Amicus717

If I recall correctly, there are a few folks around these parts who have picked up Hyperion Strings Micro, and I'm curious what its like. Is it useful, and what sort of stuff do you use it for, etc? Kind of no brainer at $32, I suppose, but I've bought so much stuff recently, and I need to get out of the habit of grabbing whatever seems like a good deal simply because its on sale. I'm trying to force myself to keep things lean and sensible for a little bit...although I probably chose the wrong hobby for that.

@Noel, Starise, ZincT, bjorndx: Greatly appreciate you folks taking the time to listen to my music, and many thanks for the kind words @bjorn, always glad for any commentary and criticism. I had another listen to the music, noting the moments you cited, and I'm wondering if maybe the bass drum is a bit too heavy in that section. I will experiment! As for acting on inspiration -- yeah, I'm actually quite taken aback by how nicely this one turned out (happily so). I have the awful habit of second guessing myself, or getting part way into a piece and then deciding its not working and is terrible, etc. The last piece I did in this general scope and style took me weeks to create and didn't sound half as good. Rob

Thanks, Paul!

Includes Hyperion Strings micro library, and runs until Jan 13th: https://soundiron.com/collections/on-sale

Hi folks, This project happened rather suddenly, by my standards. I really enjoyed my New Year's Eve experiment of creating a piece of music fast and without thinking too much about it. So, I tried a similar thing on Sunday evening -- just sat down and wrote something, not stopping until I had something basically complete. And "The Soldier's Hornpipe" is the result. I just had a fragment of melody that I fleshed out and then created the basic sketch, which evoked for me the image of Colonial-era soldiers on the march. The basic foundation of the track took four hours on Sunday, and I revisited it both last night and tonight in order to give it more polish. In total, about 6 hours of work - so far. More work is needed, as I consider this a preliminary sketch, and I actually intend to expand the music, as well as improve and add more detail. I must admit, I am surprised at how much I am enjoying writing stuff using this damn the torpedoes sort of approach. I tend to be my own worst critic, and sometimes do a great job derailing my creative impulses. Kind of nice to just get stuff down, and not worry about whether it's good until the dust settles. Anyway, I'd be very curious to hear any feedback on this one, if folks are so inclined: Libraries used... Strings: Albion ONE and 8Dio Anthology Brass: EastWest Hollywood Brass Woodwinds: Vienna Symphonic Library Percussion: Native Instruments Symphony Series, Vienna Symphonic Library, EastWest Hollywood Percussion Ethnic/World: Era II Soprano Recorder Thanks a lot folks! Rob PS: I am interested in hearing about things in the music that people both like and dislike. Any critical points or comments are greatly appreciated. I've already noticed a couple of points that somehow escaped my notice when I exported the audio - a glitchy recorder note in the final section, and a discordant note when the recorder and (I think) a tamtam strike interfere with each other at the key change modulation.

Some very nice ideas in this one. Be interesting to hear where you go with it. What library is that recorder/ethnic flute sound from? I like it...

Now $179 US, reg $299: https://www.uvi.net/world-suite.html Does anyone have this? I'm curious about it. The original world library from UVI was a trainwreck, but this one seems like it is a whole different beast, and much better across the board... Rob

Great song, I really like it. Excellent vocal work. Love the change at 2:16... I did hear a bit of thickness in the mix, for what it's worth.

Very evocative and a pleasure to listen to, Bjorn. Well done.

Tina Guo vol 2 - $99 From the site: "Tina Guo vol. 2 is a valuable expansion of the original Tina Guo Acoustic Cello Legato library utilizing the same unique seamless legato recording and programming techniques. The legato in vol. 2 allows for more agile melodic passages and additional articulations including spiccato, marcato, harmonics, sul ponticello, and vibrato pizzicato. Combining vol. 2 with the original library provides a complete combination of Tina's solo acoustic cello. " https://cinesamples.com/product/tina-guo-vol-2

I've been eyeing their products for a while. I find them pricey, but the walkthrus and demos sound gorgeous -- I get the impression that Project SAM's samples are exquisitely recorded, and their multis and combos are well designed. I also think they update their products really regularly, including adding content and significant tech updates, which I imagine offsets the fact that some of their stuff is a bit older, at least by sampling standards. I've been considering buy Orchestral Essentials 1, just to see if how much I like their sound and approach. This freebie might go a long way towards convincing me to do so...

I really enjoyed this. Great overall feel, and it sounds very polished and sleek.

Maybe even a sub-forum for when you are seeking serious, fair and constructive but very tough criticism - "The Gauntlet" or something...here, take this creative vessel into which I have poured weeks of blood and sweat, and find every single flaw imaginable, right down to the subatomic level. I would actually post my music to that kind of forum first, frankly...

That is a pretty entertaining walk thru: "This guitar is terrible for death metal, unless you make death metal ironically."

Buying Kontakt was the most value I've gotten for my dollar in the last 5 years, in terms of stuff bought for my music hobby. I fire Kontakt up in every project I do, and a good number of my really essential libraries use it. I've even started rolling my own small patches -- just because I can, and its fun. FWIW, I'm extremely glad I picked it up...

This sounds like fun. I've always wanted to try Project SAM's stuff, so this might be a really nice free window into their libraries: https://projectsam.com/free-orchestra/

Usual price is $98: https://8dio.com/instrument/epic-dhol-ensemble/

Really, really nice. Lovely music, excellent playing.

daryl1968, Leadfoot, Will Hackett: thanks for the comments, folks! Much appreciated I am already working to expand this one out. I think something pretty nice could come of it.

Thanks, Starise! I started this one at 10 pm New Year's Eve, so after a couple of false starts, I was happy how it turned out under the circumstances. I have a very bipolar relationship with the flute; I work part-time as a church musician and have heard a lot of bad flute playing over the years . But when it is played well, there is nothing quite like it, especially for melodies like this one.

Thanks, Dan! Yeah, I've got some ideas for an extended version that explores the basic idea a little more, and is quite a bit more polished in terms of arrangement and recording -- and, hopefully, more breathing room. This current sketch uses some of the VSL modern woodwinds along with Kontakt Factory Library djembes, a baroque guitar and orchestral harp. I was actually thinking of using all renaissance/late medieval era instruments, like wooden transverse flute, lute, viola da gamba and shwam (from Era II and similiar libraries), since it has a lot of that sort of vibe already.

Thanks bjorn, appreciate the comment! And thanks Tapsa -- noted, and appreciate the feedback, as always.

Yeah, these are really great. Clean, tight, polished. Mixes work just fine to my ears. Nice vocal work, in particular -- melodic, stylish, controlled, but with genuine personality.

Dan this is excellent. Evolves really nicely, and each section has its own hook and charms, and are beautifully arranged. Really, really enjoyed this one.

With one of my kids under the weather, and another working, there was not a whole lot of partying going on at my place tonight (which suited me just fine anyway). So, I set myself a New Year's Eve challenge this year - compose and record a short tune to celebrate the New Year, and get it posted by midnight. Didn't quite make it -- missed by 40 mins -- but got 'er done. It's a medievalish kind of ditty, and rather rough, full of mistakes and is very much a work in progress, but I like how it turned out. "A Folk Song for the New Year" is dedicated all the folks out there who are hoping for a year of peace, renewal and happiness. Happy New Year, everyone...