably what I'll remix.

    The Music Software Deals thread

    in Music Composition & Production

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    native instruments is having a 50% sale on their synths. Any of them that anyone would recommend? i already have massive.

    I've gotten a little use out of Absynth, but the stock presets are just too wonky and tough to integrate into a track, and it's not exactly a user-friendly synth for designing patches from scratch, but it's definitely a powerful synth.

    FM8, like all FM synthesizers, is a tough nut to crack, but if you can figure out the voodoo art of FM synthesis -- and there are definitely some rules* to making it work for you -- there's a ton of very unique, very cool sounds to be made with it. Plus, the psychedelay effect it has in its effects module is worth the price on its own. You can use the FM8 FX plugin as an effect for other sounds. I abuse the shit out of it for making cool pads and delay effects.

    Massive. Buy it again to remind yourself how useful and awesome it is. Recently, I've been designing every sound in Massive, from ambience to super-lush synthetic orchestras to a whole chiptune rock band. I really like the interface and ease of modulation, and the macro system is SO convenient for really complex-sounding modulation that, if you set your macros right, is coming from the automation of only one knob. Hnnngh, I could gush about Massive all day.

    *Tuning the modulating oscillator (operator) to 5ths and octaves will lead to harmonic, pleasing results; 4ths to a lesser degree. You can create gnarly sounds by tuning the operator to pitches other than perfect intervals and octaves to add grit to sounds -- best done with an FM amount or volume envelope and multiple carrier oscillators (the oscillator being modulated which actually produces the sound) so the grit isn't the focus of the patch. Makes good sizzly, glassy, or otherwise sparkly sounds. Tends not to make warm sounds very well, but you can make it work with post-processing.

    Komplete 9 Ultimate FTW

    in Music Composition & Production

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    I got the K9 upgrade. I do like the transient master plugin, but I haven't really used anything else from K9.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the transient master with Komplete 9 the same as the one in Guitar Rig 5 (or whatever came with Komplete 8 )? Apart from the fact it's a separate VST, I mean. Just curious to see if it was upgraded or improved in some way. Whichever transient shaper I've got that came with Komplete 8 is awesome.

    Izotope's Mixing Guide v4 just Released

    in Music Composition & Production

    Posted

    Gonna second that. I got a free mastering guide from iZotope a while ago, too, and it helped me out quite a bit. And learning about psychoacoustics is the fastest way to develop production intuition, in my opinion.

    Ozone has been a really useful tool for me, and I use it as part of every mastering chain. I used Alloy once at halc's place, and I thought it was pretty cool, especially the harmonic exciter. They're not AAA+ plugins, but they're still really solid and easy to use, plus they've gotta have the best bang:buck of any mixing plugin pack.

    Fit Club ahoy! Where men are bros and women are also bros!

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    how are everyone's goals going? I hope all my fit club BROS are getting all kiinds of gains (all kinds)!

    I have really been enjoying doing weighted chinups this year, and am hoping that by summertime i'll be able to do all 50 reps without having to drop to zero weight; am a little over halfway there, but it is the slow linear progression on these that motivates me the most. Being able to beat the week prior by just one rep is awesome, and since there are so many reps overall, it means that micro improvements are easy to see.

    Keep pwning, BROS!

    I'm a skinny shit again :P I couldn't keep up with eating as much as I needed to eat to put on muscle and keep it. I'm just too much of a hard-gainer to gain comfortably. All that food was taking too long to cook and eat, and being 110% full at all times was getting really old and farty/poopy.

    I'll probably head back to the gym soonish to do the same lifts but with a much, much slower arc of progression. My days of force-feeding are definitely over!

    So now I'm focusing on flexibility so I can do a full lotus to help out my meditation practice (not to mention I'm stupid inflexible), and I'll be getting to HIIT sprints in a month or so when the weather isn't being a butt. Probably gonna add some yoga in there, too, why not.

    My goals are going pretty well. Progressing on nearly every lift, though my cut is finally starting to inhibit that. I'm down to about 12% (according to my scale; I suspect I'm actually at about 11). I want to drop at least another two points by May, slow and steady to keep the gainz.

    I am SO CLOSE to OHP'ing one plate for 8 reps (140 pounds, my goal for at least six months). I just met my other big goal of hitting 8 chin-ups at plus 25 lbs. though, so that was pretty sweet :)

    Haha, weird man... that's pretty much exactly where I was on those two lifts before my digestive system went on strike. Same body fat, even.

    Recommendations on soft-clipper plugin?

    in Music Composition & Production

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    Well, I'm not looking for one so much for drum processing as I am for mastering. I know that soft clipping is one of the many secret weapons used to win the loudness war, often a soft clipper in place of a limiter, so that's my goal, really. For drum processing, I use transient shapers as needed on the individual parts and some compression on the bus, and I'm totally satisfied with that.

    And just my $0.02, but I never much like TLs Pocket Limiter despite everyone around here seeming to recommend it :P It's a good freebie plugin, but at least to my ear, I really like the sound of industry standard limiters a lot more. Waves L2 omg

    Argle, soft clipping is basically just limiting but with an algorithm that limits the distortion created by transients going over the threshold too much with some magical algorithm I couldn't possibly understand or care to learn about, haha. Basically, you can boost your mix's RMS while mastering more with a soft clipper than you can with a standard limiter before getting distortion artifacts from the compression. It's useful for aggressive dance music.

    Practical tutorials and tips for composing?

    in Music Composition & Production

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    Are you able to point me to a resource from which I could understand more of it?

    I'm not sure off-hand, but learning jazz theory in general will help you with that concept. I've found Mark Levine's 'Jazz Theory Book' and 'Jazz Piano Book' (names might not be totally accurate) to be VERY insightful, but they don't very often specifically speak to tension and release. Learning the concepts he teaches, though, will help your natural sensibilities.

    The more I think in terms of tension and release, the less I think in terms of discrete scales and chords. I find myself playing some chord or melody and deciding I want to move into more consonance and dissonance with the next chord/note and just doing it rather than thinking of playing some scale note or some specific chord. This has come from learning lots of theory and internalizing it so it's automatic AND from practicing experiencing tension and release in real time through lots and lots of improvisation on piano.

    I wrote a little bit about it in this post, specifically the part about playing ii-V7-I in block chords in root position vs. with good voice leading. The voice leading is what establishes the most tension and release in that particular (and any) progression. Knowing chords is useful, but simply throwing block chords together into a progression doesn't establish much tension and release. It works for some genres, but more traditionally musical tunes rely strongly on good voice leading to make a progression sound "smooth" and pleasing. Lots of half steps leading strongly into a chord tone in the next chord, intentionally dovetailing the melody in with the chord tones in the chord proression, etc.

    Quick example: moving from, say, the I to iii triad in C could be done in a number of ways. C E G to E G B, both in root position, is an obvious way, but there's really no tension and release established by that type of movement. The E and G don't move at all, and the C leaps all the way up a major 7th to a B. Instead, C E G to B E G is a smoother, more tension-relieving way to do that progression, almost as if the C in the I chord were suspended a half step above the B in the iii chord the whole time, just waiting to resolve. In the root position movement I mentioned first, that effect doesn't exist.

    What I really like most about jazz over classical music is that chords are extended beyond triads with the addition of 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, and all the alterations. That gives you a TON of additional opportunities to introduce dissonance/tension and consonance/release. That's basically why I recommended a jazz theory book in the first place.

    Like I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I use that concept of creating and relieving tension through voice leading to improvise very naturally without even thinking about whether I'm playing this chord or that or even the key or mode I'm in. I just move smoothly from one chord to the next and adapt the melody to the chord I'm playing.

    Practical tutorials and tips for composing?

    in Music Composition & Production

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    but don't feel overwhelmed. just start with developing your relative pitch (learning to recognise the intervals), and all the other things will follow logically if you stay curious.

    plus, the same thing i always end up saying in these threads: use your built in melody maker.

    hum away when you feel like it. if you find a melody you like, determine the root of the key you hear it in and analyze the intervals. practice it with songs you hear on the radio. music is everywhere, that's what makes it so easy to have a lesson every day.

    I agree with both of these things 100%. I threw a lot of stuff at you to learn, but relative pitch is the very first thing you should master as it sets you up for being able to internalize the rest of non-rhythmic music theory really easily*. Whenever I listen to music in the car, I try to identify the type of chord I'm hearing in the progression as it comes, and I try to identify intervals in the melodies when I can. I'll even sing or whistle harmonies to the melody if I'm familiar with it or sing an improvised melody over a section which only has chords. You definitely don't need an instrument to practice, and I can tell that doing this sort of thing in the car on the way to and from school every day is helping me improve, but really, nothing helps my ear more than sitting down at my piano to improvise and practice out of my jazz theory books and fake books.

    * it still isn't that easy

    Practical tutorials and tips for composing?

    in Music Composition & Production

    Posted

    Ear-training. Theory is really helpful, but you have to be able to hear what you're learning. Learn intervals up to 13ths, ascending and descending. Be able to sing them all. Be able to identify triads and 7th chords by ear (hard mode: be able to identify extended and altered 7th chords). Maybe even learn how the inversions sound. Be able to hear all the modes, altered modes, the minor scales, etc. Being able to play all of these things on your instrument/piano is helpful, too.

    Also, think about tension and release more than you think about theory. That's what the appeal of most music is, dissonance resolving into consonance. If you want to create a piece that isn't boring and cookie-cutter, find ways to alter chords or harmonize the melody with chords, which should be dissonant at times and resolve into a more consonant sound. I think of syncopation as "rhythmic dissonance" in genres which don't typically have much syncopation, so that's a good device for adding some color as well.

    And if songwriting in particular is what you're interested in rather than composing, check out hooktheory.com.

    It's an Ecto-Birthday-Gemia!

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I appreciate the love, everyone :D Thanks for being so awesome!

    I told Nathan this at MAGFest, but I loop his For Everlasting Peace track like a boss. I love the album and his piece is easily my favorite, both for the style and his interpretation! Keep an eye out for this foo.

    Thanks so much, man! I really appreciate the compliment! I just turned 25, AND THAT ALBUM WAS FOR MEGA MAN'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY!!! COINCIDENCE? yeah, definitely.

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    that enough extra clintons? :tomatoface:

    Only exactly enough Clintons.

    First professional experiences composing music?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by ectogemia

    My first gig was writing music for Maddox's YouTube show. He paid me $100 for maybe 6-8 minutes of music which, in my opinion, was totally fine for my first gig. It's not exactly market rate, but I was just getting my feet wet, and at the time, I wasn't as polished as most other pro/semi-pro composers, so he got what he paid for, haha.

    I know musicians hate the "exposure card," but to be able to say I wrote music for Maddox was enough for me, and I ended up being right. I've gotten more commissions because of the work I did for Maddox, so sometimes, working for exposure CAN pay off. But I certainly wouldn't do it again unless I knew whoever had hired me really did have some serious clout.

    The $100 was just icing on the cake. The dude was a hero of mine back when I was a teenager, and I still think he has a ton of relevant commentary coming out. Plus, I knew hundreds of thousands of people were going to hear my music, and that was and still is so cool to me.

    Here are the tunes in case you're curious.

    Conspiracy

    Infomercial

    Unused funk tune

    There are so many production and composition changes I'd make to both if I were to write them again with the skills I have now, but I think they're still fun to listen to :D

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