Well, as many of you know by now, this song sadly didn't place at Wired96.
Personally, I can't help but wonder if the "bleeps" in the playback were
responsible. I suspect the faulty IT2.06 GUS drivers were used instead of
the fixed ones. I do know that when I played it to Statix and Screamager,
they both loved it. Statix gave me 1st place in his votes, as did Cygnes.
(Thanks, guys.) Anyway, hopefully when you hear this tune you'll love it
just as much.
I guess this means I won't be able to afford the trip to TP6. That upsets
me; I was rather looking forward to it. Oh well.
Here's the original song message...
...........................................................................
Since the start of this tune, I've made a massive amount of changes, all
of which have improved it beyond belief. =) Here's the list of "bugfixes"
if you like... :)
- cut the first three channels to ChanVol=48 to quieten the backing piano
[HB]
- added twinklechimes and rain to add atmosphere [VelluV]
- added volume envelope to rain loop to make it a little more fitting
[HB]
- added variable volume to the overall piano to enhance feeling [HB]
- changed the crappy "choir" type sample with an analog synth string
[VelluV]
- added more variety to the bassline throughout the song [?]
- swiped Big Jim's guitar frets cos I KNEW they'd fit perfectly [uhh, me]
- cured the song of Pattern Repetition syndrome :P [umm... me again]
- switched the echo volumes from 64/32/22 to 64/24/16 cos the echoes were
just too damn loud, basically :) [HB]
- placed a few carefully-positioned note-delays on the piano backing to
give it a more realistic feel [HB]
- added portamento-to-note throughout some of the flute melody cos it
sounds artificial (ugh) if it's retrigged too soon [uhh, me. Again. :)]
- changed the bass sample to something FAR more suitable ;) [The Zapper!]
- tweaked the bassline near the end of the song
[uh, actually, The Zapper did that for me. :} ]
- added more guitar throughout the song [Ballistique]
- chopped off a big lump to stay within the 4-minute limit. Boo.
[the Wired organizers. d0e!@]
- made the bass fadeout in orders 22-23 more gradual [yep, me]
- Lead into main melody in the 4-minute version more "gradual" (doesn't
just jump in) using bass piano [ditto :)]
And here's a list of the points raised which I disagreed with a little, or
just thought were basically plain WRONG... :)
- "You really need a bit of percussion in there..."
- "It doesn't go anywhere!"
[Yeah argh, I know, but like you said... it doesn't NEED to. ;)]
- "It's beautiful, but it's not likely to win a party compo... they
always tend to go for techno and commercial crap. :( "
[They didn't at TP5 Gryzor, or Asm95... or NAID96. Lets just say I
have a good feeling about this. ;) ]
- "This 'ere string sample is better than that one you've used, I think"
[Look HB, I'm telling you, that was histrings.hiqual.marcato under a
different name and it was duff. :) Besides, the one I used has a kinda
crispness to it which I really like. But thanks anyway.]
If you think they were right and I was wrong, tell me so! My email addy is
cmslhes1@livjm.ac.uk
...and I'll probably reply to it unless I forget. :}
...........................................................................
Greets to everyone at Wired96, especially the ppl I met there. Personal
greets follow...
Gandalf: I've already had a taste of the Mods Anthology CD I bought off
you at the party. I imagine the samples on Ace CD 3 will be useful too,
as will the source code. Hopefully I'll learn more about coding than
this lousy Software Engineering degree I'm on. :) 1500 belgian francs
for a total of SIX CDs! What a bargain. =)
Vivid: Man, you guys were COMPLETELY robbed. Your tune should have EASILY
made it to the final. The vocal samples really chilled me. =)
[NOTE: if you don't have it - "The Mists Of Avalon" - GO GET IT! ;) ]
Screamager/DD/BassQ: You were all robbed too. I guess they don't
understand the concept of the "pre-selection jury", huh? :I
Welti: Thanks for the samples! I look forward to using them in the future.
I only wish I had some to give you. Damnit, I need a Yamaha PSR520. :)
Statix/Optix: Hmm. Somehow, "UK Wired Intro Domination" doesn't really
have the same ring to it. :} You sure rocked their asses tho. =)
Aquafresh: Thanks for helping me get thru customs. Next time, I really
must remember to bring my passport with me. %)
Lobster/MikkE/Arjay/Spansh: See you all at Tesko 97. God help me. :D
......
.Lemm.
......
