Neifion

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/hua-street Feedback appreciated!

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/lingering-whisper Let me know what you think!

Er, happy early St. Patty's Day! Let me know what you think! https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/fathers-blessing

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/shadows-solace Let me know what you think!

What he said. If the signal goes over the set threshold, the limiter will bring it back down and prevent clipping.

Hey Brad, I quite liked this. I thought the mix was solid as well, though I'm traveling and listening on headphones, so I can't tell too much on the bass. I liked that the guitar rhythm is to the sides and the lead is more distant center rather than just upfront. Gives a more evocative sound. Nice job!

I like it. Nice and chill. Just a personal preference, but I feel its more professional if you omit what samples you used in the song title.

Yes, I play the instruments in real-time on the digital piano and simultaneously control the MIDI CC data with my iPod. The Blakus Cello is nice because you can control so much (dynamics, vibrato intensity, vibrato speed, portamento, etc.) all live. I think it really helps the performance when you can do it that way. Nothing beats the real thing, of course, but you can get pretty close these days.

Hi Brad, Thanks for listening and for the kind words. All the instruments I used are samples. The cello I used is the Blakus Cello from Embertone. Somebody else also told me the song is soothing. Must be that all that legato cello! P.S. We just launched our new SoundCloud name, so I fixed the link up top accordingly.

Updated link: https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/let-it-go-instrumental A softer version of Let It Go. This is the instrumental background track, as my wife and muse is currently pulling through a harsh winter cough.

Cool, thanks!

Hey Necrox, thanks for the critique. The mixture of tension and emotion was intentional, but I don't want it to negatively impact the overall impression, of course. If you don't mind, could you tell me what instruments are clashing with the cello (Synths? Tremolo contrabasses?) or what parts in particular are problematic (from what time to what time)?

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/animals-get-put-down Disclaimer: I don't condone putting down animals of any kind. Constructive feedback welcome and appreciated.

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/8-minute-menken-an-all-star With the release of Frozen, I'm pretty happy that Disney is making quality musicals again. It being Thanksgiving, my wife and I decided to give thanks to those Disney musical geniuses by doing a sort of "greatest hits" medley. The orchestration sticks to the source material fairly close, with some different decisions and style choices peppered in (obviously we had to come up with the transitions, as well). While well-known as a Broadway songwriter, I think Alan Menken is underrated as a score composer. So besides serving as the backtrack to my wife's vocals, this was for me to study the orchestration and style of Alan Menken, get some ear training (no sheet music), and practice with my orchestral samples. Especially for A Whole New World, Menken makes use of a lot of acrobatic string and wind runs, which I really wanted to get more practice with. In the end, I think what yields that classic "Disney" sound is a pretty genius combination of Tchaikovsky-style ballet mixed with modern Broadway theater. Together, they provide that distinctive mix of "fairy tale" and energy, respectively. Do you agree? What do you think is the "Disney formula?"

I like it. I'm working on a baroque piece off and on right now and they're a lot of fun, aren't they? The flute legato is nice, but I think it could be even nicer with some trilling, triplets, or other such nice little ornaments. For instance, I think a trill before that last accented note at the very end could do well to bring it to a close.

Bump for the weekend.

Thanks Necrox! I had a lot of fun with the percussion, and trying to get a dynamic, breathy-blowing sound from the flute.

Man, I used to watch Thomas the Tank Engine religiously back in the day. Good one.

For me, it was back in the early 90s. I would put a recording of Star Wars into the VCR and then sit down with my little keyboard on my lap, playing along with the opening crawl.

As much as I like Joss Whedon's other shows like Firefly and Dollhouse, I just couldn't get into SHIELD for some reason. I enjoy Bear's videos a lot more, hehe.

Latest version posted. EQed up the 9 kHz band 3 dB and adjusted the high pass, lightening up the mix.

... (More Bear McCreary greatness)

My wife came up with an interesting thought a little while ago: the Game of Thrones theme would sound pretty cool as a Western. So I decided to take that thought and see what I could do. The result is that I think she was right! There are actually quite a few songs from the show that spoke to me in that folky Western style, and now I've got three done so far. Main Theme: https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/game-of-thrones-western The Rains of Castamere: https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/rains-of-castamere-western House Stark Theme: https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/house-stark-western

Put up a new version, based on feedback. Same link as before. Changes include: - Shortened the war haka by one cycle (now the song is 4:45, down from 5:01) - Tamed the bass some - Increased the dynamics of all string sections to convey more expression - Increased the volume of the violin ostinatos at the end, and added some accents - Made the drum breakdown at the end a bit more lively and human - Tweaked the piano tempo slightly in places in the beginning - Balanced the overall mix to provide a bit more headroom, especially at the end

Some of you have probably seen this before, but if you haven't, this is great. Story of our lives, right?