Neifion

Citizens of the New Republic, join us for a night of tribute and remembrance as the Coronet City Symphony Orchestra performs a stirring salute to the heroes who gave their lives for the Alliance. https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/heroes-of-the-rebellion May the Force be with you! Sources: Rogue Squadron Main Title: Kasan Moor's Theme: Note: Not intended as an OCR; I've just been in the Star Wars mood lately and I've always wanted to do a Rogue Squadron arrangement.

No DAW does everything perfectly. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I started out with FL, but moved to Cubase. Cubase is great for orchestral writing and scoring to picture, as well as recording audio, all of which I do a lot of these days. I find it's really nice for writing electronic/hybrid stuff as well. So for me, I couldn't be happier. One thing Cubase doesn't come with are a lot of stock instruments and effects plugins, as opposed to FL, which does. So if you're looking to save money and make use of stock instruments (as well as take advantage of the overall much lower price of FL), FL is attractive in that regard. And FL is a nice DAW overall too, but it's simply not ideal for the type of work I do and the workflow I prefer. And that's really what it comes down to in the end: finding one that fits your workflow and offers the path of least resistance for your creativity.

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/heroes-of-the-rebellion An homage to some of the themes from Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Still working on the performance, harmonies, and mix of course. This is only about a third of it so far, as there are a few more themes to be woven in. I'm trying to infuse some of my own style as well as incorporate different harmonies and orchestration. I'm not submitting this as an official OCR or anything. Just something I'm doing for fun while I have a short work break. Sources (so far): Rogue Squadron Main Title: Star Wars Main Title: (if you don't know this by heart, shame on you!) Kasan Moor's Theme:

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/more-than-blood A score-ish piece that goes from a world sound to a reflective cinematic feeling. Love to hear what you think!

The idea itself is fairly simple. Like I said though: How many inner-city communities have I changed? None. But within my family, I have made it a point to be there for my nieces and nephews as they grew up. I did many of the things I mentioned; read with them, played board games, card games, and puzzles with them, taught them how to cook, actually talked with them... all things their parents were often too busy to do. And no, this wasn't all just so I could make them "better citizens". It was because I love them, and I wanted them to grow up smart, strong, and happy. You know what my littlest niece did the Christmas of 2012 when they got a Wii U? She came over to me with a science puzzle - a circuit board where you can design and build things that light up, make noise, make things move, etc. I asked her why she wasn't playing Wii U. She said she liked how we created things together and talked together more than playing a video game. Now, sentimental story aside, I think I've made my point. Of course, I should have expected to be met with a response like "well, why don't YOU do it?" upon putting forward an idea that encourages taking action instead of just ranting about video game bloggers. It's exactly that sort of "someone else should do it" attitude that proves my point even clearer: change won't happen if even the people who supposedly support change continue on with this line of thinking. I've been in the environmental conservation field professionally for about 10 years. If all it took to create change in my field was to go online and blog about how much BP sucks... well, you know where I'm going with that. No, I've gone out and conducted surveys, removed invasive species, dug a bunch of holes to repopulate native grasses, rescued birds from oil and fishing net entanglements, reached out to community and industry stakeholders, etc. And no, you don't have to be a professional/expert to create positive change. With conservation, everyone can recycle/use reusable shopping bags/buy sustainably-made products. And with this case, everyone can get involved in their family/community by creating rewarding experiences that don't involve sex, violence, misogyny, bigotry, etc. Here's my bottom line, as well as a challenge: for all of you who are self-professed supporters of stronger females in games, less violence, etc., stop ranting about bloggers, get off the computer, and do something about it. If you're a parent, uncle/aunt, brother/sister, teacher, tutor, mentor, church member, etc., find ways to get your kids/family/community to come together and create and truly socialize. Organize a book group, a local 5K run, park clean-up and BBQ afterward, or even a family video game night where you play non-violent party games on nights where you'd normally play Battlefield or whatever. Or an idea that you can come up with that's even better. Tonight I'm doing a family cooking night and the kids have been excited since yesterday. I think if the limit to what you're willing to do for a topic you supposedly feel strongly about is to argue on a forum, then I don't think you really care as much as you say. I think many people in this topic who claim to want change are really just here to gossip about a scandal which, as some have pointed out, really has little to do with the actual problem. Speaking of which, I can see that the topic is moving back towards that subject, so that's all I'm going to say on this matter. Have fun and play nice!

I do not need to take a walk through the city to know there are cultural problems. If these problems didn't exist, we wouldn't be having this discussion, would we? In any case, I did not say "people will just sort it out over time". Indeed, the vast majority will sit there and do nothing. If you want change to happen, you might be able to make it happen, but I think it actually takes work and getting involved. And getting others involved. Here is what I said if my last post: You see, I actually gave suggestions about how you can try to improve your community and it's values. You take action, you get involved with people face-to-face, you build friendships and camaradie and respect, and perhaps overtime your community will share some of the positive values you harbor, and they will reflect those values in the purchases they make, such as what types of video games they buy or what types of movies they watch. And if enough people want more non-violent games, the developers will have to start making more non-violent games in order to stay competitive. It's sort of weird to have my argument labeled as the "don't do anything and let things sort out" one, when I'm the only one who has suggested actually going out and taking action in the community rather than suggesting that change in the media will occur by listening to bloggers. Are people even reading my posts?

Not going to beat a dead horse any longer here; we know from our families and friends and communities what we need to do to be good people/raise good children without the media telling us that. True, it is hard - indeed, sometimes impossible - to provide an environment that will produce a "good person". But in many cases we can, and I think in a lot of those situations we don't, which is a missed opportunity. And I think we can work to find more ways to try and provide said opportunities by having families and communities come together and support each other more (real face-to-face support and time playing/nurturing/working/teaching). As for actually getting this stuff to happen? Well, one could get involved in their local community to encourage/offer incentives to set up teambuilders, walks/runs, bake-offs, family game nights, poetry readings, etc. Or contact a state representative office to try and introduce legislature that will provide more family/community involvement in schools. That might encourage families to get more involved with each other at home. Sure, Billy might just want to play video games instead, but if he's allowed to make friends, be creative, etc. and balance that with playing video games, he might come around especially once it becomes routine. And probably when he grows up, he'll appreciate the social skills, connections, and friendships gained. Is that harder/more involved than looking at your phone and reading a blog? Yes. But reading a blog won't get you lasting results. All in all, we just have to find it in ourselves to believe that being a good person is worth all of the inconveniences of not being a murder, bigot, sexist, glutton, etc. I hope a fair amount of people can do that without needing to turn on a TV.

You said it yourself: habits are implanted in people from the beginning. Where? At home, work, the playground, and school. Amongst family and friends. People are looking at national or world culture to teach their kids, when they should be looking to the smaller home and neighborhood culture. And in that respect, I don't need to get millions of people to agree with me. I think most people know in their hearts such things like basic respect, that killing hurts, that you can prevent obesity by eating healthy and exercising, that you should probably spend some quality time with your kids now and then. I don't have to tell them that. All they need to do is what they know/feel is right, and teach their kids to value the same. After all, it's pretty sad if your kid listens more to TV personalities and video games than their parents, teachers, mentors, and others who they (should) have face-to-face real relationships with.

Spend more time with your kids instead of letting the TV tell them what to do. If your kid is bullied at school, spend time to talk to them about it. Play board games or read together instead of just watching TV. Make dinner together and actually sit down and eat it together. Talk to them. Actually listen to what they have to say. Allow them to start making decisions and mistakes. Same as with the obesity thing. My mom taught me how to cook. She made it fun and rewarding. She nurtured an interest in being healthy. Nowadays, if I see a Triple Ultimate Big Mac on TV, I don't really pay attention. I think homemade stir fry veggies over rice is tastier. If the friend I mentioned who grow up eating junk saw the burger on TV, however, he might just go out and buy a couple. And I repeat, it is happening. For those who put in the effort and time to make it happen. It happened for me, and it happened for others I know as well. Is it happening for the majority yet? I don't know. With the way things look, probably not. Yes, I know people are busy these days. But honestly, if you're too busy to raise your child and prevent them from being an apathetic materialist, then perhaps you need to try to re-balance the priorities in your life. Not everyone can do this, I know. They can't help it, but if they could, I bet they would and should. And a LOT of people can, who simply aren't doing it now. And for those who it's too late to rewind the clock? You can change. People still influence you today (co-workers, friends, etc.) I actually didn't have the best childhood. I grew up in a lower class family, my dad was arrested several times and my mom beat me with a bamboo stick (and I don't just mean tapped me a few times). Now, you might say "well, there you go! You were raised in a not-so-great environment, but turned out fine. So your nature-nurture method is irrelevant!" But you see, luckily I had friends, teachers, coaches who helped me out during my hard times. I learned to understand the behavior that my parents displayed, and separate the acts they did from the underlying emotional turmoil they had going on. So yet again, the environment I was immersed in helped me find my feet, even when another part of said environment failed me. All without turning to celebrities, bloggers, etc. Still, some of those aforementioned incidents did leave deep emotional scars and I had plenty of opportunities to go down dark paths, some of which I did. I've done some terrible things I will regret for the rest of my life. But through friends and family, I've been encouraged to work on my issues over the past few years (music and the wife especially have helped). I am better now for it, and I'm also now able to help others who are close to me with some of their issues as well. And I like to think it's doing them better than reading online blogs or watching Dr. Phil.

Yes it does work, for the parents/teachers/individuals who actually put the time, effort, and care into making it work. Just like with obesity, exercising and eating less does work for many people who actually have the desire and discipline to make it work. Having critics attempt to persuade audiences to change their preferences by simply saying "I don't like this" or "I don't like that" I think maybe works to a point, but not as much. I'm not going to stop watching violent movies just because some movie critic says I shouldn't. And I'm not going to exercise just because someone I don't know tells me to (unless they are a respected independent health physician with good facts and arguments to back it up, not some TV personality or athlete). I'm going to exercise because it's important to me. And where do we learn what's important to us? From the face-to-face, day-to-day, person-to-person environment we live in at home, school, the playground, and later in life, at work; from family and friends who we care about and have real meaning and influence in our lives. For instance, growing up my mom taught me early on how to cook healthy meals. To this day, I cook many of those same healthy dishes and hardly ever eat out (maybe once or twice every few months). In contrast, one of my best friends ate out with this family almost every day. And whereas my mom taught me to pack sandwiches, fruit, and water for lunch, his mom gave him money to buy nachos, pizza, and soda from the cafeteria. I stuck to my healthy habits because it's what I came to know and value, and he stuck to his unhealthy habits for the same reasons. It's just like with guns. Telling people not to use them isn't going to stop violence. Eliminating guns isn't going to stop people from finding other ways to kill each other. With all of these issues, we need to target the root instead of the leaves. Raise our kids in an environment where they are appreciated, think about consequences, learn respect and compassion and that violence isn't the answer, and the desire to kill others won't be there in the first place. Eliminate the desire/demand, not the tool/medium.

We should not wait for culture to change; we need to change it ourselves. We change culture by how we raise our kids at home and how they're taught at school. That is, unless we just let our kids stay at home all day where they have no contact with anything but the TV and video games, and left isolated like this they latch onto the concept that what they see/play is exactly how they should think. Otherwise, kids learn from their parents, teachers, and peers how to respect others, how to be polite, what's right and what's wrong, etc. It's also where they develop their emotional connections to others so that they feel sympathy, friendship, camaraderie, etc. And it is also where they will learn to separate the fictional realms of media from reality. So when they watch violent movies or play violent games, they know what to filter out instead of thinking that the mysogyny or violence they experience on the screen is acceptable in the real world. For instance, before I was 10 I played games like Doom and watched movies like The Devil's Advocate, and only a few years later started playing games like GTA. But due to the environment I was raised in, I didn't turn into a murdering psychopath or hateful person. Sure, I was always a bit anti-social and awkward, but I learned to deal with it and treasure what relationships I made. Today, I am pro- gay rights, pro- women's rights, and a general pacifist. I graduated university, have a clean record, and work a steady job. I think people look too much at the government, media, and industries to be responsible for what they think. I think these places are the wrong ones to look. They don't have any direct contact or influence over life at home, work, school. What I mean is, they make policies or expose certain things on the screen, but they have no control over the face-to-face avenues that develop your intellectual and emotional traits such as care, respect, love, etc. Again, those things happen through personal interactions with others at home, work, and school. As for social change throughout history - especially the ones regarding race, religion, and sexuality - those were successful and necessary because they were trying to get the government to change. The government answers to the social ideas of the nation, and is largely responsible for providing social liberties to its people. (Not teaching us what we should think, but providing us the social rights we deserve by law). Those aforementioned social changes were necessary because people were suffering without them. You could argue that having violent games on the market causes you to "suffer" by interfering with your social liberties, I suppose in a similar way to how some people think that allowing gay people to marry interferes with their liberties. But I think in today's society you'd have a tough time arguing that, especially when everybody has the option to simply not buy violent video games or to change the channel. But with gaming, it seems like people are trying to change industry. But industry doesn't give one ounce of care about social liberties, morals, ethics, etc. Because unlike the government, they don't have to. All they have to care about is money. So it all comes full-circle: if you really want to change what appears in games, provide a home/school/work environment where kids don't grow up valuing violence/misogyny/apathy but instead grow up valuing peace/respect/caring. Then they won't want to play those violent games, the game developers won't make as much money off them, and will instead make more games with the positive values we desire. Yes, easier said than done, but that's at least an approach that may be worth taking.

Gonna pipe in for a sec. I think one of the problems is people trying to impose morals/culture on industry. The thing is, the two are not meant to be compatible. When the Civil Rights movement was happening in the 60's, they weren't trying to change any industry. They were simply trying to get the government to give people of color fair rights. That was doable. In this case, however, it seems like people are trying to get the gaming industry to adopt their own set of morals and culture. But businesses don't care about those things. They care about what sells. And violence, sex, and drugs sell. I think if you want change in the gaming industry, you have to change things where morals and culture matter: the home, the school, and the workplace. Simply having less violent games isn't going to change a thing.

That's pretty sweet, man! Obviously the recording quality from the camera was low, but I imagine it'll be fine with a good mic. You might have to tame some of the ringing in the low end.

Hey everyone! We just released our debut album, Orchestrana: Cinematic Odysseys! Like the name implies, it's a broad collection of our cinematic orchestral pieces composed throughout the year, ranging from elegant waltzes to ethnic tunes to symphonic anthems, and (almost) everything in between. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us. Link: Have a great weekend! Mathew and Teresa

Thank you!

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/moonlit-waltz Happy Halloween!

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/tools-of-the-trade Comments and critique welcome!

I like this. The kick is better now that the bass has been tamed. If you don't have some already, if and when you can afford them, I'd suggest investing in some studio monitors. Headphones are crap at realizing bass frequencies, so that's probably why you've been missing out on the lows.

That depends. Do you want to make money selling your songs/albums, or do you want to make money scoring films/TV/video games/commercials? For the former, promote yourself like crazy on all social media platforms and try to get gigs at locals venues, whether it's a cafe, local jam, etc. Get a website going. If you get to the point where you're able to tour, consider doing that. Touring and reaching out to fans (and of course, constantly posting your tour shenanigans on Twitter, YouTube, etc.) can do a lot to increase exposure. If you want to compose for media, try to hit up fellow students in the film/theater department of your local college. It may not be paying work at first, but I've known several people who say they got bigger and better paying gigs from those film school directors in later years. If you've worked with them, and they liked you and the work you did, chances are you'll be the first they'll call years later when (or if) they actually have a career. That brings up another point. Be likeable. No matter how good your music is, if you're a pain to work with, people aren't going to hire you. That doesn't always mean you have to agree (they hired you, so they should value your professional musical opinion), but you should be "agreeable" to work with, so to speak. Finally, there are always music libraries. It's kind of a grind and usually only pays back-end after years and years, but it can pay off in the long run or at least give you a little passive income in the future. Hope this helps!

I use Alicia's Keys: https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/do-you-want-to-run-a-dungeon Great emotion and realism. They modeled harmonic resonance so that chord sustains are killer. You can also dial in pedal and key noises.

https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/with-all-my-heart My attempt to capture a whimsical, high-adventure feeling with some ups and downs and a bit of heart.

I presume you're referring to the Kontakt Factory Library that comes with Kontakt? For a big band sound, here are some of my suggestions: Sample Modeling: http://www.samplemodeling.com/en/products.php CineBrass (the PRO version has a lot of nice muted brass, chords, and effects patches): http://cinesamples.com/product/cinebrass-core http://cinesamples.com/product/cinebrass-pro EWQL Goliath for nice jazzy effects (plus a ton of "fill the gaps" instruments): http://www.soundsonline.com/Goliath I used CineBrass in the track below as well as the Pop Brass patches from EWQL Goliath for effects. Skip to 2:22 and 3:16 for the brassy parts: https://soundcloud.com/kekopro/monster-in-the-headlights

Luckily panning is a quick fix compared to other production tasks like EQ, compression, etc. Glad to help!

Good point. It reminds me of when PETA was after Ubisoft for having whaling in Assassin's Creed IV. It's something that happened back then. A lot. It's not like Ubisoft was encouraging or otherwise praising the act in today's society. Look at Game of Thrones. Of course it's not historical, but it does portray a lot of no-no's in modern society (racism, prejudice, violence again women). It's not like the show is upholding these ideas. And it's not like, by watching it, you automatically assimilate those ideas and now you're a terrible person. You watch it for entertainment, to be temporarily absorbed in fiction, and hopefully you realize that none of that is meant to be an education in modern ethics.

Well, that particular example? Hopefully never. But in general, I don't know. It's hard to tell, maybe impossible. We're seeing a lot more diversity in all types of media. But how much of it is putting minorities in randomly to "normalize", as you say, and how much of it is putting minorities in for positive press, monetary gain, "being hip/current?" I'm just not excited about jumping up and applauding developers/publishers every time we get a perfectly diverse cast of characters. As I mentioned, I like seeing diversity, it's great and all, but it's not something I'm going to write home about all the time. Maybe I'm over the whole thing, I don't know. Like you said, in this day and age, why can't we just see everyone as "people" and not think about it? Do we really need video games to tell us that a woman can be smart or that an Indian guy can kick ass? Or for a public figure to tell us one way or the other? In my opinion, just make a good game, and if your character is the Prince of Persia, make him Persian, and if it doesn't matter, make him whatever you want.